May 2009

About “Something Mostly Enjoyable That Also Performs a Function”

Michael Giberson From David Byrne’s review in the New York Times of Jeff Mapes book, Pedaling Revolution: [Mapes] argues that cycling promotion can raise society’s level of general fitness, since people exercise more when it seems less like exercise and more like something mostly enjoyable that also performs a function, like getting to work. “Bike …

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Solar Power: Policies Should Encourage Thoughtful Development

Michael Giberson Tom Konrad, writing at Alternative Energy Stocks, notes that “current incentives for Solar photovoltaics are good for encouraging more solar, but they are less effective at encouraging better solar.” (Emphasis added.) His quick review of policy options touches on renewable energy credits, feed-in tariffs, net metering, time-of-use rates, carbon pricing and other tools. …

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Want Better Electricity Information? Do It Yourself!

Lynne Kiesling Want better information about your electricity consumption, even if your premise does not have a utility “smart meter”? Do it yourself! Here are some examples, using in-home power meters and the home’s broadband connection to collect the electricity consumption data at WattzOn, an online energy tracking and monitoring tool. The idea is straightforward; …

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Is the Zone Pricing Ban Raising Average Gasoline Prices in New York?

Michael Giberson In my just published post on zone pricing, I noted a newspaper story from New York which suggests that the recently enacted ban on zone prices was equalizing gasoline prices, at least around Rochester. To quote myself: Meanwhile, in neighboring New York, a newspaper story from suburban Rochester suggests that the state’s new …

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Legislators from Wealthy Fairfield County, Connecticut Hope a Zone Pricing Ban Will Save Constituents Money

Michael Giberson From the website of Livvy Floren, Greenwich state representative and Assistant Republican Leader in the Connecticut House of Representatives, “Greenwich Delegation Calls for Ban on Zone Pricing of Gas“: HARTFORD- Greenwich State Reps. Livvy Floren (R-149), Lile Gibbons (R-150) and Fred Camillo (R-151) are dismayed the state legislature refuses to address the issue …

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Glaeser and Florida on Urbanization, and Nashville’s Lure

Lynne Kiesling Here are a couple of interesting and related articles on urban dynamism and what economists call economies of agglomeration. Digital communication technology was supposed to reduce those economies of agglomeration, right? We can work from anywhere, don’t have to be physically co-located, and that includes developing countries too … so, as Ed Glaeser …

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