In the basement of an engineering building at Northeastern University in Boston, a strange eggbeater-type machine is strapped to a gurney in the corner. It is this machine, actually a turbine, that 73-year-old Professor Alexander Gorlov believes will ‘someday help turn hydroelectric power into one of the most important and environmentally benign renewable energy sourcesContinue reading “Riding the Waves”
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Common Sense Economics
Why economic understanding is an essential ingredient for life in today’s society.
The Catskills Parable
The Economist magazine recently observed that natural ecosystems have more economic value than many people think. It reported that in 1997 the government of New York City faced a choice: either to install a new water filtration plant at a cost of $4–6 billion, with $250 million a year in operating costs, or spend muchContinue reading “The Catskills Parable”
National Heritage Areas
Concerned about the creeping uniformity of modern suburban life, many people are seeking a renewed ?sense of place? in their communities. The popularity of historical societies and preservation projects is a sign of this trend. Some people have discovered that adding the words ?nationally significant? to their area or region can result in millionsContinue reading “National Heritage Areas”
Success Overdue at The Quincy Library
Enthusiasm surged recently in southwestern Washington when a community coalition announced that it had come up with a plan for logging Gifford Pinchot National Forest that was supported by environmentalists and industry officials alike. “We’ve identified the common ground . . . and hope the Forest Service will use this model,” said coalition memberContinue reading “Success Overdue at The Quincy Library”
Ten Key Elements of Economics
The Insider Spring 2005 By James Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, and Dwight R. Lee 1. INCENTIVES MATTER. All of economics rests on one simple principle: that incentives matter. Altering incentive, the costs and benefits of making specific decisions, alters people’s behavior Understanding incentives is an extremely powerful tool for understanding why people do the thingsContinue reading “Ten Key Elements of Economics”
Environmental False Alarms
The Weekly StandardApril 25, 2005 By Terry L. Anderson In his new book Collapse, Jared Diamond begins with a chapter on my home state of Montana. Although painting a romantic picture of “Big Sky Country,” he decries environmental tragedies including toxic mining waste, forest fires, soil exhaustion, water shortages, and invasive species. Diamond blames theseContinue reading “Environmental False Alarms”
Vision through a Narrow Lens
Energy & Environment Vol. 16 No. 3&4 2005 By Jane S. Shaw Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jared Diamond’s new book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed argues that past societal collapses have occurred in large part because the societies failed to adapt to changing environmental conditions. He warns that modern societies and civilization tooContinue reading “Vision through a Narrow Lens”
How not to fix conservation easements
Writers on the Range March 29, 2005 By Jon Christensen and Terry Anderson One of the most useful, cost-effective methods of conserving land in America is in serious crisis. A series of scandals has revealed major abuses of conservation easements — a legal tool increasingly used to protect private land from development by compensatingContinue reading “How not to fix conservation easements”
Hybrids: Made in the USA?
The vehicles attracting the most attention these days are hybrids-cars that combine a gasoline engine that is used for highway driving and an electric motor operated by an electric battery for slower speeds as well as for sudden acceleration. Although hybrids still represent a small part of the market, Toyota’s Prius has “won someContinue reading “Hybrids: Made in the USA?”