Greencognito

991 Cyclists Enjoy Oracle's Bike to Work Day

2013-05-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure Oracle would match the high bar they set with last year's sumptuous Energizer Station spread. But I'm sure glad they did. For the second consecutive year, Bike to Work Day cyclists on the SF2G Bayway were treated to a full-on brunch three days ahead of Mother's Day here in Redwood Shores.

OK, so there weren't any mimosas (none that I knew of), but mmm...

Vegetable/egg strata
Turkey sausage
Assorted pastries/muffins,
Odwalla bars
Peet's coffee
Odwalla orange juice
Assorted fruit
Assorted yogurt

Attendance was up 47% from 2012, with 749 stop bys and 242 ride bys for a total of 991 bicyclists (vs. 672 last year--my count was off by 28). Ride by cyclists, hope you can stop next year, we'll make it worth your time.

Thank you to Oracle Real Estate & Facilities for making the Energizer Station possible!

Oracle Employees: Discover Oracle Bicycle Friday. A Fast, Fun Way to Get Fit.

2012-05-10T17:33:00.001-07:00

Brunch to Work Day: 700 Cyclists Rock the Oracle Energizer Station

Sunshine. Bicycles. Full brunch menu. Do we really have to go to work? That was the question facing more than 500 cyclists who stopped by the Oracle-sponsored Bike to Work Day Energizer Station on May 10, 2012 (for the 200+ who cycled by, hope you can stop next year).

Oracle's station was located along the SF2G bayway, a 42.5 mile San Francisco-to-Google cycling route, just before the Oracle Bridge connecting Belmont to Redwood Shores, and seemed to be an ideal location for both bayway riders and riders coming over the new Belmont bike/ped bridge.

On the menu: Muffins, scones, bagels, vegan granola bars, high-energy Morning Glory bars, served with a variety of cream cheeses & jams; Summer vegetable/egg strata; turkey sausage patties; whole fruit; assorted Odwalla bars; assorted yogurt; Odwalla orange juice; regular & decaf coffee; and two water stations.

I didn't see a lot of takers for the decaf, but at least we didn't run out of anything, except the first-come/first-served giveaways (Bike to Work Day bags, bicycle commute maps, Oracle Magazine, Avengers posters, etc.). Thanks to everyone for stopping by!

Scroll down for more photos and see the entire photo album.

See the entire photo album and check out the +1s on a thread in the SF2G Group.

2012-05-01T11:50:00.004-07:00

Bike to Work Day 2012: Get Energized on SF2G Bayway

Are you ready for Bike to Work Day? On Thursday, May 10th, Oracle is sponsoring an Energizer Station in Redwood Shores at corporate headquarters, conveniently located along the SF2G bayway and connected to the (relatively) new bike/pedestrian bridge over 101 (north of Ralston). Details:

Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Coffee, juice, fruit, baked goods
And while supplies last, limited amounts of...

Bike to Work Day Bags
Oracle Magazines with The Avengers on the cover
The Avengers posters
Other Oracle giveaways - all first come, first served

Are you an experienced bicycle commuter? Then Bike to Work Day is a great opportunity for you to invite a non-cyclist commuter colleague to join you! Learn more:

YouCanBikeThere official website
Register for Bike to Work Day for a chance to win prizes

Commuting Over the New Belmont Bike Bridge

2011-11-21T21:10:00.000-08:00

Belmont Bike Bridge Opens 11/19/11

For most of the past decade, I've bicycled to work. Not every day, and not when it rains really, really hard, but more often than not. For a while, the commute included CalTrain. These days, it's just me and my bike, and I encourage all of my colleagues to join me, even if just once a week.

But one thing I've always had to contend with, was crossing over Highway 101, and my choice was the Ralston Avenue overpass, complete with a two-foot-wide "bike lane" and way too many speeding cars trying to get on/off the freeway or race to work (relax, it'll still be there, folks). But not anymore. After nearly two years of construction, the new Belmont bike/pedestrian bridge is officially open.

We attended the ribbon cutting ceremony (complete with 13, count 'em, speakers) on Saturday November 19th and watched as dozens of children were the first to bike over the bridge, which connects Belmont west of 101 with the Belmont Sports Complex east of 101. Some bridge facts from the official program:

2,460 feet long, including:

1,522 of bridge structures and ramps and
938 feet of bike path and sidewalk at grade.

Class One bike path, 8 feet wide with a 2-foot shoulder on each side

We saw our friends and Belmont residents Kevin Sullivan and Susan Wright, both of whom serve on the Belmont Park & Recreation board, and my Oracle colleague Mike Gagas was there in his corporate jersey. Amazingly the wet weather cooperated and it was sunny for the event.

For me, commuting over the bike bridge is faster and safer than battling traffic on the Ralston overpass. Looks like I've got one fewer excuses for not biking to work.

Subscribe to PlanetActerra on YouTube

2011-11-17T15:49:00.000-08:00

Acterra, the Palo Alto-based environmental organization where I participated in Be The Change, an environmental leadership program, has a great channel on YouTube. This video explains Acterra's Mission and Model for Change. Enjoy!

San Francisco Sunshine: Intersolar 2011 Packs 22,000 Attendees, 800 Solar Energy Exhibits

2011-07-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, I got my photo taken "with" President Obama. Last year, Larry Hagman told everyone to, "Shine, Baby, Shine." And this year, the Intersolar 2011 San Francisco conference and expo brightened Moscone Center with news of growth: In 2010, the U.S. market added 950MW of installed PV worth $6 billion, and this year it's expected to double. Highlights:

KACO New Energy: The photovoltaic inverters leader now boasts more than 3GW of inverters installed worldwide;
Free Hot Water: Could there be a better name for solar thermal products? Boosted by solar marketing/PR expert Tor Valenza (a.k.a. @SolarFred);
Cal SEIA: The California Solar Energy Industries Association is a strong proponent of solar energy-positive legislation, regulations, and incentives.

Discover more: Watch Intersolar TV on YouTube.

SEIA Says Solar Sizzles: U.S. Grid-Connected PV Grows 66% in First Quarter, Topping 2.85 GW

2011-06-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

Solar energy installs continue to sizzle in the States, according to a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research. According to the U.S. Solar Market Insight: Q1 2011 Report, the U.S. solar industry continues to be one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy in the first quarter of 2011:

In Q1 2011, the U.S. installed 252 megawatts of grid-connected photovoltaics, a 66 percent year-over-year increase from Q1 2010.
All three PV market sectors (residential, commercial and utility) continued to grow, with commercial installations showing the strongest gains.
In total, cumulative grid-connected solar electric installations have reached more than 2.85 gigawatts.L

“The U.S. is currently the PV industry’s most attractive and stable growth market,” says Shayle Kann, Managing Director of Solar at GTM Research. “This is reflected in the report’s quarterly market data and in the comments from global suppliers, distributors, and developers, all of whom see the U.S. positioned to nearly double its global market share in 2011 and support a greater diversity of installation types than has been previously seen in any leading demand center.”

Learn more about the SEIA report and download an executive summary.

Energy Upgrade California: A Complete Program to Reduce Energy Use, Save Money, Create Jobs

2011-06-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

As volunteers for Acterra, my daughter and I got our exercise hiking door-to-door this morning, visiting 98 of our neighbors sharing free outlet insulation gaskets and info about Energy Upgrade California.

Energy Upgrade California is a one-stop-shop for home efficiency projects that can reduce energy and water use, create a more comfortable home, and lower utility bills while providing rebate incentives of up to $4,000. We talked to our neighbors about some of the many benefits of an energy-efficient home:

Money. Smart systems don’t work as hard (or as often) to heat and cool your home, so your bills may go down.
Comfort. Tired of being too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter? Energy efficient measures help keep your home comfortable in all seasons.
Health. Better systems help improve the air quality inside your home.
Environment. Less energy equals less greenhouse gases; your upgrades help the environment.

Act Now: Save Up to $4,000
Now is a great time to upgrade the efficiency of your home while taking advantage of limited-time federal, state and local incentives. These incentives from your local utility, plus federal tax credits and other options, can save you thousands of dollars on your upgrade. Visit EnergyUpgradeCA.org where you can enter your county/zip code to learn more about the program, plan your upgrade, find a local contractor, complete your project, and get your rebates.

Three Ways to Celebrate National Bike Month

2011-05-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

Ah, May...the second month of baseball, a little more daylight everyday, Memorial Day approaching, and National Bike Month, with plenty of opportunities to get on two wheels and start pedaling. Here's three ways to participate:

Bike To Work Day The San Francisco Bay Area celebrates the 17th Annual Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 12th. Invite a co-worker/neighbor to join you and make a "bikepool" with a stop (or two) at a free energizer station or find your local BTWD.

Drive Less Challenge During the Drive Less Challenge, participants are encouraged to bike, walk, take transit, or carpool - anything to avoid solo driving.

Tour of California The seventh annual Tour of California kicks off May 15th at Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately, no Lance this year, but hundreds of other world-class riders worth watching.

USPS Says Stamp Your SnailMail the Green Way - But Wait, Where's the "End Junk Mail" Stamp?

2011-04-27T22:51:00.000-07:00

Strangely enough, I found myself inside a U.S. Post Office the other day--something to do with sending a last-minute mountain bike race registration via Priority Mail--and the friendly postal worker added a scripted suggested sale, "Any stamps today, sir?"

Oh, sure, why not, I thought, we'll use them sooner or later. That's when I noticed the Go Green brochure, "Put Your Stamp on a Greener Tomorrow. Buy Go Green Stamps Today." For $7.04, you get 16 first-class (.44) stamps, 15 of which contain an eco-smart message (lots of common sense here, folks, but all useful) including:

Buy local produce; reuse bags
Fix water leaks
Share rides
Turn off lights not in use
Choose to walk
Compost
Let nature do the work (laundry on line)
Recycle more
Plant trees
Insulate the home (Remember, solar's less sexy cousin is smarter)
Use public transportation
Use efficient light bulbs
Adjust the thermostat
Maintain tire pressure
And--my favorite, of course--Ride a bike

Elephant in Room
But what's missing from their list? What should the 16th stamp say? END JUNK MAIL. Guess the USPS didn't want to bite the hands that feed. Does anyone know how much revenue USPS rakes in from junk mail anyway? I'm guessing a lot.

Take action: Lots of ways to opt-out of unwanted mail, folks. Save paper, ink, and postage. That's a Go Green stamp I'd like to see.

Gas Hike? Take the Drive Less Challenge 2011

2011-04-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

It's not like gasoline is suddenly going to get cheaper, right? Rising gas prices are all the more reason to take the Drive Less Challenge 2011.

The third annual Drive Less Challenge starts on Earth Day, Friday, April 22, and continues through May 5th. Anyone can register and participate, and if you live or work in Burlingame, Cupertino, East Palo Alto, Los Altos/Hills, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Morgan Hill, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Carlos, and Sunnyvale, you have a chance to win prizes from local merchants.

During the Drive Less Challenge, participants are encouraged to bike, walk, take transit, or carpool - anything to avoid solo driving. Simply sign up today and keep track of your non-solo-driving transportation; invite friends, family, community members, and colleagues to join you!

> Sign up for the Drive Less Challenge today.

Rock the Bike: Silicon Valley Bicycle Advocacy Summit, San Mateo, Wednesday April 6th

2011-04-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

If you're a cyclist in Silicon Valley, you'll want to attend next week's Bike Advocacy Summit in San Mateo on April 6th (there's also one in San Jose on the 8th).

Summit participants will discuss many aspects of active and alternative transportation, including:

Bike planning
Transit-oriented development
State and national issues
Best practices for employers.

Speakers include Scott Bricker, director of America Walks and prior director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) in Portland, Oregon, who will share with us the Portland story. Shameless plug: I'm a panelist at 4 p.m. discussing corporate bicycling; going to talk up Oracle Bicycle Friday, of course.

The event will be a great opportunity to learn more about bicycling and transportation issues, connect with voices in the industry and several public agencies, and meet fellow advocates who are working to make Silicon Valley a greener, leaner, more accessible place for all! Get more information and register today: http://bikesiliconvalley.org/bike-summit

Free Ticket to the SF Green Festival, April 9-10

2011-03-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Going to the San Francisco Green Festival April 9-10? Save $15 and download your free ticket. Sweet. Now in its 10th year, the GreenFestival is a project of Green America and Global Exchange.

I've gone the past several years and while the Concourse Exhibition Center can get really, really crowded, the festival is a great one-stop-shop for hundreds of green-related speakers, exhibits, and activities, such as:

Renewable energy, energy efficiency, alternative energy
Sustainable building products
Eco-fashion (hemp thongs must be seen to believed)
Vegetarian cuisine (way beyond tofu)ds
Organic wine and beer, which pair well with...
...Live music and family entertainment

Have fun and learn something, too! Attend the GreenFestival in San Francisco at the Concourse Exhibition Center, April 9th and 10th. Learn More:

http://greenfestivals.org/sf/updates/
http://twitter.com/greenfestival
Save $15 and download your free ticket.

Earth Hour 2011 Coming March 26th: Take Action Beyond the Hour, Beyond the Light Switch

2011-03-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars: The fifth annual World Wildlife Fund Earth Hour is Saturday, March 26th, 8:30 p.m. For an hour, turn off your lights. Light a candle, or go stargazing, or simply enjoy the silence, unplug, and exhale.

This year, Earth Hour evolves beyond the light switch with the launch of Beyond the Hour, a new dynamic online platform where people can commit to an action, big or small, that they will sustain for the future of our planet. I will continue to bicycle to work everyday and encourage my colleagues to bike at least once a week on Fridays. What will you do Beyond The Hour?

Follow @earthhour on Twitter
Like Earth Hour on Facebook
Join the Earth Hour group on LinkedIn

California's "Cash for Caulkers" - Saving Energy, Saving Money with Energy Upgrade California

2011-03-01T18:15:00.000-08:00

There's a smart story in the San Jose Mercury News today on Energy Upgrade California, a new program which streamlines the rebate process for homeowners investing in energy efficiency upgrades. It reminds me of the 2009 McKinsey study proving that energy efficiency alone could save us $1.2 trillion (the cheapest power plant is the one you don't build).

The program, backed by the CEC, CPUC, local governments, utlities, and energy-focused contrators, is a one-stop shop for homeowners who want to save money by making their homes more energy efficient while benefitting from myriad rebates (without the herding cats hassle of trying to find them all); wish it was around last summer when I did the wall insulation project.

Energy Upgrade California takes the "whole house” combining insulation and sealing with energy efficient windows, heaters and air conditioners. Incentives range from $1,000 to $4,000, depending on upgrades.

Discover what rebates are available in your county at EnergyUpgradeCA.org or call 855-464-8484 today.

Home Brew? Making Biodiesel in Your Garage

2011-02-25T23:39:00.000-08:00

Remember my friend Dave? The mountain biking financial planner father of two? He converted his 1983 Mercedes 300D to run on waste vegetable oil so we can pull off mountain bike roadtrips for zero gas money and the sweet smell of french fry exhaust fumes, mmmm, yummy. Less money on gas, more money on beer. Go green, indeed.

New Car, Stockpiled Oil
Well, now he's got a fancy new diesel Mercedes and is wondering what to do with the huge stockpile of waste vegetable oil he's accumulated. One possibility? Brew his own biodiesel! He sent me this link and suggested it was worthy of a blogpost. Or at least a brief mention:

For $199, the Trimline Design Biodiesel Starter Kit includes everything you need to, "...quickly make your own biodiesel on a very small scale."

While he can continue to run 100% waste oil (or any ratio of oil/diesel) in the ol' Benzo, he could also brew his own biodiesel for the new Benz.

Hmmmmm, watching oil top $100/barrel again, I think Dave might be onto something here...

Oscars Who? SF Green Film Festival Rocks!

2011-02-25T22:20:00.000-08:00

Oscars? No, not so much, thanks. But the first-ever SF Green Film Festival? Hey, now we're talking...

March 3-6, Landmark Theatres/Embarcadero, San Francisco. More...

Website: http://sfgreenfilmfest.org/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sfgreenfilmfest
Partner: http://greenchamberofcommerce.net
News: Nice writeup on SFGate

About time San Francisco had their "first ever" - Julie's worked on Palo Alto's Greenlight Earth Day Film Festival for five years now.

See you there!

Compostable Diapers (Don't Try this at Home)

2011-02-24T00:07:00.000-08:00

It's 3:18 a.m. and I'm asleep on my feet. Again. Chloe needs a bottle and a diaper change and I need more than three hours of contiguous slumber or I'm going to cry. I lean over the changing table, straining to open my eyes to attend to the business at hand, and she smiles at me, and then I melt, forget my exhaustion and reach for a compostable diaper. Yes, compostable.

When Julie first pitched the idea, I wondered how that was going to work. We've already got two bins in the sideyard brewing black magic, and, well, yuck! No, she explained, it's a compostable diaper service. They come once a week, delivering clean diapers and taking away dirty diapers. The Sunnyvale-based company is called Earth Baby and last week they composted more than 20,000 pounds. And to date, more than 600,000 pounds of diapers have been diverted from landfill.

The Earth Baby service uses Nature Babycare diapers, wipes, and creams (all compostable) and includes BioBags (also compostable).

So far, Chloe doesn't seem to mind and the diapers, wipes, and creams seem identical in quality/consistency/feel as conventional (landfill) products.

Maybe we'll switch to cloth when we start potty training, but for now, Earth Baby is where it's at; kudos to Julie's municipal solid waste professional network for referring us.

Parents: What did/do you use? Disposable? Cloth? And if cloth, do you have a service or do you wash them at home? Anyone else using Earth Baby?

Save Public Broadcasting 170 Million Americans

2011-02-21T01:12:00.000-08:00

Like public broadcasting? Then save it http://170millionamericans.net

Fruita Rocks: Mojo Mountain Biking in Colorado

2010-12-04T22:14:00.000-08:00

Mary's Loop, Colorado River

Save for skiing, I've yet to discover a finer, more enjoyable mode of self-propelled, gravity-focused wilderness exercise than cycling. While I'm grumpy without my daily road bike commute, my spirit truly soars on a mountain bike. So naturally, while we're here in Grand Junction, Colorado, full of hope and love, I seized an opportunity (between great hikes in the Colorado National Monument) to ride some of the amazing and legendary singletrack of Fruita.

Over the Edge in Fruita

I stumbled upon Over the Edge Sports, one of Fruita's original mountain bike shops (est. circa '95), and George set me up with a kind demo: a 2010 carbon fiber Ibis Mojo. I quickly fell in love with this bike (shhh...don't tell my old Trek Fuel) and in love with the trails of Fruita. While I only had a day to sample a six-pack of trails, I experienced enough to evangelize & promise myself to return for more some day with the peeps from Passion Trail Bikes and the ATBs/Armordillos.

Kokopelli Morning

In the morning, I hit the fruitful Kokopelli loops. Named for a Native American fertility deity, Kokopelli's Trail is a 142-mile mountain bike trail from Fruita to Moab; when Leukemia & Lymphoma Society launched a mountain bike team in 2000, Kokopelli was their challenge. Kokopelli begins just a few hundred yards off Interstate 70, not far from a state border truck weigh station, and immediately hugs the Colorado River, with loops options such as Mary's, Horsethief Bench, and Moore Fun. Those were the three trails I managed to squeeze in before lunch, taking far too much time on photographs and video.

Descent from Mary's to Horsethief

On the trail, I met Anne Keller, professional mountain bike photographer and co-owner of Hot Tomato Cafe (best pizza in Fruita, New Belgium on tap) and her black lab/pit mix, Sophie. Anne was nice enough to snap a photo of me and listen to my extremely excited babbling about how great the trails are, etc.

Bookcliffs Afternoon

Bookcliffs Trailhead

After a few Cliff bars, I rode the North Fruita Desert (a.k.a. Bookcliffs) and experienced the best flowing trails I've ever ridden. I ascended Prime Cut twice, first descending Kessell Run, then descending Zippety Do Da. All I can say is wow. It's about time I rode here.

Top of Prime Cut

I had heard lots of hype about how great the trails are in Fruita, but know I knew first-hand. The Book Cliff trails were created from scratch by mountain bikers for mountain bikers.

Top of Zippety Do Da

Expertly designed, the rhythmic flow of these trails, as they unwind in front of you, is trance inducing. It's the sort of flow that quickly puts you in the Zone, clearing your mind of all thoughts save for what is immediately in front of you.

Zippety

Even better news: There are many, many miles of trail to enjoy in the area--making Fruita truly an epic destination and worth the 1K roadtrip from the Bay Area.

Sweetness

Zippety

Six trails, 30 miles, one day. Enough to scratch the surface and crave second helpings. Friendly, knowledgeable mountain bike-focused shop. Cool, down-to-earth locals on trails, sharing the stoke. Some of the greatest trails I've ridden (and I've ridden Moab, Bend, Ketchum, and much of Nor Cal).

Subie Mojo Sunset

Bottom line: Marking April 28th on the ATB Pro Leisure Tour calendar for the 16th Annual Fruita Fat Tire Festival. See you there.

Want more/better Fruita pix & movies? Pete Fagerlin is the man.

Dinnertime

Green Scene Q&A: Inside Coyote Point Museum

2010-11-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

http://www.coyoteptmuseum.org/

In September, I finally visited the Coyote Point Museum for the first time and met the museum's Executive Director (and former Acterra board member) Rachel Meyer, who hosted the kickoff meeting for Acterra Be The Change, Class of 2011. Meyer's colleague, Hillary Hempstead, answered my brief questions...

Q: What is Coyote Point Museum?
A: Coyote Point Museum provides interactive science exhibits, live animal encounters and engaging environmental science and art programs. We're located in the Coyote Point Recreation Area in San Mateo, California, and we give visitors the opportunities to learn first-hand about the science behind the environment. Quite literally, our mission is to "Educate and inspire people to take care of our earth wisely." More specifically, we believe that increasing the power of observation leads to personal transformation, resulting in environmental stewardship. The target population for the museum's programming and services are young people (ages 3-10, but there's some wiggle room).

Q: What are some of the most popular exhibits?
A: Right now we have a couple exciting exhibits, including:

Tinkering. This exhibition captures the beauty and intrigue of mechanical processes and highlights the importance of tinkering in the process of innovation; watch a video of the exhibit.
The Science of Nature. This exhibition invites visitors to touch, swirl, twist, magnetize, and crank eight interactive exhibits to learn how nature’s complex systems work together to create our environment.
Wildlife Habitats. Coyote Point Museum houses nearly 100 animals. All of our animals are non-releasable, meaning they have been injured or imprinted and would not survive if returned to their natural habitats. Most of our animals are native to California, and once they come to the Museum we care for them for the rest of their lives. All of our animals reinforce the Museum’s mission to educate and inspire people to take care of the earth by taking center stage in our wildlife habitats, our school-based programs, and our public programs; learn more.

In Spring 2008, the Museum launched a new initiative called, "Know Your H2O." Our goal is to encourage everyone who visits the Museum to use a re-usable water bottle and fill it with tap or filtered water to eliminate the use of single-use plastic water bottles. The museum store features a "Know Your H2O" display that demonstrates the amount of oil it takes to produce and transport a single-use bottle of water from various locations in the world to your grocery store. It also compares the hefty price you pay for that bottle compared to tap water.

More Information
Learn more about Coyote Point Museum and plan your visit today. Looking for a birthday or holiday gift? Consider Coyote Point Museum's Adopt-An-Animal program, starting at just $25.

Hope for the Future: My 6 Favorite Cleantech Open 2010 Finalists

2010-10-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Eaarth, Bill McKibben's guide to living on a fundamentally altered planet. McKibben, founder of 350.org, paints a realistic--and often downright dismal--portrait of the environmental challenges we face. He argues that hope depends on building the kind of societies and economies that can hunker down, concentrate on essentials, and create communities that will allow us to weather trouble on an unprecedented scale.

And I'd add that technology--especially clean/green tech that has yet to be imagined, let alone invented--will continue to play a significant role to help address these challenges. For a glimpse at this new technology, check out the annual Cleantech Open, a million-dollar business plan competition for early-stage clean tech startups.

Recently the 2010 finalists were announced and a winner will walk away with $250,000 on November 17th. As a native son of the golden west, my favorite six are all from California:

FogBusters, Inc. - Revolutionary technology for removing fat, oil and grease (FOG) from wastewater
Suntulit - Smart, multi-zone HVAC system enhancement for homeowners with central forced-air systems
Stramit Strawboard - Converts low-cost agricultural waste into high-value building board
Pure Solar - Laser-processing tool to produce an industry-standard c-Si wafer to increase efficiency for photo-voltaic cell manufacturers
SmartSense - Real-time fault detection, fault prediction and performance monitoring for electrical grids
Pressure Sentinel - Automatic tire inflation system that eliminates the problem of underinflated truck tires

See a list of all the finalists and register to attend the Cleantech Open Awards Gala in San Jose on November 17th

Blog Action Day 2010: Water - Sign the UNICEF Clean Water Petition Today

2010-10-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us who are subject to preventable disease and even death because of something that many of us take for granted. Access to clean water is not just a human rights issue. It’s an environmental issue. An animal welfare issue. A sustainability issue. Water is a global issue, and it affects all of us.

Learn More & Take Action
This Friday, October 15th, is Blog Action Day 2010. The theme is water. Two things you can do:

Sign the People For Bikes Pledge - Join 1 Million Voices to Improve The Future of Cycling

2010-10-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Love cycling? Then sign the People for Bikes pledge today! The goal is to gather 1 million signatures in support of bicycling--on road, off road, you name it--in the United States. It simply asks people to sign a pledge in support of biking.

So far, nearly 100,000 people have signed the pledge including Lance Armstrong and Gary Fisher.

People for Bikes aims to help make our nation a better place to ride by sending a powerful message to our elected leaders, the media, and the public that bicycling is important and should be promoted. Take action: Sign the pledge today.

Living STRONG: My Pre-Dawn Ride in SF with Lance Armstrong and Team Oracle Cyclists

2010-09-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

Half of luck is just being in the right place at the right time.

I joined five other Team Oracle cyclists and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong on a ride through the streets of San Francisco Tuesday morning for an exclusive ride with 100 of Oracle's top customers.

Everyone knows Lance is a Tour de France road warrior, but as a dedicated mountain biker, my agenda was to get him talking about off-road riding. So after breakfast I thanked him for riding with us and then asked him about winning the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race in '09 (Santa Rosa's Levi Leipheimer won this past summer). He said Leadville was very tough--there's not much oxygen at 12,500 feet--but it's not technical, "there's no singletrack," he explained, adding that the race course is mostly fireroad and some pavement.

Oracle OpenWorld blog: Customers Ride Oracle's Tour de Lance

Team Oracle Cycling (from left) Brian Dirking, Team Captain Brian Dayton, Radioshack's Lance Armstrong, Rich Schwerin, Mike Gagas, Roger Scott, Lawrence Leung. During the photo, I told Lance if he ever got tired of Team Radioshack, he could always come race with us. He laughed.

More snapshots from the morning ride with Lance:

Take Action! Find out how you can support Lance Armstrong's LIVESTRONG foundation, fighting to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.