Say it Again for the First Time: Look to Japan for Energy Conservation Ideas
Since first coming to Japan in 2001 to teach English, I've been to this fascinating country 8 more times. I just arrived again on Saturday for a one week business trip. Every time I step off the plane, there is still a sense of intrigue and excitement ...
Hop on the Bus, Gus. It’s Convenient with NextBus.
*This post written on the bus this morning around 8am.
I just hopped on the bus to head to downtown D.C. Total time spent waiting for the bus: 3 minutes. This is about the longest I've waited for a bus since I started using Nextbus to find out ...
The Farm to Table Experience
Farmer's markets and CSAs (community supported agriculture) are wonderful opportunities to support local farmers, eat fresh, nutrient rich foods, and include seasonal elements in ones diet. However, they still remove the consumer from the food's origins. Picking your own food helps connect people to the source of their nourishment.
On a ...
Boulder Chips Enters Compostable Bag Field
As it turns out, SunChips wasn't the only snack brand to release a compostable bag this year. With minimal fanfare as compared to SunChips, Colorado-based Boulder Canyon Foods also moved to a compostable bag this past Earth Day. Noticeably different than the "loud" bag from SunChips, Boulder Chips' compostable bag ...
Updates at New Belgium Brewery
Yesterday I had the opportunity to tour New Belgium Brewery for the second time in the last 14 months. Earliest this month, 2nd Green Revolution carried a write up of the first visit. Subsequently, we have written several other stories about (or mentioning) the brewery. In yesterday's visit there ...
In an effort to reach their goal of 300 LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) hotels by 2015, Marriott will begin by building their Courthouse Charleston/Summerville hotel with the backing of U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC.) The company’s press release states that “Marriott is the first in the hospitality industry to launch a green hotel prototype that has been pre-approved by USGBC as part of its LEED Volume program, meaning that any Marriott hotel that follows these plans will earn basic LEED certification, or possibly higher, upon USGBC final approval. The new Courtyard hotel will open in early 2012 as a part of a joint venture between Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial of Augusta, Ga., and MeadWestvaco of Summerville, S.C. The hotel will introduce the first phase of The Parks of Berkley, a community consisting of 5,000 acres and one of the largest planned developments in the Southeastern United States.”
Marriott already has approximately 275 hotels that have earned the ENERGY STAR® label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—the most of any hotel company. In order to save money
Despite new technologies, codes, and design strategies, the U.S. building stock is not much more energy efficient than it was twenty-five years ago – it uses 70 percent of the U.S. electricity, half of which is made from coal.
Transportation uses 70 percent of U.S. oil.
Between 1950 and 2009, consumption of petroleum fuels increased by 65 percent, and although gasoline demand in the U.S. has lately declined, the sector is still about 98% dependent on fossil fuels.
Coal fueled 41 percent of the growth in U.S. electricity generation during 1990-2004 (along with 36 percent from natural gas and 23 percent from running existing nuclear plants harder).
Industrial processes use 31 percent of U.S. energy. Chemical industries, paper, metals, materials and resources, and oil refining – powered by coal (electricity), oil, and natural gas, and a small amount of biomass – are 83 percent of this use (according to USEIA).
For more information on Reinventing Fire, watch the video below:
On Sunday, the Washington, DC metro region got slammed by 60-70mph winds and heavy rains over a brief period of about 20 minutes. The storms were caused by a cold front moving through the region and bumping up against the record setting heat we’ve had here due to the Bermuda High. The cold and hot air masses clashed, producing fierce winds that toppled trees and downed numerous power lines. Two days after the storm, there were still 100,000 people without power. Even today, four days later, there remain people without power in Montgomery County, MD. The Capital Weather Gang is a great weather site that has updates on outages and lots of resources. Here is the latest power outage update from Pepco.
The U.S. may have some of the cheapest electricity prices in the world but the system is utterly slow at responding to downed power lines and quickly restoring power. Talking with Japanese colleagues of mine,
A few years ago walkscore.com appeared and urban house hunters, apartment seekers, and walking aficionados rejoiced. Using Google maps to pinpoint locations of homes, condos, apartments, co-ops, and other housing options, the site assigns a numerical value (on a scale of 1-100) based on an address’ proximity to restaurants, entertainment, and other vital resources within walking distance. For the record, 2nd Green plugged in its two locations – in Washington D.C. and Denver, CO – and were pleased to see they got scores of 88 and 83 respectively, earning the moniker of “very walkable”. Walk Score’s breakdown of scoring categories can be seen at the bottom of this post.
$41,000. That’s the price of the new 2011 GM Volt plug-in hybrid vehicle. That price is also near the National Average Wage Index, so out of reach of most consumers. A $7,500 tax credit can take the price down to a more affordable $33,500. That’s still pricey. However, GM is pushing a leasing program that will allow drivers to get the Volt for $350 per month with $2,500 due at signing. GM will initially ship only 10,000 units, aimed at high-end first adopters. Announced today, the press release includes these main points:
In an effort to reach their goal of 300 LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) hotels by 2015, Marriott will begin by building their Courthouse Charleston/Summerville hotel with the backing of U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC.) The company’s press release states that “Marriott is the first in the hospitality industry to launch a green hotel prototype that has been pre-approved by USGBC as part of its LEED Volume program, meaning that any Marriott hotel that follows these plans will earn basic LEED certification, or possibly higher, upon USGBC final approval. The new Courtyard hotel will open in early 2012 as a part of a joint venture between Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial of Augusta, Ga., and MeadWestvaco of Summerville, S.C. The hotel will introduce the first phase of The Parks of Berkley, a community consisting of 5,000 acres and one of the largest planned developments in the Southeastern United States.”
