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Walmart publishes 2012 global responsibility report

April 19, 2012 Green Movement No Comments

Photo: Walmart

by Melissa Hincha-Ownby (MNN.com) On Monday, Walmart released its 2012 Global Responsibility Report (GRR). The 2012 report covers sustainability issues at the retail giant during fiscal year 2011, which began on February 1, 2011 and ended on January 30, 2012. Walmart is a large company with a strong global presence and that means that it has a massive, information-filled GRR report, in this case, over 120 pages of data. … Continue Reading

Reid: Republicans exaggerating benefits of Keystone XL pipeline

March 12, 2012 News No Comments

The current Keystone pipeline has already had 14 spills since its operations began in June, 2010.

Republican claims about the benefits of the Keystone XL oil pipeline are greatly overblown, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Sunday.

“It won’t lower the price of oil. Construction won’t be complete for a long, long time,” Reid said during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, referring to the proposed Alberta, Canada, to Texas pipeline. “And under the way it’s constructed now, all the oil would be sold elsewhere. We can’t have that. When I say elsewhere, I mean to some other country.” … Continue Reading

Amory Lovins Lays Out His Clean Energy Plan

February 21, 2012 Technology Spotlight No Comments

For four decades, Amory Lovins has been a leading proponent of a renewable power revolution that would wean the U.S. off fossil fuels and usher in an era of energy independence. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, he talks about his latest book, which describes his vision of how the world can attain a green energy future by 2050.
Amory B. Lovins is fond of referring to the Rocky Mountain Institute, where he serves as chairman and chief scientist, as a “think and do” tank, and it’s clear that to Lovins the doing is every bit as important as the thinking. Hardly lacking in confidence or ambition, Lovins — in conjunction with his colleagues at the institute — has published Reinventing Fire, his step-by-step blueprint for how to transition to a renewable energy economy by mid-century.

Amory Lovins

Amory Lovins

Impressive in both its scope and detail — Lovins discusses everything from how to redesign heavy trucks to make them more fuel efficient to ways to change factory pipes to conserve energy — the book lays out a plan for the U.S. to achieve the following by 2050: cars completely powered by hydrogen fuel cells, electricity, and biofuels; 84 percent of trucks and airplanes running on biomass fuels; 80 percent of the nation’s electricity produced by renewable power; $5 trillion in savings; and an economy that has grown by 158 percent. … Continue Reading

Green Homes Made Up 17% of U.S. Residential Construction Market in 2011, Expected to Grow 5-Fold by 2016

February 11, 2012 Blogs No Comments
green homes construction

Green-homes' construction is similar to a "normal" home except it offers homeowners enormous financial savings benefits and it helps the environment.

By Stephen Lacey – With the construction industry still recovering in the U.S., companies offering “green” services may be able to set themselves apart and grow business faster, according to a survey conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction.

In 2011, green builds in the residential sector made up 17% of construction, totaling $17 billion in economic activity. And the value of the residential green building market is expected to grow five-fold by 2016, taking up to 38% of the market and representing $87 billion – $114 billion. … Continue Reading

Why the Energy-Industrial Elite Has It In for the Planet

February 9, 2012 Blogs No Comments

Basic survival skils at its best

by Bill McKibben – Two Saturdays ago, I was walking with a friend in a park here in New York City.  It was late January, but I was dressed in a light sweater and a thin fall jacket, which I had just taken off and tied around my waist.  We were passing a strip of bare ground when suddenly we both did a double-take.  He looked at me and said, “Crocuses!”  Dumbfounded, I replied, “Yes, I see them.”  And there they were, a few clumps of telltale green shoots poking up from the all-brown ground as if it were spring.  Such a common, comforting sight, but it sent a chill through me that noticeably wasn’t in the air.  Even the flowers, I thought, are confused by our new version of weather. … Continue Reading

Renewables From Vestas to Suntech Plan Profit Without Subsidy

January 27, 2012 News 1 Comment
Parts of a Vestas Wind Systems A/S turbine wait to be assembled at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Wind Power Plant in Rio Vista, California, on Nov. 17, 2011. Vestas, the world’s biggest maker of turbines, said earlier this month it would reduce its workforce if lawmakers don't extend a tax credit for wind energy. Photo: Ken James/Bloomberg

Parts of a Vestas Wind Systems A/S turbine wait to be assembled at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Wind Power Plant in Rio Vista, California, on Nov. 17, 2011. Vestas, the world’s biggest maker of turbines, said earlier this month it would reduce its workforce if lawmakers don't extend a tax credit for wind energy. Photo: Ken James/Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) — Renewable energy companies are approaching the point where they can generate electricity at a price competitive with fossil-fuels without subsidies, the biggest wind and solar manufacturers said. … Continue Reading

Green motoring: when will hybrid cars come of age?

January 24, 2012 Green Movement No Comments
2012 Honda and Acura release new NSX Sport Hybrid Concept at Detroit Auto Show. The NSX Concept displays extensive use of lightweight materials and has a mid-mounted V-6 engine.

2012 Honda and Acura release new NSX Sport Hybrid Concept at Detroit Auto Show. The NSX Concept displays extensive use of lightweight materials and has a mid-mounted V-6 engine.

by Neil Lyndon – Sod’s law can nobble even the mighty. Just at the moment when much of the wind and solar power seems to be draining out of the Green movement, a veritable slew of alternative-energy cars is about to arrive.

2012 will see the introduction of a host of new electric and hybrid vehicles from most of the world’s top manufacturers, all of whom will be struggling to flog these expensive green wares against increased market resistance and customer scepticism. … Continue Reading

The Green File – Indigenous Grassland Plants

January 19, 2012 Green Living No Comments
Dr Johan Wentzel

Dr Johan Wentzel

The Green File by Dr. Johan Wentzel – written by Kormorant

In the previous issue of The Green File the various gardening components that can be created in an indigenous, eco-friendly garden were discussed. In this issue the emphasis will be on the first one of the components, namely an open area. Most of the plants suitable for an open area occur in the Grassland Biome and the focus will be on plants suitable for gardening purposes. … Continue Reading


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Featured Blog

Is Solar Power Really too Expensive or Is that Just What Opponents Want You to Think

16 Apr 2012

A distributed solar model - even in snowy weather the sun still shines and the panels will collect much needed energy.

Recently I visited the west coast of the U.S. and being a resident of Florida for the past twenty-plus years I must say that I was totally exhilarated by what I saw in California, and totally disappointed with what I know to be the case in Florida. Over and over, I saw the rooftops of …

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Most Energy Efficient Place on Earth?

9 Apr 2012

A biodiesel tractor on Samso

Denmark’s Samso Island is a sort of paradise for renewable energy enthusiasts. The residents have created, in just over a decade, a 100 percent carbon neutral, self-sufficient community.The local Samso Energy Academy is an example for other areas around the globe who might want to create an economic environment that is good for the ecological …

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Nice Effort to Stem the Rising Price of Gas – $5 on the Horizon

4 Apr 2012

Gas Pump Colored Mean look

Here is a brief but possibly, substantial effort to assist in America’s benefit in the price of gas. An overt appeal for a serious effort NOT TO BUY GAS FROM THOSE COMPANIES WHO BUY FROM THE MIDDLE EAST.  Are you interested in stopping $5/gallon Gas?

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Turning Commercial Engines into Hybrids

3 Apr 2012

HPEV

 by Dana Blankenhorn – HPEV  is among the many companies trying to transform transport by making it more efficient. CEO Tim Hassett said his Hybrid Plugin Electric Vehicle has patents on a technique for using heat pipes to turn engine waste heat into electricity, which can then help power the vehicle. The electric motor acts …

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Featured Blog

Walmart publishes 2012 global responsibility report

19 Apr 2012

Photo: Walmart

by Melissa Hincha-Ownby (MNN.com) On Monday, Walmart released its 2012 Global Responsibility Report (GRR). The 2012 report covers sustainability issues at the retail giant during fiscal year 2011, which began on February 1, 2011 and ended on January 30, 2012. Walmart is a large company with a strong global presence and that means that it …

(No Comments)

Coalition seeks to protect public lands, launches “Energy Democracy” sign-up

10 Apr 2012

ocotillo cactus parking

 By Ariele Johannson – (San Diego’s East County)–Driving through the southwestern deserts, I’ve long been impressed by the ocotillo, a cactus-like tree with straight branches angling upwards to the sun, ablaze with red blooms. This thorny desert tree is an apt metaphor for the ways different people view energy issues– especially proposed industrial solar and …

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Clean energy becoming a needed reality for the Great Lakes

6 Apr 2012

If the U.S. wants wind power, The Great Lakes are definitely windy.

Illinois and four other states came a step closer to offshore wind farms in the Great Lakes (New, April 1), and that is welcome news. Wind farms, once mocked by climate skeptics and opponents of renewable energy, are now a profitable way to generate clean electricity for our homes and businesses.

(1 Comment)

Green Jobs In Kansas City: Profiling The People Who Make Up America’s 3.1 Million Green Jobs

29 Mar 2012

green_jobs_energy_m

There were 3.1 million green jobs around the U.S. in 2010, according to new figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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