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Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit: 10 Clean Technologies to Save Our World
In Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit , author Tom Rand, (engineer, Cleantech authority, venture capitalist, pragmatic entrepreneur and philosopher) doesn t provide a ''three-easy-steps'' approach to fixing our dependence on fossil fuels. But he does show it's possible to do without them. By giving an in-depth look at ten technologies that together can bring a clean future, free of fossil fuels, Tom provides education and hope. This is a clarion call, a directive that we act quickly and collectively (governments, corporations and individuals) to provide future generations the opportunity to live in a sustainable world. Unique in being accessible to the general public, his message is not just important, but understandable and entertaining. His personal views and anecdotes are combined with a hardheaded engineering and business perspective. Beautiful color photographs bring the text to life. It is this generation's job to save the world we know for the next. Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit shows us how.
- GenresNonfictionScience
239 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 7, 2018
This was such a good book, focusing on the energy problems we have today and the solutions we have. It describes renewable energies that can possibly kick out fossil fuels. Not only does it describe the benefits of renewable energies but the writer also shares the setbacks, which is a good thing because Tom Rand, the writer, is giving the readers the truth (that is data supported) and how we can help to make our world cleaner and better. The book also has many appealing photographs of the clean technologies he talks about which are solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels, hydropower, ocean, smart buildings, transportation, efficiency/conservation, and the energy internet.
December 27, 2019
Tom Rand is a Canadian author whose current efforts are focused on carbon mitigation. This book dates back to 2010, and since then - Tom has written two other books - Waking the Frog: Solutions for Our Climate Change Paralysis from 2014, and coming in 2020 - The Case for Climate Capitalism: Economic Solutions for a Planet in Crisis.
Goodreads gives this book a 4.65 star rating - and I also rate it highly. This is well worth your time. I will note, the version of the book I got out of the Toronto Public Library is a 10 ¼” X10 ¼” and heavy enough - that this is a “read at the table” book. Thus, my habit of sitting back in a chair, or reading on the TTC, or in bed is not suitable for this book. But - pour yourself a coffee, pull up to the table - and enjoy -a great read.
The book attacks the topic by doing as its title promises - and introduces us to 10 key technologies to help us transition off of fossil fuel:
-> 6 key technologies for generation: Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Biofuels, Hydropower, and Ocean
->How smart buildings can be used to reduce energy requirements
-> How a modular approach to transportation integrated with electrification and other measures is key to reducing emissions associated with transportation
-> The key role for efficiency and conservation
-> The Energy Internet
It also contains a number of clean technology essays, all of which are good reads. The key ones for me were a discussion of Carbon Pricing, Green Bonds, Hydrogen, and Nuclear.
Key messages for me are that:
There are things we can all start to do as individuals
While those individual actions are important, it is even more important that we start to work together as a society and take this challenge seriously and treat it as the emergency which it is
Areas which I thought should have been included in the discussion, but which were not discussed:
Agriculture - steps we need to take to assure that we can continue to use high tech agriculture to get the food we need while still preserving the ecological diversity we need to strive for
Changes to diet - It seems clear to me that our approach to feeding everyone must change - what we eat and what we do to not waste as much of it
This is an excellent book. It should get you thinking, and I highly recommend it.
Goodreads gives this book a 4.65 star rating - and I also rate it highly. This is well worth your time. I will note, the version of the book I got out of the Toronto Public Library is a 10 ¼” X10 ¼” and heavy enough - that this is a “read at the table” book. Thus, my habit of sitting back in a chair, or reading on the TTC, or in bed is not suitable for this book. But - pour yourself a coffee, pull up to the table - and enjoy -a great read.
The book attacks the topic by doing as its title promises - and introduces us to 10 key technologies to help us transition off of fossil fuel:
-> 6 key technologies for generation: Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Biofuels, Hydropower, and Ocean
->How smart buildings can be used to reduce energy requirements
-> How a modular approach to transportation integrated with electrification and other measures is key to reducing emissions associated with transportation
-> The key role for efficiency and conservation
-> The Energy Internet
It also contains a number of clean technology essays, all of which are good reads. The key ones for me were a discussion of Carbon Pricing, Green Bonds, Hydrogen, and Nuclear.
Key messages for me are that:
There are things we can all start to do as individuals
While those individual actions are important, it is even more important that we start to work together as a society and take this challenge seriously and treat it as the emergency which it is
Areas which I thought should have been included in the discussion, but which were not discussed:
Agriculture - steps we need to take to assure that we can continue to use high tech agriculture to get the food we need while still preserving the ecological diversity we need to strive for
Changes to diet - It seems clear to me that our approach to feeding everyone must change - what we eat and what we do to not waste as much of it
This is an excellent book. It should get you thinking, and I highly recommend it.
July 14, 2012
Excellent coverage of many renewable resources which would allow us to leave fossil fuels behind and reduce the carbon in the atmosphere. Easy read for the lay person. Highly recommended, particularly for the young people who will be inheriting our mess. Can we save ourselves before 2030? Tom Rand says we can. That's pretty hopeful.
September 21, 2011
A thought provoking book worthy of the 'coffee table'
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews