Seventy-six percent (76%) of all electricity generated by US power plants goes to
supply the Building Sector. Buildings are responsible for almost half (48%) of all
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually.

With this in mind, Architecture 2030, a non-profit independent organization, was
established by architect Edward Mazria in 2002. 2030′s mission is to rapidly
transform the US and global Building Sector from the major contributor of GHG to a
central part of the solution to the global-warming crisis. (more…)

Have you ever noticed on the news coverage of horrific events, the people jumping
into a freezing river to save others or racing into a burning building to rescue
victims, never, ever stop to ask about religious affliations, ethnic origins,
sexual orintation, or the native language of the rescuee? They don’t care. Because
at that moment, the only thing that matters is perserving life, even sometimes, at (more…)

Smart Water

A standalone desalinator needs 17 gallons of diesel fuel and 66.5 kilowatts of
electricity to make 1,000 gallons of freshwater, but now, the Solar Cube, (made
by Spectra Watermakers in California), churns out 1,500 gallons of drinking water
on just 22 kilowatts of its own solar and wind power. The innovation is a pump
that triples efficiency by recapturing hydraulic pressure during the filtering
process. Solar Cubes are now bringing freshwater to remote regions and places
short on infrastructure and electricity without paying the CO2 price – way cool. (more…)

Rapidly accelerating climate change (global warming), which is caused by greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions, is now fueling dangerous regional and global environmental events.

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration illustrates that buildings are
responsible for almost half (48%) of all GHG emissions annually. Seventy-six percent
(76%) of all electricity generated by US power plants goes to supply the Building
Sector. Therefore, immediate action in the Building Sector is essential if we are to
avoid hazardous climate change. Credible scientists give us 10 years to be well on our
way toward global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions in order to avoid (more…)

There are some myths running around out there that need to be clarified
with some reasons why they are just that ….  Myths!

Myth 1 – Replacing windows is a good investment.

New windows will take 20 to 30 years to pay for themselves. Replacing
single-pane windows with double-pane low-e windows will save energy and money.
In a house with 20 windows, you will save $17 per window in energy cost each
year. It will take you almost 24 years to recoup the cost of windows that cost
$400.00 each. A more economical option: storm windows, starting at around $30, (more…)

About 40 percent of the trash you create that is put into the landfills is made up
of paper products.

Alot of us are doing our thing by recycling newspapers and plain paper, but there
is still more we can do including a couple of steps that you may not of thought
about.

30 percent of timber is being used to create paper, it is important to find ways
to conserve what we use by starting at the ATM. Many of us take the receipt from
the ATM, look at the balance, stuff it in our pockets or purses only to rip it up
later and throw it away. Did you know that approximately 8 billion transactions (more…)

We Americans plug in, text, log on, tune in (tv) and tune out (music). We use
13 times the power than just 60 years ago. Electricity is truly the life blood
of the U.S. Economy. Back in 2003, New York and surrounding areas really realized
how important electricity is. 50 million folks lost their power in minutes.

Building a national grid may be on top of President Obama’s list of things to
do. One idea is a power network, modeled like the interstate road system
that was thought up by President Eisenhower. Some folks feel that moving
power the same way could help out in the long run. This system would supercede
the 200,000 miles of power lines and 500 different owners.

Wind farms that have been cropping up everywhere need to have transmission lines
to the surrounding cities, towns, and villages. The same is true for solar, (more…)