Ricardo returns to what excites him.

Wow, my last posting was back in June. That is a shame. The good news is that I'm back and I've been plugged in, observing what's happening, though not as active in bringing the changes I'd like to see in the transportation and automotive world.

Back in June I started a new job that is not related to electric cars... everyone has to make a living, right? I do too. Since then, I have been able to experience what it's like working for a software company (again), and that has been good. That said, this time working has confirmed my suspicions that my passions really are the environment, sustainability and environmentally friendly vehicles (that is, electric cars). Nothing gets me more excited when it comes to what I want to dedicate my life to.

I had the incredible opportunity to experience Burning Man back in August. I'm so happy that I got to go, thanks to my great friend Marc Turkel who not only made the invitation, but prepared me before the event and guided me through it to make sure I made the most of my experience in the desert. Words cannot describe what we saw there. Interestingly, the theme this year was "green". Considering that it was my first time at Burning Man, I could not compare it to previous BM events to be able to say how "green" the 2007 event was. A few things to be noted about the event:

1) There was an incredible amount of energy expenditure, no doubt. From the most jaw-dropping fire shows to the moving of large amounts of materials, structures and decorations to the number of vehicles that travel to the desert (and increase the consumption of fuel) to the incredible amount of energy that it takes to maintain life in the desert. Pretty much all electricity is generated through liquid fuels, which is a much more wasteful way to generate electricity than say, by using the power grid.

2) There were about 47,000 people at Burning Man in 2007 compared to about 35,000 people in 2006. So the amount of energy spent in all different aspects is natural and should be expected due to the significant increase in attendance.

3) Many camps were indeed green, using biofuels to generate their energy instead of gasoline. There was also a large presence of solar panels on vehicles, tents and just out in the desert. Even the organizers of Burning Man installed several large solar panels which Larry Harvey claimed they'd donate to some good cause after the event.

4) Many people who were "green" did not boast about being green. I.e., there were people who were burning biodiesel instead of gasoline, but you wouldn't know unless you asked. This is a sign of humility, and part of the BM culture of not "showing off", but personally, I think it did not promote green alternatives as much as it could. It also made it difficult for anyone to even take a guess as to how much energy alternatives people were relying on other than OIL.

So this is a quick update. More to come soon. Please, do participate on this blog my friends and community!

- Ricardo Parker