Tag Archives: conservation

Mapping oil usage

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

From the Natural Resources Defense Council America buys 18.8 million barrels of petroleum products every day, accounting for more than 20% of all global usage. This can drain roughly $1 billion on average every day out of the economy. This … Continue reading →

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Who gets to use the water?

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot more demand for an increasingly limited supply. More than miles separate the rice farms of the Texas coast and the Highland Lakes, where the outward march of Austin is marked by each new house, strip mall and … Continue reading →

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Water conservation task force

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker has put together a water conservation task force. “This task force will be forward-thinking in its approaches to addressing water conservation and water supply diversification,” Parker said, “taking into consideration Houston’s climate, existing water supply and alternative approaches … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Laura Spanjian – From Industrial to Green Revolution: The New Houston

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from a series of guest posts that I will be presenting over the next few weeks. Bike Share kiosks in downtown. Electric vehicle charging stations at the grocery store. Over 15 miles of new rail lines being … Continue reading →

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Conservation is still the best water plan

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas needs to do better at it. As Texas recovers from the severe drought of the last two years, water experts say that conservation is the easiest way to ensure that the state will have enough of … Continue reading →

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Desalinization and power plants

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has another story about desalinization in Texas, and reading it brings up a point that I don’t think gets enough attention. Interest in desalination surged more than a decade ago, when the technology became more efficient and cost-competitive, … Continue reading →

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It sure would be nice if The Lege would do something about the drought

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t count on it, though. Most of Texas has emerged from its driest year on record, but the turn in weather likely will dampen legislative interest in the state’s water supply. Water planners, policy experts and scientists said Monday at … Continue reading →

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ERCOT hopes this summer is better than the last

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

That would be nice. Managers of the state’s primary electricity grid expect to avoid rolling blackouts this summer but not without calling on Texans to turn up their thermostats and conserve power during peak usage on the season’s hottest afternoons. … Continue reading →

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Going green to save some green

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The city of Houston has made significant investments in energy savings. The U.S. Conference of Mayors named Mayor Annise Parker the winner of Mayors’ Climate Protection Award last year for green building initiatives that incentivize conservation and energy-efficient design features. … Continue reading →

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San Antonio going for desalinization

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Another thing we’ll be seeing more of in the near future. The San Antonio Water System is now pumping salt water in southern Bexar County as it looks for new water sources for the city. Tuesday the utility gave a … Continue reading →

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There’s still a drought out there

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Despite the rain, the state of Texas is still mostly in drought conditions, and the threat will remain for the next several years. Most of Central and East Texas beat long odds with heavy rains this winter, but experts warned … Continue reading →

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Houston may finally be drought-free

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

This was from a week ago. The rain brings the city’s official precipitation total for the year to 15.78 inches, twice the normal level, and a tally Houston didn’t reach in 2011 until early November. On Sunday, for the second … Continue reading →

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Dry, not drought

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Yippie! It’s official: According to the latest iteration of the U.S. Drought Monitor just released, the drought is over for most of eastern Harris County. Here’s the picture: Compare that to where we were at the beginning of the year … Continue reading →

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Rolling blackouts may be on the summer horizon

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Better hope the mild weather we’re getting in winter translates to mild weather for the summer, because the alternative isn’t pretty. Inadequate electric power reserves likely will force Texans to cut back this summer to avoid rolling outages if the … Continue reading →

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LED power

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good for Harris County. The county is joining a growing list of local governments switching out incandescent bulbs for light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, embarking on a $1 million effort to begin replacing the bulbs at the 880 intersections it maintains. … Continue reading →

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The state of water in Texas

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman has a long story about the state of water in Texas and its outlook for the future. Short summary: We’re going to need more than what we’re capable of getting now, and it’s going to cost a lot … Continue reading →

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How dry we were

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

We were drier than ever last year. Federal scientists confirmed Friday that Texas had its driest year on record in 2011. The statewide average rainfall for the year totaled just 14.88 inches, according to the National Climatic Data Center, beating … Continue reading →

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Seeking more water for Houston

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know how I feel about this. After decades of fits and starts, Houston is pushing forward with plans to move Trinity water nearly 30 miles to Lake Houston. The reservoir, located on the smaller San Jacinto River, fills … Continue reading →

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Still more drought may be coming

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just what you wanted to hear, right? There is at least the chance of some good news, however. The drought that has plagued Texas is virtually certain to continue at least until early summer, climate experts said on Tuesday at … Continue reading →

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Recycling water

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s more than one way to conserve water. The city of San Antonio recycles theirs to get the most out of what they have. “During wet seasons, the river functions like any other river would,” says Steve Clouse, the chief … Continue reading →

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Our long term water plan

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We’re in deep trouble if things continue as they are. Every five years, the Texas Water Development Board publishes a water plan for the state. The 295-page draft of the 2012 plan, published last week in the midst of the … Continue reading →

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Not a drop to drink

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have two questions regarding this Trib story about the dire drought situation in Odessa. The city of Odessa, facing a dire drought situation, is looking to an unlikely example for help in finding water: the desert city of El … Continue reading →

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Can we have some of your rainwater?

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is just crazy enough that you would hope it might work, but it probably can’t. As the soggy East tries to dry out from flooding and Texas prays for rain that doesn’t come, you might ask: Isn’t there some … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Baby steps on water conservation

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I found this story about businesses finding ways to conserve water to be strange. I expected to hear about innovation and maybe new technology, but what I got was stuff like this: The 5-star Four Seasons Hotel recently began furnishing … Continue reading →

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No grass, no problems

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texas is in the midst of one its worst droughts ever, yet one of the more arid cities in the state is seeing no noticeable drop in its reservoirs. How is that possible? Simple: They got rid of lawns years … Continue reading →

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Drought could last a long time

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is by far the scariest thing I’ve read in awhile. As historically bad as this summer’s drought has been, we may not have seen the worst of it. There’s growing concern among some scientists that Texas’ drought could linger … Continue reading →

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Another story about plastic bags

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No news on the bag-banning front, though officials in the D/FW area quoted in this Star-Telegram story seem open to the idea, but what interested me was the numbers mentioned: Estimates show that each person now uses about 130 plastic … Continue reading →

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Mayor orders water conservation measures

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Parker Orders Mandatory Water Conservation Measures Due to persistent drought conditions and continuously decreasing water levels in Lake Houston, as of Monday, August 15, 2011, Mayor Annise Parker has mandated the implementation of the City of … Continue reading →

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We’re number 16!

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

In a list of green cities. The Bayou City placed 16th in the newly released U.S. and Canada Green City Index, a study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of Siemens. The study, released at the 2011 Aspen … Continue reading →

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Green weddings

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not? Enter Brandi Dunagan, the owner of Country Sugar Events in San Antonio, a certified green wedding planner with a list of vendors who can line up local produce for the reception, find locally grown flowers, design invitations … Continue reading →

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When winning means not getting pulverized

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

By that measure, this was a good session for environmentalists. For environmental activists, the legislative session looked to be a grim one as it got under way in January. Keen on regulating businesses, they had feared that a body empowered … Continue reading →

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“Born To Be Wild”

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The family and I had the chance to see a preview of “Born To Be Wild”, a 3D IMAX movie at the Museum of Natural Science about saving orphaned elephants and orangutans on Thursday evening. We all loved it. I … Continue reading →

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The time to plan for the future was in the past

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a piece in the Rio Grande Guardian by my one-time history professor Char Miller that’s worth your time to read: Today is World Water Day, a U.N.-sponsored event that is an ideal time for communities to strategize about their … Continue reading →

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“Sprayed Away”

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of months ago, I blogged about a report on water conservation from the National Wildlife Federation and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. Last week, they came out with a new report, on outdoor water usage … Continue reading →

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