#energy efficiency

FAST, FREE, BIG IMPACT ENVIRONMENT ACTION FOR YOU RIGHT NOW!

Our state legislature- including many democrats- is considering permanently enshrining a definition of "carbon free energy" that totally walks back the standards we already won years ago, by enshrining several power sources as "carbon free" that are actually worse than coal and gas!

Worse still, it looks like a big part of the motivation is so they can lure in AI data centers that will otherwise obliterate our power grid. Ostensibly this is to "create jobs" which is a laugh when it comes to attracting an industry that openly adversities itself as eliminating jobs while skyrocketing electrical prices and depleting our water table. It's already fucking up towns where these parasitic data centers have been erected, with some people noting that their town is in danger from lack of water, or people reporting $600 electrical bills.

Ruling that things like biomass burning which, again, creates more emissions than coal are "carbon free" is straight up lying. It's anti-science and betrays the goals Minnesotans popularly support. It also undermines our clean energy industry, which provides good, safe jobs but is hurting because our federal government loves fossil fuels because they're paid off by that industry.

What I'm actually asking you to do is simple: Email [email protected] Identify your name, that you live in MN, and that you oppose biomass, "renewable" natural gas, or trash burning being incorrectly labeled as "carbon free" and you want law makers to actually stick to the very popular and legitimately won carbon neutrality goals our state set years ago. You could add that you particularly don't approve of this in light of the goal to add AI data centers, and that the science is clear that carbon capture is a false solution.

You must include the docket number 24-352. Put it in the body of the email and the subject line!

You have till September 17th to email, and to please please please spread this as far and wide as possible! Tell your neighbors! Your coworkers! You granny! Your instagram and facebook! Nobody wants $600 energy bills, laws that lie, and law makers ignoring the popular mandates so many people worked so hard for! This is a bipartisan issue when there are so many of these.

With the federal government out of the green energy race for now, it's up to states to pick up the slack, and MN can join the states leading the charge.

If you want to do a deeper dive, here's some more information.

Be concise, be specific, show that you're passionate about this! If you work in an industry you can point to being impacted or there's a specific impact on your life/community, get personal! Let them know you feel betrayed and upset!

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD! DO NOT LET POWER COMPANIES GET AWAY WITH GREENWASHING THEIR CARBON EMISSIONS AND ROB US OF THE CARBON NEUTRAL ENERGY WE'VE EARNED! SHOW THEM WE'RE PAYING ATTENTION AND DON'T WANT LIES IN THE PLACE OF SOLUTIONS!

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1. Can globally essential mangroves bounce back from deforestation? New study gives hope

“[The study] found that unexpected expansion and regrowth across the world began counterbalancing mangrove forest loss around 2010. The rate of gain has nearly outpaced losses, resulting in about a cumulative 1% global decline since the 1980s. […] The study also found that mangroves are becoming less degraded […] which means they are denser, retain more carbon and help secure shorelines.”

2. Peptide alternative to antibiotics could combat antimicrobial resistance crisis

“The peptide is stable and nontoxic to humans and is synthesized to attack the surfaces of bacterial or fungal cells that create biofilms, a sticky matrix that is often impenetrable to antibiotic treatments. […] “Our peptide shredded bacterial biofilms, which cause up to 75% of life-threatening infections," Neelakantan explains. [… It] “not only rescues from devastating bacterial infections, but also reduces inflammation and promotes wound healing."”

3. Norwegian startup raises $6M to fix this sneaky source of energy waste

“[The new] software-enabled devices can dial down the use and temperatures of existing heating cables to reduce electricity demand [using precise sensors….] Nordic Pharma said it has seen a 20% drop in the cables’ energy consumption since installing Eqon’s devices, which have also helped to alert the manufacturer to potential problems, such as frozen pipes and over- or underheated oil, that can disrupt production.”

4. How a tiny blue gecko became a conservation comeback story

“The gecko (Lygodactylus williamsi) lives in only two small forest reserves […] and depends almost entirely on screwpines for shelter, food, basking and breeding. […] Since 2016, they have cut down nearly 100,000 [invasive] cedar trees, reduced forest fires by around 80%, and planted about 5,000 native trees a year. Those efforts are helping the gecko’s population return toward earlier levels [as well as] improving habitat for other wildlife[….]”

5. Amazon floodplains cocoa offers a climate-resilient and sustainable chocolate

“Protected and irrigated by the forest canopy of the floodplains, Elene’s cocoa is more resistant to […] a fungus that devastated Brazilian crops in the 1980s, as well as climate change impacts like droughts and heavy rains. [… The presence of] “abundant and diverse local pollinators […] improves reproduction and results in better-quality fruit, more resistant to disease, higher in quantity and superior in flavor.” [… Between 2000 and 2024] reforested cocoa areas expanded more than fourfold[….]”

Across production, transportation, and use, fossil technologies are the main drivers of energy waste: over 75% of energy losses are directly attributable to fossil technologies.

[...]

The fossil system’s incredible wastefulness is partly by design. For a century, the global economy primarily prioritized energy volume-add, not value-add — investing into boosting energy sales, not the value each unit of energy adds. As the international Energy Agency (IEA) shows, less than 11% of total annual energy investments went to energy efficiency in the past five years, while some 90% went toward energy volume additions. We invest mostly in energy quantity, not quality and efficiency. This strategy has led to a ballooning energy system, fueling super profits for the fossil fuel industry over the past century. It also led to rampant inequities, and a world where over 60% of energy goes to waste while some hundreds of millions live in energy poverty, and we experience global energy shocks every two to three decades. At the same time, the fossil fuel industry is rewarded with economic rents of $1–$2 trillion every year as well as over $7 trillion in subsidies (2 and 7% of global GDP respectively).

Casa Riera, Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, Spain,

Turbo Moka, designed by Matteo Frontini !

Originally invented in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti and Luigi De Ponti. While maintaining the recognizable form and function of the classic design, the project introduces significant technical and material innovations aimed at improving energy efficiency and performance.

At the core of Turbo Moka’s redesign is its helical spiral base, inspired by aircraft turbine geometry. Engineered according to principles of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics, the spiral structure increases the surface area in contact with the flame by 93% compared to a traditional moka pot.

This enhancement allows for greater heat capture and more uniform energy distribution during coffee brewing. 

The configuration also prolongs the contact time between the flame and the boiler, improving thermal efficiency and reducing energy consumption by up to 50%.

As a result of these refinements, Turbo Moka can brew coffee in approximately half the time of a traditional model while using about 30% less energy.

Fire Country Lookout, Healdsburg, California,