December 2008
193 posts
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US Becomes Largest Wind Power Producer in the... →
this past summer, the U.S. wind industry overtook germany as the foremost producer of wind energy, cruising “past the 20,000 MW installed capacity milestone, achieving in two years what had previously taken two decades (the 10,000-MW mark was reached in 2006). that’s “enough to serve over 5.5 million American homes and eliminating the burning of
30.4 million short tons of...
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Oregon Tech To Be Powered Entirely By Geothermal... →
“The Oregon Institute of Technology [has] outlined a plan to build a $7.6 million geothermal power plant on campus [which] will become the sole power source for the school in a few years.”
granted, it’s easier for them than for most (being so close to a fault line & all) but that’s a major part of conservation, right? that of making use & making the most of the...
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Portland is....
malty:
maltman:
Portland is America’s greenest city (2008 Popular Science)
Portland is ranked #1 in SustainLane’s 2008 US City rankings of sustainability
Portland has the highest per-capita concentration of hybrid vehicles.
Portland has highest per-capita concentration of LEED-certified projects and third most overall (2008 Business Facilities)
Car sharing (as in Zipcar) started in...
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massachusetts resident gives new meaning to the... →
“When residents of Harvard, Massachusetts were hit with an ice storm that left many without power for a full four days, one innovative neighbor successfully used his Prius as a generator:
John Sweeney…ran his refrigerator, freezer, TV, woodstove fan, and several lights through his Prius, for three days, on roughly five gallons of gas.
“When it looked like we were going to be without...
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“Dell is integrating air-filled cushion technology and renewable materials...”
– Dell Expands Global Green-Packaging Strategy to Drive Cost and Environmental Savings
there’s a lot of good stuff in this new initiative from dell. shareholders will be glad to hear of the $8M+ savings & hippieflavers are sure to applaud the elimination of 20MM pounds of packaging material...
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Ethanol turns out to be the worst type of... →
“Ethanol’s numbers were put to the test against “solar-photovoltaics (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP), wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, wave, tidal, nuclear, and coal with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.” The energy types were rated on their ability to power “new-technology vehicles” (plug-ins, flex-fuel ICEs and fuel cell vehicles). Ethanol...
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BP Solar Announces Completion of Solar Power Pilot... →
“The company recently completed construction of three sites in California, including the 493.7 kilowatt (kW) solar power system at the Sam’s Club in La Habra, California, as well as systems at Wal-Mart Super Centers in Palm Springs (605.9 kW) and Beaumont (675.2 kW).”
let’s hope this works & catches on quickly. with these two behemoths on board the solar...
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“The greenest brick is the one that’s already in the wall.”
– Steve Mouzon, the architect who founded Original Green, which draws attention to “the inherent greenness of older, traditional American homes.”
also from grist: “Before the thermostat age, he likes to say, which lets us command internal temperature and climate with a press of a...
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urban farming school takes root →
“Instruction would be based on intensive farming on small plots, a heavy dependence on physical labour, ecological sustainability and meeting local market demands, including the food needs of ethnic and immigrant communities.”
[via urbanworkbench]
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The Whole Building Design Guide →
i like the way they phrase their goal: “to create a successful high-performance building [by applying] the integrated design approach and the integrated team approach to the project during the planning and programming phases.”
what is it - in our buildings, in our lives, in our minds - that sits idly by when it could be producing good for us? leisure is a good thing, but it’s...
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DOUBLEbikeMATCH →
doublebikematch is world bicycle relief’s “online social appeal” for bikes to be sent to africa: “Right now our goal is to raise $13,400 before 12pm CST on Friday, Dec 19th. That’s 100 bicycles (200 when you add the DOUBLEbikeMATCH). Any amount helps – $10 can make a difference and $134 buys a new bike.”
for you & me, bikes are nice. we like them. some of...
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You, Too, Can Be a Hyper-Miler →
any hippie flavor hyper-milers out there? i think it takes some getting used to, building up the good habits. i’m most skilled at maintaining speed (by swerving in & out & between traffic). :)
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Building A Better Elevator →
“KONE the Finish elevator company, will release a range of elevator offerings during 2009 which will reduce energy consumption by 30%, compared to its current volume models, with a target of 50% energy consumption cutback in its elevator offering by the year 2010.
‘Buildings account for approximately 40% of the world’s energy needs and elevators can account for up to 10% of a...
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Oregon Farm Installs New Methane Digester →
this is a great development, but as a farmer, i wouldn’t want to ship all that energy elsewhere - i’d like to power my farm with what i needed.
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Geothermal Helps Light Up the Dark Continent →
“A just-completed geothermal project in Kenya could be a sign of things to come in Africa. The plan added 35 megawatts to an existing facility to total 48 MW of steamy, low-carb power. Called Olkaria III, the site is expected to bring not only a badly needed source of reliable electricity, but to reduce imported oil by 120,000 tons and reduce CO2 emissions by 200,000 tons per year....
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Hawaii Announces 10-MW Ocean Thermal Energy... →
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