Category Archives: burning reduction methods

Energy Conservation And Renters – Some utilities say less then others

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Some utilities say nothing at all. Here is a fairly terse response.

http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/WaterandLight/Conservation/r-guide.php

Renters’ Guide…To Outfitting Your Energy Budget

As your publicly owned utility, it is our hope that we can help you become a resourceful and efficient customer. By choosing energy efficient housing and by following energy saving habits you will keep your costs at a minimum. Rental property owners are finding that energy efficient units are easier to rent and require less Renters' Guidemaintenance than inefficient dwellings.

If you are a renter, the following information can help you incorporate energy efficiency into your decisions before you rent and lifestyle choices after you rent, resulting in lower energy costs in your monthly budget. The information is divided into two parts:

If you have any questions or comments please contact the Utility Services Department at Columbia Water & Light, 874-7325.

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More tomorrow.

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EPA Gets Tough With Downwind Emmissions – Old news but good news

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It appears that without CAP and TRADE the EPA is going ahead on its own. Expect Lawsuits followed by settlements as far as the eye can see.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0706/EPA-moves-to-cut-power-plant-emissions-to-fight-air-pollution

EPA moves to cut power plant emissions to fight air pollution

Citing health benefits of reduced air pollution, the EPA on Monday proposed requiring power plants in the central and eastern US to dramatically curb emissions by 2014.

y Mark Clayton, Staff writer / July 6, 2010

The Environmental Protection Agency moved Tuesday to dramatically curb power plant emissions across the central US and East Coast, a step the federal agency says will significantly reduce health and pollution impacts across that 31-state region.

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Responding to a 2008 court ruling, the EPA proposed sharp cuts in emissions from some 900 coal-, natural gas-, and oil-burning power plants – a 52 percent reduction in nitrous oxide (NOX) and 71 percent cut in sulfur dioxide (SOX) by 2014.

The EPA move is intended to bring the federal government into compliance with a decision by the US Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., that overturned the Bush administration’s national Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). The court found that rule failed to substantially maintain air-quality standards among states or meet statutory deadlines – and it ordered the EPA to come up with a new rule.

Tuesday’s proposal – which is expected to be challenged in court – is aimed at enabling “downwind” states to develop air-pollution reduction plans based on knowing in advance how much pollution would be drifting across their borders from “upwind” states. The so-called “transport rule” would mean much tighter federal requirements for SOX and NOX emissions reductions for upwind states.

“This rule is designed to cut pollution that spreads hundreds of miles and has enormous negative impacts on millions of Americans,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a statement. “We’re working to limit pollution at its source, rather than waiting for it to move across the country. The reductions we’re proposing will save billions in health costs, help increase American educational and economic productivity, and – most importantly – save lives.”

Curbing power plant emissions can have a large economic impact, with the cost to health and the environment from eastern power plants today exceeding $200 billion annually, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

The EPA says its action will save an estimated $120 billion in health benefits annually by 2014, including avoiding up to 36,000 premature deaths and 1.9 million days of missed work or school due to ground-level ozone and particle pollution, the agency estimates. Such benefits would far outweigh the annual cost of compliance with the proposed rule, which the agency puts at $2.8 billion in 2014.

“This will be one of the most significant steps EPA can take to clean up the air and improve public health,” Frank O’Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, said in a statement. “This cleanup plan could literally prevent thousands of premature deaths each year and make it possible for tens of millions of others to breathe easier.”

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More tomorrow

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ECOBuild In Britain – These events are so cool

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In memoriam of Richie Hayward one founder of Little Feat It is Jam Band Friday…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FekVR_SC5M

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http://www.ecobuild.co.uk/2010-review.html

Ecobuild 2010 was a huge success with more than 1,000 exhibitors, over 41,000 visitors, and dozens of new attractions, initiatives and special events. Here are just some of the highlights…..

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Milliband launches Pay As You Save initiative

Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, Ed Milliband, chose the opening day of Ecobuild to launch the Government’s new Pay As You Save initiative.  After the announcement, the Minister went on to meet some of Ecobuild’s 1,000 exhibitors.

Watch the announcement

First stage of Saint-Gobain’s solar decathlon completed at Ecobuild

The collaboration between Saint-Gobain and Nottingham University to design, build and operate Europe’s most attractive, effective and energy efficient zero carbon solar powered house came to fruition at Ecobuild with the debut of the Nottingham HOUSE (Home Optimising the Use of Solar Energy).  The structure now moves on to Madrid for the final of the Solar Decathlon Europe competition.

Watch the Nottingham HOUSE video

2010 BREEAM awards winners announced

BRE Global announced the winners of the 2010 BREEAM awards at Ecobuild, each building representing exemplary sustainable design and construction.

Click here for all the winners and case studies

Hundreds of new products launched

Ecobuild was the launch platform for hundreds of new sustainable construction products.

‘Ecobuild was extremely good, with near continuous traffic to the stand. With a good mix of customers and the right media present it was a great vehicle to launch our new products.’ Richard Hartley, Monier Ltd

Click here to see more products launched at Ecobuild 2010

Award for best innovative sustainable construction product

Winner of the Green Shoots Best Innovative Sustainable Construction Product award, Thomas Lipinski of Green Structures, received a cheque for £5,000 from Green Shoots sponsor, Neil Morgan, Lead Technologist – Low Impact Buildings, Technology Strategy Board.

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More next week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns9jGWiF8d0

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Britain Wants “Warm Homes Greener Homes” – Hands out road map to get there

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Tomorrow I will do a piece on the ECOBuild Conference where this was announced in Britain but first the policy.

http://www.herefordshirenewleaf.org.uk/warm-homes-greener-homes-governments-strategy-household-energy-management

Warm Homes, Greener Homes: The Government’s strategy for Household Energy Management

Submitted by ali on Thu, 04/03/2010 – 11:53am

The Government has today published its Household Energy Management Strategy Warm Homes, Greener Homes, setting out its plans for meeting its target for a reduction of 29% in carbon emissions from the household sector. The strategy responds to the consultation conducted on Heat and Energy Saving last year.

The vision:

  • the intention is for every home where it is practical to have loft and cavity wall insulation by 2015;
  • every home in Britain to have a smart meter and display to help them better manage their energy use;
  • up to 7 million households to have had an eco-upgrade which would include advanced measures such as solid wall insulation or heat pumps alongside smart meters and more basic measures;
  • people living in rented accommodation to enjoy higher levels of energy efficiency as landlords – private and social – take action to improve the fabric of properties;
  • wider take up of district heating in urban areas, such as in blocks of flats, in new build and social housing, and in commercial and public sector buildings;
  • a core of up to 65,000 people employed in the new industry of energy efficiency, and potentially several times more down supply chains. Jobs will include installing and manufacturing energy saving measures or providing home energy advice.

Elements of the strategy:

  • New community partnerships and an enhanced role for local authorities, including from 2013, following CERT, a requirement on energy companies to consult with local authorities to deliver local area based programmes; and support for district heating. Where a local authority has a Local Carbon Framework covering household energy efficiency, companies will be obliged to agree with the local authority that their plans are in line with this framework before acting. Some local authorities may provide their own incentives, such as council tax rebates. The ambition in the longer term is that all authorities will take on responsibility for saving carbon from energy use in the homes in their area.

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Please read the rest of the article and go to these links to learn more:

To read the press release click here: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn2010_037/pn2010_037.aspx

For more details and to download the Strategy click here: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/consumers/saving_energy…

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More tomorrow

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Energy Home Improvements That All Utilities Should Offer

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This should be a bare minimum for all the utilities in the US.

http://www.progress-energy.com/custservice/carres/efficiency/programs/heip/index.asp
Benefits Details Contractors FAQ

Energy Efficiency: An investment with a guaranteed return

These days, everyone is looking to make solid financial decisions. One of the smartest ideas you can make? Improve your home’s energy efficiency. By saving energy, not only are you guaranteed a reduction in your energy bills, you’ll also be increasing your comfort and adding long-term value to your home. And using less energy means fewer emissions — which helps the environment.

If you’re interested in making your home more energy-efficient, look no further than our Home Energy Improvement Program. Through this new program, you can receive cash rebates from Progress Energy to help you increase your home’s energy efficiency, get a list of specially trained contractors you can use to complete your improvements, and learn more about the financial and other benefits of having an energy-efficient home.

The cash rebates can be used for the following improvements:

In addition to the cash rebates from Progress Energy, many of the improvements listed above may help you qualify for additional federal tax credit up to $1,500. For more details, visit ENERGYSTAR.gov. All in all, making your home more energy-efficient is one of the best financial decisions you’ll ever make. With the Home Energy Improvement Program, not only do you get assistance in paying for upgrades to your home’s energy efficiency, the increase in energy savings you’ll receive will reduce your energy bills for years to come.
After you mail the rebate form, invoice and any other required documentation per the rebate form to Progress Energy, rebate checks will be processed and mailed within four to six weeks of the request.

Home Energy Improvement rebate applications are valid for 90 days after the improvements are completed.  After 90 days, the improvements are no longer eligible for rebates from Progress Energy.

Please e-mail us if you have any questions.

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More tomorrow

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Take The Energy Pledge – But check appliance and other claims carefully

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As has been reported the Energy Star Program has some fraud going on.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/nb_10153_12605_NB_showPledge?adCell=W4

I will do my part to save energy and help fight global warming. I pledge to:

I pledge to…

Switch out at least one energy-inefficient light in my home with an ENERGY STAR qualified one. lights (max. 50)

learn more >

If every American home replaced just one light with an ENERGY STAR light, we would save about $700 million in annual energy costs while preventing 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to the emissions from about 800,000 cars.
Switch out my energy-inefficient appliances with ENERGY STAR qualified appliances for my kitchen and laundry (select all that apply):

learn more >

Sears has the largest selection of ENERGY STAR qualified appliances. If every refrigerator, dishwasher and clothes washer purchased in America this year were ENERGY STAR qualified, we would save $640 million in energy costs while preventing 4.5 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, equivalent to the emissions of 385,000 cars.
I plan to switch out the above appliance(s) within the next (select one):

learn more >

Sears is the first national retailer that is recognized as part of the Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) Program in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Refrigerators and room A/C units contain freon and are recycled through the RAD program. If every refrigerator being replaced was recycled properly, Americans would prevent 8 billion pounds of GHG emissions, equivalent to the emissions of 700,000 cars.
Switch out my energy-inefficient electronics with ENERGY STAR qualified electronics (select all that apply):

learn more >

Sears also has a large selection of ENERGY STAR qualified electronics. If all electronics purchased in America this year were ENERGY STAR qualified, we would save more than $300 million in annual energy costs while preventing 4 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, equivalent to emissions from more than 350,000 cars.
Optimize the energy-efficiency of my home heating and cooling. I will:
Switch out my energy-inefficient heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR qualified equipment (select all that apply):

learn more >

Sears provides both a wide variety of ENERGY STAR qualified heating and cooling equipment as well as servicing. If every American home optimized the energy efficiency of its heating and cooling system, sealed all obvious leaks and added insulation, we would save more than $15 billion in annual energy costs and prevent more than 75 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, equivalent to the emissions from more than 15 million cars.

learn more >

Sears will help you find and submit rebates available in your state to make sure you get the most money back on your purchase. Check out the Rebate Map on our website or ask a Sears Blue Crew Associate for information.

learn more >

Thanks to customers like you, Sears received the EPA’s 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award. Everyday more people choose a Sears ENERGY STAR QUALIFIED product and join millions of Americans, who prevented 45 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2009 alone with the help of ENERGY STAR qualified products. With more ENERGY STAR qualified appliances than anyone, the Responsible Appliance Disposal program, and hassle-free rebates, Sears makes going green easy.

Tell Us About Yourself

(Required) indicates a required field.






Would you like to receive quarterly emails from ENERGY STAR with energy savings tips?
Would you like to receive offers, updates and sale alerts from Sears?

Take the Pledge for a chance to win a suite
of Kenmore ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances.
See official rules See what you can win

By taking the Pledge, you acknowledge and agree that: 1) Your personal information submitted as part of the ENERGY STAR Pledge will be shared with both the EPA and with SEARS and 2) that EPA’s use of your personal information shall be governed by the EPA’s Privacy Policy, and Sears will handle your information in accordance with the Sears Privacy Policy.

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More tomorrow.

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Waste Heat To Electricity Through Silicon Nanowires

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It’s Jam Band Friday – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RupUECcyVow

What ever happend to a great innovative idea. In Early 2008 everyone was a twitter about this story. Why?  Because half to one third of the energy we generate is wasted. Then:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GadgetGuide/story?id=4173214&page=1

Scientists Claim Energy Breakthrough

Simple Device Converts Heat Directly to Electricity, Which May Mean No More Batteries

By LEE DYE
Jan. 23, 2008

Scientists are developing a new device that could have a profound impact on global energy supplies by converting wasted heat into electricity. It could potentially have an impact on everything from power plants to cell phones, and it came about because of a serendipitous discovery that had eluded scientists for half a century.

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, have found a way to use ordinary silicon to convert heat to electricity. The technique could mean that some day you will be able to recharge your cell phone with electricity produced by your own body heat, and enormous amounts of energy that is now wasted could be recycled.

“We feel that this is a breakthrough,” said Arun Majumdar, a mechanical engineer and materials scientist with joint appointments at the Berkeley lab and UC Berkeley. “I’m very excited about this.”

Astonishingly, Majumdar and his colleagues didn’t set out to achieve what they have done.

“It was serendipitous,” he said. “We never planned for it.”

And perhaps even more surprising, they did it with a material that most scientists thought would never work for this purpose — ordinary silicon, a cheap, abundant material that is the foundation for the multibillion-dollar semiconductor industry.

Majumdar and his fellow researchers, including chemist Peidong Yang, a noted leader in the rapidly growing field of technology at the incredibly small “nano” scale, reported on their work in the Jan. 10 issue of the journal Nature. It’s not clear yet why the device they have created works.

“We don’t have all the answers at this point,” Majumdar said. But laboratory experiments show that it does, indeed, work. At least on a small scale. The device, placed between a hot plate and a cold plate, produced enough electricity to power a light bulb, although they didn’t do that demonstration. Instead, they measured the current flowing from the hot plate toward the cold plate, and it was sufficient to claim success, he said.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PenutnCkyx8&feature=related

or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAF-cEThNWU&feature=related

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NoW:

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/silicon-heat-cheap-energy-gets-1-million/

News |  Energy Efficiency

Michael Kanellos: May 3, 2010

‘Silicon + Heat = Cheap Energy’ Gets $1 Million

Exotic waste heat startup Alphabet Energy gets more fun

Alphabet Energy, which says it can make electricity for around $1 a watt out of waste heat in factories or data centers, has raised $1 million from Claremont Creek Ventures and the CalCef Clean Energy Fund.

Waste heat — which is one of our favorites sources of energy here — essentially revolves around capturing heat from engines and machinery and using it to run things like water heaters or converting it into electricity. The U.S. consumes around 100 quads (100 quadrillion BTUs) of energy a year, and 55 to 60 quads get dissipated as waste heat, according to Arun Majumdar, the UC Berkeley professor who came up with a lot of the technology behind Alphabet (he now runs ARPA-E, the advanced projects group inside the Department of Energy). Thus, there is a lot of waste heat out there and it could be cheaper than solar. Alphabet estimates it could be a $200 billion market.

Heat-to-electricity can be accomplished in two ways. Companies such as Recycled Energy Development (RED) and Ormat have successfully retrofitted factories to capture waste heat, but these systems largely rely on mechanical engineering. Heat is captured and then channeled into productive uses. One of RED’s showcase projects — coming next year — is a system at West Virginia Alloys, a silicon manufacturer, that will generate 45 megawatts of electrical power from the waste heat generated by factory operations. The company uses 120 megawatts at the current time, but the waste heat system will effectively allow Alloys to recover about one-third of the power it now buys but wastes. Fuel cells can also be used to harvest waste heat.

Semiconductors could potentially be the next wave for the industry, and this is where Alphabet comes in. Traditional waste heat chips — heat goes in one side, electricity comes out the other — cost around $20 a watt and are made out of bismuth telluride. Alphabet won’t say what its semiconductor is made from, but sources say the chief material is silicon nanowires.

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More next week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nTcDU73gLs&feature=related

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More From The Gulf Gusher – This from Lean, one of my favorite groups

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I keep telling people that crude oil is really really toxic. No one really listens.

I know this is not centered and you can not read all the text. Tough. Go to our BB Refrigerator Magnets and click on Louisiana  Environmental Action Network to read the whole thing. Or better yet, go to their website and read the original if you are really interested…I think you get the drift from what you can see.

BP Makes Me Sick!

BP Makes Me SickAmazing! 57,264 people joined our “BP Makes Me Sick” coalition in only 4 days. As BP blocks Gulf clean-up workers from wearing respirators when dealing with harmful toxins, thousands of us are asking President Obama to step in. (Keith Olbermann explains the issue here.) The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Baton Rouge Advocate, and others all wrote about this new coalition!

We have momentum — can you help us reach 100,000 signers by joining our coalition today? Click here! (Then, forward to others!)

Today, we are proud to announce that our effort is endorsed by 50 partners across the nation. This includes:
  • Waterkeeper Alliance President Robert Kennedy Jr. and the Save Our Gulf Waterkeepers
  • Louisiana Environmental Action Network Executive Director Marylee Orr
  • Major Senate candidates — Roxanne Conlin (IA), Jack Conway (KY), Kendrick Meek (FL), and Elaine Marshall (NC)
  • 27 House candidates — including bold progressives Ann McLane Kuster (NH), Bill Hedrick (CA), David Segal (RI), and others (full list here)
  • 9 House members — including Carolyn Maloney (NY), Mary Jo Kilroy (OH), Jared Polis (CO), Chellie Pingree (ME), and Alcee Hastings (FL)
  • National organizations like Democracy for America, Color Of Change, and Commercial Fishermen of America

Please join our coalition and stand up for workers today — then, pass this email to others.
Press Coverage:
Louisiana Watermen Demand Proper Safety Equipment In Gulf Oil Cleanup
By Ryan Grimm
The Huffington Post
July 8, 2010

In the harried cleanup that followed the attack on downtown New York on September 11th, managers of the process famously failed to equip workers with protective gear, damaging countless lives of those who came to the rescue. Environmental advocacy groups and commercial watermen, who are more often joined in combat than alliance, have come together with bloggers and public officials to prevent the pattern from repeating in the Gulf.

Robert Kennedy Jr.’s Waterkeeper Alliance, the United Commercial Fisherman, the Louisiana Shrimp Association, Commercial Fisherman of America, the Nassau Sierra Club in Florida and the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, among dozens of others, are calling on BP to properly equip rescue workers mired in the toxic muck that has been spewing from the Gulf floor for nearly three months.

“We cannot let the denial of protective gear that hurt so many 9/11 clean-up workers happen again with the Gulf clean-up workers,” reads a statement signed by the groups, organized by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “President Obama and the federal government must demand that BP allow every clean-up worker who wants to wear respiratory protective equipment to do so — and ensure that workers get the equipment and training they need to do their jobs safely.”

The fishing organizations represent those who have been transformed into cleanup workers by the spill. A scientist with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network recently testified before Congress on the hazards of Gulf cleanup.

The groups are organizing an online petition at BPMakesMeSick.com, where a full list of the coalition, which includes local bloggers and national politicians such as Florida Democratic Reps. Alan Grayson and Kendrick Meek, can be found.

Go to the article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/louisiana-watermen-demand_n_639094.html

Gulf Fishermen, Bloggers, RFK Jr. Say “BP Makes Me Sick”
By Nancy Scola
Tech President
July 8, 2010

A growing coalition of local bloggers, elected officials, online organizers, workers, environmental groups, and public figures formally launched today a drive to get BP to allow workers wear health-saving protective gear as they go about cleaning up the Gulf coast.

The new BP Makes Me Sick Coalition is, it’s probably fair to say, the first high-profile push we’ve seen to use political organizing tactics, online and offline, to shape the ongoing disaster in the Gulf. The implicit tactic is to coalesce public opinion around a tangible idea — one itself important, but that stands for something bigger. The BP Makes Me Sick Coalition is a project spearheaded by the Progressive Change Coalition, with the backing of local groups like Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and Galveston Baykeeper, Gulf fishermen, local blogs like the Burnt Orange Report and Texas Kaos, local electeds like Reps. Alan Grayson (D-FL) and Kendrick Meek (D-FL), and national figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who helps head the New York-based environmental group Riverkeeper.

The group, explained PCCC’s Adam Green, started taking shape about two weeks ago, after Marylee Orr, the head of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, talked on Keith Olbermann’s MSNBC show about BP’s alleged efforts to prevent clean-up workers from wearing respirators on the job.

“It’s a choice between feeding their family, and not having money to feed their family,” Orr told Olbermann. “They’re willing to sacrifice their health to feed their family, and I think that’s tragic. When our fishermen folks had their respirators on, they were told to take them off, that they would be fired if they used them.” (Clip  here.) Through Orr, says Green, PCCC connected with local fisherman’s organizations. Through them, they reached out to local environmental groups, and on to Kennedy, who came aboard yesterday.

This being a PCCC joint, there’s also a strategic twist. The subtext of BP Makes Me Sick is using the relatively discrete matter of protective respirators to press President Barack Obama on his leadership in the Gulf — or, to flip it around, his supposed deference to BP. Fleshing out that angle is a note on the site echoing the George W. Bush-era: “We cannot let the denial of protective gear that hurt so many 9/11 clean-up workers happen again with the Gulf clean-up workers.”

At the moment, BPMakesMeSick.com features an online petition that anyone can co-sign.

Go to the article here: http://techpresident.com/blog-entry/gulf-fishermen-bloggers-rfk-jr-say-bp-makes-me-sick

NY DAILY NEWS: Group Demands BP Provide Cleanup Workers With Respirators
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2010/07/group-demands-bp-provide-clean.html

SAN FRAN CHRONICLE: Sources: BP threatens to fire cleanup workers who wear respirators
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?entry_id=67426#ixzz0t87rmAfd

DAILY KINGFISH: Kingfish joins coalition to protect cleanup workers
http://www.dailykingfish.com/diary/1575/kingfish-joins-coalition-to-protect-cleanup-workers
SaveOurGulf.orgVisit SaveOurGulf.org to get more information about the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster from Waterkeeper organizations across the Gulf Coast and donate to Save Our Gulf!

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More tomorrow.

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Carbon Neutral Homes – Look even though all these examples are for rich people

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It doesn’t need to be that way. Everyone can have carbon neutral homes if they just try.

http://www.greenspur.net/

“PROJECT OF THE YEAR”

National Association of Home Builders

CERTIFIED LEED PLATINUM

By fully integrating the design and the construction with the right products and services, GreenSpur can deliver cost effective and quality green building services from concept to completion. Green doesn’t have to look less and cost more.

GreenSpur delivers Carbon Neutral Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill Slide Show

Click Here

DSC_1092

Featured in Washington Spaces.

SOLD

4452

Through partnerships, good design, hard work, and some  common sense we can build a better tomorrow

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-518809/Britains-100-carbon-neutral-home-unveiled–flat-pack.html

Britain’s first 100% carbon neutral home unveiled – and it’s a flat-pack

Last updated at 14:59 26 February 2008

It is the ultimate flat-pack product – your very own house and not only that, but Britain’s first affordable, super-eco friendly home.

The timber-frame house was unveiled in London for the first time today, with its designers proclaiming it the beginning of a revolution in property design.

Starting off as a flat-pack collection of frames, the houses can be built in three weeks in the same way as putting together a product from Ikea – albeit a bit more involved.

They are also designed to be carbon neutral and meet the Government’s strictest energy efficiency code.

Rural Zed, the consortium behind “the homes of the future”, are taking orders for the £150,000, three-bedroom house now.

The company promises to deliver the properties in as little as three months.

Bill Dunter, director of Zed factory, which is part of the consortium, said: “This is a revolution in house building

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Q&A: Carbon-Neutral Homes

Last updated: 07-Dec-2006

Gordon Brown wants all new homes to be carbon neutral within ten years. But what is a carbon-neutral home? And where can you find one now?…

What does carbon neutral mean? Good question. The Chancellor didn’t spell it out, and the Treasury has yet to offer a definition.

So no one has a clue? Some people do. Eco-warriors will tell you it means creating energy-efficient buildings and producing energy for home heating, hot water and electricity using eco-friendly on-site technology.

So what does that mean? For a development to be zero energy there would have to be no fossil fuels used to provide the heating and electricity.

Typically, a carbon-neutral development would generate electricity using photovoltaic cells, wind turbines or biomass sources – such as a combined heat and power plant using woodchip fuel.

It is acceptable to use a combination of on-site and off-site renewable energy – so you could produce some yourself and use some from a green energy supplier.

Super efficient insulation and the use of efficient fittings and appliances to cut down on energy and water use are also de rigeur.

So it’s about living in energy-efficient homes? Partly. But serious eco-folk point out that the embodied energy used in the construction of a building is a fundamental issue.

So the homes would also need to be built using sustainable materials – local timber, for example, or recycled materials – and as much of it as possible would need to be local so you’re not wasting energy transporting it.

Anything else? Yes. If you really want to go the whole hog, your carbon-neutral idyll would also be interested in providing residents with sustainable transport, access to sustainable local food, and a green and pleasant environment.

That can mean car and cycle clubs, on-site food growing, and landscaping to promote biodiversity (eg: wildlife gardens and nest boxes).

Do you need to be a hippy? No. Perfectly ordinary people with crew cuts and sensible shoes live in eco-homes – so you won’t need to stock up on king sized Rizzlas and petulia oil.

The Telegraph recently published an article about an eco-development in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, with the tag line “sandal-wearers need not apply”

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I Promised Will Reynolds This Post – I saw Will last night at Jim’s thing

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Jim Johnston and Sustainable Springfield had the Smart Growth panel last night and I saw Will. A head slap moment occurred immediately, so here are the photos from the HIGH Speed Rail Corridor community input session on MAY 7!!!!! Yup 2 months late.

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Sorry for the size issues but it makes the map readable

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There is the whole thing. Then there were the key areas of concern. In nor particular order as they say.

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This is the last today…the post is getting long and I am still learning the new Word Press system for handling pictures…

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More tomorrow Will

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