Tag Archives: environmental
“Stop the War on Coal Act” Passed
The House Republicans recently passed H.R. 3409, the “Stop the War on Coal Act” that supposedly counters the Obama Administration’s hostility to coal jobs. Although it won’t pass the Democratically-controlled Senate, it’s part of their election year messaging, along with Solyndra. Obama has promised to veto the bill if it does get to his desk. The bill would “protect coal [...]
In Focus: The Green Schools Alliance
In response to Mayor Bloomberg’s challenge to New York City (NYC) institutions to reduce their carbon footprint 30 percent by 2030, on October 11, 2007, 46 schools gathered at the Allen-Stevenson School in NYC to explore solutions to climate change. After this meeting, with support from the Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, [...]
Spinach: The Key to Powerful Solar Cells?
Remember when your parents used to pester you about eating your spinach? Even Popeye touted spinach as a great way to pump up those biceps. Well, it looks as though they were right. Spinach is proving to be a valuable green. And not just for your body, but for environmental science as well! There are [...]
Will California Reach It’s Renewable Energy Goals?
California has the most ambitious renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in the nation, requiring that 33 percent of the state’s energy mix come from renewables by 2020. There are 29 states (and the District of Columbia) with RPS goals in effect, but the average amount of renewable energy required in those states is much less than [...]
London’s Greenest Building
There has been a conscious environmental movement over the past few years that has been picking up much steam in a wide variety of sectors. In 2009, the city of London saw an excellent environmental building addition, the 7 More London development next to Tower Bridge. Following its completion, 7 More was rated the most [...]
Energy Efficiency: Is It The Real Deal?
According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), peak electric loads in the U.S. are 20,800 MW lower than they would be without utility energy efficiency programs[1]. If it is correct it represents perhaps 100 power plants that did not need built that would have otherwise been required. Similarly, the EIA data shows that electric usage [...]
Global Warming and the DOE
Neither this blog nor this post are about climate change and global warming. However, as the DOE’s recent projections for energy consumption through 2035 make some implicit assumptions about population shifts and the use of energy for space cooling, I have been wondering about what those assumptions are, how they were formed and what they [...]
Australians: Loving their Solar Panels
Suntech’s latest solar search and photo competition generated pictures and short statements from more than 400 customers across the country. All showed great enthusiasm for their Suntech products, lower energy bills and a reduced environmental impact. One woman called herself a “groovy granny” who decided to “go green, minimizing her power bills, lessening her [...]
Why You Need Solar
More people are beginning to realize that solar panels are not a luxury – they are a necessity. Just take cellphones, for instance… IN 1973, New Yorkers stopped and gaped in amazement as Dr. Martin Cooper demonstrated the very first cellular telephone call, right on the city street. The invention and combination of the radio, battery, [...]