Bringing LEED to China
Green building is spreading to the world's largest building industry - in China.
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Looking Toward 2025:The Organic Industry of the Future?
How will the organic industry look in 2025?
Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:December 7, 2005
News and Events New Air Conditioner Efficiency Standards Take Effect in January DOE, EPA Join Leadership Group to Boost Utility Efficiency Spending Hawaii Army Bases to Feature 3,000 Homes with Solar Power Corporate Group Reaches 360 Megawatts of Green Power Capacity Canadian Company Begins Commercial Delivery of BioOil Site NewsACEEE Offers Condensed Online Version of its Consumer Guide Energy ConnectionsEIA Expects High Energy Prices Through 2006 News and Events New Air Conditioner Efficiency Standards Take Effect in JanuaryStarting next year, U.S. consumers who buy new houses or upgrade their cooling systems could benefit from new, tougher energy efficiency standards for central air conditioners. Units manufactured after January 23rd, 2006, will have to achieve a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) of 13, a 30 percent improvement over current standards. The new standards are expected to save consumers $1 billion over the next 25 years. In addition, the 2006 standards will raise the energy efficiency standards for new central heat pumps to a SEER of 13 in cooling mode and a Heating Season Performance Factor of 7.7, which represents a 13 percent improvement in heating efficiency. The new standard will also increase the cooling efficiency of single-package air conditioners and single-package heat […]
Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:November 30, 2005
News and Events DOE Web Site Aids Energy Savings in Gulf Coast Reconstruction BP to Double its Investment in Renewable Energy California Energy Policy Looks to Efficiency and Renewable Energy Northeastern States Adopting Greenhouse Gas Rules for Vehicles Four Governors Order Their States to Save Energy, Use Biofuels Biodiesel Production Expected to Triple in 2005 Site NewsDallas Zero Energy Home Energy ConnectionsEIA Report Says Solar Manufacturing Grew Significantly in 2004 News & EventsDOE Web Site Aids Energy Savings in Gulf Coast ReconstructionDOE launched a Disaster Recovery and Building Reconstruction Web site last week as part of its continuing effort to support hurricane victims in the Gulf Coast. The new Web site encourages cost-effective, durable, and energy-efficient reconstruction in areas devastated by recent hurricanes. It provides resources and information for consumers, builders, contractors, and state and local officials, and also links to a wide range of guidelines, fact sheets, and case studies developed by DOE and other federal agencies and organizations. See the new Disaster Recovery and Building Reconstruction Web site.DOE is also working closely with Gulf Coast state energy offices and their partners to provide resources, training, and technical assistance. A key component of the states’ recovery efforts is their […]
Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:November 23, 2005
News and Events DOE to Set Schedules for Appliance Standards by January 2006 DOE, ASE Provide Information on Energy Efficiency Tax Credits Ford Begins Full-Scale Production of Mercury Mariner Hybrid Ormat Commissions 20-Megawatt Geothermal Power Plant in Nevada Federal Agencies Publish New Hydropower Licensing Rules New Wave Energy Prototypes Deployed in Hawaii and New Jersey DOE to Set Schedules for Appliance Standards by January 2006DOE announced last week that it will set schedules for all appliance rulemaking activities no later than January 31st, 2006. DOE held a public meeting on November 15th to invite comments on standards scheduling issues, and will develop its schedule after considering those comments. As required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005), DOE’s plan and rulemaking schedules will be reported to Congress by February 8th, 2006. See the DOE press release.On October 18th, DOE issued a final rule to codify 15 new appliance standards prescribed by EPACT 2005. Currently, DOE is working on another “en masse” rulemaking to clarify and codify the test procedures specified by EPACT 2005. DOE is also continuing progress on previous high-priority rulemakings, including new standards for distribution transformers, residential furnaces, and boilers. The rulemakings are managed by the […]
Green Building Survey: 70% of Executives Believe Green Buildings Make Better Schools
In a survey commissioned by Turner Construction Company, one of the leading general builders in the U.S., the results show that green building costs less than the general public thinks, but this misconception is still the primary obstacle to mass acceptance.This year’s Market Barometer took a snapshot of the views of senior executives on the benefits and costs of Green buildings, with a focus on Green educational facilities – K-12 and higher educational facilities. Green buildings were defined as buildings which use design and construction practices to significantly reduce or eliminate negative effects on the environment and occupants. More K-12 school districts and higher educational institutions recognize that Green facilities provide a more effective learning environment. The interest in Green educational facilities is part of a broader recognition of the critical importance of the physical environment to the health and performance of students and teachers. Large percentages of executives at organizations involved with Green K-12 facilities rated them more highly than traditional facilities on a range of benefits: Ability to attract and retain teachers (74%) Reduced student absenteeism (72%) Student performance (71%) Which Green features of K-12 facilities are most important? 49% cited improved indoor air quality as most important, […]
Can We Ecologize Capitalism? A 100 Year Plan
Randy Hayes put the rainforest issue on the map as executive director of Rainforest Action Network. Not sufficient to make the ecological U-turn. What's he planning now?
Hospital, Heal Thyself:Greening the Design and Construction of Healthcare Facilities
Hospitals provide unique challenges for green design, but more are seeing the connection between health and sustainable design.
Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:November 17, 2005
News and Events Ford Launches Hybrid Taxis in New York City Massachusetts and Illinois Support Large Renewable Energy Projects Wal-Mart Launches Second Energy-Saving Store in Colorado Idaho School District to Switch to Biomass FuelSite NewsDOE Launches Web Site for “Easy Ways to Save Energy” Campaign Energy ConnectionsDOE Report Projects Huge Growth in Coal-Fired Power Plants Ford Launches Hybrid Taxis in New York CitySix Ford Escape Hybrids took to the streets of New York City last week to serve as the city’s first hybrid electric taxicabs. The hybrid taxis are the first to serve the city since the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission approved eight hybrid models in mid-October. Although the commission was spurred to action by an act passed by the New York City Council in July, the commission is now encouraging taxicab owners to switch to hybrids. According to the commission, the average New York taxi travels nearly 100,000 miles each year, and of the 13,000 taxis in the city, about 2,000 are due for retirement next year. See the press release from the Ford Motor Company.Meanwhile, Japanese automakers have been rolling out their 2006 hybrid models. In early November, Lexus introduced a front-wheel-drive version of its […]
Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:November 9, 2005
News and Events U.S. Government Exceeds its Goal for Renewable Energy Use Renewable Energy Markets Showed Strong Growth in 2004 U.S. Wind Power Grows at Record Pace in 2005 California Approves Contract for 500-Megawatt Solar Facility University of Delaware to Lead $54 Million Solar Cell Project VeraSun and Ford to Convert Gasoline Pumps to EthanolU.S. Government Exceeds its Goal for Renewable Energy UseThe federal government exceeded its goal of obtaining 2.5 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources by the end of September, according to figures released last week by DOE. As the largest energy consumer in the nation, the federal government now uses 2,375 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy per year. That represents a nearly 14-fold increase in renewable energy use since 1999, when an Executive Order set the goal. Today, the federal government’s annual use of biomass, geothermal, solar, and wind power is enough to power 225,000 homes or a city the size of El Paso, Texas. See the DOE press release.The federal government now has a new goal to meet, as the Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires the government to obtain 7.5 percent of its electrical power from renewable sources of energy by 2013. A […]
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