Stomata isn't a dirty word

Busy day. First, a confession - we have a third person who is working part-time in the lab now, meaning that I have to do the early morning waterings less often. Accordingly, this morning I rolled out of bed at 9:35am. Sweet Danilo, one of my roommates, took his time in the shower - so I didn't make it to lab until after 10am. I stayed approximately long enough to know that there wasn't much for me to do. We are in a strange calm-before-the-storm time where we have long term projects which will basically all culminate at once. In the next three weeks, we must take photosynthesis data, look at leaf anatomy and then harvest over one hundred plants. I had been working on the microscopy and anatomy part, but Lauren needed to spend some time looking at the material and drawing her own conclusions. Additionally, strawberry season is almost over - so I decided to make jam for the first time. That turned out to be a several hour endeavour - interrupted only by a mac and cheese eating binge with my roommates. By the end, our entire kitchen was covered in strawberry jam - the floor, the stove - and most inexplicably - the walls. A friend pointed out the red, sticky streaks running down the wall nearest to the stove - but by that point I was so exhausted by cleaning everything else that I just let them be. I made waaay too much strawberry jam - it filled up all the jars I bought and the excess is now sitting in our fridge in large tupperware containers.

If anyone is interested - I am attaching some of my own, initial and flawed light microscope shots of leaf epidermal peels. Some of them are the tops of leaves and others are of the bottoms. One of them - the one in which the stomata look like hotdogs - meaning the two guard cells do not fully close - is of a diseased leaf in a plant. You can tell the difference between the tops and bottoms in several ways. First of all, the tops tend to have fewer stomata. Additionally, the epidermal cells on the top are thicker and less wavy than those on the bottom (at least in the Polygonum genus). The way you take these peels is by painting part of the leaf (in between the veins if possible) with a thin layer of clear, quick-drying nailpolish. Then you use sharp tweezers to peel the nail polish off after it has dried. The result, when viewed under a microscope, is a perfect impression of the epidermal cells and the stomata.

Science and Art Aren't So Different

My typing fingers hurt from painstakingly manipulating root images using photoshop - long story. However, I thought I would show off the artistic, in between images of roots (prior to being analyzed in RootEdge). I hope they come out. Enjoy.

The Next Step in Finches

Today I brought out my large summer purchase - the AC unit. I know that they aren't exactly environmentally friendly, but I (like the plants in the greenhouse) am heat-intolerant. I tend to wilt if it gets above 90 degrees, especially if I am not watered properly. I figure, if we can keep our plants airconditioned (which we do, when it gets wayyy to hot) - why can't I keep myself cool as well?

Today in lab, I finished measuring the roots from our first harvest on a finicky program called RootEdge. Rootedge is a simple freeware developed by two researchers at the University of Iowa to measure total root length - if you want to buy a program to do the same thing, it costs several thousand dollars. However, because it is free, RootEdge is a crazy program, prone to sudden, inexplicable mood changes. Tomorrow I will start work on the anatomical stuff, including getting trained to use a high tech microscope (only a glorified light microscope, but still!) I will also practice making slides, making thin leaf sections, and examining the sections for relevant anatomical details. I feel like it is the first thing I will start doing that is my own - even though it will be an important part of Lauren's masters thesis.

Today is definitely a day to catch the New York Times. The two top stories featured on their website are "Files on Illegal Spying Show CIA Skeletons from Cold War" and "Poll Shows Liberal Ideas Gaining With Young People." I think that the NY Times' own bias is showing here, but the articles are interesting. And, in my opinion, I am glad that some liberal ideas are popular with our generation. That's my own bias.

To be more relevant, I highly recommend the Science section of the New York Times for some light, but interesting reading. (For future reference, the Science section always comes on tuesdays, and is generally very good.) First, look at "From a Few Genes, Life's Myriad Shapes" by Carol Kaesuk Yoon. Ignoring the fact that "myriad" might be a bit to much in an article title - the article does a good job of pointing out that Eco-Devo (Evolution and Development) has long been ignored by mainstream science. For a long time, people believed that genes (not development) were all we needed to understand evolution and structural complexity. However, this viewpoint ignores the fact that genes control development - and that mutations which occur at the developmental level often have much wider effects than those which occur during maturity. Simple mutations in genes controlling development can completely rearrange organism body plans - like the famous fly featured below, with its antennae growing out of its head.



http://faculty.mc3.edu/charendz/antp-head-sm.GIF

The article is also interesting because it chooses to return to a well known research subject - the Galapagos Finch. The different beak sizes on the islands of the Galapagos is probably the most well known story in evolution - and the article returns to it by examining the genetics and development behind the structural beak differences. It is a different way of viewing evolution - from the inside rather from the outside. Anyways, check out that article at:


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/26/science/26devo.html

And if you are like me, spend a moment reading the editorial about chocolate - and how there is currently a petition to the FDA to allow non-chocolate substances to be labeled as chocolate in grocery stores.

Baby Genius

I will leave it to you to figure out how this relates to Energy and Utilties, but I just read an article from the New York Times entitled, "Study on I.Q. Prompts Debate on Family Dynamics." The article is about a recent study which (in conjuction with a growing pile of evidence) found that elder children tend to have higher IQ's than their siblings (an average of 3 points). I happen to find the study ridiculous - I mean, not only is IQ a shaky indicator of intelligence in my opinion (I don't think there is a test which really can determine intelligence) - but 3 points does not seem to be very significant in my mind. Additionally, my little sis is a certified baby genius (we called her the BG in my family, for short).

Check out the article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/us/25sibling.html?hp

Also, there is a story on BBC (also, somewhat ambiguously related to Energy and Utilties, but interesting nonetheless) which features a group of scientists who believe that the current theory of HIV infection and spread is wrong. Check out it out at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6230580.stm


Now, back to the subject of energy - and here we look at energy use in homes. I begin by following a story on BBC's Green Room (really a wonderful place to check out). This week a man named Luke Nicholson wrote a piece about Smart Meters and energy efficiency in households. He writes that the household energy efficiency depends on two factors - the efficiency of the products we use in our homes, and the efficiency with which we use them. While the government and the private sector are largely in control of the first, consumer behavior is at the root of the second. The EU is considering making Smart Meters available which would allow people to exactly calculate the amount of energy that they waste on household appliances (such as plugged in chargers and heating). It is debateable how much of an impact a Smart Meter would have - but I feel optimistic. I think that if people are able to see in energy and dollar terms how much their sloppy habits cost themselves and the earth, they may make small changes in their behavior. To see the whole story, look at:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6225938.stm

Finally, the following article is one that peaks my interest for a particular reason. Last semester, I wrote a long research paper on the possible evolution (both historical and future) of urban wildlife species. It turns out that certain species have coevolved with the human race for thousands of years, and have evolved traits which allow them to thrive in urban and other human modified environments. We forget about these species - the pests, the decorations on our sidewalks and the weeds growing in between the cracks. But it is interesting to consider how these species were able to evolve the ability to cohabitat and in some cases outsmart us humans. In any case, on BBC's the Green Room, Richard Fuller criticizes the current urban design of "compact cities" - arguing that losing urban greenspace has negative consequences. He points out that the the phenomenon of urban sprawl results in "car-dependence, a lack of exercise, and exhausting, environmentally damaging daily journies to and from scattered locations." The new hope is that future city growth will reduce urban sprawl and be better desinged to discourage cars. Few cities have been designed with environmental mandates in mind, in fact, I can only think of a single city (Curitiba in Brazil) which was built with green objectives in mind. And (at least certain articles have insinuated) Curitiba was built green because of the whims of a "benevolent" dictatorship. There is additionally quite a bit of debate over how environmental Curitiba really is - although there is no doubt it is quite a bit better than most US cities. The first link below is to the BBC article on urban wildlife, the second is to a blog on Green Economics which I just found. It has much of the New York Times article on Curitiba (as well as some commentary). Definitely worth checking out.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6754549.stm


http://greeneconomics.blogspot.com/2007/05/is-curitiba-brazil-green-city.html

Well, that's it for now. I hope people's summers are going well - the weather here has been extraordinary - this weekend was hot and dry, with a beautiful blue sky over head The plants were not too crazy about it - I had to water them nearly every 2 hours today - the dry treatment ones kept drooping their leaves sadly.

Beautiful Bridgeport

Today Lauren and I took a field trip (much needed) from the lab. One of the best parts about research (and I keep finding good things) is that when you do research you are part of a community. Lauren and I have been corresponding with botany contacts from across the United States about the best techniques to use for plant anatomy microscopy. (The word 'microscopy' is very hard to pronounce, I have found) (Do not attempt it for the first time when you are in polite company).

As a result, an extremely nice researcher at Stony Brook University in New York offered to do a day long training session with us. The techniques of plant anatomy are gradually being replaced by an emphasis on molecular biology - people seem to believe nowadays that the molecular level is somehow more profound and interesting than the anatomical or morphological level. So it was hard to find people who could properly train us in the art (and it is an art) of plant microscopy.

We began the day at 7am, and drove over to the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson ferry. The ferry ride was funny because we had brought some plant material with us. The plant material (although well contained and not flowering) is an invasive weed in the Polygonum genus. So Lauren and I kept pulling botanical, early morning jokes about transporting invasive weeds across state borders. We also took an inordinate number of polygonum photographs. When you are a researcher, you begin to develop this whole other sense of humor solely related to your research subject. It is difficult to explain or justify to outsiders.

The lab we worked with was incredibly patient, kind and understanding. Even though Lauren and I had never really worked with microscopes before (I have a bit of experience with a Scanning Electron Microscope, but that's it) - the PHD student and the professor were glad to help us section and stain to our heart's content. They even showed us a technique involving lots of fresh carrot which helps to cut the leaf sections in tiny slivers. The slivers were unimagineably small - much finer than a single hair. We needed them to be that small because we are trying to look at the single palisade layer of the plant matter - meaning that the ideal section is only a single cell layer thick. It was especially neat to look at the stomates on the underside of the leaf. Stomates are the little respiratory holes of plants, and they open and close depending on the phsiological needs of the plant (ie the humidity, heat, sunlight and specific plant characteristics). The plant needs to intake oxygen through the stomates in order to photosythesize (which is what plants do best!) Somates are positioned in between two gaurd cells which open and close in response to complex signals and osmotic pathways. Pretty cool. Plus, pictures of stomates (see below) are really cool. They look like little mouths.



The above picture is from the research of one Laura Brezinsky at the University of Hawaii. The stomata is the center of the mouth - and the two "lips" are the gaurd cells around it.

Anyways, it is all pretty exciting - if we look at these anatomical traits in conjunction with the plasticity research we are doing, we will be the first to do so. However, the work required in addition to taking photosynthesis data and plant harvesting will be overwhelming. Forgot happy, sunny afternoons spent gorging onself in the nearest strawberry patch.

Where did it go? And nanogeneration.

Today was one of those days where I thought - Goddamn, research is a great life! I woke up at 9:15am (yes!), worked productively until 12:30 and then went strawberry picking at a sweet local farm nearby. The strawberries were $1.50/pound. Not including the several pounds of "free" strawberries that I ingested while picking.

Moving on to equally fascinating topics - a lake in Chile has been reported missing. A ranger was quoted by BBC as saying, "We (patrolled) again in May and to our surprise we found that the lake had completely disappeared. All that was left were chunks of ice and an enormous fissure." I would have loved to see that.

Now for a word on local versus large-grid energy production. There is an interesting part of BBC called "The Green Room" where environmental issues are introduced and debated. This week, Clemens Betzel argues for the advantages of 'microgeneration" - small scale generation of power from local sources. The best known current example is probably photovoltaic solar roof panels. Mr. Betzel argues for one step further, the widespread implementation of nanogeneration. He defines nanogeneration as the process of making every day products self-sufficient. In fact, Clemens Betzel owns a company called G24 Innovations which will build new solar products designed for in home use. He hopes that it will solve one of the main problems with solar energy right now - namely that batteries are incredibly inefficient at storing energy. The storage capacity of batteries is very important to the future of solar technology, especially in non-sunny areas.

G24 Innovations has a pretty cool website - check out: http://www.g24i.com

One of the cool innovations detailed on the site is the so called "Graetzel Cell," which was invented by Dr. Micheal Graetzel in 1988. It was the first attempt to merge nanotechnology and solar power. Additionally, although there are still problems with the energy efficiency issue, the materials used to make these cells (now called dye-sensitized cells) are much cheaper to make than other types of solar cells.

Another cool piece of news from BBC - Google is attempting to make their entire firm carbon neutral by 2008 (WOW - that is the most optimistic and ambitious date I have heard for a carbon neutrality project yet). As part of their plan that will give one million dollars in grant money to encourage hybrid adoption. They will also make their computers much more energy efficient (computer, especially when left turned on, can be a drastic drain on power). Google co-founded the Climate Savers Computing Initiative to make computers more energy efficient.

Just some food for thought. I have to go to sleep now - am waking up before 7am tomorrow to travel to NY and learn about plant anatomy.

The Naked Dream

Every morning either Lauren or I (Lauren is the graduate student I work with) must water the plants at 8am. Waking up at 7:45am is often an ordeal for me, even though I had to wake up even earlier last summer when I commuted into DC. Anyways, I have an obsessive habit of dreaming about waking up before I actually wake up - I also often worry that my alarm won't go off when I have something to do early in the morning. Anyways, early this morning I had a dream where the plants were on death's door due to my negligence during early morning watering. In the dream, I became frantic and decided to save time by rushing to the greenhouse without any clothes on. No one would see me, I reasoned, because it was so early in the morning. And I could be back without anyone being the wiser. What a brilliant plan. Anyways, I make it to the greenhouse without being seen, and proceed to water the wilted plants, spraying water everywhere in my desire to get out safely. However, mid-way through Lauren walks in with Professor Sultan. They are followed by the maintenance crew (6 or 7 cheery middle aged men) and I realize that, of course, repairs on the greenhouse usually happen at early hours of the morning. I start to freak out and place our potted research subjects in front of key areas of my anatomy. Then, as I turn to run away, I realize that the greenhouse has expanded to become 10 times its normal size - and right in front of me is a large class of freshmen.

Just remembering the dream is giving me little shivers of dread. Just thought I would share.

Environmental news

I need to catch up on the environmental and energy news which has been happening the last week. Lets do a little internet cruisin' to see what's been happening in the world.

First of all, BBC, my personal favorite. (I sometimes pretend to read the articles in a British accent. You know, just for kicks.) Plus, is it just me - or are some of the BBC articles much better written than the standard NY Times or Washington Post fair. My other all-time favorite is The Economist. Anyways:

1. Black, R. "Cash row at Wildlife trade forum." BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6758215.stm 16 June 2007.

The final day of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was spend arguing over a substantial budget cut, which was eventually approved. The budget cut may hamper the ability of CITES to restrict the illegal trade of certain endangered species. However, on the bright side (well, not if you are pro-whaling) CITIES agreed not to review the stocks of whales (ie how many whales populations are intact) until the whaling moratorium is over. This is good, since if they reviewed stocks it would open opportunities for whaling countries to negotiate further. Additionally, in my opinion, the illegal whaling which now occurs is quite enough. Whales are so incredibly beautiful that it is worth erring on the side of caution now to avoid disaster.

2. Amos, J. "Earth species feel the squeeze." BBC News. 21 May 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4563499.stm

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment recently found that disturbing numbers of species are going extinct. Although extinction is a normal part of evolution, current extinction rates are between 100 and 1000 times greater than those seen in the fossil records. The interesting part of the report is how it ties the rapidly degrading ecosystems to our own health and wealth. The report argues that people living closest to the poverty line will be most vulnerable to this change, since they depend most directly on ecosystem functioning.

Now, to be fair - lets look at Science news at Foxnews.com

3. Associated Press. "Common American Bird Numbers Plummeting." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,282613,00.html

Umm, yeah. Pretty much the title says it all. Suburbia and urban areas have destroyed much of the habitat of American bird species.

Not too much else interesting on Fox news - except that they are pretty angry at Angelina Jolie for refusing interviews with the Press, especially Fox News, except under special circumstances. I say - Go Angie!! I think it is obnoxious that the press thinks they can own these celebrities, especially when she probably has better things to do with her time.

Okay, that's it for now folks. Enjoy the supreme weather!

Best,
Emily

Wild Horses and Oil Refineries

I just made the mistake of eating dinner with my super skinny and athletic roommate, Paul. We had spaghetti and tomato sauce, follwed by bread with cheese and tomato sauce, followed by leftover spicy bean lasagna. Followed, if I am going to be completely honest, with about half of a strawberry rhubarb pie. Ever notice how my blog is half about energy and utilties and half about whatever food I am eating? Yeah, sorry bout that.

Anyways, the first item on the agenda tonight is just a tip - I found the following job search engine for jobs in the energy business. The site specializes in Oil and gas, Transmission and Distribution, Power Engineering, Power Generation and Delivery, and Energy management. Something for everyone. So check out Aerotek at: (Sorry there is no link - it seems as though the link function of this blog is still malfunctioning - so copy and paste the old fashioned way).

http://energy.aerotek.com/Jobs-Employment/Default.aspx

Secondly, Fortune Magazine just came out with its 100 Best companies to work for in 2007. Number 22 was Valero Energy (VLO). Valero Energy Corporation is the largest refiner in the United States. Valero refines residual oil and heavy crude oil into higher-margin products. The corporation owns 18 refineries located throughout the United States, and in Aruba and Canada. Valero's ethical history and environmental record is mixed at best. They have definitely faced suits over environmental issues and gone head-to-head with the EPA over clean emission standards. However, currently Valero's website devotes a huge section to environmental perogatives, including energy efficiency to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions. Is this astroturfing or greenwashing? I will let you be the judge. Valero also has an internship program which looks pretty interesting - they offer competitive salaries and seem to put a lot of emphasis on making the internship a real experience. They recruit both on college campuses and through the internet. If you are interested check out: http://www.valerointernships.com/start.htm.

Interesting quotation from the Valero website:

"If climate change policy is developed, it must be enacted at the national or international level to be effective. These regulations must also be coordinated with other government-driven environmental mandates that may run counter to addressing climate change. The enactment of regulatory policy requires a full understanding of climate change, since inaccurate or technically incorrect policies could damage national, regional, or state economies and obstruct other environmental goals – such as clean fuels – where the human health and environmental benefits are more clearly understood. For instance, even though Valero supports recent EPA mandates to meet clean fuel specifications, the additional refinery processing to remove sulfur from diesel and gasoline increased GHG emissions significantly above pre-existing refinery levels. "



http://www.valero.com/NR/rdonlyres/1C2C47AC-E182-43B5-B529-F906B16EA0BD/0/Environmental.jpg



http://www.valero.com/NR/rdonlyres/7825845A-DCE9-4686-959E-9C1B0D7EA03A/0/paulsbororefinery_onthew.jpg

The above images are from the environmental section of the Valero website. I especially like the one which shows horses grazing near an oil refinery. This is definitely a bizarre example of greenwashing - except, what are those horses doing there? Just running wild around the nearest oil refinery? I wonder if the company placed them there, it just seems too strange to be real.

Anyways, next blog I think I will focus on renewable energy products - so stay tuned (ie log on tomorrow).

Best,
Emily

The Second Harvest

Today began the second harvest of the summer. We collected the plants which had germinated first and mercilessly pulled off their leaves in order to scan them. Then, we removed the plants from the dirt and washed their roots clean. Obviously I managed to get myself completely covered in mud - and obviously I had chosen today to wear my new, super-soft sweater. Goddamn. There was an infestation of aphids yesterday - Lauren (my lab partner) thinks that they blew in through the side vents of the greenhouse when someone was cutting the grass. You wouldn't think so but aphids (see pic above) are super sneaky creatures.

Anyways, I have to wake up early tomorrow to give the plants their early morning watering. However, I enjoyed the following article below - so I am passing it along to you:

"US town set to ban saggy trousers" From BBC.com

A blog about blogging

You may have noticed that nearly all the presidential candidates have blogs this time around. In fact, blogging itself has gained popularity and legitimacy in the past few years. Although this is not a blog about blogging (too bad, as though would be oh-so existential and ironic) - check out the link below to a NY Times article on the salary rates and career opportunities of professional bloggers.



Additionally - I found this article on blogging as a career from a new career website formed from a merger between the New York Times and Monster. The site is excellent, and I recommend checking it out especially if you live in the New York City area. One of the best parts of the website is the career advice section, which features "A Day in the Life" descriptions of a number of interesting jobs. For example, there is a day in the life of an assistant wind developer, a business development manager at a biotech firm and a lobbyist - to name a few.



I have a confession to make - yesterday I went to Barnes and Noble and instead of spending my usual several hours in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section, I spent them in the Personal Finance/Job Search section. A bit terrifying. For one thing, none of the books really featured environmental or energy related jobs. Additionally, there were few books centered on college students just entering the work force. However, I need to start finding the job resources that will help me launch my future career. I did manage to garner one bit of savvy advice though - check out the career resource centers at your schools! I am guilty of this also - I have not taken enough advantage of the *free* and helpful advice and connections which are offered. Additionally, I have found that much of the information about green careers exists on the Internet - not in books. Here are two Internet sites which have a strong list of jobs available in the environmental and energy sectors.




Anyways, the first thing I am going to do is to go to my CRC (career resource center) in September and have them go over my resume. Then I am asking my parents for any kinds of contacts they may have in the areas I am interested in. No shame!

Best, Emily

The Low Hanging Apple

First, apologies for the recent poor formatting of my blog. I am putting in all of these cool websites and pictures, and none of them seem to be coming up well on the blog itself. I have emailed Experience about the problems, and hopefully we will fix them soon. Until then - you have my apologies.

Big News today - The United States agreed to "seriously consider" (whatever that means) a proposal to cut the emissions of greenhouse gases in half by the year 2050. The United States and Germany (Mrs. Merkel) were at the heart of the negotiations. Mrs. Merkel is a phyicist and was elected on a platform of halting global warming. Germany is gung-ho (sp?) to address the climate change issue - partially because they are already developing renewable energy (such as wind). However, the United States is extremely wary of promising to lower emissions by specific amounts or adopting emissions targets. For example, Germany wanted the 8 to adopt an energy efficiency clause in their agreement, but this seems unlikely. Mrs Merkel's chief advisor on climate issues, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber (what a name!), was quoted as saying:

"It would be very disappointing if the energy efficiency issue is marginalized,” Mr. Schellnhuber said in a telephone interview before today’s meetings. “It’s a huge, low-hanging apple, which can be plucked now."

(Above information from: "Europe and U.S. Move Toward Climate Deal" By MARK LANLDER and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG. New York Times. Published: June 7, 2007.)

Hmmmm. A huge, low-hanging apple. What a strange, yet vivid mental image. Thanks Hans.



http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/spaceball.gif

For better reporting on the G8 deal, check out BBC.com - the news is headlined right now. Additionally, they have a great photo essay of anarchists, students, and anti-globalization protestors in Germany outside the G8 summit. I am including one of their photographs below, in hopes that it will come out.



http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/43021000/jpg/_43021589_g8demosafp3.jpg


There are mixed reports on how far the US truly intends to go. However, the international mood seems to be optimistic.

In other words, Yay!

Time to go enjoy the weather and make bean lasagna with my delightful roommates.

- Emily

Notorious Rex

Last blog post I got pretty environmental on you guys. Therefore, to be balanced, this post I am going to look at the career path of notorious CEO Rex Tillerson, the CEO of Exxon Mobile.




Who Is Rex Tillerson?

Mr. Tillerson was born in Wichita Falls, Texas. He attended the University of Texas and studied civil engineering. He first joined the Exxon Company in 1975 as a production engineer. He continued to advance through the corporation until 1987 when he was named business development manager in the Natural Gas Department. The responsibilities of this position included developing long term plans for the Alaskan and Canadian Beaufort Sea gas. In 1992 he became the production advsior to Exxon Corporatio n and then became the coordinator of affiliate gas sales in Exxon. Three years later he became president, and in 2006 he was named CEO upon retirement.

Since becomming CEO of Exxon Mobile in 2006 Rex Tillerson has tried to make Exxon's image more environmentally friendly. At the same time however, he argues that peak oil is a myth propagated by environmental hysteria. He also believes that Exxon, despite phenomenal profits, has been investing more than necessary in the RD needed for refineries. He predicts that oil will continue to grow at 3% per year, whereas renewable energies will probably grow at around 10% per year. However, he believes that renewable energy is not growing fast enough to provide energy for the transportation and energy needs of the world. Tillerson tends to have a global outlook in general - and sees the oil market moving east.

YouTube Movie of Tillerson Denying Peak Oil:




Interesting Quotes by Rex Tillerson:

"The petroleum industry is a long-term business. The new supply of petroleum the world utilizes today is available because of decisions and risks undertaken by our industry 5, 10, and even 15 years ago. Similarly, the decisions we make today related to exploration, development, production, transportation, refining, and distribution will likely affect results for many, many years – even decades into the future."

This stands out to me because I have often heard it said that the oil business is indicative of the short-term bias which influences too much of our governmental decision making. However, when you think about it, it completely makes sense that the petroleum business is incredibly long term - after all, the amount of capital and foresight that it takes to discover and exploit oil and gas reserves all over the world necessitates the long-term view. Therefore, perhaps it is unfair when environmentalists characterize oil corporations as short-sighted opportunists. They only appear that way because they are good at planning ahead.

"Some people might assume that, as an oil company, we may have simply extrapolated "business as usual" and ignored the potential for efficiency in energy alternatives. But that is not the case. In fact, our outlook includes ongoing gains in energy efficiency, offsetting growth in demand about 1 percent per year based upon such things as aggressive assumptions for the introduction of advanced vehicles, particularly hybrids here in the United States.

We have assumed solar and wind, with continued mandates and subsidies, will grow at a 10 percent annual rate – or more than five times as fast as hydrocarbon energy supplies. Nevertheless, the world’s growing economies and transportation needs will result in continued demand for petroleum – a plentiful, reliable, affordable, and easily transportable form of energy."

So there it is, the story of one oil CEO guru from his own lips. One things for sure, Rex Tillerson is pretty darn smooth.

Time for some delicious cooking.

Best,
Emily





Sources:

The World Energy Source. "Rex W. Tillerson." Published 2007 by Loomis Publishing Services, Inc.


Tillerson, R. "The Role of Energy in the 21st Centrury." World Energy. 2007. V(8):2.

I Like My Summer Job, But!

This post will begin to address the "I Like My Summer Job, But I Don't Want To Do It For the rest of my life" issue. Now, for those of you who are satisfied with your summer jobs, and do want to do them for the rest of your lives (or some portion at least) - congratulations. However, for myself, and most of the people I know, summer jobs rarely turn out to be that inspirational. For one thing, few internships are filled with opportunities for the creativity and learning that we college students are used to.

From time to time I begin to worry whether my summer experiences are adequately preparing me for whatever it is that I want to do. Part of the problem is that my career interests have fluctuated widely over time. Once, a few years ago, I even fancied becoming an environmental activist. Now, the idea of that lifestyle fills me with a special kind of dread (largely due to a summer internship experience). I mean, spending hours chained to fellow activists in the hot, hot sun is just not my idea of a manageable career. Currently, I'm most interested in environmental consulting, green business, environmental and energy-related investing, environmental management, science policy, ect. ect. The problem is that I need to start making the first of my career decisions within the next year. This is incredibly exciting, but also a bit intimidating and scary. So, tonight I thought I would research job opportunities within green business. I know that this is not necessarily something that everyone who reads this blog is interested in - but if you have never considered it, give it a listen. I believe that our environmental practices will become increasingly central to how we do business so even if you want to join oil and utilities, you may want to think about putting an environmental spin on your objectives.

First, check out the following web sites:

1)

This one is the homepage of Green Biz - they have lots of good career ideas and advice, as well as some job openings.

2)

This is just a general list of the types of jobs available in the field.

3)

This is a site called Green Career Tracks, which is a sub-par web site. However, they seem to offer a variety of green-career services, which is interesting and perhaps useful.

Some examples of job openings I found included:

Research Associate at McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry in Charlottesville, VA.
- McDonough Braungart began the "Cradle to Cradle" design - eco-effective design principles.
- Primary role is to assist Project Manager with research tasks for Cradle to Cradle Certification and Consulting
- Conduct research on a wide variety of topics to support consulting services, including material chemistry, innovative
materials, sustainability issues, corporate reporting
- Salary range - $30,000 (ummm, thats pretty low...)

Environmental Consultant at the Green Restaurant Association in Boston, MA
- Green Restaurant Association is a national non-profit organization with a mission of creating environmental
sustainability in the industry.
- Help GRA's restaurant clients implement four new environmental steps per year. Find new environmental solutions for
the restaurant industry.

Renewable Energy Analyst at D&R International, Ltd. in Silver Spring, MD.
- D&R International is an energy and environmental consulting firm in SDilver Spring.
- Responsibilities include gathering technical and market information about energy-efficient and renewable energy
products
- Working with industry stakeholders and clinets to develop new Energy Star programs.
- Performing quantitative analysis to estimate the energy savings and market saturation of planned programs.
- Requirements: Bachelors degree in a related field and 3-5 years of experience.

The last one is particularly interesting to me, because it is located near my home town of DC. Anyways, the point is that environmental jobs are currently available in a large number of areas, not just environmental activism. Well, I gotta get up at 7am tomorrow to water the plants. Oh geez.

Best, Emily

The Exciting World of Green Utilities

Despite the 2006 upset in Congress, the alternative energy movement is
still moving forward on local,
rather than national, levels. For example, a number of
state utility companies are beginning to (voluntarily) seek out sources
of alternative energy. The Alternative Energy Blog at


published a list of the greenest utilities in the nation.
Surprisingly enough, Austin, Texas topped the list as having the
greenest utility. Austin
Energy obtains its renewable energy from wind power, land
fill gas and small hydro projects. They generate 435MWh /year. The wind
power is from a wind farm in western Texas with 61 wind turbines.
Additionally, the mayor of Austin, Mr. Wynn, has announced a new
climate protection plan in which 30% of the city's energy will come
from renewable sources by the year 2020. The picture below is from the
Austin Energy website and captures their wind turbines. The
environmental initiatives taken by Austin Energy include a Plus-In
Hybrid campaign, Green Building program, Solar rebates programs and a
solar loan program.

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If you are like me, you are
not only excited that such a utility exists, you are also interested in
their employment opportunities. Fear not! The Austin Energy website
(link below) has an employment section (second link below). I had a
hard time finding the actual jobs listing here; however, you can post
your resume directly to the website and can also email the company at
jobs@austinenergy.com for more information.





style="font-weight:bold;">Portland General Electric is
the second on Renewable Energy's list. They allow their customers to
pay extra for green electricity sources. For example, if you choose the
Green Source option, then you receiveelectricity from 100 percent
renewable energy sources, such as wind, geothermal and biomass. The
cost of this option is the regular bill plus an additional 0.008 per
kWh. This translates (according to their website) to about $7 more for
a typical residential customer. The Clean Wind option allows you to
purchase amounts of wind energy in order to support the growth of the
Northwestern Wind Industry. Additionally, with either the Green Source
or the Clean Wind option, you can choose the "Habitat Support" option,
which charges you $2.50 a month in return for helping the Nature
Conservancy support stream habitat for salmon and other fish. Damn,
that is almost enough to make me want to move out to Portland. Portland
General Electric also has employment opportunities, so check out the
two links below.





I
was getting kind of bummed out that all of these utilities options were
for west coasters. So I checked out a ridiculously cool website called
"Climate Counts." If you go to the link below, you can check on a
state-to-state basis to see what types of local green utilities options
are available in your area. I found out that a company calledPEPCO
Energy Services operates in my state and has Green Electricity 10%, 51%
or 200% usage. The source of thesis electricity is landfill gas.
Additionally, they have aNewWind Energy 51% or 100% usage plan, which
uses electricity from a wind farm. Additionally, the Washington Gas
Energy Services for greatermaryland has a New Wind Energy program as well.

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Finally, there is the opportunity to offset the carbon cost of your home utilities bill by buying CoolWatts at the link below. Be advised that CoolWatts
only goes to support Wind Energy, although I personally think that wind
energy is currently one of the most successful alternative energy
sources. I haven't fully investigatedCoolWatts , and do not own any
myself. Therefore, be sure to research before buying any. That said, it
seems like a cheap (less than $100 a year) way to offset your carbon
costs and send a message to our governments, local and national, about
the need for clean energy sources.



Anyways,
I am currently up in Vermont, enjoying the thunderstorms rolling
through. I hope that everyone is enjoying the weekend.

- Emily