One of the most interesting things that happened on my recent trip to the west coast occurred looking for a restroom. After pulling off I-5 south of Portland, Oregon, I missed the turn-in for a name brand gas station. I noticed another up ahead. My girlfriend Libby was skeptical. I peered ahead. “It has a […]
T. Boone Pickens: Half Right, Half Wrong
Billionaire T. Boone Pickens is getting attention for his highly publicized energy plan for America. Half the plan is spot-on. America needs to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, like wind or solar. The other half is wrong. He argues we should power our automobiles with domestically-produced natural gas. This will not significantly […]
Climate Change: The Moral Imperative for Smart Growth
This Tuesday I attended the “Earth Day Rollout” of a new book detailing the relationship between urban development and climate change. Intuitively, it would seem logical to conclude that compact cities release less greenhouse gasses on a per capita basis than low density ones. We might hypothesize compact cities shorten distances between destinations, encourage walking […]