High Performance Homes Take A Winter Test
Winter 2014 tests the ability of super-insulated homes to keep folks warm in the Northeast
January 31, 2014
Bloomberg's Back
Mike Bloomberg is on-tap to be named the U.N special envoy for cities & climate change
Paris: Next Mayor Could Be A Sustainability She
Anne Hidalgo, the Socialist candidate in race for the next Mayor of Paris highlights a sustainable transit agenda
Spotlight On South Africa
South Africa tops the list as the most attractive emerging country for solar energy
Renewable Energy Champs
Of 1,400 corporate participants in EPA's Green Power Partnerships, here are the top five renewable energy users
Malawi: Climate Change Corruption=Catastrophe
Sustainability Scores At The Super Bowl
There are 61 sustainability measures for Super Bowl XLVIII at the MetLife Stadium as PV scores at leading US sports venues
Benchmarking In Philly
Philadelphia releases its first report on energy benchmarking in over 250 municipal buildings
Causes Of Climate Change
January 30, 2014
This Won't Hurt A Bit
From the New Yorker - says it all really pic.twitter.com/pvCGOEqtes
— Tom Raftery (@TomRaftery) January 30, 2014Dump Fossil Fuel Stocks
17 foundations, 22 cities, two counties, 20 religious organizations, 9 colleges/universities and 6 other institutions commit to stripping their portfolios of fossil fuel investments
Poland: Downsizing Its Coal Addiction
Coal-dependent Poland gears up to develop its first nuclear power plant
EU: The Power Price Gap
Industry claims that the EU's expensive electric power prices will hurt industry could undermine climate-action policies
China: Something New Under The Sun
What are Chinese PV makers doing to counteract sagging sales in a saturated market?
Its' A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A Water Tower
Look up at some of NYC's most creative bits of infrastructure
New City Energy Project
Ten US cities are charter members of the City Energy Project, dedicated to advancing energy efficient buildings -- guess which city didn't join
The Intermittent Energy Revolution
A former TV factory now houses a start up, low-cost battery maker that could make solar & other intermittent renewable power the new normal
De Blasio's Ciimate and Resilience Opportunities
Mayor de Blasio has the opportunity to overcome errors in the Bloomberg climate resilience plan, especially when it come to locating sustainable affordable housing & infrastructure
Tallinn: The Free Transit Experiment
What's been learned from the Tallinn, Estonia year-long experiment with free mass transit?
January 29, 2014
Eco-Scores For NYC Council
How eco-friendly was your NYC Council representative in 2012-2013, when the new Council Speaker, Ms. Mark-Viverito, scored 100?
2014: The End Of Energy Orthodoxy
Signs of vast transformation in the global energy system are clear, see them here
Denmark: Mega-Wind
The world's largest wind turbine spins into action at the Danish National Test Center
Germany: Solar Job Slump
German solar power manufacturers cut 50% jobs by 50% in just 2 years
Menu Of SOTU's Energy And Climate Comments
Obama plays Jekyll & Hyde; or President promises a strong climate agenda; or restrained address left much unsaid; or his administration is ready to get down to business on climate change; and "climate change is a fact"
Science For You: Wind Chill
Good news! you are not as cold as you feel
Moving A NYC Transportation Agenda
Ydanis Rodriguez, the new chair of the NYC Council Transportation Committee has a long to-do list
How Knoweldge Can Save Money
Based on benchmarking data, Seattle projects potential energy savings worth $90 million a year
January 28, 2014
WTO: Tariff-Free Environmental Goods
A World Trade Organization group of 14 explores free trade in goods that benefit the environment
White House CEQ: Help Wanted
With top level vacancies at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, who's on the short list for a leadership position?
Microsoft's Energy Edge
Microsoft taps big data to drive down its energy use with a software cost payback of 18 months
SOTU: Obama's Climate
What will the President say about climate change in his State of the Union address and is he behind the curve of current pubic opinion?
Take The Guesswork Out Of Green Home-Buying
How energy efficiency information can make buying a high-performance home easier
Get A Horse Smart Phone
Smart phones are the new power tool of community environmental activists
Distributed Power: If Is Not The Question
The future of distributed power generation and its interface with utility owners & grid operators is is all about how, not if
UAE: Follw The Shale Gas
The United Arab Emirates eyes North American shale gas investments to bring its low cost energy home
The Heat Is On
World temperatures continue to trend up, while El Nino cycles explain why a trend is not straight line
January 27, 2014
Executive Climate Action Menu
Innovative energy-efficiency policies that could be implemented by the Obama administration through executive rather than Congressional action
31,000 Carbon Footprints
Interact with this map of the average household carbon footprints in 31,000 US zips codes. Mine is 33.5 metric tons of CO2e
Climate Journalism
Andy Revkin weighs traditional climate beat reporting against blogging
New Role For Wind Power
Contrary to conventional wisdom wind power can serve as a lucrative energy backup & improve grid reliability
88 Acres For Clean Tech Buffalo
New York State to acquire an 88 acre tract for a high-tech & clean-energy complex in Buffalo
Service Delays
The opening date for the 7 subway westside extension has been pushed back by the MTA
January 26, 2014
Cowgirls For Conservation
Texas utility customers see more value in energy conservation than paying higher rates to finance new backup power
Solar Power Splits G.O.P.
Rooftop solar panel power is raising a ruckus over who pays for what by homeowners and utilities
January 25, 2014
Power Plants 2014
A US map showing where utility scale power plants are slated to come on line this year
January 24, 2014
China: Coal Mining Blues
Chinese bank regulators are said to issue an alert about loans to the coal mining industry
Davos: Risk Of Climate Complacency
A survey of what keeps Davos-going CEO's up at night reveals a complacency about business-linked climate risks
Sweden: Google Wind
Google will buy 59 MW of power from four Swedish wind energy farms
Something New Under The Sun
IBM invents a new kind of solar power generating system
Kansas Likes RPS
Despite efforts to repeal its renewable portfolio standard law, most Kansas voters, Republican & Democrat, support it
Tokyo: Hot Topic In Governor's Race
Nuclear power is a hot topic in the Tokyo Governor's race & could be a referendum on national energy policy
The Obama Tapes
Scroll down for the President's views on the climate & prospects for action in an interview by David Remnick
Latino Support For Climate Action
Some Things Don't Go Better With Coke
Coca-Cola, Nike and other global companies start to worry about the impact of climate chaos of their bottom lines
January 23, 2014
China: Solar Market Booms
With a 16 US cents per kWh feed-in tariff for large PV projects connecting to the transmission grid, China installed an unprecedented 12 GW of solar power last year
Amplifying El Nino
What to expect when an El Nino-heated year meets rising global temperatures
EU: Energy Policy Matters
EU renewable energy firms fear disinvestment with toothless EU policy on renewable energy targets
High Performance Optimists
10 predictions for major trends in high performance building
Green Mortgages: A Work In Progress
Here's how the tried-and true property mortgage is starting to be reconfigured for energy efficient building finance
London: Solar Bridge For Rail Station Power
A new London bridge covered in solar panels provides almost half the power for Blackfriar's rail station
January 22, 2014
Germany: The Trouble With No-Nuke Policy
Some blame Germany's slowing renewable energy campaign to the phasing-out nuclear power, but Eurowide fossi-fueled utilities struggling with plunging demand
Climate Change - Threat Multiplier
In the language of risk assessment, climate change is a threat multiplier
EU: Toothless Promises
The EU proposes goals for cutting GHGs with no binding renewable energy commitments
Public Procurement: Climate Tool
With public procurement at 19% of the EU's gross domestic product, it's a powerful lever for carbon-footprint cutting
Sustainability: The Eye-Brain Link
Can public art installations be a powerful medium for urban sustainability messaging?
IP As Key To Fossil Fuel Era
Since intellectual property law is the legal bastion protecting the fossil fuel industry, it's a key arena for climate action challenge
Houston: LEED Platinum
Still under construction a Houston office tower is pre-certified for a LEED Platinum rating
$880M For Mass Transit Fixes
The federal government will provide $880 million to repair Sandy's subway damage & strengthen track tunnels
2013: Fourth Hottest In History
NOAA reports 2013 was the fourth hottest year since record-keeping began in 1880
January 21, 2014
Climate Scientsts Face FOILs
Climate scientists at public universities & colleges learn to deal with opponents' demands for their emails
Sunny Side Up
Seven heart-warming stories of solar power successes
Detroit: Mass Salvation
Detroit bids to bring itself back from the edge with new development planned around mass transit access
Banksy's Writing On the Wall
— banksy (@banksyny) January 21, 2014
Climate Grant
Invoking the Cause will fund a “creative pause” for two or more people to engage in collaborative conversations and develop ideas about how to craft a meaningful social response to the urgent challenge(s) of climate change Application deadline Jan. 31
Help Wanted
Check out this job announcement for COO at the NYC-based Municipal Waterfront Alliance
Davos: Climate Leads Agenda
At the 2014 World Economic Forum climate action tops the agenda & can generate business consensus [EENews $ub]
EU: Aligning Sustainability With Competitivenes
Making the case for poiicy-making that's effective for carbon cutting & economic growth
EU: Industry Frets Over Carbon Limits
Raising the fear of harm to market share, a global steel making & mining calls for easing EU carbon reduction goals
January 19, 2014
The Trillion Campaign
Climate investment activists announce a campaign to direct $1 trillion in clean energy investments over the coming 3 decades
Neglected News
Nick Kristof's NYT readers declare climate change the subject needing more news coverage
January 18, 2014
6 Words For Climate Scientists
Michael Mann insists, "If you see something, say something"
Accounting For Carbon
The right SEC accounting rules are key to cutting carbon emissions says ex-Treasury chief Robert Rubin
Beyond Fossil Fuel
Ideas for institutional investors on converting fossil-fuel corporations to something else
January 17, 2014
Solar Securitization
Everything you want to know about solar securitization, but were afraid to ask
Beijing: Sunset On TV
"China starts televising the sunset on giant screens because Beijing is so clouded in smog" http://t.co/wTDgLULr0q pic.twitter.com/VtnNK34WII
— The Wilson Center (@TheWilsonCenter) January 17, 2014End 'All Of The Above'
Environmental groups call on the President to end his 'all of the above' energy strategy & replace it with
clean energy solutions
Sun Rises In The West
By 2020, California could get 11% of its electric from industrial-scale solar power arrays, while the east will see more small-scale systems
Green Patent Update
What's new in the green tech IP arena?
Energy Efficient Paper
Paper making, an energy intensive, technically old fashioned industry, could be on the edge of energy-cutting changes
Shrink That Footprint
Start here with finding the size of your carbon footprint by zip code & take it from there
Good Time For Lighting Controls
Opportunities abound in lighting controls
January 16, 2014
Climate Budget OKed
Obama's climate agenda makes it through the Congressional budget process with just one limiting rider
Ask Umbra
Why is the gear to store renewable power such a big deal?
BlindSpot Think Tank
'Like Archimedes, we must shift the axis of planetary paradigms' Something to think about
Microgrids - Scaling Up
India confronts the challenge of providing electricity to millions via microgrids
Canada: 38 x 30
Canada's GHG emissions could soar 38% by 2030 due to tar sands drilling
Science At Work: Climate Variability
The debate still rages over whether & how much heat wave are getting weirder
Australia: Loading Hot Dice
Australia has hot summers, but now heat waves hotter, more frequent & lasting longer, with GHG emissions 'loading the dice'
Dancin' In The Streets
Watch this NYC street metamorphosis and leave the 'good old days' behind
January 15, 2014
Some Like It Cold
Fox and other climate-denialist media outlets air anti-warming stories on cold days
Downtrend In Clean Energy Investments
What explains another down year for global clean energy investing?
Denmark: Wind Power Champ
Producing 33.22% of its electricity from wind power in 2013, Denmark leads the world
Japan: Cut Energy Import Bills
In the face of fast-rising post-Fukushima energy rates, Japanese utilities seeks to cut the costs of imported LNG
Utility Shareholder Climate Activists
Shareholders, including NY & CT public pension funds obtain agreement from FirstEnergy to report on how it could cut carbon emissions 80% by 2050
9 States Cut Carbon Caps
The nine northeast states in RGGI will lower their 2014 carbon emissions caps to 91 million tons, a 45% reduction from last year, with annual cuts of 2.5 thereafter
Sign-Up For Sustainability Biking
NYC's 5-boro bike tour to get a responsible sport certification, registration opens next week
The Frontiers of Sustainability
What to do about a pattern of corporate disconnects between praising sustainability and doing something about it?
EU: 35-40 X 2030
Here's how the EU backs off from its carbon-cutting commitment
January 14, 2014
LOL: Hot And Cold On YouTube
Need to explain global warming and the polar vortex to a friend?
How To Talk About Sustainability
Serve up bite-sized bits, not a laundry list, when seeking new sustainability converts
Johannesburg: Hosting C40
Johannesburg, S.A. will host the next C40 Summit in February and quantify its impact to date
LEED's Energy Performance
There's room for improvement & more specifics in LEED reporting on the energy performance of rated buildings
Green Mortgages Get A Hand
The NYC Energy Efficiency Corp. has two programs to support mortgages for energy efficient buildings
Rotterdam: Power Planner
Waste energy from the massive Port of Rotterdam will be harnessed for district heat and electricity systems around the city
UK: Paint It Black And Sunny
Only blackouts will awaken the UK energy establishment to the urgent need for new investment says Labour advisor, just as solar panel parks bloom
Aarhus: A Greener Greenhouse
The Botanic Garden greenhouse of Aarhus Denmark gets a light and energy aware upgrade
Google Energy Gadgets
With its $3.2 billion purchase of Nest, Google enters the world of home energy management by way of internet-accessed thermostats
Bringing Co-op City Closer
50,000 Co-op City residents would have direct train access to Manhattan or Stamford CT with the proposed Metro-North rail spur, but some want more bus service
January 13, 2014
Benchmarking Matters
Energy benchmarking makes the top-10 list of innovative energy impacts in 2013
Smart Meters Make Smart Grids
Smart electric meters could enable voltage control on the power grid and cut system stress
Climate Psychology
Why do people mistake hot or cold weather for climate change?
NYC Mayor Climate Activist
Mike Bloomberg announces more members of his climate action initiative, Risky Business
Baltimore: Make DR Loveable
To attract demand response (DR) participants, Baltimore's utility offers alluring incentives to its smart meter customers
Coal Makes US Carbon Footprint Grow
For the first time in three years, US GHG emissions will grow due to increased coal-burning
Australia: Carbon Big Foot
With Australia's persistent reliance on coal, it ranks as the second biggest GHG polluter per unit of GDP among 34 OECD nations
UK: PM Sweetens Fracking
Prime Minister Cameron offers localities 100% of the tax revenues from fracking operations in their jurisdictions
January 12, 2014
Economists' SOS For Climate Action
Review of Climate Casino prize-winning economist William Nordhaus & other reads
January 10, 2014
UK: Build A Better Turbine
Better offshore wind turbine technology is needed for the UK to cut power costs
Solar Powered With $1 Billion
The Governor of NY proposes to spend $1 billion over the next decade to add 3,000 MW of solar power, use state schools as “demonstration hubs” & launches a $40 million prize competition to grow community microgrids
Friday's Carbon Quiz
What impact will EPA's CO2 proposed rule have on building new coal-burning power plants?
10 Urban Oases
Cold winter weekends are ideal times to visit NYC's public indoor green spaces
Greening The Building Appraisal
Recommendations for how to value new and retrofit green features in a building appraisal
Targeting Energy Makeovers
What makes car dealerships, supermarket chains & college campuses good candidates for deep energy retrofits?
Map Your Footprint
Interact with a map that shows US carbon footprints at the zip code level
January 09, 2014
Germany: Lumps Of Coal
What are the pollution implications of Germany's increased use of coal for making energy?
China: Car Sales Surge Slows
Soaring car sales slow slightly with Chinese air pollution & traffic jam woes
Up With Urban Clean Tech
Meet new urban tech clean tech start up firms
Italy: 7 Percent Solar
Italy got more energy from solar power in 2013 than another other large nation, with renewable energy from all sources at 30%
Restart Climate Action Drive
Senate Democrats to take on the climate action challenge, pricing carbon included
Talking Transition
With the City Hall transition complete, time to revisit the NYC sustainability Talking Transition event and move ahead
Metro-North Proposal
Some initial background details & queries about Governor Cuomo's Metro-North extension proposal
Happy Bithday CA Cap/Trade
There's much to celebrate on the first birthday of the California carbon cap & trade market
Cuomo Gets On Board
In his State-of-the-State Address, Governor Cuomo calls for more Bronx rail service
We will open a new spur for @MetroNorth providing direct access to #PennStation & build 4 new stations in the #Bronx pic.twitter.com/liy64sBS6n
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 8, 2014January 08, 2014
Climate News NOT Growing
A review of recent reports that 2013 saw rebounding media coverage of climate change concludes there was no growth after all
Haiti: Solar-Powered Hospital
The world's biggest solar powered hospital opens in energy-poor Haiti
Outfoxed
Watch Jon Stewart slap-down Fox News climate coverage
Climate Scientists On Trial
A Virginia court will hear argument about whether correspondence of climate scientist Michael Mann and others can be kept private
The Bright Side
Need a climate/energy pick-me-up? Read on
Asia: Greener Industry
Asian industry sets out on a path toward more environmentally responsible manufacturing practices
Energy Efficiency Saves Big Bucks
A $1 billion energy efficiency investment by California utilities saves customers $850 million in just 2 years
January 07, 2014
City v Suburb
The smaller carbon footprint of urbanites is canceled out by suburbanites' big residential footprints
Cold Strains Energy Systems
A major power supplier, PJM, strains & energy prices soar to keep people warm in frigid weather
2013 Was Less Disasterous
Insurance claims for floods, storms and other natural disasters down 52% in 2013
Science At Work: The Polar Vortex
What made the polar vortex weak and why North Americans are so cold today
Boulder: Roll Your Own
Boulder, CO takes a key step toward municipalizing its power utility
PlaNYC 2013
What progress did NYC make in keeping its PlaNYC promises?
January 06, 2014
The Jet Stream Did It
Track the jet stream to see why it's frigid in North America, weirdly warm in Europe & how the extremes are related
Caifornia In Retrograde
What explains California's dismal energy efficiency track record and how can it be turned around?
Clean Energy Investing
Clean energy stock performance in 2013 was meh, but things are looking up for 2014
For Energy Efficiency Investing - KISS
Here's the place to start for investors who will turn to energy efficiency if the process & the metrics can be standardized
Worldwide: 2014 Weather Predictions
A Lot To Chew Over
What does the New York Times long-form story on genetically modified foods and their liberal opponents say about climate deniers, science and the media?
Spain: Solar Power Promises
Turns out Spain was just kidding when it offered 25 year price guarantees for solar power
Boston Sewer Harbor
Once called a sewer by George H.W. Bush, the clean up of Boston Harbor is now called a cornerstone of the city's rebirth
Ferry Service Pays Off
Access to East River ferry services adds value to residential real estate in Brooklyn & Queens waterfront neighborhoods
January 05, 2014
Get Happy
Social connectedness - commuting time + access to green spaces = >happiness for urbanites
January 04, 2014
New Yorker To Lead Federal Sandy Program
Holly Leict is named to head the federal HUD program for post-Sandy regional rebuilding & resilience
Solar Trends
Trends to watch in solar power v utility power tango
January 03, 2014
UK: No Plans For Tomorrow
Whether or not the UK's weird weather driven by climate change, it's time to use data and plan for a resilient future
Seattle: The Real Emerald City
Keep an eye on Seattle and learn from a LEED Plantinum-leaning leader
Science At Work: Antarctic Warming
Why sea ice increases even as the Antarctic warms
Climate And Energy Combat
From election contests to issue campaigns 2014 will see climate and energy become hot-button issues around the US
Weather Porn
What's replaced traditional forecasting in today's weather reports & why?
Redefining Governors Island
Eyeliners are an innovative contour feature of the Governors Island open space development
Thailand: Pedal For Clean Air
Inventors in Thailand design a bicycle that filters polluted air and creates oxygen
Awaiting Bill's Green Team
Mayor de Blasio has yet to fill several key environmental positions in his administration
Carbon Bear Market
The value of CO2 on global markets plunged 38% last year
January 02, 2014
Australia: Temperature To Hit 50 Degrees
Three Vows For NYC Transportation
Polly Trottenberg, NYC's new DOT commissioner, vows to make transportation safe, accessible to all and sustainable
Super Supermarket In Brooklyn
Brooklyn's new Whole Foods supermarket raises the bar for energy-smart food retailing
Maybe It's The Weather Or Something Like That
Media coverage of climate change and weird weather rebounds 30% in 2013 (but NY Times coverage drops)
New Rules For Resilience
How NYC's new zoning rules make buildings safe from flood damage while ensuring low-rise neighborhoods stay that way
Climate Negotiation Rx From A Climate Negotiator
A leading UK climate treaty negotiator focuses on redirecting national energy policies in a low carbon direction
Take The Challenge
NYC's brand new Carbon Challenge Handbook for Co-ops & Condos
Argentina: Fatal Heat Wave
The worst heat wave in Argentine history kills seven
China: Giga Solar Goal
China plans a one gigawatt solar power farm, with construction starting in 2014
January 01, 2014
Multifamily Climate Challenge
10 of NYC's biggest residential property managers accept the challenge of cutting GHG emissions 30% in just 10 years, starting with energy efficiency upgrades
NY Green Bank Goals
The critical goal of the NY Green Bank could be turning a profit, thus using government support to build a self-sustaining clean energy engine