Q&A w/ DANNY KENNEDY, ROOFTOP REVOLUTION: How Solar Power Can Save Our Economy and the Planet from Dirty Energy
Written on May 13th, 2013 |
Aired: 05/12/13
Is there a revolution coming to your rooftop? While opponents claim solar is expensive, inefficient, and unreliable, in his book ROOFTOP REVOLUTION: How Solar Power Can Save Our Economy And Our Planet From Dirty Energy, DANNY KENNEDY makes clear solar can save money, create jobs, and protect the environment if only politics and perception will get out of the way.
During the recent Presidential campaign, we heard a lot about Solyndra, the solar start-up that received a sizable government loan only to go belly up. Solar’s detractors claim the collapse of Solyndra proves solar is just a hippie pipe dream, but Danny Kennedy, says the truth is quite the opposite. Solyndra failed because it wasn’t able to compete in a red-hot industry, not because solar isn’t ready for prime time.
The industry employs 100,000 people in the United States, twice as many as in 2009 and twice the number of coal miners. In 2011, Warren Buffett invested $2 billion in a solar farm, and General Electric bought a start-up solar manufacturer, announcing, “By 2020 this is going to be at least a $1 billion product line.” Production of solar-generated electricity rose by 45% in the first three quarters of 2010, while electricity from natural gas rose only 1.6% and coal declined by 4.2%. Kennedy argues for a rooftop revolution to break the entrenched power of the coal, oil, nuclear, and natural gas industries and their progress-denying allies.
www.rooftoprevolutionbook.com
www.sungevity.com
Q&A: Osha Gray Davidson – Germany
Written on January 11th, 2013 |
Aired 01/06/12
In the year 2000, Germany got 6% of its energy from renewables. That’s about what we get in the US today. But today Germany gets 25% of its electricity from solar, wind and biomass. And Germany is not exactly the American Southwest. Perhaps just as impressive and important, 65% of the country’s renewable power capacity is owned by individuals, cooperatives and communities. Clean and decentralized. I’ll be talking with Osha Gray Davidson about how they did it and what we can learn from their story.
Osha is new to me, but I contacted him immediately as soon as I saw his new book CLEAN BREAK: The Story of Germany’s Energy Transformation and What Americans Can Learn from It. As anyone who listens to this show knows, I feel one of the crucial elements in America’s sluggish response to many of our biggest challenges is our ignorance about what other countries do well.
www.oshadavidson.com
Q&A: NOAM CHOMSKY – Scholar, Activist, Author, OCCUPY
Written on June 19th, 2012 |
Aired 06/17/12
This week’s show will deal with the Occupy/99% movement from two different perspectives. For most of the hour I’ll be joined by renowned scholar and activist, NOAM CHOMSKY. His newest book, a collection of interviews and speeches on the movement, is entitled simply OCCUPY.
NOAM CHOMSKY is Professor of Linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where has taught for over 50 years. He is also a renowned political activist and writer. His scores of books on linguistics, human rights, economics and politics, include Manufacturing Consent, Necessary Illusions, Hegemony or Survival, 9/11, and his latest, OCCUPY.
SPECIAL: Terrence fill in hosts on KCRW
Written on August 8th, 2011 |
Aired 08/05/11
Left, Right & Center
The global markets have been heading steadily south for the last two weeks, but on Thursday, they took a sharp dive. The Dow lost more than four percent of its value, its worst day in three years. As our program went to air on Friday afternoon, the markets continued to sputter downward. There was a bit of good news: unemployment went down and jobs went up in July, but only slightly. The jobs report appears to have prevented another day like Thursday on Wall Street, but is it enough to calm investor fears that we're entering into a double-dip recession? And with the grim economic forecast and a bruising fight over the budget, what are the political implications of all this for President Obama and lawmakers on Capitol Hill? What are their prospects for re-election? (Terrence McNally sits in for Matt Miller. Chrystia Freeland joins us as our special guest panelist.)
Q&A: JOE MATHEWS & MARK PAUL – co-authors of CALIFORNIA CRACKUP
Written on May 5th, 2011
 |
Aired 05/01/11
Live from USC - The Annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
JOE MATHEWS writes about California and the West as the Irvine Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation. A LA Times staff writer for 18 years, he is co-author of CALIFORNIA CRACKUP.
MARK PAUL, former deputy treasurer of California and deputy editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee, is a senior scholar and deputy director of the California program at the New America Foundation. He is co-author of CALIFORNIA CRACKUP.
http://www.californiacrackup.com/
http://www.truthdig.com/bill_boyarsky
