Volts Community Thread #10

Open to all free & paid subscribers.

David’s Notes

1. 🎫 Event invite: I’m joining Canary Media in San Francisco on Nov. 13 for a night full of climate/election conversations with a star-studded assortment of panelists from government, journalism, and advocacy. I have 30 tickets to give to paying subscribers (for free). You can register your interest in a free ticket via this form (do not email me! do not email Sam!). If you’re not a paying subscriber, consider becoming one — or you can buy tickets here. Hope to see you there.

2. 🏥 I am, as you read this, lying in a hospital room in Hamburg, Germany, with one less appendix. I have a pretty incredible tale of woe to share with y’all when/if I ever get out of here and make it back home. (I truly did not expect health woes to be such a regular theme of this newsletter.) Unfortunately this tale is still ongoing — I’ve had to cancel my flight back and I’m not sure when this miserable experience is going to end. Anyway, something for you to look forward to.

3. 👀 Behold, the 778 ton PC8000-11 surface mining excavator made by Komatsu! CNN explores the electric transition for some of the biggest vehicles in the world.

4. ✅ Community comment of the month: Anne, Samantha S, and George S all noted a concern with my recent episode on EV charging for urban neighborhoods:

Both Dave and Tiya assert that this is "no cost" for anyone but the EV owners, but these chargers will come at a daily, ongoing cost to sidewalk users.

I am as worried as anyone about locking in auto infrastructure. If given the choice I will always prioritize walkers, bikers, and public transit. I want fewer cars, fewer parking spaces. This is a real tension in the EV-charger conversation.

But this particular concern? I think it’s a little silly. These chargers are out on the sidewalk next to the street. They are no more an obstruction to sidewalk users than fire hydrants, trash cans, or trees similarly located. I’ve walked by several similar chargers in Hamburg and did not feel in any way inconvenienced.

Monthly Thread

This is your monthly opportunity to share! Use the comments section in this community thread to:

• CLIMATE JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES: Share climate jobs/opportunities

• SHARE WORK, ASK FOR HELP, FIND COLLABORATORS: Share your climate-related work, ask for help, or find collaborators

• CLIMATE EVENTS & MEETUPS: Share climate-related events and meetups

• EVERYTHING ELSE: Discuss David’s Notes or anything else climate-related

• MAILBAG QUESTIONS: Ask a question for this month’s mailbag episode (anyone can ask a question but mailbags are a paid-sub-only perk). Volts has a form for those who are shy, but David prioritizes questions posted in this thread.

🚨 To keep organized, please only “REPLY” directly under one of Sam’s headline comments. Anything inappropriate, spammy, etc may be deleted. Be nice! Check out our Community Guidelines.