March 4th, 2013 
Eric Wilson 
Crowdfunding has become a major pipeline for raising money. Potential investors can give to projects that they support before they launch and help make them a reality. While many of these perpetuate the cycle of consumption, Waste Not, an online game with an accompanying offline card version, is looking to raise money for development, production, [...]
February 24th, 2013 Eric Wilson 
Recent life changes have led to my wife and me filling up the tank to our car 5-6 times a month, up from probably 3 previously. We no longer live across the street from her work and now drive to her work and our children’s day care, where I usually catch the bus. As we [...]
Posted in Behavior, Eric Wilson, Featured Posts, Op-Ed, Transportation 
Tags: Bus, Cars, Electric Vehicles, Oil, Oil Consumption, Peak Oil, Walking 
No Comments » February 20th, 2013 Stephen Wade 
The City After Abandonment by Margaret Dewar and June Manning Thomas represents important thinking for cities and neighborhoods where change means decline, not growth. Post industrial cities and low investment neighborhoods are more than just ruin porn. When land has virtually no value, what policies and decisions can bring stability and opportunity for those residents [...]
Posted in Featured Posts, Real Estate, Sustainability Tags: baltimore, decline, detroit, Stephen Wade No Comments » February 18th, 2013 Sean Connell 
Few settings evoke more of a sense of peacefulness and natural beauty than a small creek in the woods, the water burbling as it spills downstream. Sitting restfully beside a stream, maybe glimpsing a tiny fish wriggling in the water, perhaps the last thing that comes to mind (or that you want to think about) [...]
February 16th, 2013 Eric Wilson 
As part of the annual State of the Union, President Obama touched on energy as he has in past addresses to the nation. In 2011 he highlighted clean energy, while in 2012 he laid out his goal of 80% of electricity generation from “clean” sources. Below is the excerpt from his speech that dealt with [...]
Posted in China, Energy Efficiency, Eric Wilson, Featured Posts, News, Policy, President Obama Tags: Clean Energy, Climate Change, Congress, Energy, Grid, Holy Grail, Jobs, Natural Gas, Pollution, Science, Solar Energy, Wind Power No Comments » February 15th, 2013 Megan Stilley 
I find the idea of living in a small home wonderful. We live in a smaller home currently, 840 sq.ft. but it is a rental so there are minimal changes we can make. Hopefully we will buy a house one day, and it will be small, and we can make the many desired changes I [...]
Posted in 2nd Green, Featured Posts, Sustainability, Sustainable Development Tags: Megan Stilley, minimalism, Tiny Homes No Comments » February 10th, 2013 Eric Wilson 
I picked up David Suzuki’s Tree: A Life Story at the library recently and started reading it on the bus. It traces the development of a Douglas-fir from seedling to towering specimen and its eventual decay. During the discussion of deciduous and evergreen trees, I couldn’t help but think about design though. As Suzuki, and [...]
Posted in Behavior, Eric Wilson, Featured Posts, Op-Ed, Policy Tags: Biomimicry, David Suzuki, Urban Planning No Comments » February 7th, 2013 Chris DeArmond 
I recently started working with a non-profit that promotes the commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technology. Since joining, I’ve learned a lot about fuel cells so I thought I’d touch on a few broad topics, including: a brief overview of fuel cells and hydrogen, how this technology is being used, and why it shouldn’t be dismissed. In short, a [...]
January 29th, 2013 Nick Grue 
This last week, Iran once again brought attention to its contingency plan to close the Strait of Hormuz should hostile action be taken against them. According to Iran’s ambassador, Hassan Danaie-Far, Iran’s reaction to close the Strait doesn’t just hinge on military action on the part of the United States, Israel, or other countries, but includes [...]
Posted in 2nd Green, China, Featured Posts Tags: Blockade, China, Iran, Nick Grue, Nuclear, Oil, Sanctions, Strait of Hormuz, United States No Comments » January 28th, 2013 Justin Manger 
The Bakken oil fields in North Dakota are releasing so much gas that, according to The Financial Times, oil companies at the heart of the US shale oil boom are burning off enough gas to power all the homes in Chicago and Washington combined. In the photo from space at the bottom of this post, [...]
