Melting North

I had a rather lengthy commentary planned for today but decided to post a quick link to a story about the shrinking glaciers on Baffin Island. As a former resident of the extreme northern part of the island, having spent years observing the changing climate and listening to the traditional knowledge of the Inuit hunters about the extreme changes they've observed, stories like this don't surprise me one bit.

I think part of the reason this story really caught my attention is due to my personal connection with it. I've known these observed changes to be true long before scientific data confirmed the fact and the Inuit have known this to be true for decades longer. Anyone that works on or with the land, or even spends a great deal of time away from urban areas, intuitively knows that things are changing at an alarming rate and feel it on a personal level. I believe it to be true in stating that people will become motivated to act on an issue that impacts them on a personal level. As the effects of the changing climate continue to become more encompassing,  we're also seeing more individuals personally affected and wanting action. 

When I started writing on environmental issues I promised myself that I wouldn't focus on the doom and gloom of the matter or resort to the overused tactic akin to yelling fire in a crowded theater in order to draw attention to the issues. I want people to be personally motivated to act for change. The tens of thousands of reasons I can give a person to act for change are trivial in comparison to the affect one personal reason an individual has to act.  

Nanosolar flew in right under my radar.

I like to keep on top of news and advancements in energy production and conservation but over the last several months my focus has shifted towards investing in the publicly traded companies that I like rather than scouring my news feeds for interesting science.

My attention as of late has been focused on First Solar and MEMC Electronic Materials and really had myself convinced that they were the two best bets for making solar power more affordable. Well, add Nanosolar to the list as well.

This was a pleasant surprise to find out that I had totally missed this company and really showed me that I need to keep on top of the news because this company hasn't exactly been hiding in the shadows. There has been plenty of coverage about their incredible manufacturing process and high profile investors; unfortunately I've been a little too focused on researching companies traded on the NYSE, NASDAQ, and TSX. The headline that drew my attention to this company, and is now the subject of numerous blog posts, states that this solar technology is now producing energy cheaper than coal. This is something I believed would not happen for several more years at the very least.

News like this is a nice way to start the day.

Introduction

There's so much information and misinformation circulating out there on the web and in media that it's hard to sift through it all and figure out what's important, what's real, and what we should be paying attention to. The addition of my voice to the melee offers a different perspective on environmental issues.

I'll post links to websites, news stories, and commentary that intrigue me and that I think are important to consider. I'm not a fan of presenting information in an overly sensational fashion or using scare tactics to grab the attention of people; I believe that in the long run it has no greater impact than yelling fire in a crowded theater over and over again.

I can be rather candid with my opinions and I enjoy hearing feedback and rebuttals.