“Lives based on having are less free than lives based on either doing or being.” -William James 1842-1910
Jun
29
29
Welcome to the future! California-based Tesla Motors goes public today
A Tesla Roadster prototype.
What’s the big deal? Tesla Motors, the young manufacturer of electric sports cars is going public? So what. Most of us can’t afford one.
And yet, this is the first initial public offering (IPO) of an American car company since the Ford family took Ford public in 1956.
This is history and we are watching with great interest from San Diego.
Tesla is well in to the process, of creating from scratch, cars that represents a revolution in vehicular transportation. The breakthroughs that Tesla are pioneering are vital to transforming the fleet of cars on American roads. At STAND FOR LESS we spend a lot of time discussing issues related to America’s addiction to petroleum. In fact, that addiction, and its consequences, has been a key part of our nation’s policies and conversations since at least 1973.
Tesla, with its electric cars, represents an important part of the solution regarding America’s affinity for petroleum.
This video, by Motortrend, compares the Tesla Roadster to a Porshe Boxter Spyder. It’s 14 minutes long and begins with a short ad from Google. It’s well worth the time to enhance your understanding of why Tesla is indeed a big deal:
Jun
25
25
Update on BP directing web traffic and what Leroy Stick thinks about this
Planet Green reports how BP has purchased Google keywords to increase traffic to its site. The article quotes a BP spokesman as saying that BP hopes to direct people to its Web site to provide them with the best information possible on BP’s cleanup efforts.
The article goes on to discuss Leroy Stick who is doubtful about BP’s sincerity.
Leroy Stick is the pseudonym of the person (or people) behind the Twitter feed @BPGlobalPR that is skewering BP for what Leroy perceives as a failure to take the spill seriously.
From our view in San Diego we want to say again–please STAND FOR LESS resources used–with petroleum high on our list currently.
May
28
28
SeaWorld San Diego rescues young gray whale!
The ongoing, and depressing, news out of the Gulf of Mexico reminds us of the importance of keeping our oceans clean and healthy. It’s inspiring to see stories like this one, thanks SeaWorld SD!
Apr
19
19
SFL Contest! How do you STAND FOR LESS?
We are holding a contest through April 24! Enter today to win an overnight stay in La Jolla at the beautiful La Valencia Hotel as well as dinner for two at Georges at the Cove.
To enter all you have to do is tell us how you STAND FOR LESS.
Visit the contest page and enter now . . . and tell your friends too!
Special note: Standing for less doesn’t mean you can’t visit wonderful places in La Jolla or elsewhere. It does mean you stand for only using what you need in your daily life and you take measures to live consciously, responsibly and with as little waste as possible. Sometimes you just need a break, and what better place than along our beautiful coast?
Visit the contest page and enter now.
Cheers,
The STAND FOR LESS Team
Apr
7
7
Mayor Sanders stands for more solar power in San Diego
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders flipped the switch to energize the city’s latest major solar installation – a 945-kilowatt system that provides 100 percent of the power necessary to operate pumps at the Otay Mesa Water Treatment Plant by day.
The City paid nothing upfront for the photovoltaic solar panels, which are owned and operated by Sun Edison. The City will purchase the power produced by the system for about half of the cost of purchasing electricity from the utility.
The power produced by these panels over the next year is the equivalent of what’s needed to power 2,600 households annually and will offset more than a million pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
The solar system at the Alvarado Water Treatment plant.
A similar solar power system has been in operation since February, 2007 at the City’s Alvarado Water Treatment plant. About 945 kilowatts are also produced from this system that sits atop three water reservoirs.
San Diego presently produces 2.3 megawatts of electricity annually from 15 municipal facilities fitted with photovoltaics. This will allow the City to someday reach its goal to pursue energy independence, and become a model city in energy conservation with the use of renewable energy.
The City’s photovoltaic systems currently save about $170,000 annually in energy costs and avoid significant greenhouse gases.
San Diego will continue to look for ways to manage the energy used and to generate it with solar and other renewable sources. San Diego continues to be California’s top solar power producer and is setting an example for the nation.
Mar
29
29
STAND FOR LESS salutes the World Wildlife Fund for standing for less
This past Saturday night was Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund. Humans around the globe were encouraged to turn off their lights for an hour. Below are two images from Las Vegas this year:
Normal lights.
During Earth Hour 2010.
See more images from this year’s Earth Hour at this post from the World Wildlife Fund.
Mar
26
26
Earth hour is tomorrow–let’s all take a stand for the Earth
An excellent video introduction to tomorrow’s Earth Hour:
Learn more at the amazing Earth Hour Web site. Sign up and take part in this very cool event. Created by the World Wildlife Fund.
Mar
25
25
Important reading on our water
This is appropriate as we end the week that began with World Water Day.
The San Diego County Water Authority has released its 2009 annual report. We talk about how we are at the end of the pipeline for California water and this past year that point was driven home more than ever with the ongoing drought.
Highlights from the report include:
“95% of residents said they were aware that the region faces a potentially significant water shortage.”
“The San Diego County Water Authority faced the most significant challenges to the reliability of the region’s water supply in nearly two decades.”
“The Water Authority’s clear vision and focused response turned a daunting threat to the region’s 3 million residents and $171 billion economy into an orderly and manageable transition.”
STAND FOR LESS strongly encourages you to read the full report. It’s easy to read and it’s important that residents and leaders understand the full situation regarding our region’s water.
Click on this image to access the full report. Note the link on the lower right (after you click through) to download a pdf file to your computer.
Mar
23
23
La Jolla!
The Pacific Coast at La Jolla in San Diego, California. Photo by one of San Diego's newest residents: Oliver Fluck.
This post is offered in the spirit of why we STAND FOR LESS. We do so because we live in one of the planets most beautiful locations. If you click on the image above you can see more photos from Oliver who graciously allowed us to use this image.
Keep scrolling for more from STAND FOR LESS . . . .