Even after doing this for years, I still get a little flustered with the requisite Earth Day post. No, it’s not a matter of saying “Screw Earth Day” (though I get that…); rather, it’s a recognition that there’s so much content out there that I’m unsure what I can add. So, rather than taking a feeble stab at something, I’ll make my contribution by sharing some of the good stuff I’ve seen around the web and blogosphere today.
The EPA’s going beyond the normal tips about recycling and saving water this year for Earth Day: they’ve launched a partnership with Boys and Girls Clubs of America to get young people involved in environmentally-themed community service projects. EPA’s ENERGY STAR program will also be offering “Go Green Nights” to Parent-Teacher Organizations across the country. Check out EPA administrator Lisa Jackson’s discussion with members of the media above.
Well, it turns out that getting a list of subscribers out of Feedburner is more challenging than it once was. So… if you’re still planning to enter our drawing for a Sundance gift bag (or you already have), please forward me a copy of one of the daily sustainablog emails you receive after subscribing and confirming your registration. Forward those to sustainablog (at) gmail (dot) com. Please use “Sundance Gift Bag Giveaway” as your subject line.
Hong Kong magnate Stanley Ho is at it again. Not formulating a “Ho Plan” for Hong Kong energy security that centers around wind power, as the growing similarities between him and T. Boone Pickens might suggest. Stanley Ho’s investment du jour, while on par with his recently established eco-trend, will not be in Asia. Rather, the biofuel play will be located off of the Western coast of Africa.
Geocapital, a Macau-based investment holding company started in 2007 and comprised of partner investors Stanley Ho and Jorge Ferro Ribeiro, is in negotiations with the Government of Cape Verde to install a biofuels research and development center on the African archipelago, Portugal’s Lusa news agency recently reported.
The pair hopes to take advantage of Cape Verde’s experience producing biofuels from jatropha, a crop that yields ten times the output of corn plants. Jatropha-based biofuel is considered one of the best candidates for future biofuel production, and has already been successfully tested as a substitute for jet fuel in commercial airplanes. The poisonous seed has a long history as a fuel source: in the early 1900s, it was exported to France and Portugal for use in streetlamps.
Earth Hour is Saturday, March 28th. Are you participating? Are you planning? If you’ve already signed up for Earth Hour, you’ve got two things left to do. Prepare to power down and plan what you’ll be doing from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.
Powering Down
Earth Hour is about turning off the lights for one hour. It may seem like just a little thing, but when everyone does it at once, the results are impressive. Look at a few statistics from 2008’s Earth Hour.
Chicago kept 840,000 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
In Toronto, there was an 8.7% reduction in energy.
A 10.1% energy drop occurred in energy usage.
Those numbers can be even more impressive if we do more than just turn off the lights. Powering down everything non-essential in your home can reduce your energy usage even further. Read the rest of this entry »
If you have never heard of the Department of Energy’s Building America initiative, started in the 1990’s, start paying attention. With tax incentives for home energy efficiency and the addition of the new Builders Challenge initiative, started in January of 2008 this program is likely to become increasingly popular.
Building America works with research teams that include builders, manufacturers and technical experts to develop technologies and strategies that lead to improved home energy efficiency. They also created the Builders Challenge; builders that agree to join the Builders Challenge commit to constructing homes that rate 70 or better on the EnergySmart Home Scale (E-Scale).
On April 3, celebrated primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall will turn 75.
These days, Jane Goodall spends most of her free time traveling the world to speak to youth about the importance of environmental conservation.
That is, if you can call it free time. She might be going on 75, but she keeps the tightly packed schedule of a woman less than half her age. From book tours promoting her most recent book on vegetarianism to college lectures (where she gladly demonstrates her famous chimpanzee greeting call) to a morning giving positive feedback to youth about a classroom nature or community project, Dr. Goodall, or Dr. Jane, as her many friends and fans call her, has dedicated her life to making the world a better, greener, happier place.
The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) will host its annual conference - three days of presentations, workshops and exhibits focusing on green energy and building.
BuildingEnergy09 will run Mar. 10 – 12 in Boston, MA at the Seaport World Trade Center, and will include top names in the realms of renewables, efficiency and sustainable building practices.
The event’s content and 200 presenters are geared to accommodate everyone from veteran builders and policy makers to students looking to expand skill sets in these important and growing areas.
Forums will range from immediate and practical knowledge – including installation techniques and building materials – to the most effective tools employed toward the policy and advocacy of sustainability.
Since July 2003, sustainablog has been providing information on environmental and economic sustainability, green and sustainable business, and environmental politics. The blog regularly features environmental leaders, experts in alternative energy and green technology, and real people trying to lighten their environmental footprints.
Even after doing this for years, I still get a little flustered with the requisite Earth Day post. No, it’s not a matter of saying “Screw Earth Day” (though I get that…); rather, it’s a recognition that there’s so much content out there that I’m unsure what I can add. So, rather than taking a feeble stab at something, I’ll make my contribution by sharing some of the good stuff I’ve seen around the web and blogosphere today.
