Erin Whalen
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erinjwhalen.bsky.social
Erin Whalen
@erinjwhalen.bsky.social
Rainforest-dwelling word wrangler and awe junkie who wants to know everything about everything. Currently geeking out over the non-dualistic implications of Heinrich Päs' book, The One: How an Ancient Idea Holds the Future of Physics, cuz that shit's COOL.
Reposted by Erin Whalen
Used EV batteries may hold far greater value than initially expected. The team aims to ensure components are given a second life, either as parts in batteries needing service and repair, or repurposed for energy storage systems with a lifespan of up to 15 additional years.

interestingengineeri...
Dead EV batteries get 15-year life with recycling breakthrough
Researchers have found a way to give used EV batteries a second life, extending their lifespan by up to 15 more years.
interestingengineering.com
March 29, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Now THIS is my kind of March Madness...
"Let’s be clear: Jo is the top-seeded star of the Little Women tournament. By contrast, Amy, a bubble hopeful that seemed as unlikely as the pickled limes trend, is more likely to maliciously set Jo’s novel manuscript on fire again than to light up the scoreboard."
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March Madness: Key Matchups in the NCAA Little Women Tournament
Meg vs. Beth Known as the sizzling hot sister, Meg March specializes in getting good looks and her outside game is unstoppable. She moves well with...
buff.ly
March 20, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
Utrecht NL is about to build the largest Dutch car-free neighbourhood.

12K people.
6K homes.
1.8K social rental homes.
1.5 mid-range rental & affordable owner-occupied homes.
21.5K bike parking spaces.
250 shared cars.
2 parcel hubs.
Parking structures on district edge.
High quality public transit.
Utrecht to start construction on largest car-free neighborhood in the country next week
Construction of a new neighborhood is set to begin in Utrecht next week. The neighborhood, called Merwede, is scheduled to be the largest car-free district in the Netherlands, with 6,000 homes. The ar...
nltimes.nl
February 28, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
💥The Netherlands' largest pension fund, has sold its shares in Tesla, Meta, and Alphabet (Google). The fund with US $569 billion equivolent in assets is "directing more money to companies and projects that help to improve society and the environment." #Divest

www.reuters.com/markets/euro...
Dutch pension fund ABP sells all Alphabet and Meta shares, CEO tells newspaper FD
ABP, the Netherlands' largest pension fund, has sold its shares in tech companies Meta and Alphabet , its CEO told Dutch newspaper FD in an interview published on Monday.
www.reuters.com
February 22, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
An extremely funny response the Canadian government could do is to nationalize all of Tesla's superchargers in the county and turn them into a public charging network.
February 2, 2025 at 5:35 AM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
We are all seriously under-reacting (please read): 🧵

My brother-in-law owns a small helicopter company in rural Northwestern Ontario, Canada. They are typically hired for odd jobs - hydro, firefighting, deliveries, etc.

In December, when Trump announced the tariff threats, his…

(1/3)
February 2, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
For no reason in particular, here's my old article @thetyee.ca on my experiment with eating locally for a month.

#yyj
#VictoriaBC
#Canada

thetyee.ca/Culture/2022...
I Ate Local for a Month. Here’s What I Learned | The Tyee
I aimed to elude our global food systems by sticking mainly to what’s made in BC. So I kept a detailed log.
thetyee.ca
February 2, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
Teen Vogue is more credible, reliable, honest, and brave as a news source than The NY Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times combined.

Please follow them.
In this op-ed, the leaders of Students for Science explain why they don't want Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the Department of Health and Human Services. ⤵️
Future Doctors and Science Students Are Trying to Stop RFK From Becoming Health Secretary
“As young people, we have unique concerns about RFK and what his confirmation would mean for our future.”
www.teenvogue.com
February 2, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
Interesting deep dive (pardon the pun?) on the pursuit of super-deep geothermal. The potential is really jaw-dropping.
Searching For Climate Salvation In Deep Hellfire | NOEMA
Geothermal energy has become the renewable that got left behind as solar and wind accelerate. Why then do its most determined advocates still insist it could be the key to the renewable energy transit...
www.noemamag.com
January 24, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
When I post about my heat pump & home electrification progress, someone will try to counter: “But individual actions are meaningless!” Unless of course if millions of Americans are doing the same thing. It turns out, they are. 🧪🔌💡☀️💨🔋
#FossilFuelsAreStrandedAssets
Heat pumps outsold furnaces again in 2024 in the US, and with the largest margin to date. www.canarymedia.com/articles/hea... #electrifyeverythingwecan 🔌💡
January 25, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
www.newscientist.com/article/2464...

This kills land use worries for solar across wide swaths of the planet.
Farms can install vertical solar panels without reducing crop yields
Adding rows of upright panels on farmland generates green power in the morning and evening while acting as a windbreak for crops
www.newscientist.com
January 25, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
Dude, I purchase 100% renewable electricity over the grid. We have that option in Ohio. And the grid is getting cleaner with time. The U.S. and the world is now at ~40% low carbon electricity between renewables and nuclear and growing. 🧪🔌💡 ember-energy.org/countries-an...
United States of America | Ember
Explore the latest data on the United States energy transition. How clean is US electricity? How much renewable electricity does the United States generate? How ambitious is the US renewables target?
ember-energy.org
January 24, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
Before I purchased my induction stove, my HVAC air source heat pump, & my hybrid heat pump water heater, folks said they would be too loud. In all 3 cases they are quieter than the appliance they replaced. Don’t fall for misinformation. Vested interests want you to stay on fossil fuels. 🧪💡☀️💨🔋
January 24, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
Sagan's words bring me comfort.

It is a time to comfort, love, & protect one another. Reach out a hand to those who need help.

It is all bearable through love 💞

#Sagan
#love
#resist
January 21, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Sailors' delight.
January 21, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
We now predict a mean of 2.7C of warming in 2100.
Not the 4C we predicted a decade ago.

This is due to less exaggeration and better policy and technology.

However, 2.7C is still very bad and it could still become much worse.

At the same time we can bend the curve down further
I have a new paper in Dialogues on Climate Change exploring climate outcomes under current policies. I find that we are likely headed toward 2.7C by 2100 (with uncertainties from 1.9C to 3.7C), and that high end emissions scenarios have become much less likely.

journals.sagepub.com...
January 17, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Agrivoltaics FTW
January 19, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Tried escaping the dinosaur park with a briefcase full of embryos but ended up dying in the jungle instead. Frill issue.
Tried drinking water but it missed my mouth. Spill issue.
Tried making liquor at home but it was totally undrinkable. Still issue
January 19, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
Oh come ON now. This new JWST image is just ASTOUNDING.

I feel like I’m falling looking into it, and that I would fall forever, and that I would enjoy it.

NASA, ESA, CSA, K. McQuinn (STScI), J. DePasquale (STScI)
January 17, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
A Renewable Revolution: How Six U.S. Cities Are Leading the Charge to Clean Energy

...and a "growing number of states are reaching or surpassing their electricity demand with wind, water, and solar."

www.earthday.org/a-renewable-...
A Renewable Revolution: How Six U.S. Cities Are Leading the Charge to Clean Energy - Earth Day
Six U.S. cities lead the renewable energy charge, showcasing unique paths to 100% clean power. Learn how bold pledges and local action shape our energy future.
www.earthday.org
January 17, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Reposted by Erin Whalen
Floating Solar On Federal Reservoirs Could Power 100 Million Homes In The US cleantechnica.com/2025/01/16/f...
Floating Solar On Federal Reservoirs Could Power 100 Million Homes In The US - CleanTechnica
A new study finds that floating solar on reservoirs controlled by the US government could power up to 100 million homes.
cleantechnica.com
January 17, 2025 at 10:16 PM
"For modular design to succeed, it must transform our perspective on products—from temporary conveniences to investments in adaptability and longevity."

YUP. Planned obsolescence is a blight on the planet.

www.fastcompany.com/91261714/mod...
Modular design makes tech personal (and repairable)
Modular design is reaching new audiences by letting users build systems that are suited to their unique needs and can evolve.
www.fastcompany.com
January 18, 2025 at 3:38 PM