California Air Resources Board released its draft scoping plan for AB32 (Global Warming Act) last Thursday at its Board meeting.
Dr. Bob Epstein, co-founder of E2 and Vice-Chairman of Economic and Technology Advancement Advisory Committee (ETAAC) for AB32, made a comment after staff presentation for the draft scoping plan.
He said that he is hearing a lot of concerns from around the country recently, that it's not a good timing to start implementing measures to address climate change because of the high energy prices and economic downturn. He said it's exactly because of this reason that we need to implement AB32 now; it's not meant to worsen the situation, it is meant to be the remedy.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Can paper cut paper? - paper made paper knife
This knife is made of paper; uses material called vulcanised fibre. I've never thought that paper could be so hard and sharp to cut paper, but apparently it could.It was designed so as it minimizes the process such as cutting.
It never gets rust and can be used for long time.It seems like such familiar material like paper has much more potential than we know.
Designer: Takashi Ashitomi
Monday, May 26, 2008
Overripe banana pancake
I know that banana is not a sustainable choice if you live in Northern hemisphere....
But I still buy them sometimes.
And I get them overripe sometimes. But I shouldn't waste them because they traveled all the way to reach my kitchen!
Smoothie is great to make out of overripe banana.
My favorite is pancake.
When the bananas are so overripe, they are easily mashed and become like paste. I mix it with regular ingredients such as flour, baking powder, egg and milk. The mix is lumpy as above picture. I add no oil though; it's not necessary. I don't even bother to measure ingredients because banana paste functions like binding. No matter how the ratio is, it tastes good. If you add quite some banana, you don't need to add any sugar or spread because the pancake is already nicely sweet.
Only one suggestion is that you might want to cook a bit slower with lower temperature. Probably because of banana, the mix can get brown fast.
It's super easy and requires only one bowl and a pan. Minimum dish-washing!
But I still buy them sometimes.
And I get them overripe sometimes. But I shouldn't waste them because they traveled all the way to reach my kitchen!Smoothie is great to make out of overripe banana.
My favorite is pancake.
When the bananas are so overripe, they are easily mashed and become like paste. I mix it with regular ingredients such as flour, baking powder, egg and milk. The mix is lumpy as above picture. I add no oil though; it's not necessary. I don't even bother to measure ingredients because banana paste functions like binding. No matter how the ratio is, it tastes good. If you add quite some banana, you don't need to add any sugar or spread because the pancake is already nicely sweet.
Only one suggestion is that you might want to cook a bit slower with lower temperature. Probably because of banana, the mix can get brown fast.
It's super easy and requires only one bowl and a pan. Minimum dish-washing!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Futon: Japanese minimalism in bedroom
When I first came to US, I was amazed to see that "futon" has evolved somehow and did not look like Japanese original futon.
The original futon bedding is just mattress and blanket. No frames whatsoever.
I guess the idea of futon was to live efficiently in a small country/small house.
Futon is foldable. Traditional house rule is that you have to fold your futon and put it in a closet when you wake up in the morning. You pull it back from the closet when you go to sleep. In that way, you can keep your futon clean and use the room for something else during the day.
Living in a smaller house is one way to reduce our carbon footprint. Futon will fit nicely in a small house and help you use the space efficiently.
Do you really need one of those pesky “beds” taking up space in your home?
The original futon bedding is just mattress and blanket. No frames whatsoever.
I guess the idea of futon was to live efficiently in a small country/small house.Futon is foldable. Traditional house rule is that you have to fold your futon and put it in a closet when you wake up in the morning. You pull it back from the closet when you go to sleep. In that way, you can keep your futon clean and use the room for something else during the day.
Living in a smaller house is one way to reduce our carbon footprint. Futon will fit nicely in a small house and help you use the space efficiently.
Do you really need one of those pesky “beds” taking up space in your home?
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Sushi is not sustainable
This isn't news; world fish stock/supply is depleting.
Blame Sushi.
And I'm not joking.
Japanese eat a lot of fish and seafood; Japan has been importing enormous amount of fish from every part of the globe. Now, with more people in the world choosing seafood over to meat for health reasons or just because they love Sushi, the world is depleting fish stock even faster.
Sushi has traditionally been very high-end food, expensive.
That means fish supply (especially fresh) has been far below the demand if there was no aquaculture involved, at least in Japan. This is the very important rule that we should never have forgotten. However, by accelerating import, Japanese misinterpreted the situation and acted as if the fish supply grew. Sushi got cheaper and became almost like daily food. But it wasn't right. Suppy cannot grow really; we were merely depleting the stock in other parts of the world.
Some fishery and aquaculture is very unsustainable...actually disruptive to the environment. Illegal fishing beyond the boundary is also a problem. But consumers are not well informed about those facts.
I am trying to buy "sustainable" seafood. (Check out Seafood Watch by Monterey Bay Aquarium) And they are expensive! Price is deterimed by the relationship of supply and demand - a classic economic principle. Fish is expensive = supply is limited.
Graphic: World fish import: Japan is purple.
Blame Sushi.
And I'm not joking.
Japanese eat a lot of fish and seafood; Japan has been importing enormous amount of fish from every part of the globe. Now, with more people in the world choosing seafood over to meat for health reasons or just because they love Sushi, the world is depleting fish stock even faster.
Sushi has traditionally been very high-end food, expensive.
That means fish supply (especially fresh) has been far below the demand if there was no aquaculture involved, at least in Japan. This is the very important rule that we should never have forgotten. However, by accelerating import, Japanese misinterpreted the situation and acted as if the fish supply grew. Sushi got cheaper and became almost like daily food. But it wasn't right. Suppy cannot grow really; we were merely depleting the stock in other parts of the world.
Some fishery and aquaculture is very unsustainable...actually disruptive to the environment. Illegal fishing beyond the boundary is also a problem. But consumers are not well informed about those facts.
I am trying to buy "sustainable" seafood. (Check out Seafood Watch by Monterey Bay Aquarium) And they are expensive! Price is deterimed by the relationship of supply and demand - a classic economic principle. Fish is expensive = supply is limited.
Graphic: World fish import: Japan is purple.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Mimimizing input, maximizing output
Japan is geographically small and isolated. It has very little resources except for water. Up untill the middle of 19th century, Japan had almost no contact with foreign countries; it had to live on what scarce resources it had. Japanese needed to be the expert in efficient resource management....to survive.
I belive this is the underlying secret for the success of Prius (most energy-efficient hybrid vehicle) and whole bunch of other energy/resource efficient products that Japanese companies offer. For centuries and centuries, Japanese were under constant pressure to maximize output by using minimum input, which probably became our second nature.
I took lessons for Japanese flower arrangement for a very short time of period. I was totally amazed when I dawned to me that it was not the flowers that I was arranging! It is the space or dimention in between or around flowers that I had to capture and display.
You don't have to have so many flowers to impress people. Mimimum is beautiful because it's not all about flowers. Japanese flower arrangement enjoy the combination and interaction of what is there (flowers) and what is not there (nada). Art of minimum input.
photo by: YAYAYAYAYAY!
I belive this is the underlying secret for the success of Prius (most energy-efficient hybrid vehicle) and whole bunch of other energy/resource efficient products that Japanese companies offer. For centuries and centuries, Japanese were under constant pressure to maximize output by using minimum input, which probably became our second nature.
I took lessons for Japanese flower arrangement for a very short time of period. I was totally amazed when I dawned to me that it was not the flowers that I was arranging! It is the space or dimention in between or around flowers that I had to capture and display.
You don't have to have so many flowers to impress people. Mimimum is beautiful because it's not all about flowers. Japanese flower arrangement enjoy the combination and interaction of what is there (flowers) and what is not there (nada). Art of minimum input.
photo by: YAYAYAYAYAY!
Friday, May 16, 2008
How to make Tofu Hamburger (semi-vegan)
Ingredients: ( for 2-3 person)
*Tofu (1 pack)
*Ground beef and ground pork ( around 1/2 lbs...I am trying to reduce the meat as much as I can. If you try for the first time, start by Tofu: meat=1:1 to be on the safe side. )
*Onions (1/2, finely chopped)
*Spinach (or other vegetables of your choice such as carrots, mushroom, celery, cabbage...)
*Hijiki (1-2 pinch)
*Ginger&Salt&Pepper
*Binding -- egg (1-2 ) and potato starch (3-4 tbsp)
1) Drain water from Tofu by simply placing something heavy on it.
2) Soak Hijiki in water for 20 minutes and then drain. Looks scary? Good news is that it is very rich in iron. Bad news is that it does not taste great....at least to me. The reason why a lot of people use Hijiki for hamburger is because Hijiki becomes almost unnoticeable. Good way to let your family take nutrients without even letting them know.
3) Chop Onions and spinach finely. Use food processor if you prefer. Grate ginger.
4) Mix ingredients: Tofu, meat, onion, spinach, Hijiki, ginger, salt and pepper.
5) Add bindings. I used one egg and about 3 tbsp of potato starch. Potato starch is heavily used in Chinese cuisine. If you don't see it in your grocery store, check Chinese, Korean or Japanese grocery stores.
Other binding is bread crumbs (larger pieces) soaked in milk.
6) Form patties. Smaller, easier to deal with. Stir fry them.
*Tofu (1 pack)
*Ground beef and ground pork ( around 1/2 lbs...I am trying to reduce the meat as much as I can. If you try for the first time, start by Tofu: meat=1:1 to be on the safe side. )
*Onions (1/2, finely chopped)
*Spinach (or other vegetables of your choice such as carrots, mushroom, celery, cabbage...)
*Hijiki (1-2 pinch)
*Ginger&Salt&Pepper
*Binding -- egg (1-2 ) and potato starch (3-4 tbsp)
1) Drain water from Tofu by simply placing something heavy on it.
2) Soak Hijiki in water for 20 minutes and then drain. Looks scary? Good news is that it is very rich in iron. Bad news is that it does not taste great....at least to me. The reason why a lot of people use Hijiki for hamburger is because Hijiki becomes almost unnoticeable. Good way to let your family take nutrients without even letting them know.
3) Chop Onions and spinach finely. Use food processor if you prefer. Grate ginger.4) Mix ingredients: Tofu, meat, onion, spinach, Hijiki, ginger, salt and pepper.
5) Add bindings. I used one egg and about 3 tbsp of potato starch. Potato starch is heavily used in Chinese cuisine. If you don't see it in your grocery store, check Chinese, Korean or Japanese grocery stores.Other binding is bread crumbs (larger pieces) soaked in milk.
6) Form patties. Smaller, easier to deal with. Stir fry them.
7) Bon Appetit!
I introduced simple seasoning (serve with ketchup), but try your own favorite. The patty is pretty mild, so it should work with different spices.
The idea is to make hamburger light and nutritions, not greasy yet tasty.
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