Clearing the Way for Fuel Cells
The future of transportation
Featured
Greening Your Business
Incorporate environmental and social responsibility into your operations
Renewable Energy Leaps Forward on the Washington-Oregon Border
450 wind turbines will supply the needs of 70,000 homes annually
CEP Ranks the Cleanest Companies
200 U.S. companies are ranked on their environmental performance
Book Review: The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World
After a dozen years of lifestyle market research Paul Ray identified a sub-culture 50 million strong in the U.S. - he calls them the Cultural Creatives. This review looks at what sustainable businesspeople need to know about marketing to Cultural Creatives.
Builders Underestimate Home Buyers Environmental Priorities
This Spotlight section is on U.S. Green Building - highlights of important developments over the last 6 months. The first article discusses results of a survey on the builder/buyer attitudes toward green building features.
In Search of The Sustainability Pill
How do we help people integrate sustainable thinking into their lives without preaching? Joe Mozdzen, our new columnist, gives us his thoughts.
A New Light on Organizational Learning
Individuals are learning sustainable business practices, but organizations need to learn them too. What happens to an organization's progress toward sustainability when a key individual leaves?
Solar Energy Will Be Standard Feature in New Homes
Shea Homes San Diego announced in January that it is introducing the “Shea High Performance Home.” All new homes will be built to standards that are 38 percent more efficient than California Title 24 guidelines and will offer solar electric power and water heating as standard features. Homeowners will be able to reduce their utility bills up to 80 percent compared to a conventionally built home. The company plans to build about 200 high performance homes over the next 18 months in its new Scripps Highlands community, located 15 miles north of downtown San Diego. 100 houses will be outfitted with solar panels that generate 1,500 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, in addition to conventional electricity. Another 160 homes will offer solar panels as an option. The panels add about $6,000 to the cost of a homes, which sell in the $400,000 – $600,000 range. As a result of the current California energy crisis, San Diego homeowners pay 10 times more for electricity and twice as much for natural gas as they did a year ago. Mark Brock, Shea Homes San Diego president notes, “The Shea High Performance Home gives our buyers much greater control when there are energy […]
In Search of High Performance Buildings
Do you have a commercial building that might be a good candidate for ‘high performance’? The picture at the right is the Real Goods high performance building in Hopland, CA. The U.S.Department of Energy is looking for commercial developments in the design phase that might qualify as High Performance Buildings demonstration projects. Steven Winter Associates (SWA) is under contract with the DOE to identify and consult to commercial building project teams. Potential clients must be interested in incorporating high-performance practices including energy and water conservation, resource-efficient materials, indoor air quality, recycled waste programs, state-of-the- art HVAC systems, fuel cells, photovoltaics, or low-impact landscaping. SWA is consulting on three projects in different parts of the country: a public library in Chicago that is building a green roof, recycled building materials, and extensive daylighting; a prototype office building for a major developer in Boston that will have reusable/recyclable interior materials and finishes, and advanced mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems with raised floor distribution; and a mixed use commercial/residential building on a site in Arizona that may incorporate PV panels, solar water heating, water harvesting, and a water-source heat pump system. Contact Mike Crosbie, SWA: mcrosbie@swinter.com[sorry this link is no longer available]
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