Archive for July, 2009

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Jul

29th

Austin Makes “Green Cities” List


Environmental news and information group The Mother Nature Network has named Austin as one of the nation’s 10 greenest cities.

untitledThe network praised the city of Austin’s Climate Protection Program, a plan to go carbon-neutral by 2020; and the city’s electric utility Austin Energy, the nation’s largest provider of renewable energy, among its reasons for naming Austin a leader in green.

“Austin is a green city because of our engaged community, and we hope our residents will continue to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions,” said Ester Matthews, director of the Austin Climate Protection Program.

Other cities named to the Network’s list include Chicago; Seattle; Berkeley, Calif.; Cambridge, Mass.; Eugene, Ore.; Oakland, Calif.; Boston; San Francisco; and Portland, Ore.

The Mother Nature Network, founded by Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell in 2008, operates a Web site featuring original articles and columns covering business, transportation, lifestyle and other topics.

Courtesy ABJ, July 14,2009

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Jul

26th

Austin GreenChoice prices cut?


New lower-cost contract to be offered as city continues to study whether all customers should pay for renewable energy.

Austin Energy said Friday that it overestimated the growing cost of providing the city’s GreenChoice program, which sells wind and other renewable energy to willing customers but has struggled to find buyers since prices more than doubled in the past year.

The city should be able to cut the current asking price of GreenChoice to customers by about 25 percent, according to a memo to City Council members obtained by the American-Statesman on Friday.image_8613187

Information thanks to AAS: more here- http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/07/25/0725greenchoice.html

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Jul

25th

Solar Powered Music!!


prolonging180Cake is a wonderful band now recording their sixth album of original music using 100% solar power in their recording studio.  Green music earns S&A Green Team Stamp of Approval! http://www.cakemusic.com/solar.html

Take a look and listen at their “electrifying” video!

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Jul

24th

Plants Aid Indoor Air Quality!


Houseplants are not only beautiful in the home, they also help cleanse the air. Bamboo palm, Spider plant; flowering Mums; Peace lily plant and Mother-in-laws-tongue, are just a few of the best houseplants for purifying air in the home, according to an ongoing two-year study by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA). sunflower

The NASA/ALCA tests ‘Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement’ concentrated on solving the very important question: ‘Indoor air pollution is a realistic threat to human health, so how can the problem be solved?’ A promising, economical solution to indoor air pollution was to take a look at nature’s life support system, plants. The initial testing has been for the indoor purification of the air from the chemicals, Benzene, Trichloroethylene and Formaldehyde.

Benzene is a commonly used solvent in such items as gasoline, inks, oils, paint, plastic and rubber. Furthermore, it is used in the manufacture of detergents, explosives, pharmaceuticals and dyes.

Formaldehyde is found in virtually all indoor environments. Its major sources include urea-formaldehyde foam insulation, particle board or pressed-wood products. Consumer paper products, including grocery bags, waxed paper, facial tissue and paper towels, are treated with urea formaldehyde resins. Many household cleaning agents contain formaldehyde.

Trichloroethylene is a commercial product that has a wide variety of industrial uses. It is used in some printing inks, paints, lacquers, varnishes and adhesives.

In the NASA/ALCA research it was determined that some plants are better than others for purifying the air indoors. The twelve plants tested were:

  • Bamboo palm, Chamaedorea seifritzii
  • Chinese evergreen, Aglaonema modestum
  • English ivy
  • Fiscus, Benjamina
  • Gerbera daisy, Transvaal daisy
  • Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’
  • Dracaena ‘Marginata’
  • Corn cane, Dracaena massangeana
  • Mother-in-law’s tongue, Sansevieria laurentii
  • Peace lily, Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’
  • Pot mum, Chrysanthemum
  • Dracaena ‘Warneckei’

All plants were tested in a sealed experimental chamber during a 24 hour exposure period. Here are the results of the studies:

Gerbera daisy, Dracaena Marginata, Peace lily (Spathiphyllum), Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’ and Bamboo palm in order were the five most effective plants in removing Trichloroethylene concentrations from the air.

Gerbera Daisy, pot Mum, Peace lily, Bamboo palm, Dracaena Warneckei, English ivy and Mother-in-law’s tongue are the seven top houseplants for removing Benzene concentrations in the air.

Bamboo palm, Dracaena ‘Janet Craig’, Mother-in-law’s tongue, Dracaena Marginata, Peace lily, green Spider plant, and golden pathos are seven of the top plants for removing concentrations of Formaldehyde in the air.

It is estimated, as a result of this research, that 15 to 20 of these test houseplants can purify the interior of a typical house of 1,800 square feet.

In our homes and in space, it looks like we can count on these houseplants to help remove harmful pollutants from the air we breathe. At the same time, these are some of the easiest plants to grow and most attractive to use for interior decorating.EdHume

Thank you, Ed Hume for this info.  Visit Ed’s site for gardening wisdom and organic seeds!

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Jul

24th

Hammy Hamster Goes Organic!


Does organic food really taste better?

CooksDen decided to apply the scientific method to that important question. They brought in an unbiased test subject — one who has superior taste buds, is unaffected by marketing hype, and is unafraid to express her opinions publicly.

Meet Hammy the Hamster. Hammy was kind enough to participate in hours of rigorous testing in order to get to the bottom of this critical issue. Read on for the results — they just may surprise you.

Highlights

First off, a bit about their technique is in order. Hammy was asked to repeatedly choose between an organic food item and a conventional item of the same type. Click on this video link to see documentation of several test trials.

Meet Hammy!Hammy goes Organic!

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Jul

21st

Fuel Economy Tip!


Removing your gas cap as little as possible will save you gas. Over 147 million gallons of gas evaporate from tanks each year. I know plenty of people who will not let their gas gauge go below three-fourths of a tank. They tell me that it’s good for the car. It’s not. It wastes gas.

Every time you open the gas tank, you lose gas vapor that your car could use. So you should try to open it up as little as possible. Furthermore, a car that is low on gas weighs less, and it takes less gas to move it. There is no harm in running low on gas. There is only harm in running out of gas.fill-up-tank

The trick is to wait till your tank is empty and fill it up. Don’t put the bare minimum in the tank. I know gas is expensive in these uncertain times, but try and fill your tank completely each time you go to the pump.

The more trips to the gas station, the more gas you’ll be using. Fill up your tank, and you’ll save gas and reduce emissions overall.

Source: Daily Fuel Economy Tip via Josh Peterson, Planet Green

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Jul

20th

DOE Builder Challenge!


Department of Energy E-Scale

Department of Energy E-Scale

A Builders Challenge was issued by the Department of Energy, with an ultimate vision of a net-zero energy home for every American by the year 2030. A number of area builders have agreed to participate in building these grid-connected homes that will produce as much energy as they consume. The Builders Challenge is the first step toward achieving this vision.

Homes that meet the challenge will achieve a rating of 70 or lower on the EnergySmart Home Scale (E-Scale). The typical new home is rated at 100, and a net-zero home would be rated at 0. This means that owners of qualifying homes will save at least 30% in energy usage on their utility bills over the typical new home.

The E-Scale is based on the home energy rating system established years ago by RESNET, to provide clear answers to consumer questions about a home’s energy efficiency.  More and more homebuyers are becoming concerned about a potential homes’ energy rating, so a good E-Scale rating can be a tool to increase a home’s resale value.

Custom builders identified as participants on the DOE Builder Challenge site are Brad Marshall Homes,  Green Builder Homes, Risinger Homes, Sierra Homes, and Blue Heron Builders.  Productions builders in our area that have accepted the challenge are David Weekley Homes and Wilshire Homes.

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Jul

17th

$22 Million For Community Renewable Energy Deployment


The Department of Energy (DOE) says it plans to provide up to $22 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to support the planning and installation of utility-scale community renewable energy projects in up to four communities nationwide.

The DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will provide technical assistance to selected recipients, including concepts, best practices, planning, financial approaches, policy guidance and recognition to help communities rapidly plan and deploy utility-scale renewable energy systems.

The projects will demonstrate how multiple renewable energy technologies, including solar, wind, biomass and geothermal systems, can be deployed at scale to supply clean energy to communities.

The DOE anticipates that each project will leverage significant investment, including public- and private-sector investment in renewable energy systems.

Up to $22 million in DOE funding is available for these awards in fiscal year 2010. The DOE anticipates making up to four awards totaling up to $21.45 million, and expects matching funds from public and private investment of $22 million or more.

Successful applicants will be awarded financial assistance to support the implementation of an integrated renewable energy deployment plan for a community, and the construction of renewable energy systems.

Completed applications are due Sept. 3. The DOE will select the award-winners by the end of November.

For more information, visit recovery.gov.

SOURCE: Department of Energy via North American Windpower

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Jul

14th

Technology for a Low Carbon Future


This report from The Climate Group finds that scaling up energy efficiency and renewable energy while avoiding deforestation can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the short term, and are much-needed steps to achieve global climate goals. Low Carbon Report

From the executive summary:

In recent years the scientific evidence on climate change has become increasingly clear: it is now almost universally accepted that, in order to minimise the risk of irreversible damage to our planet and our livelihoods, we need to strive to keep the average global temperature increase below 2°C. it is also widely recognised that, to achieve this, we will need to peak global emissions before 2020 and then reduce them by 50-85% below 2000 levels, setting interim targets along the way.

Likewise, the political will to act is in place. Heads of government from all parts of the world have declared their willingness to adopt ambitious emissions targets, both individually and collectively, but have wanted to be sure that such goals, while certainly challenging, are practically achievable. This report shows that this is indeed the case.

From analysis of the current status of the major abatement solutions, we draw five major conclusions:

1.We know the technologies we need, where to deploy them and the investment required.
2. The technologies required to meet our 2020 goals are already proven, available now and the policies needed to implement them known.
3. Investment now in the technologies of the future order is essential if we are to meet longer-term targets.
4. Financial support will be needed to enable global deployment of low-carbon technologies but the non-climate benefits are also significant.
5. Copenhagen can provide the spur for international collaboration that will bring costs down and accelerate diffusion and deployment.

Successfully reducing emissions to prevent dangerous climate change is without doubt a huge challenge and will require a revolution in the way we produce and consume energy, travel and design and manage our urban and rural environments. However, the pathway to this revolution is clear and, by means of ambitious international collaboration to develop and deploy low-carbon technologies, well within our grasp. We know what we have to do; this report shows us how.

Click Here to Download Full Report:

http://www.greenerbuildings.com/files/document/Technology_for_a_low_carbon_future_report.pdf

Article courtesy of Greener Buildings

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Jul

14th

Chipotle Earns the First LEED-Platinum Certification Awarded to a Restaurant


untitledDENVER, Colo. — A Chipotle Mexican Grill in Illinois with its own wind turbine and a 2,500-gallon underground water cistern to harvest rainwater was certified by the U.S. Green Building Council at the organization’s highest rating.

The Denver-based “fast-casual” dining chain of more than 860 restaurants and the USGBC announced the certification today.

The restaurant in Gurnee, Il., which opened last fall, is the first to receive the top green rating under the USGBC’s retail pilot program for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards covering new construction.

LEED’s five-tier green ratings start at basic certification and proceed to bronze, silver and gold before reaching the platinum level.

In addition to the 6 kilowatt wind turbine, which was expected to produce about 10 percent of the restaurant’s energy and is now described as generating “a portion” of the power needed, the Gurnee restaurant features:

• LED lighting
• Water-saving faucets and toilets
• Energy Star-rated kitchen equipment
• Landscaping with native plants, which are irrigated with water captured in the cistern
• Parking lot asphalt that reflects the sun’s heat instead of absorbing it

Chipotle started introducing energy efficiency and eco-friendly design elements in some of its buildings in 2001. Its first two restaurants that were constructed with green features are in Texas; one of them was featured in a case study by the utility Austin Energy.

The Gurnee restaurant and one that opened in a shopping in mall in Minnesota during the past year were designed to conform to LEED standards. According to the USGBC, Chipotle also has two further restaurant projects registered — one in Seattle and one on Long Island.

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