You heard it here first, the Obama Administration will be investing heavily into the nation’s future by spending your (future) tax dollars on further developing renewable energy, retrofitting federal buildings to be energy efficient, and upgrading the nations’ energy and transportation infrastructure.

To quote President-elect Obama, “However we got here, the problems we face today are not Democratic problems or Republican problems. The dreams of putting a child through college, or staying in your home, or retiring with dignity and security know no boundaries of party or ideology.”

Friends, we must all participate in building up America, again, to be the leader that the world expects and demands.  We must lend our support (time, money, expertise and skills) to the endeavors that move the United States and world in the right direction.  Be sure to communicate with your representatives in Congress to tell them about the problems and your communities face.  Our government officials need our input as leaders can not lead without the feedback from their followers.

Also, be active in reviewing the legislation that eventually is proposed in Congress.  It may contain provisions that do not move America in the right direction.   Tell our government leaders your opinion.  This, my friends, is more valuable than voting and you have earned the right to voice your opinion.

Although the world entered into a global recession in 2008, there is much to be thankful for in 2008. To dovetail with the Reuters video above, I’ve put together a top ten list of the things had the most positive impact. This is, by no means, a comprehensive list, so please feel free to add any events missing in the comments area.

1) The United States elected its first minority President when it elected Barack Obama.  Some might even call Obama the U.S.’s first “green” President as fighting climate change is a top priority.  (Just 5 years ago, Americans would have scoffed at the idea of a President championing “green” initiatives.  Oh, we’ve made much progress!)

2) The 2008 Olympics occurred without major incident, proving that the world can come together to celebrate life and sport in a developing country and a Communist regime.  It also marked the arrival of China as a world economic power.

3) The world financial community has come together to combat what is considered the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

4) A record amount of investment has been made in the clean technology industry and it does not seem to be ending anytime soon.

5) The United States auto industry received a harsh wake up call and now must focus on selling what the market is demanding, fuel-efficient vehicles.

The list continues after the jump!

(more…)

This quote is brought to you at the good folks at the Foundation for a Better Life. This quote is about dedication. Enjoy!

“Life means to have something definite to do—a mission to fulfill—and in the measure in which we avoid setting our life to something, we make it empty. Human life, by its very nature, has to be dedicated to something.”

- Jose Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955); philosopher

Are you a hypermiler?  Have you ever hypermiled?  Perhaps your dad is a hypermiler.  Maybe your mom?  Or this could be the secret that your Uncle Johnny has been hiding from the family.

From the Oxford University Press blog site, I provide you with this definition of hypermiling:

‘Hypermiling‘ or ‘to hypermile‘ is to attempt to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one’s car and one’s driving techniques. Rather than aiming for good mileage or even great mileage, hypermilers seek to push their gas tanks to the limit and achieve hypermileage, exceeding EPA ratings for miles per gallon.

Earlier this month, the good folks at the New Oxford American Dictionary announced their 2008 Word of the Year (WOTY), hypermiling, and in the process, paved the way for scores of people to begin to embrace a method of driving that celebrates sustainability and natural resource conservation.

Calm down, don’t hyperventilate on me!  I know you may have discreetly pined for ‘carrot mob’ or ‘luchador’ (other WOTY candidates) to have claimed top honors, but the silver lining of this modest award is that many people now will have the opportunity to think about how they can drive their vehicle more efficiently, thus saving gas and minimizing the amount of fossil fuel they personally use.

Hypermiling is the DIY method of ensuring that you come close to, or even exceed, the estimated gas mileage sticker that the car dealer had emblazoned on the car you bought.  And the great thing about hypermiling is that, by practicing this unconventional driving style, you truly would be doing your part to curb global warming and to hone your sustainable living urges.  Much like the plastic bag at your supermarket is giving way to the re-usable cloth or mesh bag you’ve adopted into your consumer lifestyle to help make the world a greener place, the old way of driving above the speed limit and gunning your car out of a stoplight are yielding to more speed limit-adhering driving and stoplight-avoiding alternative paths to get you to where you’re going.

Courtesy of Wikipedia, here is a list of common hypermiling acronyns and terms:

• FE - fuel economy
• DWB - driving without brakes
• DWL - driving with load
• FAS - forced auto stop, basically coasting with the engine off
• P&G - pulse and glide
• ICE - internal combustion engine
• PP - potential parking
• RR - ridge riding
• SHM - super highway mode
• SAHM - super Atkinson highway mode
• rabbit timing
• smart braking
• face out

So, what are you waiting for?  Go out and get your hypermiling in for the day!

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Ladies and gentlemen of the United States of America, make no mistake, you voted for change when you elected Barack Obama as President of the United States.  The Obama administration has brought change to the way the White House is run.  It is best demonstrated by President-elect Obama posting weekly videos to YouTube.

President-elect Obama understands that media consumption habits have changed and he is adapting to that change by posting his weekly addresses to internet video sites.  I applaud this effort and I look forward to his administration embracing other forward looking technologies once he assumes office on January 20th, 2009.

This quote is brought to you at the good folks at the Foundation for a Better Life. This quote is about learning. Enjoy!

“I beg you to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves…Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now…the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now.”

- Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), excerpt from Letters to a Young Poet