Is Outsourcing the Greenest Option for Laundry Operations?

laundry operations

Go Green, Save Green: Sustainable Laundry Operations Facility Executive, April 19, 2016. Image credit: Hans According to the Environmental Protection Agency, businesses and other institutions account for 17 percent of water taken from public water supplies in the United States. They also generate 45 percent of the U.S. green house gas emissions. Nevertheless, healthcare, hospitality, and other industries … Read more

What’s the Carbon Footprint of Getting a Buzz Locally?

carbon footprint getting a buzz locally

The Carbon Footprint of Imbibing and Smoking Pot in an Infographic Amanda Gassé, ERS, for Zondits. April 18, 2016. Image credit: beeki The world is increasingly looking at businesses, individuals, and their activities through a carbon lens. Talk of reducing our energy imprint is usually focused on the home we heat, the car we drive, or the … Read more

Cogeneration Offers Energy Savings in Queens

cogeneration CHP

Gita Subramony, April 13, 2016. Image credit: Chris Young The current Habitat Magazine features a profile of a recent cogeneration, or combined heat and power (CHP), project in Queens. The Roosevelt Terrace co-op in the Jackson Heights section planned a multi-phase CHP project that includes two 75 kW systems that have already been installed and another … Read more

Aliso Canyon Gas Leak Will Impact LA’s Energy Demands

LA Will Face Blackouts This Summer Due to Its Gigantic Natural Gas Leak Gizmodo, April 5. 2016. Image credit: tpsdave A coalition of agencies including the California Energy Commission, California Public Utilities Commission, California Independent System Operator, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power just released a report on how the Aliso Canyon leak is … Read more

OpEd Explores the Limitations of a New Efficiency Loan Program

efficiency loan program limitations

Energy-efficiency loans could cause homeowner headaches Ventura County Star, April 9, 2016. Image credit: Zauberin A new government-sponsored program enables homeowners to reduce utility bills and help save the environment. It sounds great, but there are several things you should consider before signing up. Fortunately, alternative programs are available that pose less risk to homeowners. The … Read more

EVs are Learning How to Beat Conventional Autos with Sales Schemes

evs electric vehicles

Ryan Pollin, ERS, for Zondits April 4, 2016. Image credit: Ben_Kerckx The deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) has begun, albeit slowly. EV sales are barely past the 1% of market share milestone, and 40% of those vehicles have been sold in California – progress elsewhere is even slower. But there is reason to be positive, because … Read more

Do Energy Efficiency Upgrades Measure Up for Homeowners?

energy efficiency upgrades

How to determine if energy efficiency upgrades are right for your home (and budget) Inhabitat, April 1, 2016. Image credit: AllanW So how do home performance upgrades pay off? From 2010 to 2013, the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program upgraded nearly 120,000 homes and buildings achieved total verified energy savings for the 3-year evaluation period provided of … Read more

DC Tops the EPA’s List for Most Energy Star Certified Buildings

energy star certified buildings

Washington, DC Tops EPA’s List of Cities with the Most Energy Star Certified Buildings/Energy efficiency leads to a stronger economy and healthier environment EPA, March 30, 2016. Image credit: patticake1601 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its eighth-annual “Top Cities” list, which ranks the 25 U.S. metropolitan areas with the most Energy Star certified … Read more

Bowerman Landfill Converts Trash to Energy

Bowerman Landfill

Gas-to-electricity plant debuts at Irvine’s Bowerman Landfill LA Times, March 30, 2016. Image credit: Alexas_Fotos The proverbial link between trash and treasure has evolved into a symbiotic relationship between energy and efficiency with the coming of a renewable-energy power plant to Irvine’s Bowerman Landfill. [bctt tweet=”The Bowerman Power Project is capturing methane gas from trash and … Read more

Will Energy Efficiency Ever Make Our Spines Tingle?

Want People to Embrace Efficiency Technology? Make It Sexy Huffington Post, January 20, 2016. Image credit: skeeze An American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranked the U.S. among the least energy efficient of the world’s largest economies—13th out of 16—in its most recent international scorecard. (Get the details in Climate Central’s summary.) That’s too … Read more