Continuing on with our Going Green Tips series, Going Green Tip #6 should be no surprise (we’re starting with the big boys). The general tip is to stop using coal power. Easier said than done, right? Maybe, but it is VERY important, and there are a lot of reasons why it’s easier now than ever. Although it would be fun to talk about all the great energy sources and programs you can use to cut the coal, I think I will save those for future going green tips posts. In this...
Credit: pgegreenenergy The Center for American Progress has ranked the Top 10 states for policies that promote energy efficiency. The report cautions, however, that even those states on the list haven’t fully tapped into the power of using less power. … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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What Are the Top States for Energy Efficiency? Did Yours Make the...
All images via the Interactive Institute – www.tii.se “A regular torch shows what is hidden in the dark, the Watt-Lite shows the hidden use of electricity”, this is the essential purpose of a set of three lights created by designers at Stolkholm’s Interactive Institute . The Watt-Lite is a rather inventive form of smart meter that finds a straightforward way of demonstrating how much energy a building is using in the style of real … Read the full story...
Here is an excellent guest post by an energy veteran and businessman on the costs of clean energy compared to old, dirty energy. We’ve been writing on clean energy more and more these days. It is clearly one way to address global climate change, air pollution, and water pollution. And with another offshore oil production facility catching fire today, the sense of urgency to switch over from “dirty” to “clean” energy is growing. In this guest post from...
Photo: New Flyer What’s the Difference Between CNG and Diesel? The Board of the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (the “MTA”) has awarded New Flyer of America a contract for up to 475 buses. The contract is for 135 40-foot compressed natural gas (“CNG”) heavy-duty transit buses with options for up to an additional 340 CNG buses. We know that buses are a pretty green way to move lots of people around in urban area, but how much better are CNG buses...
Cotton sucks (water, that is)! It takes almost 1,000 gallons of water to create one cotton T-shirt , not to mention a heaping helping of pesticides, herbicides and other not-s0-cool stuff, so be kind to the tees you already own with a few simple tips: Wash your clothes with non-toxic detergents and use the correct amount. When too much detergent is used, the excess gets trapped in between fibers, making clothes look dull and dingy. Using cold water will help preserve the...
If you’re feeling a little sleepy at work, you grab a cup of coffee. But employees at a Scottsdale, Arizona software company can take a little rest in either a meditation room equipped with a couch, or a futuristic sleep pod. Company leaders say that employees are happier and more productive since they’ve started taking 20-minute naps when they’re feeling tired. More and more companies are adding nap areas for worn out employees. Does your company have a quiet room...
photo: sbamueller via flickr Contradicting previous industry- and government-backed studies about the source of pollution occurring downstream from Alberta tar sands projects, a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says that high levels of lead, mercury, cadmium, zinc and other pollutants are not naturally occurring. As Cree elders have said for some time,
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Tar Sands Projects Responsible for Water Pollution in Alberta’s Rivers...
Image: EPA Making Guzzlers Stand Out Even More One way to nudge people into making better decisions is to make it easier to compare different products and services. There are still many people out there who have no idea if 16 MPG is a good or bad, but if they saw a big red “D” on a sticker, they might be tempted to find a vehicle with a better grade. That’s the goal behind new fuel economy labels proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the...
photo: Forest Peoples Programme Take this one as reinforcement of what plenty of environmental NGOs have been saying for some time: The commercial palm oil industry in Indonesia and Malaysia is trampling the rights of indigenous people and destroying rainforests as it rapidly expands. A new report from the Forest Peoples Programme details the damage…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Commercial Palm Oil Production in Southeast Asia Violating Indigenous...