2nd Green Revolution

The following article is by Alison Hopcroft,a sustainability and carbon management consultant who works for Fluid Market Strategies in Portland, Oregon. Alison is leading a free webinar on carbon management this Tuesday, March 2nd at 12pm EST.

Despite the fact that hope for meaningful climate legislation has all but completely disappeared for this session of Congress, climate regulation will be arriving at some point in the near future. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the avenue for this regulation, and although many industry groups and a group of senators are challenging the EPA’s Endangerment Finding released last December advocating for a slower phase-in of regulations with higher reporting thresholds, the EPA’s Final Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule is still in effect (Read more about these challenges in the New York Times and the Washington Post)

Regulation means that there will be an increased need for professionals who can quantify and verify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Quantification is the accounting of all of an organization’s emissions, otherwise known as developing a GHG inventory. Verification is essentially an audit (the act of verifying that the quantification was performed accurately) and follows the reporting protocols and meets reporting standards. Read the rest of this entry »

The other day we had a post about the pros of geothermal energy along with some of the concerns that come with tapping the earth’s underground heat. Today, Samantha DeLair, a homeowner in upstate New York, shares her thoughts about geothermal as she and her husband take a major step toward going off the grid. We are excited to published her comments below.

We are very excited that we are able to install the geothermal system at our new house in upstate New York. We are well into the project now and haven’t had any worries – it is a relatively simple system and setting aside cost, an easy option for us to choose, particularly in the Northeast, where solar is a little less reliable. Read the rest of this entry »

By Noah Spitzer, Guest Author

IdleAire is the leading provider of comprehensive in-cab idle reduction and driver lifestyle services to the long-haul trucking industry. IdleAire’s services include energy efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, or HVAC, electric power, Internet access, satellite television, telephone, and remote delivery of computer-based driver safety and training courses.  IdleAire delivers these services through our patented ATE Advanced Travel Center Electrification^®-(ATE) system, comprised of an in-cab service module connected to an external HVAC unit mounted on a truss structure above parking spaces.

IdleAire’s ATE system is the most cost-effective idle-reduction alternative providing significant benefits to key stakeholders in the trucking industry as described below: Read the rest of this entry »

by Guest Author Jono Sher

In these times of economic hardship, there has been a real push towards energy efficiency in all sectors. This is in large part due to the fact that the most gains to be had are from minimizing losses and taking advantage of the ‘low-hanging fruit’ or, as my fellow energy auditor colleagues say, ‘fruit lying on the ground’ that is conservation. Most of the residential East Coast was built in the early part of the 20th century and pre-dates much of the common knowledge we now share about building science. The most fundamental part of building science is rooted in air exchange, or the natural pathways of air as it travels from outside to the inside and vice versa. The amount of air that a home exchanges from inside to outside is measured in “air changes per hour” with an air tight home turning over ¼ of its air every hour, whereas a leaky home would exchange all of its air within an hour. The majority of residential energy costs come from heating a home in the winter, and if your home is losing all of its air within an hour’s time, it will be extremely expensive to continue to heat that space. Hence the importance of creating air barriers, or air sealing, which is essentially blocking air where it might otherwise be leaking into a home. Oftentimes, this is the most cost effective way to improving a home’s energy efficiency because most of the sealing can be done with simple silicone caulk or spray foam. Read the rest of this entry »

by Stephen Wade, Guest Author
As the economy continues to slide deeper into recession and we debate how to most effectively use the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, there is the question over what role our cities and metropolitan areas can and should play. Interestingly, the “World is Flat” school of thought espoused by Thomas Friedman that place is becomingly less important seems to be partly undermined by the unequal effects of the economic crisis on different areas. The urban theorist Richard Florida argues in a recent Atlantic article that in reality the “World is Spiky.” Metropolitan areas, magnets of innovation that are able to adjust on the fly to changing economic conditions, are becoming more important. This is good news for the environment and economy because as activities, development, and people cluster, open space is protected.  People also drive less, walk and ride transit more, and the economy becomes more diverse and dynamic (see previous post on balance in an economy).

Metropolitan areas and places with multiple assets, such as transportation and IT infrastructure, effective local government, universities, and historic properties, will become even more important as the economy moves away from carbon dependence. A recent Brookings study offers steps for America’s older industrial cities like Detroit, Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Allentown, which still possess many of the nation’s prosperity driving assets, to capitalize on the changes in the economy. In older industrial cities like these, manufacturing jobs are disappearing, indices of innovation (like new patents) are declining, the middle class is shrinking, and their carbon footprint is expanding. Unless rectified, this trend will lead to further economic stagnation and environmental degradation. To address these challenges, metropolitan areas need to make financial and political investments in innovation, human capital, infrastructure (transportation, telecommunications, and water), and regional collaboration (or regionalism). By taking these steps, older industrial metropolitan areas can become models of sustainable and vibrant 21st century places.

- Stephen Wade is an urban planner in the Northern Virginia area.

by Stephen Wade, Guest Author

Arlington County’s mixed-use development along its public transit corridor has allowed it to weather the financial calamity better than most any other jurisdiction in the country.  The balance of residential and commercial development has kept revenue high as the County is not dependent on only one type of development. This balance is similar to the importance of diversifying one’s retirement portfolio. Diversity equals stability with both retirement investment and economic development.

Along with balancing different types of development, sharing prosperity is another pillar of smart growth.  An equitable economy will provide employers with access to a strong workforce and workers with housing near job opportunities so they don’t have to spend their days and dollars commuting in a depreciating asset that is polluting the air. This can be achieved by providing a balance of rental and ownership housing opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »

by Dalton Paul Saunders, Guest Author

Big rigs have gone green! In short, the transportation industry is saving money by going green. Alas, the choice to go green was not a result of disdain for greenhouse emissions but one of survival. High energy costs have forced many trucking companies to rethink their fuel consumption. An average eighteen-wheeler will consume 120 gallons of fuel each day. As energy prices increase, so does the cost of business.

The current strategies of choice to limit fuel consumption are:

1. Slowing down. This equals better mileage per gallon.

2. Retrofitting equipment to be lighter or more aerodynamic. This means burning less fuel.

3. Better route planning. This means driving fewer miles.

Now that fuel prices have decreased, trucking companies continue to make the above changes because of the economic melt-down. Currently, there are too many trucks (lots of supply) chasing too few freight loads (low demand). The result is a dramatic decrease in freight prices. Trucking companies must continue to lower costs to remain competitive.

Volatile fuel prices and economic gloom have forced trucking companies to green their fleets. The net effect is positive for the environment. But has the fundamental problem of greenhouse emissions produced by this important industry been solved? No. We must continue to push for product and scientific innovation that is cost effective to implement. This is the only way to take the next step in “greening” the transportation industry. Some say that stricter standards and regulation will help transportation to become green more quickly. This is partly false and unrealistic. Over 70% of all goods are transported by truck and the macro-economic cost of regulation will be unacceptable to most Americans as they see their foodstuffs and other lifestyle goods increase in price.

Until a comprehensive solution is developed, let’s applaud the transportation industry on their accidental environmentalism and push for more innovation to further the progress.

Further reading: EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Natural Gas Vehicles for America, Michelin X-One Tires

- Dalton Paul Saunders is an executive in the transportation industry.

by Josh McKearin, Guest Author

The New York Times has an article about the possible “failure of success” should human beings manage to complete a second green revolution that allows them to produce abundant, cheap, and clean energy. As the article states, “we could, in essence, vastly increase the carrying capacity of the planet. Fossil fuels were a big part of the growth spurt from 1 billion to nearly 7 billion people in two short centuries. On a finite planet, where would limitless energy, combined with humanity’s infinite aspirations, take us?” Read the rest of this entry »