Monday, October 26, 2009
Make Biofuel Out of Trash Please
Airplanes will now have an alternative energy source. The only real problem is that biofuel comes from crops, instead of something we have too much of on our land, trash.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Amazing
President Obama orders the Federal Goverment agencies to:
I'm a big fan of the last item because this should be implemented across the entire country!!
- "reduce gasoline use in automobile fleets by 30% by 2020;
- improve water efficiency by 26% by 2020;
- achieve a 50% recycling and waste diversion rate by 2015; and
- achieve net-zero-energy buildings by 2030."
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Case for 350
This article is a must read. It's the case for reducing carbon emissions. If it takes 2.5% of GDP (or more is likely), let's do it asap!!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Market Viability
The Univ of Louisiana at Lafayette won Market Viability at the Solar Decathlon. Check it out!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Leasing
I know this one is ripe with fraud, but probably not right now. I'd lease 'em!
But please, please always, and I mean always, remember that ENERGY Efficiency comes first, renewable energy second. You won't get the same savings if you don't plug the holes, plug loss of heat or cooling and plug anything that stands in your way from energy independence. Trust me, it's absolutely fabulous.
But please, please always, and I mean always, remember that ENERGY Efficiency comes first, renewable energy second. You won't get the same savings if you don't plug the holes, plug loss of heat or cooling and plug anything that stands in your way from energy independence. Trust me, it's absolutely fabulous.
Renewable Portfolio Standard
TX and CA are on it. Guess the rest of the States need to start now. This article says the House passed a 20% mandate for 2020. Hope the Senate passes it. That would be excellent. We need to go much, much higher than that. How about complete independence asap? It is possible, just work hard, dream and innovate.
Who gives a crap about going to the moon when we can push the entire world envelope to American technology and declare energy independence?
Who gives a crap about going to the moon when we can push the entire world envelope to American technology and declare energy independence?
Gov't Recs
I absolutely love the USA government's recs for energy efficiency. Please, please make this happen!!
Especially:
[*Creating an “energy performance label” for existing homes. New homes, the report notes, can get an “Energy Star” label reflecting relatively low energy usage, but existing ones cannot. The government proposes to fix that, and also develop a “national home energy performance measure.”]
Make every single home have a HERS rating or existing home equivalent. There isn't an existing home performance label yet. I can't wait for this! My body is aching for it. I'd so run that program for my work!! Love renovation work.
Also:
[*Establish uniform national standards for training and certifying workers in the energy-efficiency business.]
I need this now! Please!!! Read the other recs in the report link above. They are very good.
Especially:
[*Creating an “energy performance label” for existing homes. New homes, the report notes, can get an “Energy Star” label reflecting relatively low energy usage, but existing ones cannot. The government proposes to fix that, and also develop a “national home energy performance measure.”]
Make every single home have a HERS rating or existing home equivalent. There isn't an existing home performance label yet. I can't wait for this! My body is aching for it. I'd so run that program for my work!! Love renovation work.
Also:
[*Establish uniform national standards for training and certifying workers in the energy-efficiency business.]
I need this now! Please!!! Read the other recs in the report link above. They are very good.
What's Going On
If you haven't picked up, yet I'm obsessed with EE financing. Well, here are some links to what's happening in the country.
This is coming from my new favorite blog, the NY Times Green Inc Blog.
This is coming from my new favorite blog, the NY Times Green Inc Blog.
The Boom
State Funding for EE is set to boom over the coming years. Yes, it's exciting, but one of my biggest and main goals is to help it actually benefit and not just be money thrown out through non-code-enforcement renovations!!! Let's foster an environment of cooperation for something much larger than ourselves and get construction back where it should be = in the hands of masters.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Check this guy out! This is the job I'm creating here in New Orleans. Energy auditing.
Can't wait for Building Science to be mainstream. Absolutely love it. I want to be a home doctor, but it takes awhile.
Can't wait for Building Science to be mainstream. Absolutely love it. I want to be a home doctor, but it takes awhile.
Friday, October 16, 2009
The Bridge Hut
What I find interesting about this "Bridge Hut" is the way it is designed. I do agree that innovation is the only answer for homelessness.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Chinese Drywall
Just another reason why we need high quality inspection standards (random sampling) for every single product that comes across our borders to prevent this kind of calamity.
Thirst for Coal
The thirst for coal is blowing up the mountains of Appalachia. Cheap coal is what makes the Southeast part of America so horribly detrimental to the environment. I wish every person in America knew about this destructive behavior every time we flip a switch.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Education Overload!
Here are some tips on staying educated in this rapidly changing energy efficiency industry.
India On Board
India is getting ready for the leap.
"Michael Spence, a Stanford professor and chairman of the World Bank-backed Commission on Growth and Development, has warned India and others that “go-it-alone” strategies are not enough. He is an advocate of a cross-border trading mechanism that encourages technology transfer and provides greater incentives to reduce carbon emissions over time for developing countries."
"Some local economists say India’s vulnerability to climate change with a population highly dependent on the agrarian economy and water systems fed by Himalayan glaciers and monsoon rains means it has to take the lead in the global debate."
"Michael Spence, a Stanford professor and chairman of the World Bank-backed Commission on Growth and Development, has warned India and others that “go-it-alone” strategies are not enough. He is an advocate of a cross-border trading mechanism that encourages technology transfer and provides greater incentives to reduce carbon emissions over time for developing countries."
"Some local economists say India’s vulnerability to climate change with a population highly dependent on the agrarian economy and water systems fed by Himalayan glaciers and monsoon rains means it has to take the lead in the global debate."
Monday, October 5, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Limits to Growth
Article concerning the book, Limits to Growth, published in 1972.
"The authors estimate that we currently allow 9.5 million tons of phosphorus to flow annually into our oceans, mostly because of fertilizer use, and that past 11 million tons we may well trigger “large-scale ocean anoxic events.” Ozone concentrations in the atmosphere — 290 Dobson units before the Industrial Revolution and 283 at present — can’t dip below 276 without catastrophe, the authors note."
"We’re removing almost four times as much nitrogen from the atmosphere for human use as is safe, and the result are things like wide-scale water pollution and the addition of heat-trapping gases like nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. The species extinction rate, the authors argue, is probably 10 times the tolerable level of 10 species per million species per year, though they add that they’re less certain of this than other numbers. “However, we can say with some confidence that Earth cannot sustain the current rate of loss without significant erosion of ecosystem resilience.”
"The authors estimate that we currently allow 9.5 million tons of phosphorus to flow annually into our oceans, mostly because of fertilizer use, and that past 11 million tons we may well trigger “large-scale ocean anoxic events.” Ozone concentrations in the atmosphere — 290 Dobson units before the Industrial Revolution and 283 at present — can’t dip below 276 without catastrophe, the authors note."
"We’re removing almost four times as much nitrogen from the atmosphere for human use as is safe, and the result are things like wide-scale water pollution and the addition of heat-trapping gases like nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. The species extinction rate, the authors argue, is probably 10 times the tolerable level of 10 species per million species per year, though they add that they’re less certain of this than other numbers. “However, we can say with some confidence that Earth cannot sustain the current rate of loss without significant erosion of ecosystem resilience.”
French Eco-Loans
France is really becoming an EU market for energy efficiency.
"To encourage homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements on their homes, France introduced a 10-year, zero-rate eco-loan in 2009, making it possible to finance up to €30,000 of energy renovation work for private housing. In addition, a sustainable development tax credit allows people to deduct from their tax bill between 15% and 50% of their spending on equipment and materials to improve energy efficiency in their main home."
"To encourage homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements on their homes, France introduced a 10-year, zero-rate eco-loan in 2009, making it possible to finance up to €30,000 of energy renovation work for private housing. In addition, a sustainable development tax credit allows people to deduct from their tax bill between 15% and 50% of their spending on equipment and materials to improve energy efficiency in their main home."
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