An Internet Addicted Tree Hugger

Time for a new computer? Quite possibly! This guide gave me a few more interesting things to think about before buying.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/11/buygreen-laptop-computers.php#ch04

Having a work laptop computer is a nice perk. I am allowed to work at home a couple times a week if I really want to and I can finish up work that I don't complete during office hours at home if the pressure is on. I currently use an IBM ThinkPad that is quite a workhorse. I think the actual machine is four years old but it has had memory upgrades to handle the applications and software that I use regularly. Also, it's really light! I'd be surprised if my work laptop weighed more than 5 pounds.

Then there is the big baby that I use at home. She weighs upwards of 10 lbs. A Hewlett Packard Pavilion, it has served me very well and has never had a hardware problem in the four years I've owned it. I originally bought it as a replacement for my laptop that was stolen in Prague. It was big, fast and badass and the best laptop on the market at the time. Now there are laptops at half the weight with double the features for 2/3 of the price! What a world, huh?

Either way, I debated getting a desktop, but I'd like to conserve energy and also stay as mobile as possible. Carrying my current home compy around is terrible. I want something much lighter and not too pricey. I miss being able to carry around my older, yet much lighter laptop to cafes and bookstores and doing geeky things no matter where I was! I'll also probably get a docking station that will allow me to hook up to a large monitor with extra USB ports and such when I come home and want to login.

Hopefully my purchase as an American consumer goes to a company that actually cares about the environment AND economy!

Please leave a comment if you have any advice on which of the computers in the Green Buying Guide are good or not. I'd appreciate it!

Marketing to Business, People and the Planet

Interesting read on the death of the Internal Combustion engine. Can we push this along please?

http://www.theenergyroadmap.com/

Who takes precedence in the marketing of renewable energy and goods? Is B2B the only model that is feasible? It seems as if the real niche needing to be filled on a national scale is where utility companies cannot make enough energy at peak times with their current production methods. Clean, unlimited, energy in big gobs is something that can be easily achieved through diverting serious resources to the technology and manpower of getting this new economic engine running. Or, the infrastructure of transportation in all its facets could be changed by developing clean running vehicles of all sorts. Electric cars to electric railroads and tractor trailers!

Then there is the consumer side to this concept. Disposable income seems to be a thing of the past. Can people afford unsubsidized sustainable products in their lives? Does the average consumer have a decent working knowledge of how their spending affects atmosphere carbon and global warming? International relations that some smooth PR will coerce consumers into realizing that wind farms and solar panels and non-Internal Combustion cars are not hippie toys, but true symbols of patriotism and economic intelligence.

The high water mark of cheap oil and easy financing has come and gone. The tide has left a mess to be cleaned up and lived amongst. As Americans, we'll probably rebuild. Hopefully we do it under the right premises.

Winds of Change

No, I'm not speaking about Obama. I'm speaking about the call I got on Wednesday night. I'll be flown out to Chicago next Thursday to interview for a Sales and Marketing Coordinator position for a top international wind company. I'm simply thrilled.

Since 2006 I have been steadily reaching out to those in the fields of renewable energy and sustainable development for hints and advice on how to break into the field. Sometimes I'd get close and talk to someone or get an interview, other times I got some discouraged I was convinced I'd never work in the field that I'm most passionate about.

I signed up for a weekly news letter from the American Wind Energy Association that sends out jobs specifically related to the Wind Energy industry. I applied to most of the jobs sent to me every week for over two years. Two weeks ago I finally got a bite from this company who's United States office is based out of Chicago. The actual headquarters are in Denmark and India and there are over 14,000 employees world wide. The initial phone interview two weeks ago went over well, but I was so excited and nervous that I wasn't sure how I came off. Apparently I didn't come off too badly as I'm being treated to a flight to Chicago.

I feel like this is an opportunity of a life time. I am knowledgeable and skilled and I should be a great candidate. I had an interview at a solar company late last year and it went very well but they hired within. I think I am further along in the process than I was that time around and I also feel I am more well rounded now than I was back then.

If it comes to moving, the Worcester matter will be scrapped for a longer, more stressful move to Chicago. But, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Wish me luck :-)

Sunshine does wonders

I try to remove myself from the office every single day around lunchtime. No matter how busy it is, I try to get outside at least once a day. Today I went outside and it was pleasantly cool and very sunny. I got to have a brief conversation with one of the sales guys at the Starbucks about politics and elitism. Afterward I drove back to the office and read on a park bench for a half hour. I feel much better. Now all I need is a massage.

Sitting outside today I reflected on an idea I had about a year ago regarding the difference between working with one's mind and working with one's hand and where those two lifestyles overlap. Clearly at my job there is no need, nor acceptance of working with one's hands. Replacing the water jug is literally the most physically strenuous thing I could do on any given day. My housemate however is a project manager with an engineering company. He does a lot of work in an office with drafting and other paperwork, but he's also on the road, supervising and even lending a hand to the dudes who build stuff for him. That's kind of cool.

Maybe I'm a little bitter because I'm essentially in a Tech Support role. I'm straining myself to envision where I'd want to go if I stay in my present career path and it's not pretty. I have skills and love to learn as much as possible, but I don't want to become something alien to what I enjoy. The idea of becoming a solar panel installer or wind turbine maintenance tech seems more and more appealing the more I contemplate busting my ass just to move up to another job I wouldn't want. I love to be outside, I love to create and I love to be around people who are passionate about what they do. Apathy breeds stagnation. I want to love my work.

Solar and wind. Solar and wind. Solar and wind. Ohm!

The Grass Is Always Greener, They Say

In the coming fall months it seems as if people are finally getting back from their lethargic or minimalist work habits of the summer and putting on some truly exciting events.

I asked my boss if I could take the day off on Oct 1 or 2 and go to the Sustainable Communications Expo. There are going to be lots of Media people there networking. I may even be able to get into a lecture or two if I play my cards right. Who knows?

I think places like this can be really beneficial when someone like myself doesn’t always know where to turn for advice or guidance on the things I am truly passionate about.
No man or woman is an island and I’ll be amongst my people on these days! I’m really excited to hear about what innovation things people are thinking up and actually doing. I may even bring my resume and offer some freelance and contract services if the opporunity presents itself.

Check it out for yourself. If you want to go with me, let me know and we'll carpool or take the train in!


http://www.sustaincommworld.com/