Category Archives: cool sites

Louisiana Environmental Action Network’s Fundraiser Tomorrow

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I hope everyone who can go will go…

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Please join us at a special screening of the film:

SOLA Louisiana Water Stories
with
filmmaker Jon Bowermaster

and a


Louisiana Art Show
featuring:

Rhea Gary
CC Lockwood
Jeffrey Dubinsky
Jerry Moran
Kyle Jeffrey
Natalie Clay

Stefan Andermann

…and more!


First 50 people will receive a FREE DVD of a Jon Bowermaster film!

and
Live Louisiana Music
too!

at the
Manship Theater


September 24, 2010


Gallery opens at 6:00 p.m. – Film starts at 7:00 p.m.

SOLA, Louisiana Water Stories

The event will take place on September 24, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at the Manship Theater in Baton Rouge. For more information go to:

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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Foam Roofs – They’re better than tar and gravel

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This is so cool in so many ways. No heat absorption. High insulation values. Walkable. Why would anybody do anything else.

http://www.getwithgreen.com/2007/11/11/roofing-looking-for-an-eco-friendly-alternative-for-a-flat-roof/

ROOFING: Looking for an eco-friendly alternative for a flat roof?

November 11 2007

Do you have a flat roof, or an area of your roof that is flat?   Some of us do, and when you talk to almost any roofer they will give you standard options such as tar and gravel, or large asphalt sheets.  Both of which are not good for decreasing urban heat.   Well there is an option that is a bit greener.  Foam.  Yes a foam roof.

Cedric, and his wife Mai, in Redwood Shores, CA, recently installed their foam roof as an alternative to tar and gravel.  Using a product from Sierra Spray Foam Roofing the couple simply removed the gravel from their existing room, and applied the foam product from Sierra Spray.

spray foam green roof spray foam green roof alternative
OLD ROOF                                                              NEW ROOF

GetWithGreen.com does not know the chemical breakdown (environmental friendliness) of the actual foam contents itself, or its sustainability, but we like the other eco-friendly positives that Cedric and Mai talk about in their blog:

  • We didn?t need to rip out the existing roof, just to remove the gravel
  • The roof is white so it is a ?cool roof?, keeping our house cooler in summer and avoiding the ?urban heating? effect of dark roofs
  • The foam material provides both water-protection and insulation, thus improving the energy efficiency of our house
  • In 10 to 15 years when the roof needs to be redone, we simply need to add another layer of foam to give it another 10 to 15 years of life!

Cedric also tells GetWithGreen.com that the insulation value of the foam roof is extremely high because there is no air circulation at all — the whole roof is one piece.  The effective insulation of this roof is much higher than equivalent R value using traditional technologies that let some air circulate at the junctions between the insulation boards.   The roof can also be walked on.

Pricing:  $6 per square foot

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More tomorrow.

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Cleanest Cities In America According To Travel Girl- Grrl I mean

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Travel Grrl, You know the superhero travel agent that flies faster then a speeding Concorde. Well she had a little help from CNN, but I am sure these places are clean. It is just a list however..from 2007 so some of them could have gotten dirty…

http://www.ranker.com/list/cleanest-cities-in-the-us/travelgrrl

Cleanest Cities in the US Cities / Towns

Cleanest Cities in the US

By TravelGrrl

Based on CNN and travelandleisure.com 2007 poll of over 60,000 Americans.
  • 1
    Hennepin County,Minnesota
  • Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome,Lake Harriet,Lake of the Isles,Meeker Island Lock and Dam,Saint Anthony Falls,Target Center,Armatage, Minneapolis,Audubon Park, Minneapolis,Bancroft, Minneapolis,Beltrami, Minneapolis,Bottineau, Minneapolis,Bryant, Minneapolis,Bryn Mawr, Minneapolis,CARAG, Minneapolis,Cedar-Isles-Dean, Minneapolis,Centr
    151.255305644
    Central Time zone
  • 2
    Multnomah County,Oregon,United States
    Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland,Mill Ends Park,Oregon Health & Science University,PGE Park,Pioneer Courthouse,Rose Garden Arena,Arbor Lodge,Argay, Portland, Oregon,Arnold Creek,Ashcreek,Beaumont-Wilshire,Benson Hotel,Brentwood-Darlington,Bridgeton, Portland, Oregon,Bridlemile, Portland, Oregon,Brooklyn,Burnside Triangle,C
    376.584271243
    Pacific Time Zone
    1851-02-08
  • 3
    California,San Diego County,United States
    Cox Arena,Mission Bay Senior High School,Point Loma Nazarene University,University of California, San Diego,Berkeley,Estudillo House,Allied Gardens,Balboa Park,Black Mountain Open Space Park,Black Mountain Ranch,Cabrillo National Monument,Carmel Mountain Ranch,City Heights,Clairemont, San Diego, California,College Area,Colombia,Core,Del
    963.734575856
    Pacific Time Zone
  • 4
    Texas,Travis County,United States
    Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium,Lake Austin,Lake Travis,Mike A. Myers Stadium,Town Lake,UFCU Disch-Falk Field,Arnold Bakery,Austin Community College,Austin History Center,Austin State Hospital,A. J. Jernigan House,Blanton Museum of Art,Brizendine House,Brown Building,Bryker Woods,Camp Mabry,Canyon Creek,Carrington-Covert House,Cathe
    767.283977687
    Central Time zone
    1839-12-27
  • 5
    King County,United States,Washington
    Ballard,Capitol Hill,Qwest Field,South Lake Union,Space Needle,University of Washington,Arthur Foss,Atlantic, Seattle, Washington,Beacon Hill, Seattle, Washington,Belltown,Bitter Lake,Brighton,Broadmoor,Bryant,Cascade,Cedar Park,Central District, Seattle, Washington,Cherry Hill, Seattle, Washington,Crown Hill,Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen
    369.073305723
    Pacific Time Zone
    1851
  • 6
    Colorado,Denver,United States
    Cherry Creek Neighborhood,Denver Mint,INVESCO Field at Mile High,Pepsi Center,University of Denver,Washington Park, Denver,80204,Alamo Placita,Auraria, Denver, Colorado,Berkeley, Denver,Capitol Hill,City Park, Denver,Civic Center, Denver,Colorado Governor’s Mansion,Community College of Denver,Coors Field,CU Online,Denver,Downtown Aqua
    401.189158291
    Mountain Time Zone
    1858-11-22
  • 7
    Charleston County,South County
    Blackbaud Stadium,Charleston Southern University,Family Circle Magazine Stadium,Johnson Hagood Stadium,Market Hall and Sheds,Nathaniel Russell House,Charleston School of Law,Coming Street Cemetery,Dock Street Theatre,Gibbes Museum of Art,South Carolina Aquarium,College of Charleston School of Business and Economics
    461.276882451
    North American Eastern Time Zone
  • 8
    New Mexico,Santa Fe County,United States
    College of Santa Fe,Georgia O’Keeffe Museum,Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
    96.8655553266
    Mountain Time Zone
  • 9
    Hawaii,Honolulu County,United States
    Aloha Tower,Falls of Clyde,Hawaii Tokai International College,Les Murakami Stadium,Stan Sheriff Center,Waik?k?,Alewa Heights,Halawa,Hawaii Kai,Honolulu Zoo,Iroquois Point,Kahala,Kakaako,Kalihi,Kapolei,Makiki,Manoa,Moanalua,Moiliili,National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific,Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu,Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii,Salt L
    271.948751585
    Hawaii-Aleutian time zone
  • 10
    Cook County,Illinois,United States
    add comment
    Edison Park, Chicago,Lincoln Square,

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Do NOT, and I repeat do not ask me to explain this last choice… I was totally with it up until number 10. More tomorrow.

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The Cleanest Beaches Anywhere – I never expected there would be a website

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OK so I did the dirtiest beaches so now I have to reciprocate. Actually the dirtiest beaches were not all that dirty and were faulted mainly for not sending warning notices…though I know there are some in California where you are actually swimming in sewage. Then there are the people who swim off Long Island and New Jersey. Yuck.

http://www.cleanbeaches.com/index.html

CBC Releases List of Clean and Healthy Beaches
Gulf of Mexico Environmental Disaster Has Devastating Effect on Qualifying Coasts in Mississippi and Alabama

(Washington, DC) – The Clean Beaches Coalition released its annual list of beaches which have been officially certified as clean, healthy and environmentally well managed.  However, the ongoing Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster has had devastating effects on past qualifying shores in Mississippi and Alabama. Walter McLeod, founder of the Coalition noted, “My family has vacationed in the impacted region for years, and will continue to support a “special way of life” we have come to love.”

This year beaches in nineteen states and U.S. territories, including American Samoa, California, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, are on the list. (See complete list below).

For generations, American families have traveled to the shore for the simple pleasure of playing on sandy beaches, boating on the open seas, or swimming with our children.  Every year Americans make over 2 billion visits to ocean, gulf, and inland beaches.  Beach recreation and tourism are estimated to contribute over $640 billion annually to the U.S. economy. However, the environmental disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico will have devastating effects on our coastal heritage for generations to come.

“The devastation in the Gulf of Mexico has crystallized the importance of clean beaches to Americans” stated Walter McLeod, founder of the Clean Beaches Coalition.  He pointed to the Blue Wave Program as a symbol of the need to protect our beaches.  Blue Wave is the first environmental certification program for beaches in the U.S.  Now in its 11th year, the program is recognized as a reliable benchmark for well-maintained beaches.

Press Release/2010 Clean Beaches List

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Check it out. More tomorrow.

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How About Cleanest Cities – Forbes is at it again

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http://www.forbes.com/2007/04/16/worlds-cleanest-cities-biz-logistics-cx_rm_0416cleanest.html

Urban
Which Are The World’s Cleanest Cities?
Robert Malone, 04.16.07, 12:10 PM ET

pic
In Pictures: The World’s Cleanest Cities

There is clean and then there is clean. In the world, as a rule of thumb, the North is clean and the South is dirty. Indeed only two of the top-25 cleanest cities in the world are below the Equator–Auckland, New Zealand, and Wellington, New Zealand.

The cleanest cities are largely located in countries noted for their democracy and their industrialization. The only Asian cities represented are in Japan. There are no top-25 clean cities in South or Central America, Africa and Australia. The U.S. has five of the top 25; Canada, a strong five, with the top spot its city of Calgary; Europe has 11 of the top 25; and Japan has three.

The 25 cleanest cities are located in 13 countries. It may not be accidental that these countries are among the highest in purchasing power parity according to the World Development Indicator database of the World Bank. Twelve are in the top 20, and only New Zealand lags in wealth, at No. 37 on the list of world’s wealthiest. So clean may also mean well-off.

In Pictures: The World’s Cleanest Cities

To be clean a city has to face and solve many problems that otherwise lead to unsanitary conditions and poor health as well as possible economic stagnation. Producing energy for industry, homes and transportation has to be planned and executed reasonably, and this means some form of regulation and control.

To be clean means organizing what is done with waste. Landfills are being closed or filled up. Recycling is the only long-range answer, but this takes civic discipline, a system and preferably a system that turns a profit. Green only works well when it results in greenbacks.

In addition a city has to look closely at its transportation infrastructure (roads, rail, air, subways) and their impact upon being clean or going dirty or staying dirty. The logistics infrastructure is also critical in terms of efficiency that can translate into money and fuel savings that in turn affect cleanliness (air quality, water quality and ground quality).

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More tomorrow.

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Cleanest Places On Earth – I promised I would follow up

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I had my doubts on Friday whether I would find any lists of the cleanest anything. But if a polluter advocate like Forbes has them, everyone must.

Environment

The Cleanest Countries In The World

Christopher Helman, 04.21.10, 12:00 PM EDT

Europeans getting a shower of ash might disagree, but researchers rate Iceland tops in environmental performance.

Iceland is the cleanest country in the world. This may be hard to believe right now, what with the clouds of volcanic ash grounding flights across northern Europe, but according to researchers at Yale and Columbia universities, the Nordic island ranks first out of 163 countries on their Environmental Performance Index.

Researchers ranked countries based on 25 indicators, including water and air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and the impact of the environment on the health of the population. (For more detail on the methodology, click here.) A score of 100 is excellent. Sierra Leone ranks at the bottom of the list with a score of 32. The U.S. ranks in the middle of the pack with 63.5. Iceland took top honors with a score of 93.5 thanks to ample clean water, lots of protected nature areas, good national health care and a plenitude of usually clean geothermal power.

Slideshow: The World’s 10 Cleanest Countries

Will Eyjafjallajokull wreck Iceland’s rating the next time the academics run the numbers in 2012? The answer is no. “We do not score natural disasters,” says Daniel Esty, a professor of environmental law at Yale who heads up the EPI and wrote the acclaimed book Green to Gold. The index is weighted to metrics that track how governments are performing relative to environmental policy goals, such as access to adequate sanitation and water, habitat protection and industrial emissions. The amount of sulfur dioxide released from fuel usage counts, not what’s put out by volcanoes.

There are two paths that can take a country to the top of the EPI rankings. First, a country could be gifted with a rich endowment of clean water, diverse biology and not have sullied it with rampant industrialism. That’s how Cuba, Colombia and Costa Rica placed so high.

Alternatively, a country could have industrialized and polluted its environment, but eventually gotten rich enough to start cleaning it up. That’s the case with the European countries that make up more than half of the top 30.

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More Tomorrow

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I Wish Illinois Cared For Us As Much As California Does – Sniff

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It’s Jam Band Friday..Yippe…Yahoo – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EapcVSB7U4U

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http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/tips/index.html

California Energy Commission Consumer Energy Center

tips page graphic 1 tips page graphic 2 page title
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www.consumerenergycenter.org / tips

CONSUMER TIPS to $AVE ENERGY AND MONEY

Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency are two sides of the same coin. Most people think they mean the same thing, but they don’t.

Energy conservation means reducing the level of energy use by turning down a thermostat, or turning off a light, or turning up the temperature of your refrigerator.

Energy efficiency means getting the same job done while using less energy. Efficiency is usually done by replacing an older, less efficient appliance with a new one.

In this section, you’ll find both energy conservation and efficiency tips for your home, office, school, car or truck, and other areas.

You’ll learn how to get your home ready for summer or winter. You’ll learn how to be prepared in case the power goes out. And you’ll learn some interesting facts about energy.

TIPS FOR YOUR SCHOOL

Energy Tips for Schools
TIPS FOR YOUR VEHICLE

Energy Tips for Your Vehicle

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More next week.

He is so good- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSZzvTQiy4w

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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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Illinois Stewardship Alliance – Wonderful food, great people

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Harvest Dinner: A Celebration of Local Farmers and Local Chefs
Enjoy an early fall FEAST and support Illinois Stewardship Alliance!
We invite you to join us for a special Harvest Dinner to celebrate the abundance of local food prepared by talented local chefs. With scrumptious small plates prepared featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients, you won’t find a more delicious way to support local food and farming in Illinois.
Sunday, September, 19
5:00 p.m.
Inn at 835
835 S. Second St., Springfield
Harvest Dinner: A Celebration of Local Farmers and Local Chefs

Featured Chefs:

Michael Higgins, Maldaner’s Restaurant
August Mrozowski, Augie’s Front Burner
Robb Wyss, Illini Country Club
Zack Holston, Inn at 835
Lincoln Land Culinary Arts Students
Get Tickets:
Individual Individual Ticket $65
“Harvester” Ticket $90 (Includes a seat at a table with Celebrity Chef or Celebrity Farmer and Illinois Wine Courses)
Make checks payable to Illinois Stewardship Alliance and mail to: 401 W. Jackson Pkwy, Springfield, IL 62704
or pay online by clicking here.
Silent Auction:
Help Illinois Stewardship Alliance raise funds, demonstrate your commitment to sustainable food and farm systems in Illinois and get a treat for yourself, friends or family.
If you would like to donate to the silent auction, please contact Dee at (217) 528-1563 or isa@ilstewards.org.
Here are suggestions of silent auction items you could donate:
Silent Auction Items
Locally Produced Food Items
Gift Certificates
Artwork
Gardening/Farming Related Items
Farm Tours
Dinner for Two (or Breakfast or Lunch)
B & B Stays
Gift Baskets
Massage Gift Certificates

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nuff said

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More Tomorrow

oh these folks asked for a link so here it is:

www.platts.com

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The Intelligent Optimist – Who knew

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Pretty cool magazine and pretty cool article:

http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/64/passive-power-house/

Passive House: Super energy efficient housing

Ursula Sautter | June/July 2009 issue

The Smith House, in Urbana, Illinois, “has a simple, compact shape that conserves energy,” says its architect, Katrin Klingenberg.
Photo: Passive House Institute US

How a new kind of home which produces more energy than it consumes, can drastically reduce fuel bills and CO2 emissions. Governments around the world are scrambling to address the twin crises of our times—the recession and climate change—by investing in infrastructure and green energy projects. The Obama administration’s stimulus package, for example, contains billions in incentives for alternative power sources and energy-efficiency increases affecting millions of homes. The question is how to identify “shovel-ready” projects that can quickly deliver the economic boost and CO2 reductions we so urgently need. Rolf Disch, an architect and environmentalist in Freiburg, Germany, has an answer: houses that produce more energy than they consume.

“What if each house became a power plant, if it created even more energy than it used internally?” Disch, 65, first asked himself 15 years ago. To design that home, he built on the ideas of the “passive house” movement that started in Europe in the early 1990s. Instead of relying on the electricity grid for power, a passive house taps available energy sources—sunlight, the body heat of occupants, even the thermal gains created by ordinary domestic activities such as cooking, bathing and using electrical appliances. The building is well-insulated and airtight so it retains most of this energy and, through highly efficient heat-exchange ventilation technology, uses it to cool itself in summer and heat itself in winter. The houses are called “passive” because most of the power consumed is collected from ambient energy in the environment. When extra juice is needed, renewable power units supply it, like the solar array on the roof of the residential and commercial complex Disch built in Freiburg in 2004.

“I only ever had to switch on the heating once,” says Stefan Sattler, a 32-year-old lawyer who has rented a penthouse in the Disch-designed complex since October of 2007. Even then, Sattler only needed the extra heat—purchased from the local heating grid—for two or three hours. Since he and his fellow residents sell the surplus energy produced by the building’s solar panels back to the city’s utility provider at a profit, Sattler is one of the few people who opens his utility bills with real glee. He’s earning money from solar power rather than paying for oil or gas. The average unit in the Freiburg complex earns $5,075 a year this way instead of spending $4,625.

Passive homes can save consumers a bundle in fuel bills—and the planet even more in CO2 emissions. According to the German Passive House Institute (PHI), founded by physicist Wolfgang Feist, who co-created the passive house concept, energy consumption can be reduced by up to 90 percent compared to average homes, up to 75 percent compared to newer buildings. While an existing home uses some 160 kilowatt-hours in heating energy per square meter of living space (kwH/m2) annually, residences built to the passive house standard use a maximum 15 kwH/m2.

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More Tomorrow

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