Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

I had a good, extended conversation with someone I haven't seen in ten years. She and her husband are feeling ... despondent? ... about climate change and she wanted to know how I felt. I discussed carrying on at the Renewable Energy Center even when I thought we were doomed, because I could be wrong. I discussed the exponential progress we're making with renewable energy, battery storage, and electric vehicles. I also discussed steel and cement production where things are less optimistic, and said that we are committed to climate change now, it is just a question of how much. I called us clever little monkeys and said that when we put our minds to it we can accomplish great things. We reached the moon! 

How's that for a mix of hope and gloom? 

Then I sent her some good news I found today. Lithium, one of our favorite ingredients for batteries now given the storage to weight ratio, has to be mined. Someone just figured out how to economically get it out of seawater. This is huge because battery storage makes variable renewable energy (wind and solar) much easier, and requires less backup from other sources. 

The water lilies at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens have been attracting people and today I went. It was really good to see something new even if they have just barely passed their peak. There were dragonflies everywhere, hallelujah, because there were no mosquitos.