Be Wise! Be Healthy!
Be in the know about Sustainable Living and Green Building, Products & Experts
|
EarthDay 2009 Issue
|
|
|
|
|
|
by Elaine Ireland
Those of you who are fans of my articles know I often write about how we humans think, get inspired, and why we do what we do — particularly as it relates to green ideas. Most innovative ideas come from individuals who are willing and able to risk seeing things differently. Almost anyone can become more innovative. Now is the time. If you're thinking green, keep on going. Don't stop now. Think of one new thing, large or small, you can do differently each month. Let us know what you come up with. (read on) |
|
|
|
|
Almost anyone can become more innovative. Now is the time. Let us know what you come up with.
|
|
"One moment I was at the bottom of a dank, fearful narrowness, and the next, I am not contained by this universe."
(Rumi)
|
|
 |
General Features |
|
|
|
|
|
By Jim Tankersley
Counting on an infusion of federal stimulus funds, states and private firms plan to expand a workforce that will upgrade buildings. Asa Foss spends his days fielding calls from construction workers who were bulldozed along with Maryland's home-building market and now want to be part of a booming side-industry: making houses more energy-efficient. The callers tell Foss that they're desperate for work and that the classes he teaches can help them get it. (read on) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Terence Chea
As the economy sheds jobs, community colleges across the country are reporting a surge of unemployed workers enrolling in courses that offer training for "green-collar" jobs. Students are learning how to install solar panels, repair wind turbines, produce biofuels and do other work related to renewable energy. (read on) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| A nationwide contest for colleges and universities to compete against each other in reducing their carbon footprints. Climate Culture and America's Greenest Campus help engage students and turn saving energy into a competitive endeavor with other schools. We all want to make a positive difference for the environment, and now we can have a lot of fun while we do it. (read on) |
|
|
|
|
Green Economics |
|
|
|
|
| The economic recovery plan is designed to put millions of Americans back to work, emphasizing investment in projects that can be deployed quickly. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes billions of dollars that may be used for green building, retrofitting, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Be in the know: Check out this summary and link directly to House Appropriations Summary of this Bill. (read on) |
|
|
|
|
|
By Nathanial Gronewold
As dozens of banks caught up in the collapse of the housing market are struggling to stay alive, one team of finance professionals is moving boldly in the other direction. They're opening a new bank. A new "green" bank. (read on) |
|
|
Building & Construction |
|
|
|
|
| BOMA Portland announces the kickoff of the 2009 Office Energy Showdown, a search for office properties in the Portland Metro and SW Washington area that are leading the way in energy performance. In its third year, the competition challenges building owners and managers. Check out how you can enter this contest. (read on) |
|
|
|
|
|
| The Empire State Building, the symbol of New York's pre-eminence that held the title of the world's tallest skyscraper for 41 years, is seeking to pierce through the pall of economic gloom that has descended on Manhattan, by turning green. Hot on its heels, SL Green Realty, owner of New York CityÕs largest commercial office property portfolio, announced its own energy savings initiative. (read on) |
|
|
|
|
|
By Nancy Benac
President Obama will find out two things as he studies how to make the White House more environmentally friendly: It's already been done, and it needs to be done again. It was Earth Day 1993 when President Clinton launched his ambitious "greening the White House" project. But the overall go-green effort lost momentum during the Bush administration's tenure. Now, the Obama family is taking action to set an eco-example for the nation. (read on) |
|
|
|
|
|
By Thomas Content
Homes with no utility bills are no longer just a concept. Builders are finally developing zero-energy houses. Zero is the latest buzzword for green building Ñ as in houses that generate as much power as they use. Although going green often is seen as more expensive than conventional construction, some homebuilders are trying to change that. Instead of granite countertops and fancy playrooms, the homes have solar panels and heat pumps. (read on) |
|
|
Global Warming, Energy & Outdoor Issues |
|
|
|
|
| An innovative online mapping project will support renewable energy planning and development by facilitating consensus in siting decisions. This new tool will provide industry, conservationists, policy-makers, and concerned citizens instant access to interactive wildlife, habitat and land management maps to guide appropriate site selection for renewable power generation and transmission facilities. (read on) |
|
|
|
|
|
By Jim Tankersley
In what could be an encouraging sign of change in America's long-standing shortage of graduates prepared for high-tech careers, the hottest subject on college campuses across the nation right now seems to be renewable energyÑa surge of interest driven largely by the specter of global warming. (read on) |
|
|
Toxins |
|
|
|
|
|
By Moira Welsh and Robert Benzie
Modelled after a Massachusetts law that dramatically reduced the use and production of hazardous chemicals in the workplace, legislation announced in Ontario will push industries to limit their toxins and find greener ways of doing business. (read on) |
|
|
|
|
|
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists, in a first-of-its-kind report, state that Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), chemicals commonly used in commercial goods as flame retardants since the 1970s, are found in all United States coastal waters and the Great Lakes, with elevated levels near urban and industrial centers. The new findings are in contrast to analysis of samples as far back as 1996. (read on) |
|
|
Green Products |
|
|
|
|
| Kenya's huge and squalid slums don't have much of anything except mountains of trash that fill rivers and muddy streets, breeding disease. Now Kenyan designers have built a cooker that uses the trash as fuel to feed the poor, provide hot water and destroy toxic waste, as well as curbing the destruction of woodlands. (read on) |
|
|
|
|
|
| Combining stunning hand blown glass with sustainable compact fluorescent technology, WAC Lighting's "Solstice," is one of many new energy efficient, line voltage pendants featuring glass from artisans in the American Pacific Northwest for their Puget Sound Collection. (read on) |
|
|
Calendar of Events |
|
|
Dozens of Green Events Around the World to Participate in |
|
Where Every Issue is a Green Issue
