I imagined myself sipping a glass of champagne before jetting off to Paris for the day… That was me, in awe of the champagne bar at St. Pancras International in the heart of London. Actually, I was in awe of everything at St. Pancras- the 30 foot bronze sculpture of a couple saying their goodbyes… [Read more…]
December 31, 2010
Everyone, or nearly everyone, will spend a few moments reflecting on the close of the first decade of the 21st Century before beginning the next decade with a an awe inspiring hangover. We, here in the land of green opportunity, are no different. Let us review the events of the past decade in all their… [Read more…]
December 28, 2010
Here’s an opportunity (or three) for Silicon Valley – small, self contained solar generation. As the rain fell in San José on Christmas Eve I learned about Sara Ruto, an entrepreneurial woman living in a remote Kenyan village. Ms. Ruto would walk two miles on dirt paths and take a 3 hour motorcycle taxi ride… [Read more…]
November 4, 2010
It’s barely 36 hours after the polls closed in California’s November election, and less than 72 hours after the San Francisco Giants put the finishing touches on the World Series. What do these two disparate events have in common? Texas and California’s right to self determination. The Texas Rangers, whose previous owner, former President Bush, made… [Read more…]
October 29, 2010
Just in time for Halloween the pod people have arrived in San José - except these folks come with the Podcar and are not interested in eating your brain. San José’s city hall is home to a three day conference on the latest in personal rapid transit (PRT). Touting podcars as the latest in green, fast… [Read more…]
October 28, 2010
You’ve heard about them, you may even be an aficionado. The latest craze in foodie-heaven – the food truck. With everything from the Shrimp Pimp in Los Angeles to Skillet Street Food in Seattle food trucks offer convenience, diversity and sometimes a sustainable fooditude. San Francisco has the Sexy Soup Cart serving organic soups straight… [Read more…]
September 24, 2010
Who knew that taking over parking spaces with trees, grass, plants and people could be so much fun!? Last Friday was PARK(ing) Day, an international, grassroots event for artists, advocates and citizens to temporarily transform on-street parking spaces into urban parks. This annual event got its start in 2005 by Rebar, a San Francisco art… [Read more…]
September 8, 2010
NewIPO cycling correspondent Michele Beasley delivers part two in her series on becoming an avid cyclist. Recipes to follow… Last night, when I came home from work just past 9:30pm, I was feeling pretty jazzed. So far I have made good on my commitment to do my bike/ Caltrain commute once a week. We had… [Read more…]
September 1, 2010
New IPO foreign correspondent Shiloh Ballard provides an update on her mission to imbue Silicon Valley with Biking-tude. Sunday afternoon I arrived in Amsterdam as a part of a bicycle study trip through Bikes Belong, a nonprofit that works to get more butts on bikes. I’m with delegations from Marin, San Francisco and San Jose… [Read more…]
August 23, 2010
by Michele Beasley The metallic scraping sound beneath my car was the signal to finally get my brakes fixed. My mechanic asked if I needed a ride home and if I wanted my car back that day. I said No to both- a forced ‘carlessness’ was welcome. I took Caltrain up to San Francisco for… [Read more…]
January 3, 2011
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