We just keep screwing it up. Stop lighting things on fire. Stop burning things up. We don’t need to do that anymore.
http://www.climatecrisiscoalition.org/
Please see this new publication – as the heat turns up.
Folks that are trying to move the US into the future..And they are only 200 miles from the home of CES
http://www.ateec.org/aboutus/eec.htm
Advanced Technology Environmental AND ENERGY Center
The Environmental Education Center is located on the campus of Scott Community College (Bettendorf, Iowa) and is part of the Eastern Iowa Community College District (EICCD). The Environmental Education Center is home to several initiatives, including:
ATEEC was established in 1994 as an NSF Advanced Technology Education (ATE) Center of Excellence to advance environmental technology education through curriculum development, professional development, and program improvement in the nation’s community colleges and secondary schools. The activities of the Center were driven by the following goals.
Strengthen science, math, and technical curriculum and instructional materials supporting environmental technology education;
The Center’s vision is to create a national network of community colleges supported through public and private partnerships that prepares an environmental technology workforce to address industry’s needs and to promote the transfer of secondary students to higher education. Since its inception, ATEEC has formed partnerships with numerous organizations, including:
Throughout its history, ATEEC has sought to become a comprehensive national resource providing a range of enabling activities to high schools and community colleges.
I have been remiss in posting both the State Journal Register and the Associated Press’ web sites were I steal…oh I mean “fair usage” all of these articles.
And the latest, while America fiddles the world burns.
U.N. Chief: Adaptation to warmer world could cost $20 trillion
By JOHN HEILPRIN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS__________
UNITED NATIONS — Global warming could cost the world up to $20 trillion over
two decades for cleaner energy sources and do the most harm to people who can
least afford to adapt, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns in a new report.
Ban’s report provides an overview of U.N. climate efforts to help the 192-nation
General Assembly prepare for a key two-day climate debate in mid-February.
That debate is intended to shape overall U.N. policy on climate change, i
ncluding how nations can adapt to a warmer world and ways of supporting the
U.N.-led negotiations toward a new climate treaty by 2009, U.N. officials said
Wednesday. The treaty, replacing the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012,
could shape the course of climate change for decades to come. The Kyoto pact
requires 37 industrial nations to reduce greenhouse gases by a relatively modest
5 percent on average.Much of the focus has been on the United States, the only
major industrial nation to reject the treaty, and on fast-developing nations such as
China and India.
Many are looking to. next year, when a new U.S. president takes the White House.
The leading contenders in both political parties favor doing more than the voluntary
approaches and call for new technologies that President Bush espouses.
In his 52-page report, Ban says that global investments of $15 trillion to $20 trillion
over the next 20 to 25 years may be required “to place the world on a markedly
different and sustainable energy trajectory.” Today, the global energy industry
spends about $300 billion a year in new plants, transmission networks and other new
investment, according to U.N. figures. Srgjan Kerim, a Macedonian diplomat and
economics professor who is president of the U.N. General Assembly, told
The Associated Press that cutting greenhouse gases alone will not be enough
to pull island nations, sub-Saharan Africa and other particularly vulnerable parts
of the world back from the brink of irreversible harm.
Annie Petsonk, a lawyer for the advocacy group Environmental Defense,
said global warming will mostly affect poor people and minorities, because
the wealthy can spend more to adapt.
But then again it’s money well spent!
If every house in the US was designed like this we would not have a problem. Man was destined to live in very modern and comfortable caves…Like Hobbits. And they are SAFE.
Underground house is cozy abode for family in DeKalb
By KATE WEBER
THE (DEKALB) DAILY CHRONICLE
DeKALB — It took a lot of convincing before Diane and Don Harvey’s daughter would bring friends to their rural DeKalb home.
“She was embarrassed because we lived in a basement,” Diane Harvey said. “All her friends liked to come here when it stormed, though, because they figured it was the safest place in town.”
Since moving into the single-floor underground building in 1989, Diane and Don Harvey have converted the Old Mayfield Grange Hall on Five Points Road into a comfortable, normal-looking house. What now holds childhood memories for the Har-veys’ kids once was a simple gathering space for an entire farming community.
“Basically, this was the only place in the area other than church basements and their own lawns to hold receptions in,” said Wilma Womack, Diane’s mother. “Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts had their meetings
here, wedding receptions and anniversary parties — it was a meeting hall for everybody out here.”
When the building first went on the market, it was a hot property for those looking for a blank canvas.
“There were a lot of people who were very upset that we managed to scoop it up quickly,” Diane Harvey said. “There was one real estate investor who wanted to turn it into apartments, but we got the bid because we didn’t want to change the structure of the building.”
When the Harveys moved into the building, the only amenities were the four outside walls and a wall down the center of the structure, which was immediately torn down.
“We didn’t even have hot water,” Diane Harvey said. “We boiled water on the stove to take showers. It felt like we were pioneers.”
The children hung curtains from the ceiling and placed furniture along the outside of each makeshift room to create their own walls.
“We had to make do,” Diane Harvey said. “With three kids in high school, where is all our money going to go? It wasn’t going to put walls up, that’s for sure.”
After nearly two decades, the underground building still contains possibilities for the Harvey family, including a potential second floor. Two staircases leading to the ceiling of the home are used as storage space, but serve as reminders of what was once destined for the building.
“They were originally going to build a second floor, and we wanted to build on top as well,” Don Harvey said. “The ceilings have 24-inch footers, so it was meant to be built on top.”
Despite no plans for expansion, the Harveys are glad to have purchased the four cement walls they have made into a home. The low nature of the underground home provides protection from sound as well as weather.
“A tornado wouldn’t move the place,” Don Harvey said. “It might take the roof off, but we aren’t going anywhere.”
. |
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS____________
CHAMPAIGN — A $23 million residence hall under construction in Champaign will be the first at the University of Illinois to be certifi-ably “green.”
The eco-friendly features of the 262-bed Presby Hall include a geot-hermal system to heat rooms and water, water-saving plumbing, as well as environmentally friendly lighting and paint.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the building, expected to be the first U of I residence hall to receive certification from the U.S. Green
On the Net
Presby Hall: www.presbyhall.com
Building Council, is planned for this summer.
The Champaign-based McKinley Presbyterian Church and Foundation, which owns the property, took the initiative in pushing for a green hall, the private foundation’s director said.
“We wanted to be responsible. We wanted (the building) to be sustainable, and we wanted to give back to the world,” Heidi Weatherford told The (Cham-
paign) News-Gazette.
There are construction challenges.
One is the installation of the pricey, $650,000 heating system, which will use ground-source pumps to keep the building warm.
To install pumps and many miles of tubing, some old trees along a nearby street must come down, though new trees will be planted to replace them.
Weatherford said while the geot-hermal system is expensive, the costs will be recouped by the $40,000 in annual energy savings.
“The upfront costs are signifi-
cant,” she told The Associated Press on Saturday. “But the financial payback is almost immediate.” Factoring in the energy savings, Weatherford said, the heating system could pay for itself in about 10 years.
The Illinois Clean Energy Foundation recently awarded the foundation $100,000 to help pay for Presby Hall’s green features.
The university itself has said it plans a major renovation of a cluster of residence halls called Six Pack, saying it hopes that project also will get the green certification.
Chicago
• Museum to build
‘green’ home
CHICAGO — A three-story, fully functioning “green” home is going to be built on the campus of Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
Museum officials say the house will showcase the latest innovations in renewable resources and smart energy consumption.
For instance, guests will be able to see how wastewater from the shower and bath can then be used for toilets.
The 2,500-square-foot home is expected to be open to the public for nine months beginning May 8. It will be the basis for an exhibit called “Smart Home: Green Plus Wired.”
The modular home is being built on an assembly line in De-catur, Ind.
It’s expected to arrive at the museum in late February for final interior work, furnishing and landscaping.
I thought it would be kinda interesting to look at their environmental Groups.
Wikipedia lists these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_environmental_organizations
Germany
Ahhh if I only spoke German you say:
| You would like to know more…? | ROBIN WOOD Magazine… |
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And they list these sites as well:
But these guys are pretty radical so you watch out now. You might end up chaining yourself to the gate of the next nuclear power plant that they won’t build.
2 links below. I like the first once best because it has a cool list of folks:
http://www.altenergyaction.org/mambo/index.php?option=com_weblinks&catid=15&Itemid=4
http://www.altenergyaction.org/mambo/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
International Association for Energy Economics
Journal and newsletter devoted to economic issues of energy supply and demand; organization seeks to gather both professionals and those interested in these issues form an economic standpoint
EarthTrack
Collection of studies and reports from Doug Koplow, on energy subsidies and ongoing legislation: good analysis of the recent energy bill.
Energy Future Coalition
Nonpartisan alliance that seeks to identify energy policy options with broad political support.
Union of Concerned Scientists – Energy
We have much in common – among the five steps to take on global warming, UCS states “Yet, we invest far more in subsidies for the fossil fuel and nuclear industries today than on R&D for renewable energy or advanced vehicle technologies. For instance
Renewable Energy Policy Project
Advocacy and discussion groups on renewable energy options. Not terribly active, but occasionally updated
This another cool site. Unfortunately this series has not been as constant as I would like because real world news keeps getting in the road, but I am putting them up as quick as I can.
The Alliance to Save Energy promotes energy efficiency worldwide to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security.
Energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest, cleanest way to extend our world’s energy supplies.
Submit Your Nomination for the 2008 Star of Energy Efficiency Awards Today!The Alliance to Save Energy invites companies, organization, and individuals to enter the 2008 Star of Energy Efficiency Awards competition. These prestigious awards honor those entities who have demonstrated a significant and tangible commitment to the cause of energy efficiency, and will be presented September 25, 2008 in Washington, DC at the Alliance to Save Energy’s 16th Annual Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency Dinner
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30% in 2009Join the Alliance and its many colleagues in supporting a 30% improvement in energy efficiency for the next update of the International Energy Conservation Code (2009 IECC). Read more about the Energy Efficiency Code Coalition and the code proposals that will take us to “30.” |
As Winter Heating Costs Spike, Alliance to Save Energy Advises Using Energy Efficiency to Cut Home Energy Bills, PollutionWith average heating costs across the nation spiking about 11 percent over last winter’s, the Alliance to Save Energy recommends energy-efficiency measures to help consumers cut home energy bills, increase indoor comfort, and reduce power plant emissions that contribute to climate change. |
President Signs Energy Bill into LawThe President signed into law the most sweeping energy efficiency legislation ever enacted on December 19, 2007. H.R. 6, The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, is projected to save American consumers and businesses more than $400 billion through 2030, and will reduce energy consumption by 7% and greenhouse gas emissions by 9% from the forecast for 2030, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. |
EE Global a Success!With attendees representing 32 countries; and exhibitor organizations based in 26 states, the District of Columbia, and six foreign countries, the Alliance to Save Energy considers the first-ever EE Global Forum and Exposition a success! Attendance also included 45 media representatives from outlets including CNN, Fox Business Network and National Geographic. Over 500 people from the D.C. area turned out for public day; and we gathered over 800 people for the forum and exhibition. Stay tuned for pictures and follow-up information. In the meantime, you can read the show’s daily newspaper through the Event Updates section of the EE Global web site. |
If every town and city in the country did this we could dig our way out of a deep environmental hole.
http://nctimes.com/articles/2007/12/28/news/nation/15_58_2112_27_07.txt
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1227green-rebates1227-ON.html
This is an associated press article that was carried in at least the above newspapers.
U.S. cities encourage residents to go green with perks, cash
By BRIAN SKOLOFF________
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARKLAND, Fla. – Free hybrid-car parking. Cash rebates for installing solar panels.
Low-interest loans for energy-saving home renovations. Money to tear up
desert lawns and replace them with drought-resistant landscaping.
Frustrated by what they see as insufficient action by state and federal
government, municipalities
around the country are offering financial incentives to get people
to go green.
“A lot of localities recognize they’re going to get a lot more done
using carrots and incentives
rather than regulatory means,” said Jason Hartke,
director of advocacy for the U.S. Green Building Council.
In Parkland, where the motto is “Environmentally Proud,
” the city plans next year to begin
dispensing cash rebates to its 25,000 residents for being more
environmentally friendly.
‘We will literally issue them a check,” said Vice Mayor Jared Moskowitz.
‘We’re sick of waiting
for the federal government to do something, so we’ve got
to do what we can.”
Residents who install low-flow
toilets or shower heads will get $150. Replacing an old air conditioner
with a more energy-efficient one
brings $100. Buying a hybrid car? An additional $200 cash back.
And the list goes on.
Based on an estimate of 1,000 residents participating in the rebate
program during the
first year, the city predicts it will cost up to $100,000.
“Could this bankrupt the city if the program grows by leaps and bounds?
” Moskowitz asked. “I can only wish
that so many residents want to go green that
that becomes an issue.”
Many states already offer similar rebates and incentives through
tax breaks, loans and perks such as
allowing hybrid-car drivers to use car pool lanes.
Utilities have long provided incentives to buy energy-efficient a
ppliances, solar panels and toilets that use
less water. The federal government, too,
offers tax incentives for purchases of many hybrid vehicles and e
nergy-saving products.
Still, for many cities, it’s just not enough.
“In terms of waiting for the federal government, we’ve waited
a long time, and frankly, we haven’t
gotten very much,” said Jared Blu-menfeld, director of
San Francis-
co’s Department of Environment. “And how do you change
someone’s behavior? The simple answer is cash.”
Starting next year, San Francisco will offer homeowners
rebates of up to $5,000 for installing solar panels
if they use a local contractor. Coupled
with state and federal incentives, that could cut in half the
$21,000 cost for an average household,
Blumenfeld said.
The city also will cover up to 90 percent of the costs of making
apartment buildings more energy-efficient,
and will pay residents $150 to replace old
appliances.
The neighboring city of Berkeley is financing the cost of
solar panels for homeowners who agree to
pay the money back through a 20-year property
tax assessment.
Nearby Marin County offers a $500 rebate to homeowners
who install solar systems.
Baltimore offers at least $2,000 toward closing costs for
people who buy new homes
close to where they work. It is called the “Live Near Your Work”
program.
“Just living near your job and taking transit or
walking to meet your daily needs
provides basically the same environmental benefit as
buying a hybrid car,” said Amanda Eaken of the
Natural Resources Defense Council.