By Yale Environment 360 on March 4, 2011 ACEEE , Al Gore , American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy , An Inconvenient Truth , Barack Obama , bottom line , Cambridge University , carbon dioxide emissions , carbon taxes , carbon trading programs , compact fluorescent light bulbs , demand shifting , Department of Energy , DOE , efficient lighting , energy alternatives , energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product , energy efficiency , energy efficiency measures , energy policy , energy savings , Energy Star , energy-saving mode , European Union , fossil fuel , General Motors , Google , greenhouse gas emissions , Harvard University , Hunt Allcott , hybrid diesel trucks , insulation , LED , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , McKinsey & Co , National Academy of Sciences , National Research Council , negawatts , NRC , oil shock , Paul Rak , peak load shaving , price signals , R. Neal Elliott , ROI , Sendhil Mullainathan , Siemens , smart grid , smart meters , split incentives , Steven Chu , The Hidden Forest: Biography of an Ecosystem , triple-glazed windows , VeriForm Inc , Wal-Mart , Washington D.C.
Among the many measures the world can take to wean itself off fossil fuels, few match the benefits of making homes, business, and cars more energy-efficient. But financial and psychological barriers have kept individuals, businesses, and governments from realizing efficiency’s great potential.
By Tracey de Morsella on December 11, 2010 Canada , Cancun , carbon dioxide emissions , carbon footprints , carbon-absorbant forests , CDM Watch , China , Christiana Figueres , Claire Parker , Climate Change , climate impacts , deforestation , disease migration , Doug Boucher , drought , Durban , Environmental Investigation Agency , European carbon market , floods , forests , global warming , Green Climate Fund , greenhouse gases , HCFC-22 refrigerant , India , International Union for the Conservation of Nature , Japan , Joe Mendelson , kyoto protocol , Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism , melting glaciers , National Wildlife Federation , ozone layer , REDD+ , renewable energy , Russia , sea-level rise , Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon , South Africa , species extinctions , The Cancun Agreements , tropical deforestation , UN Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC , Union of Concerned Scientists , United Nations , United States
Progress was made on a number of important issues at the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun last week, but the US Senate’s failure to pass clean energy legislation tied the hands of negotiators to come to a full global deal.
By Yale Environment 360 on December 6, 2010 Abengoa Solar , Alstom , ALTe , American Electric Power , Arizona , Auburn Hills , big solar arrays , Bloomberg New Energy Finance , California , carbon capture and storage , carbon dioxide , carbon dioxide emissions , carbon emissions , carbon price , carbon risks , Carbon War Room , carbon-tracking software , Carbonnetworks , CCS , Chief Sustainability Officer , China , Clean Air Act , Clean Edge , Clean tech , cleantech , climate bill , climate legislation , coal plants , Congress , DuPont , energy efficiency , enhanced oil recovery , ENXSuite , EPA , Europe , Frank Alix , Fred Morse , GlassPoint Solar , GTM Research , Jigar Shah , John Carey , John Cohen , John O’Donnell , John Thomas , Linda Fisher , Michael Meehan , Michael Morris , Michigan , natural gasm , nuclear power plants , plug-in gas-electric powertrain , power plants , Powerspan , PSEG , Ralph Izzo , renewable energy , renewable power , Ron Pernick , solar steam generators , solar thermal plants , U.S. Energy Department , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , unEdison , venture capital investment
While the collapse of climate legislation in Congress was a setback for some green businesses, many others are moving ahead with projects to develop renewable energy. One major reason: The clean-tech sector is rapidly growing worldwide, and U.S. companies don’t want to be left behind.
By Tracey de Morsella on March 16, 2010 air conditioning , Baxter , best practices , business case for environmentally literate employees , carbon dioxide emissions , carbon footprint , Carrie Freeman , conservation , cost avoidance , Diane Wood , E&S , E&S education pilot programs , eBay , employee education and engagement initiatives , employee engagement programs , employee environmental and sustainabity education , energy costs , energy efficiency , environmental education programs , environmental performance , environmental safety and health , Green Teams , incentives , Intel , lighting , Lockheed Martin , Margaret Lindeman , motivate employees , National Environmental Education Foundation , NEEF , recruitment , recycling , retention.business case for E&S education programs , solar; , stakeholder expectations , sustainability , sustainability activities , The Business Case for Environmental and Sustainability Employee Education , The Engaged Organization , Tracey de Morsella , waste reduction
Educating employees about energy efficiency,conservation, recycling, waste reduction and other similar measures benefit not only the companies that institute them, but also the organization’s employees, but also the communities in which they operate.
By Tracey de Morsella on August 17, 2009 (ARRA) , adaptation , American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , behavioural change , brand equity , building code , building performance , carbon dioxide emissions , Climate Change , CO2 , commercial building retrofits , commercial building space , competitive differentiation , comprehensive plans , corporate sustainability reports , energy , energy code , energy efficiency , energy efficiency retrofit market , energy efficient building , energy saving technologies , energy use , environmental law , environmental regulations , ESCO , exaction , exactions , federal buildings.institutional market , federal non-industrial buildings , geothermal power , global warming , government regulation , green building , green construction practices , green development , green retrofits , green workplaces , greenhouse gas emissions , high-performance building , high-performance buildings , high-performance green building space , home owner associations , ICLEI , impact fee , impact fees , incentives , institutional buildings , land use , land use regulation , law , LEED , local laws , market differentiator , market driver , municipalities , Opportunities , ordinances , permitting , psychological barriers , regulatory incentives; sustainability , renewable energy , social barriers , solar access , solar power , solar; , sustainable buildings , sustainable development , tax credits , USGBC , wind power , wind siting , zoning
The green building studies and reports we spotlight cover the following topics: The potential financial benefits of green retrofits; the importance of overcoming the social and psychological barriers to green building; the use of impact fees to encourage green building; the use of mandates and incentives to promote sustainable construction; feedback from the construction industry on the risks that come with green building; global green building trends; green practices reported by facilities management professionals; and reshaping municipal and county laws to foster green building.
By Tracey de Morsella on August 11, 2009 African , asset finance , banking crisis , biofuel plants , carbon dioxide emissions , clean energy , economic downturn , equity issuances , Europe , green stimulus , immature technologies , investment , New Energy Finance , offshore wind , PE , private equity investment , project transactions , renewable energy , solar parks , solar thermal electricity generation , solar; , SunPower , Suntech , The Middle East , VC , venture capital , Vestas , wind farms
New Investment in clean energy worldwide rallied in the second quarter of 2009, reaching $24.4 billion, according to figures published recently by New Energy Finance. The data, which is based in actual deal and project transactions, show that during the second quarter, there was a big improvement on the first quart of 2009, when investment was just $13.3 billion. Despite this dramatic increase in investment, the investments of the second quarter were 37% below the investment amount from the same quarter last year, when the figure was $36.2 billion.
By Tracey de Morsella on July 28, 2009 2010 Green Rating Honor Roll , and ecological agriculture , Arizona State University , Atlanta , Bar Harbor , Bates College , Beech Hill Farm , beekeeping , Berkeley , Binghamton , Binghamton University , biodiesel , biomass gasification , Boston , buildings , CA , Cambridge , campus , campus sustainability , car-sharing , carbon dioxide emissions , carbon emissions , carbon neutral , carbon offsets , Carlisle , carpool , Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education , Center for Sustainable Entrepreneurship , certification. organic landscaping , CO , co-generation power plant , College of the Atlantic , colleges , Colorado College , Colorado Springs , compost , compost. solar PV , compostable , compostable dishware , compostable paper cup , composting bins , composting toilets , compressed natural gas , CT , curriculum , Curriculum for the Bioregion , Dickinson College , Durham , ecoAmerica , EcoGastronomy , ecology , electric cars , energy conservation , energy consumption , energy use , environment , environmental issues , environmental studies , environmentally friendly , ethnobotany , Evergreen State College , facilities , fluorescent lamps , food , forest ecology , GA , Georgia Institute of Technology , green college , Green Majors , green products , Green Rating Honor Roll , Green Ratings , green university , greenhouse gas emission reductions , greenhouse gas emissions , Harvard College , human ecology , hydropower , International Village , Kroon Hall , landfill , Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design , LEED Gold certification , LEED Platinum , LEED Silver , Lewiston ME , Local , MA , ME , Middlebury , Middlebury College , Nature Preserve , New Haven , NH , Northeastern University , NY , Olympia , organic agriculture , organic certification , organic garden , organic produce , PA , Project Clean Plate , recycle , recycling , renewable electricity , renewable wood pellets , Robert Franek , school of Forestry & Environmental Studies , School of Sustainability , Seattle , self-ventilated , socially responsible , socially responsible business program , soft drinks , solar panels , State University of New York at Binghamton , sustainability , Sustainable agriculture , sustainable commencement , sustainable dining program , sustainably produced wood , The Princeton Review , trails , Trans-Atlantic Food Systems , university , University of California Berkeley , University of New Hampshire , University of Washington , Used fryer oil , van pool , VT , WA , Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education , wetland , wind , Yale Sustainable Food Project , Yale University , zero-waste , Zipcar
The Princeton Review, today released its second annual Green Ratings of colleges. In this measure of how environmentally friendly the institutions are on a scale of 60 to 99, the company tallied its Green Ratings for 697 institutions based on data it collected from the colleges in 2008-09 concerning their environmentally related policies, practices, and academic offerings. The Princeton Review also named 15 colleges to its “2010 Green Rating Honor Roll” – a list that salutes the institutions that received the highest possible score – 99 – in this year’s rating tallies.