Pathways To Go From Brown To Green
What are we learning about the pathways + policies for making existing buildings better energy performers?
November 30, 2017
Tesla-Skeptics
Some experts doubt that the batteries for powering Tesla's newest cars are feasible
A NJ Thought Experiment
Imagine turning the Meadowlands into a climate change national park
A NJ Thought Experiment
Imagine turning the Meadowlands into a climate change national park
Boston: Voluntary Resilience
Can Boston succeed in preparing for climate change impacts by way of voluntary resilience standards?
SOSS - Save Our Subway System
Creating a new state-controlled public benefit corporation responsible for rebuilding the NYC subway system is urged by the Regional Plan Association
November 29, 2017
Benchmarking Gains Clout In Chicago
#Chicago is first U.S. city to create a public Energy Rating system to drive transparency and #EnergyEfficiency: https://t.co/CGtjEiVbwk @SustainChicago #Cities4Climate pic.twitter.com/ggS90NjOeb
— C40 Cities (@c40cities) November 29, 2017
Climate Change And Credit Downgrades
Moody's warns US coastal cities to lower climate risks or face credit downgrades, cites like NY will have to do more than dump their fossil fuel investments
US: Stuck In Fossil Times
While India uses big data to grow its economy + decarbonize its power supply, The Donald clings to Fossil Times
November 28, 2017
Today's Climate Question
Can you name the one climate-friendly international treaty Trump supports?
Parking Spots v Faster Bus Rides
Boston considers swapping curbside parking for dedicated bus lanes
Waste Should Never Be In Fashion
Stella McCartney urges the fashion industry to end its wasteful ways
A Real 21st Century Question
Is 3D printing the future for rolling out super-tall wind turbine powers?
Canada: Polluters Might Pay
The Trudeau government introduces legislation to put a price on carbon emissions
Oil Pipeline - Big Leaker
Spills from the TransCanada Keystone oil pipeline into the US are much higher + more frequent than predicted by owner
Wendy Talks TED
Watch Wendy Brawer's TED talk, she's the founder of Green Maps
November 27, 2017
No Garbage
Inventing the circular economy where nothing's wasted
Drowning By Flood Insurance
As flood insurance costs spiral up in coastal cities, what should Congress do?
Learn Differently
A revolution in education is a must for a sustainable economy, schooling must meet newly emergent needs
NRP Wins Access to FEMA Flood Info
A court orders FEMA to release flood program lawsuit documents to National Public Radio
Close The Biking Gender Gap
I probably don't NEED to say that this was one of my favorite pieces to work on, but I'll say it anyway. Thank you @rosie_bo @juliewood @RoxburyRides @GetWomenCycling and all of the other rad women cyclists I know who inspired me to write this.https://t.co/hCrQMpL8KK
— eillie anzilotti (@eillieanzi) November 27, 2017
Puerto Rico: Could Lead US On Solar
Will solar power be a key to rebuilding a Puerto Rico ravaged by Hurricane Maria?
November 24, 2017
Australia: Fast Storage
Tesla installed 100MW of lithium ion battery storage at a wind farm north of Adelaide in less than 100 days. https://t.co/ypbNyLRAxo
— John Upton (@johnupton) November 24, 2017
German Greens: Cut Coal For Coalition
The German Green Party would enter a collation government only with an agreement to shut 7 GW of coal-fired power plants
November 22, 2017
Nairobi: Hotter For The Poor
Temperatures in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya were 5 degrees hotter than in richer neighborhoods during the summer of 2015
Australia: Price Sensitivity
Rising electric prices powers a boom in rooftop solar installations
CA: Offshore Wind Prospects
Major Norwegian oil company + wind power developer meets with Governor Brown to discuss prospects for California offshore wind projects
NYCHA's Solar Deal
The rooftops of NYC pubic housing will be hosting solar panels, but the 25 MW of renewable power will be sold for use elsewhere
California Carbon Money
The latest carbon permit auction brought in $860 million for California
What The EPA Wants You To Forget
The EPA website pages on climate have had more content deleted under the Trump presidency than any other federal agency
November 21, 2017
Civil Disobedience
After a MA statehouse sit-in protesting a pipeline plan for fracked natural gas, one participant's thoughts on civil disobedience
The Bill McKibben Effect
What is the impact of the 'radical flank' of the environmental movement on the moderate part of the movement + why?
Women Will Change The World
Why the climate action movement will benefit from boosting women's participation
Green Buildings Should Go For Brokers
Energy efficiency building advocates must make the business case to brokers to get energy performance into the real estate transaction mix
Subway Is Broken...
...Governor Guomo orders Con Ed to fix its electrical systems
Green-Blue Agenda For NY
A 'polluter pays' carbon tax tops the legislative agenda of a NY environmentalist-labor coalition
What Pruitt Says, What He's Done
Let' look at the record of Trump's EPA chief, Scott Pruitt
November 20, 2017
Blood Types, Heart Attacks, Dirty Air
People with type A, B or AB blood may be at greater risk of a heart attack when exposed high levels of fine particles in the air
Norway: Turn From Fossil Fuel
Norway's $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund considers an end to its fossil fuel investments
Tulsa: Learning From Flooding
It's not a coastal city, but with a history of devastating floods, Tulsa has become a resilience leader
Congestion Pricing: Harder Than It Looks
If congestion pricing is a good answer to traffic congestion + a big part of ending the NYC subway system failures, the question is what's blocking congestion pricing? (Note: decades of political decisions that injured the subway system are also to blame + congestion pricing revenue isn't guaranteed to ensure better decisions now)
More Storage Space
Global storage market to double six times by 2030. Report: https://t.co/FQHvFhXNje pic.twitter.com/VD7FdQq1FH
— BloombergNEF (@BloombergNEF) November 20, 2017
November 17, 2017
Community Solar Now
Community solar power allows for shared access, think community garden, but for solar
Solar Windows, Starting Now
Think of all the windows in a skyscraper, now imagine if they could all create solar power
TGIF: We'll Always Have Coney Island
The first rollercoaster installed at a US amusement park was in Coney Island
Senate Tax Bill Spares Some Clean Power
Tax breaks survive in Senate bill for wind power, electric cars - and oil -, but clean energy provisions cut in the House version
November 16, 2017
Climate Risk Is Insurance Risk
The biggest insurers see financial risks growing 'exponentially' due to a disrupted climate
Science v Politics
While it's not news that politics can outmaneuver science, what is news is the lack of political consequences for ignoring science. Here's a rating for the current administration
Driving The Wrong Way On Carbon
Germany's love affair with gas-guzzling cars makes it harder for the country to shrink its carbon footprint
2017: 2nd Warmest
2017 annual mean prediction updated using Oct data. Probability of ~94% it will be the 2nd warmest yr in the GISTEMP record. pic.twitter.com/Ot7V8wGR5z
— Gavin Schmidt (@ClimateOfGavin) November 16, 2017
Trump's Drill Baby Drill Meme
Is Trump's fossil fuel worship a tactic to buy time for domestic carbon industry investments as a defense against doing anything about climate chaos?
Science At Work: Evaporative Energy
More dependable than solar or wind, evaporation could become a major renewable energy source
Green In Gramercy
High-end, green-minded condo coming to Gramercy Park, but the eco-friendly elements are not the cost drivers
November 15, 2017
Meet the Enemy
Are people the problem in high tech green buildings?
TOD's The Way To Go
Transit Oriented Development would solve myriad problems for communities in the NY metro area
Scale Up, Scale Up Fast
If energy efficiency is is what's needed, then how to scale up investment rapidly?
Pay Now And Pay Later
Climate change damage has already cost the US economy $240 billion, expect that figure to rise
You Could Be A Winner
Thanks to BP, New York Community Trust + NYSERDA, the Urban Future Lab will offer each of three winners a $50,000 cash prize and admission into the ACRE incubator — NYC’s longest running cleantech incubator program. Application deadline December 1st
As Alexander Hamilton Would Have Said
"When you have three massive hurricanes in a year, it's beyond time to take action on climate change." -- @Lin_Manuel & @NRDC pic.twitter.com/KX5Z3Zj32n
— ATTN: (@attn) November 14, 2017
November 14, 2017
Brooklyn Trolley Sighting
While the outcome is unknown, the Brooklyn-Queens trolley project inches forward with a prototype
Letter To The Editor
A rebuttal to Financial Times reporting on the life cycle pollution associated with EV's
The Economics For Making NY A Clean Energy Leader
The good jobs + climate benefits of large-scale clean energy investments by NY spelled out in new report
Missing The Target
Current emission reduction plans for the global economy do not match the goal of the Paris Agreement - annual Low Carbon Economy Index by PWC https://t.co/wVLeaYVk3U pic.twitter.com/XcgWBS4AWJ
— Marius Buchmann (@enerquire_) November 14, 2017
Microsoft Does Big Wind Deal
Microsoft signs on to the biggest corporate power purchase agreement in Europe + will purchase it from a Dutch wind farm
North America: Joint Climate Leadership
Canada, Mexico + 15 US Governors announce the North American Climate Leadership Dialogue
Energy: Trending Now
The US as fossil fuel exporter + global growth or renewables are 2 of today's top global energy trends
Grid Resilience And EV's
Resilient power grids + EV's make a high-performance combo
November 13, 2017
Net Zero x 50
25 cities commit to hit net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 + launch a new global standard to measure + report emissions from cities and local governments, starting 2018
Time To Build Even Better LED's
While they're environmentally excellent, LED's are not perfect, yet
We're Still In
America's Pledge, a coalition of 20 states, 50 US cities as well as universities private firms, vow to abide by the Paris climate agreement
Koch Brothers In Your Drinking Water
Look who's supporting the use of plastic rather than iron water pipes around the US
Fossil Frolics
US getting shout out at #COP23 for hosting a side-event on more fossil fuels (at major mtg to halt climate change) pic.twitter.com/OvUDn3ar4w
— Jake Schmidt - NRDC (@jschmidtnrdc) November 13, 2017
November 10, 2017
Lahore: The 5th Season
In Pakistan's 2nd largest city Lahore, smog is called 'the 5th season'
Enough With The Messaging
The time for climate persuasion is over, what's next?
Quote Of The Day
"If you don't insulate your roof, then you're just paying to heat outer space." Neil deGrasse Tyson
Bonn: More Than One US Voice
American activists offer an alternative to Trump at the Bonn climate talks
Connector Disconnect
The Brooklyn-Queens Connector trolley plan may not go anywhere
Bonn: Climate Talks
What's at stake in Bonn's international climate accord conference?
EU: Improving Its Carbon Trading
Plagued with a glut of carbon emissions permits, the EU proposes tailoring a new funding mechanism
November 09, 2017
Renewables' Price Plunge Slows
Why is the dizzying plunge in the cost of renewable energy slowing?
It's A Swamp Thing
After decades of dredging + draining restoration of the Florida everglades begins
Hoboken: New Mayor's For Carbon Neutrality
Ravindar Bhalla, Hoboken's new Mayor, sponsored a resolution passed by the City Council that would set a carbon neutrality goal to be met by 2027
Be A Good Traveler
With peak travel season on the way, consider cutting your carbon footprint with the Good Traveler program
Call It Something Else
Since Trump is allergic to any thought of climate change, can disaster planning officials get more resources by calling their work "resilience building"?
Handicapping The EV Race
Which cities are leading the way on electric vehicle markets?
November 08, 2017
Solar For Stuy Town
Solar panels to create 3.2 megawatts of electricity will be installed on Stuyvesant Town + Peter Cooper Village rooftops by 2019
Energy Companies Ally Against Trump
The Trump Administration proposal to give special favors to coal + nuke-generated electricity transmission unites other energy suppliers in opposition
No More Excuses
Climate scientist Michael Mann says we know from the science that the time for action is now, more political debate is just hot air
EU: The EV Race Is On
It's China, not Tesla that's the big challenge for the EV industry emerging in the EU
Calculating Climate Change Costs
It's not just floods + wildfires that belong in climate change cost calculations, it's the social + political consequences
Germany: Climate v Coal
Germany needs to decide whether to be a climate leader or to hang on to its coal industry
November 07, 2017
really, Elections Matter
RT to let #PollutingPruitt know it's time for an oversight hearing w/ the Senate EPW Cmte. It's time for @EPAScottPruitt to answer some Qs. pic.twitter.com/q00P1vUInc
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) November 7, 2017
A Bi-Partisan Hope
Imagine getting enough bi-partisan support for energy efficiency to surge ahead
Elections Matter
Outcomes of Election 2017 could impact the success of a green agenda
Why Cool Is Hard, Not Impossible
Even if every nation meets its Paris Accord pledged goals, keeping emissions below a key threshold is unlikely, but tougher goals could do the job
Food For Capitol Energy Thought
A critic finds fault with NY's proposal for heating/cooling the Empire State Plaza in Albany + offers an alternative
November 06, 2017
Help Wanted: Climate Campaign Director
Greenpeace seeks a Climate Campaign Director who will be responsible for developing the long-term GPUS Climate Campaign Strategy, ensuring it aligns with the goals identified in Greenpeace’s Global Framework
Big Bank, Big Bucks
HSBC pledge $100 billion for financing + investment by 2025 for the transition to a low carbon economy
The Only Planet We Have
Climate scientists remind us we're all in this together + we know what we have to do to make things better
November 03, 2017
Re: Mayor's Green Cred
Mayor de Blasio talks the environmental talk, but does he walk it?
Sabotaging Science
What's with EPA's plan to get rid of its science advisors in the name of 'avoiding financial entanglements'?
EU: Beyond Coal
With a first target of 30 dirty power plants, Beyond Coal Europe launches
Go Verdigris
Elders organize for climate action
Slow-Going For Storm-Proofing NY
NYC is trying to mitigate the impact of a future Sandy-like disaster, but turning ideas into reality has been slow, complicated. Why?
November 02, 2017
Quote Of The Day
"We have probed the earth, excavated it, burned it, ripped things from it, buried things in it, chopped down its forests, leveled its hills, muddied its waters, and dirtied its air. That does not fit my definition of a good tenant. If we were here on a month-to-month basis, we would have been evicted long ago." Rose Bird, Chief Justice of California Supreme Court (2 Nov 1936-1999)
Notable Findings
The National Climate Assessment's findings about confirmed + emergent science issues in the final draft, version, report release date Nov. 3
November 01, 2017
China: Less Renewable Power Wasted
China cuts the gap between the quantity of renewable energy it creates + the amount it uses, but still has a long way to go
Offshore Wind Seeks Partner
With offshore site lease in hand, Statoil seeks a power purchase agreement in NY by 2018
Big Bucks For New Waterfront Park
NYC allocates $17.5 million toward developing the Bushwick Inlet Park project
Phila: Link Water Rates To Income
Philadelphia experiments with pegging household water +sewer rates to income levels
Tax Anxiety For Renewables
The wind + solar industries are on the alert about the fate of current Production and Investor Tax Credits in soon-to-be-unveiled GOP tax proposal