An End To Range Anxiety
New research finds electric cars can go the distance
March 31, 2015
Citi Bike 3.0
Idealsim Has Nothing To Do With It
Remember what Mae West said about goodness when naming the climate action that will make a difference
Chongqing: Urbanization Today
Get acquainted with Chongqing, China the mega-city you never heard of
March 30, 2015
Climate Fact Of The Day
There is at least $1.4 trillion in property within 660 feet of the U.S. coast
Science At Work: Cold Winter Anomaly
A hypothesis about why the northeast winter of 2014-2015 winter was crazy cold, while the rest of the planet set heat records
Can't Make This Stuff Up
Lighting By Numbers
Candlelight's romantic but it doesn't compete for energy efficiency with LEDs -do the math
Urban Traffic Jammed
A 1920s plan wanted to solve #NYC's traffic problems by running a highway on rooftops http://t.co/tZq8KATZcY pic.twitter.com/nJnHJ8UFeQ
— Alessandra Potenza (@ale_potenza) March 30, 2015Follow The Carbon Money
China: Capping Coal Use...
...will create many more new jobs in renewable, clean energy & energy efficiency industries than those lost in the traditional coal mining & coal-intensive industries
UN: Green Fund For Coal Burning Is OK
Solar Impulse Update
Leaving Mandalay, Myanmar for Chongqing, China, keep up with the round the world trip of a 100% solar-powered plane
March 27, 2015
70x50
Energy industry expert views on what it will take to reach 70% renewable electric power by 2050
Passive In NY
The Passive House in New York
http://t.co/l9SVfjDP2Y
#passivhaus #energy #housing #efficiency pic.twitter.com/1SCYlqwSvL
— CECHR (@CECHR_UoD) March 27, 2015Week's Best Headline
When it comes to investment strategies that are guided by sustainability metrics "Saints beat sinners again for best stock picks"
Sinners Repent
The head of the Episcopal Church decries people who deny climate change based on "political interests" or "willful blindness".
NY Gets AGILe
New York will build the world's most up to date smart energy lab, AGILe, where public agencies & private companies can test out new electricity transmission & distribution technologies
More Funding For Northeast Rail
New York Congressmember Jerrold Nadler makes the increased funding case for Amtrak's heavily-traveled northeast corridor
Climate Whatchamacallit
The pen is not as mighty as politics when it comes to prevailing on climate action
March 26, 2015
10 Best Cities For The Carless
NYC leads the list, but there are nine more great cities for mass transit, biking & walking
Go Further, Carbon Free
RT "@DiscoverMag: Soon you’ll be able to take a balloon ride to the edge of space: http://t.co/oKdDnujRJ1 pic.twitter.com/3uI4vVj8PD
— Karla Segura Ch. (@CRKARLA) March 26, 2015Tea Power To The People
Tea Party leader Debby Dooley is a big supporter of distributed energy who works with the Sierra Club on a Florida rooftop PV ballot initiative
China: Green Bonds And Oversight
Realizing China's potential to become a big green bond market, third-party regulators to supervise green bond issuers & buyers, and to verify the proceeds actually go to environmental project will be needed
Carbon Stays In The Picture
The IEA predicts by 2040, the world’s energy supply mix divides into four almost-equal parts: oil, gas, coal
and low-carbon sources.
Bright Prospects For NY Solar
Good news about the growth of solar power in NY
Washington DC: Energy Starriest
Washington DC is the #1 Energy-Star city in the US
Sweden: Less Than Zero
Reversing the norm of energy-slurping data centers, Sweden is building the world's first carbon-negative facility
UK: GHG Emissions Drop A Lot
A drop of 8.4% for UK GHG emissions in 2014 is reported, with the biggest decline from less coal-burning at power plants
NYC Adds EV's To The Mix
NYC goal: 30% reduction in CO2 fleet emissions by 2017 by adding electric vehicles to fleet http://t.co/Yry6BYURPL pic.twitter.com/Jn13BYR7va
— IEA (@IEA) March 25, 2015Australia: Missing The Renewables Boom
Australia's MIA climate policy linked to MIA investments in the renewable energy business, just as coal prices sag
March 25, 2015
A Powerful Thought Experiment
What if a 'civic energy sector' ran tomorrow's electric system based on distributed, low carbon energy?
Introduction To The B Corp
Want to do well by doing good? Here's how
Environmentalism And Empathy
Based on surveys of European residents, those concerned with protecting the environment show distinct psychological traits
Stockholm: Go Walk About
How Stockholm became the ultimate walkable city http://t.co/DwFFt0iSMu pic.twitter.com/1mDpz8L9Wm
— CityLab (@CityLab) March 24, 2015Mind The Storage Gap
California's green energy boom has a problem, lack of storage capacity for all that electricity
An Endangered Species
Meet Bob Inglis a conservative ex-House member & strong supporter of a carbon tax to combat climate change
Climate Committment Failure
Most big polluting nations will miss a March 31 deadline for submitting plans to the UN for cutting carbon emissions
Clean Air At The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court hears argument on March 25 over the role of industry costs when the EPA makes rules limiting toxic air pollutants. Some facts to consider about the mercury rule and some questions raised by the justices
No More Cheap Coal
The royalty for mining coal on government lands hasn't changed since 1976, now's the time to charge coal's real cost
March 24, 2015
What's Glittering Now
China: Carbon Hero v Carbon Zero
What's the right way to describe China's power supply system?
Carbon Capture Update
The realities of carbon capture technology show how tough is is for fossil-fueled power plants to get green
Bonding With Green Bonds
The corporate green bond market is expected to hit $30 billion this year
Beijing: War On Coal
Beijing will shut its last big coal-burning power plants in 2016
New Congestion Pricing Fan
Manhattan Institute's Nicole Gelinas defines functional mass transit as a NYC necessity & calls congesting pricing a necessary way to fund it
Words To Live By; Danny Schechter, News Dissector
“All I seem to have these days is this keyboard to crank out more condemnations and calls to action, knowing full well, as I do it, that I don’t know what else to do. I am compelled to make media, compelled to do what I can, thinking modestly that perhaps somewhere, in hearts I don’t know, words or images can still stir souls to rise.” Danny Schechter 1942-2015
Tabloid Green
Brooklyn's pot-growing, maraschino cherry factory received $2 million in energy efficiency & Sandy relief funds
Kick Out Koch
Climate scientists & advocacy groups urge America's premier science museums to unseat David Koch from their Boards of Directors
Austin: Ending Energy Poverty
Highlighting programs that help alleviate energy energy poverty in Austin, TX
Where LED's Are Unloved
Some Brooklyn residents are unhappy with their new LED street lights
March 23, 2015
A Sci-Fi Scenario
Scientists fear melting Arctic ice could alter the Gulf Stream, with potentially dire consequences for all
China: Bullish On Renewables
China will buy all the renewable power domestically generated
Transparent Power
Transparent solar power cells could make everything from skyscrapers to iPhones electric generators
Rewable Energy, The Market And The Grid
What lessons are being learned at this teachable moment?
Chicago: Urban Testbed
A university-industry partnership wants Chicago as a testbed for new urban infrastructure
Resiliency: Grassroots And Global
If resiliency is the solution to NYC climate change risks, just what does it mean?
The Mussel: NYC Hero
More mussels in New York Harbor might be the city's best protection against ravages of the next Sandy
Coal Company Shocker
What explains coal companies' public climate-denialist statements and their federal SEC filings which acknowledge climate science?
Maine Guts Energy Efficiency Funds
A $38 million cut to Maine's energy efficiency programs blamed on faulty legislative drafting
March 21, 2015
The Law And Obama's Clean Air Plan
Harvard law professors debate the constitutionality of Obama's plan to cut power plant carbon emissions (Hint: EPA’s power plant rule sets carbon intensity targets for each state, which they can achieve using whatever measures they prefer, including by substituting natural gas for coal, using more renewable energy, and investing in energy efficiency)
EU: Carbon Price Up, Coal Price Down
EU carbon emissions permits rise 8.8% while coal price drops to a 7-year low
March 20, 2015
Oakland: An Ode To Biking
Making the case for making Oakland CA a world-class biking city
Learn Who's Disinvesting
Track the US universities, cities, religious institutions, & foundations selling off their fossil fuel investments
Welcome To The Neighborhood
Get acquainted with Transition Neighborhoods and make your neighborhood more sustainable & resilient
France: Re-Roofing
New French buildings in commercial areas must have roofs partly covered with plants or PVs
Vanishing Man-Made Wilderness in NYC
Take a virtual tour of Hunter's Point before it's retamed or go visit this weekend!
Costa Rica: All Renewable In 2015
Since January 1, Costa Rica has gotten its electricity from 100% renewable hydro & geothermal power
Europe: Solar Eclipse Solar Worries
Europe's solar eclipse, which generated worries about solar power disruptions, passed without harm in the UK
REV's Climate Implications
The emerging landscape for New York's electric power system has big climate implications to be spelled out in the REV Track 2 document
NYC Council - Climate Activist
NYC climate activists have high hopes for NYC Council climate activism
March 19, 2015
Fishable/Swimmable Soon
Arctic sea Ice maximum for 2015 is lowest on record: http://t.co/QmcKVfmBo8 pic.twitter.com/5yf1S3qHzn
— NASA Goddard Images (@NASAGoddardPix) March 19, 2015White House Blogs On Wind Power
With 600,00 new jobs and $108 billion saved by reducing health & economic damage caused by dirty air, wind power could do a lot for the US by 2050
Seize The Day
Will energy efficiency projects make the most of today's investment opportunities?
January/February Set Heat Record
Except for the northeastern US the first two months of this year are the warmest on 1981-2015 global record
Buffett: Murky On Climate
World famous businessman Warren Buffet gives mixed signals on climate change
Carbon Disinvestment - Meh
Is there a credible alternative to The Guardian fossil fuel disinvestment campaign?
No Climate Plan, No FEMA Money
States lacking climate hazard mitigation plans will not qualify for FEMA disaster preparedness funds
Keep Carbon Cheap
GOP House Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman says gas tax hike is DOA
NY Path To Offshore Wind
How to cut the cost offshore wind power costs and make it a renewable energy contender in NY
Not Everyone's A YieldCo Fan
Are yieldco's a boon or a bane for renewable energy investments?
March 18, 2015
Guide For The Antarctic Ice Perplexed
This is climate skeptics' top argument about Antarctica - and why it's wrong http://t.co/lshYwk3aam pic.twitter.com/RKRGJEB4vh
— Post Green (@postgreen) March 18, 2015A Smoggy Day In Paris Town...
The Brooklyn Strand
See the first draft of a greenway for downtown Brooklyn
Regulatory Evolution
Electric utilities (dinosaurs) seek regulatory protection against upstart renenwable energy providers (mammals), get evolved and click here
South Africa: Pension's Solar Investment
A publicly owned South African pension fund puts $1.8 billion into utiity-scale solar power plants
International Carbon Action
Quebec & California hold their first joint carbon emissions permits auction
Elevator Shafts=Heat Waste
Open elevator shaft vents waste heat & money in NYC apartment buildings
Get A Horse — Just Kidding
WNYC's Brian Lehrer leads conversation with Gene Russianoff about why NYC subway rush hour service has been so bad this winter.
Compare Building Rating Systems
Explore this interactive on-line tool to compare building energy/water disclosure data in diverse jurisdictions
At Last, Making Parked Cars Useful
NYC: Changing parked cars from liability to asset since 2007. 9th Ave protected lane, the nation's first #tbt streets pic.twitter.com/GVIDU29BSz
— Janette Sadik-Khan (@JSadikKhan) March 12, 2015March 17, 2015
Obama Sees Hope
President Obama is confident that Republicans will take action on climate change because voters will insist on it
Solar: Cheaper Than Grid Power
Today, solar power is cheaper in 30 countries than power bought from the grid
NYC On Leading Edge At Grid Edge
Is NYC becoming best in class for distributed power & energy storage at the grid edge?
What Makes Weather Weird
How Arctic warming could be altering the jet stream & boosting weird weather
Yes Or No
Do we know how to grow the economy while making steep cuts in carbon emissions?
Germany: EV Plan On Ice
State governments reject a federal corporate tax break proposal to encourage the purchase of EVs
Dow Does Wind
Dow Chemical contracts for 200 MW of wind power every year for a corporate facility in Texas
Solar Optimist For Cities
How utility scale solar installations can power cities
March 16, 2015
Why Disinvest
Full homepage takeover. Keep it in the ground. http://t.co/VMj3bXP2m2 pic.twitter.com/N6jbLJWyW2
— Aron Pilhofer (@pilhofer) March 16, 2015Al Gore Sees Hope
In the fast-paced adoption of renewable energy and efficiency measures, Al Gore sees signs for climate hope
Future Utility Models
Everything you want to know about Distributed System Platform Providers (DSPPs) and how it differs from today's utility model. Watch full event video.
How To Decarbonize
Another chapter in the fierce debate over the primacy of regulation v technology advances for making impactful cuts in our energy intensity
Solar Biz: Utillity Critic Morphs
SolarCity, critic of old-style utilities, enters the business as a stand-alone microgrid energy provider
Locally Sourced Wind Power
A locally planned wind farm project near Ithaca, NY would be the first of its kind in the state
Facing Flooding In Florida
Will necessity be the mother of invention for adapting to coastal flooding in Florida
March 12, 2015
Guide For The REVplexed
Wrap your brain around Track 1 of the NY REV with its vision of reinventing the electric power system
What Investors Want
Standardization is the key to investor confidence in green building projects
EU: 3 Cheers For 4 Nations
Sweden, Bulgaria, Estonia, & Lithuania meet or beat their EU renewable power goals ahead of schedule
Recipe For Urban Parklets
What are the best ingredients for producing successful urban parklets?
London: Decarbonize The Pension Fund
By a non-binding vote the London Assembly tells the Mayor to divest pension assets from fossil fuel firms
Merchants Of Climate Denialism
A who's who list of think tankers, academics & consultants that sought to derail climate documentary Merchants of Doubt
New Delhi: Data Delayed Is Data Denied
Deliberate delays in releasing New Delhi air pollution data raises concerns
100% Renewables Now
Is there a plausible path to 100% renewable energy now?
Thought For The Day
You can't 'believe' in climate change, it's scientific fact, not religion
March 11, 2015
If At First You Don't Succeed...
A bill to foster energy efficient buildings is being re-introduced in the Senate, after several tries since 2011
Not Your Mama's North Pole
The Arctic's importance grows as temperatures rise, ice melts and rivals exploit resources http://t.co/ci4NscDBWt pic.twitter.com/yU9CG5Fsmi
— Financial Times (@FT) March 11, 2015The Business Case For Dumping Carbon
Hanging on to carbon assets is a bad business proposition for long-term investors
A Thought Experiment
What would it take for solar energy to overtake natural gas as the biggest electric power fuel in the US?
Eco-Scoring The City Council
Environmental ratings of NYC Council members, from 100 down to 42
US: 26-28x25
In a lead up to the UN Paris climate negotiations, the US targets a 26-28% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and how it will get there
California: 50x30
Governor Brown has has plan for how California could get 50% of its power from renewables by 2030
Hawaii: 100x40
Hawaii could get 100% of its power from renewables by 2040, if promising legislation becomes law
March 10, 2015
Heat Pumps 101
Interested in locally-sourced renewable energy? check out heat pumps
China: The Costs Of Combatting Pollution
Passing pollution control laws is just one step in China's need to remake its model of economic growth
Wind Power Race: Germany v UK
How Germany could overtake the UK as the dominant offshore wind power producer
Fossil Fuels - Not So Hot
In 2014, new wind & solar power capacity outstripped new fossil-fueled power plants, but remain a tiny par of the total energy picture
Don't Be Evil Dumb
Is Google planning for #climate change? Their new headquarters & the threat of sea-level rise http://t.co/RGAzf71tM9 pic.twitter.com/8gfzsIiXiM
— Peter Gleick (@PeterGleick) March 5, 2015Students Rate City Streets
Students from Bushwick give NYC streets a grade of "Incomplete" for cleanliness
UK: Green Bond Pledge
If elected, the UK Labor Party pledges the Green Investment Bank will oversee new “green bonds”, which could yield higher rates of return than many traditional methods of saving.
Science At Work: Weird Winters
Warmer tropical oceans identified as the culprit in cold/wet east coast winters & warm/dry west coast winters, but author stipulates he's not "address[ing] the question of whether the probability or intensity of this pattern might be influenced by global warming."
Measuring Urban IQ
March 09, 2015
Questioning The NY REV
Will New York's Reforming The Energy Vision (REV) policy hinder energy efficiency efforts?
EU: Sino-Climate Diplomacy
Climate & energy diplomacy will be central to the EU's relationship with China in 2015
Nasty News For Coastal Cities
Today's #ClimateConnect: Coastal #flooding on sunny days becoming much more common @noaaocean http://t.co/GJ0d5n5Q1s pic.twitter.com/Wo3hRIHJin
— Yale Climate Project (@YaleClimateComm) March 9, 2015Florida: Climate Talk Gag Order
Employees of Florida's Department of Environmental Protection are ordered not to use the term 'climate change' or "global warming'
Climate Lethargy Diagnosis
The historic coincidence of an economic oligarchy & a climate crisis blocks channels of change says Naomi Klein
Texas: Wind-Power Leader
What happens when wind power become a bargain
A Call To NYC Sustianability Action
It's time for Mayor de Blasio to build on the momentum of NYC's sustainability plan
Australia: Carbon Neutral Cities
Sydney's city government is carbon neutral and so is Melbourne's
Japan: Solar Power From Space
March 06, 2015
Cooling The Urban Heat Island
The latest on the contestfor ideas that work in Cambridge, MA
Getting The Best Solar Deal
How to get better deals on solar panels and installations
Reaching Solar Socket Parity
What is socket parity and why is this good news for solar power?
March 05, 2015
Office Illumination
It takes a lot of work to light Seattle & NYC offices only using natural light
Around The World In A Solar Plane
D-4! 35,000Km, 25 flight days & 12 legs on #solar power only, from #AbuDhabi to #AbuDhabi! pic.twitter.com/25egCeHZuI
— SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) March 5, 2015Science At Work: War And Climate Change
Get a taste of the methodological controversy stirred up by a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that inks the Syrian war to climate-change stressors
China: The Less Coal Goal
China tackles its coal problem with targeted zero-growth in coal burning and shaving its overall energy intensity
Renewable Energy Law Survives
A Colorado Senate effort to repeal the state's renewable energy requirements is shot down in the House
Congestion Pricing DIY
How NYC could achieve the goals of congestion pricing without having to get Albany's ok
Northern Ireland: A Solar First
Northern Ireland's first community-owned solar project is seeking investors
Signs Of Climate Realignment
The ClearPath Foundation could lead the way for moderates & conservatives who want to take action on climate change
Let's Hear It For Hoboken
Why the UN calls Hoboken, NJ a model for urban flood resiliency
March 04, 2015
UK: Focus On Climate Tech
Green technology will be as key as international agreements for tackling climate change says top UK negotiator
McConnell To Clean Power - No
Senate Majority Leader McConnell urges states to not write rules to comply with the EPA's plan for curbing power plant carbon emissions
Open Patents: Hype? Hope?
Look under the hood of Tesla's EV & Toyota's fuel cell open patent pledges
Past Performance is Not Indicative Of Future Results
"It took less than an hour to make the atoms, a few hundred million years to make the stars and planets, but five billion years to make man!" George Gamow, physicist and cosmologist (4 Mar 1904-1968)
Germany: Share For Climate Action
Germany rolls out an EV-sharing plan at key urban transit hubs
Japan: Utilities Dim On Solar Power
Japanese utilities try to halt an emerging solar power boom
Sydney: Green Leases For All
How can small-scale office renters get into the green lease arena where everyone's a winner?
Urban Composting Catches On
With San Francisco & Seattle composters in the lead, other cities can catch up on kitchen efficiency
Rx For Offshore Wind Woes
What can save the US offshore wind industry?
March 03, 2015
Washington: Code Green
Learning from the greening of Washington D.C.'s construction code
Hotter Summers In The Cities
Urban areas hit by increasing number of heat waves pic.twitter.com/YyP9vZHeLV http://t.co/RznGuTzEgR
— Reporting Climate (@Reportingclimat) March 3, 2015Hawaii: Solar Struggle Continues
In the latest fight over the future of rooftop PV, Hawaii's regulator orders the electric company to OK more applications
Google Campus 2.0
From movable buildings to solar canopies, the redesigned Google HQ in California will be something else
A History Of French Nuclear Power
Oslo: Coal Sell-Off
Oslo's pension fund to sell off $7 million in coal company investments
China: The Clean Air Contradiction
Scientists raise concerns that China's efforts to cut urban air pollution could worsen carbon emissions & cite need for pricing them
Bank Of England Warns On Fossil Fuels
Insurance companies with fossil fuel investments face huge risks from action on climate change
Hurdles For Thriftier Energy Users
Why don't utility customers love time-of-day pricing?
Climate Invesment Advice
Institutional investors should put money in green bonds, but give fossil asset disinvesting a miss
NY: What Utilities Can't Do
In a major REV order, New York's Public Service Commission draws a bright line between utilities & ownership of renewable energy assets and to dig even deeper on distributed energy click here
March 02, 2015
India: Double The Coal Tax
Indian PM Modi proposes to double taxes on coal production & advance renewable energy
Climate: Shock And Tax
If ending our fossil fuel addiction will be hard, what does that imply for taxing carbon?
Science At Work: The Faux Pause
Climate scientist Michael Mann explains what's wrong with denialists' claims that the world isn't heating up
Cape Wind: Not Dead Yet
Was January's obituary for the off-shore Cape Wind project premature?
Sweden: Build A Better Data Center
Plans for the world's first carbon negative data are underway in Sweden
Boston: Living With Water
Design finalists in the Boston resiliency design competition
Switzerland: First On Climate Pledge
The upcoming UN climate talks get their first GHG-cutting commitment, Switzerland
How To Decide Who's An Expert
To neutralize biases that skew our thinking, motivated reasoning -- trust the scientific community as a whole but not necessarily any individual scientist -- is a good guide
Powering NY - Going Mega For Micro
Expect microgrids to play a big role in New York's future power supply system