Frankly Green

Can Bamboo Save the Planet?

Link to Article at CNN.com

Thanks Michael P. for the link to this piece!

Bamboo may prove to be more than the food staple for the giant panda. Considered to be the world's fastest-growing woody plant, it could be a key component in lifting thousands of people in the developing world out of poverty.

According to the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), as many as 1.5 billion people currently "depend in some way on bamboo and rattan," and several organizations are now investigating how growing bamboo in economically deprived areas can boost the income of the residents, particularly small-scale farmers.

Solar vs. Energy Efficiency

Solar gets more subsidies, but home energy efficiency may be more cost-effective.

By Ben Arnoldy| Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor/ November 26, 2008 edition

Link to Article

When Ted and Astrid Olsson set out to cut their home electricity bill, they had three strong incentives to buy solar panels: federal, state, and city subsidies. But they shelved the idea in favor of insulating the attic of their San Francisco Victorian.

While it’s not as sexy as a rooftop rack of silicon, improving a home’s energy efficiency tends to be the more cost-effective way to trim carbon emissions. So why are politicians showering subsidies on residential solar instead?

Guest Post: Report From Greenbuild in Boston

by Patricia Gaylor
www.PatriciaGaylor.com

Despite the freezing temperatures outside, Greenbuild Boston got off to a great start with an inspiring and motivational speech by Rick Fedrizzi, president and CEO of The US Green Building Council. Staying positive, and moving past the usual 'doom and gloom' attitude of late regarding the current state of the economy, Mr. Fedrizzi noted with enthusiasm the palpable energy in the room. Over 25,000 attendees this year, including myself were anxious to see what was new and exciting in the world of sustainable building and design.

Archbishop Desmnd Tutu delivered a gracious speech on the changes we are
experiencing right now, not only in green building but also the main change that our nation experienced on November 4th. Diversity, change and hope were words frequently used by Tutu.

America's Greenest City

The Rust Belt city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, takes on a green patina -- and finds that it boosts business
By Evan West, Fast Company

Link to Article

I'm very proud that Grand Rapids (near my hometown) is getting some well deserved recognition for its green efforts. My cousin Sam has been been involved with the art museum and many other green renovation projects (more to come on this).

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On a sunny afternoon in Grand Rapids, a group of earnest, middle-age folks is gathered in a conference room, looking at slides of wind turbines and charts about wasteful energy use. A full-bearded man, who looks as if he's just back from a nature walk, talks about his plans to build a home showcasing the latest in low-impact design. At the front of the room, the speaker asks, pep-rally style, "What's the most effective source of renewable energy today? Conservation!"

Green Ghostbusters Nab Hidden Power Leaks

By Alexis Madrigal
Wired.com

Check out this great article on a company, Sustainable Spaces, that performs home energy audits and helps make homes more energy efficient while improving indoor air quality (full disclosure - I am an investor in the company and also a board member. However, I was a happy client well before making an investment or joining the board!)

Link to Article 

Behind the drywall, your home's heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are breathing. But chances are, they're not doing a perfect job, and their malfunctions and inefficiencies aren't just bad for your wallet, they're bad for the climate, too.

San Francisco-based startup Sustainable Spaces estimates that homeowners could reduce their energy costs by up to 50 percent by taking simple steps like fixing bad duct work and installing the right insulation. And since 21 percent of U.S. energy consumption goes into American homes, greater efficiency could help reduce the country's overall energy footprint, too.

Click on the link above for the full article!

One LED if by Land, and Two if By Sea?

A beacon for Paul Revere's famous warning goes high-tech
By Mark Jewell
The Associated Press

Link to Article

BOSTON - The Old North Church, a beacon for Paul Revere's famous warning of the movement of British forces, and a symbol of the American Revolution, has gone high-tech with the installation of light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.

The energy-efficient lights illuminate ceiling vaults inside the church, whose steeple was used to display two lanterns as a signal about British troop movements on April 18, 1775 — the night described in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem, which included the line: "One if by land, and two if by sea."

LEDs haven't yet replaced the slightly less-modern compact fluorescents that the church began using two years ago in its modern versions of the steeple lanterns.

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Old North's ceiling vaults had been only dimly lit by the old incandescents, and they frequently burned out, Pignone said. The LEDs are projected to last at least 25 times as long as the incandescent bulbs, at five times the efficiency. They also do not give off as much heat as the older lights, which caused ceiling paint to peel prematurely.

New Home Products Save Energy, Water and More

By Amy Hoak, MarketWatch
Last update: 3:32 p.m. EST Feb. 24, 2008

Link to Article

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Consumers are bombarded these days with a multitude of suggestions to make their lives "greener." For many of them, changes start at home.

That's not a bad idea: The government estimates that the energy Americans use just to run their homes makes up 21% of total energy use throughout the country. And that statistic doesn't even touch on the other environmental issues that can be addressed in a home, including water conservation and indoor air quality.

In an effort to make homes friendlier to the environment and cleaner to the people who live in them, manufacturers have been busy refining their home products. At the recent International Builders' Show, green products -- from paint to appliances -- were everywhere.

"When you go shopping now, it's not even a buzzword anymore -- it's expected," said Calli Schmidt, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Home Builders, referring to the "green" labeling of products.

Despite the many substantial investments that can make a home greener, smaller incremental changes often do count, Schmidt said.

For example, the federal Energy Star program claims that the country would save $600 million in energy costs annually -- or enough to light 3 million homes for a year -- if every household in the United States changed one light bulb to an Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulb. Properly insulating a home is another way to increase its energy efficiency.

But those interested in doing more might consider upgrading their homes with these five products. Some are new and some are just beginning to gain in popularity:

Brad Pitt Building Green Homes in New Orleans

My friend Peter K. recently returned from a visit to New Orleans where he spent some time with Brad Pitt learning about Make it Right. Pitt started Make it Right (MIR) with the goal of constructing 150 affordable homes in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, one of the areas most by hurricane Katrina. The homes, built in partnership with William McDonough + Partners, Cherokee Fund, and Graft, are affordable green housing incorporating innovative design with the intent to replicate this large scale projects in other areas.

Brad Pitt plans to build 150 affordable, eco-friendly homes in Ninth Ward

NEW: N.O. resident: "We get a chance to bring our community back"

Pitt has pledged $5 million of his own money

Pitt and Angelina Jolie have house in New Orleans' French Quarter

Link to Article

You can also see Larry King's interview with Brad Pitt

Solar Decalathon

Thanks to my cousin Morgan for this post!

The Solar Decathlon joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. Check out the link below for the decathlon results!

Solar Decathlon

Energy Management and Demand-Response Systems

A clean shave
by Dave Wortman - 9.28.07

Link to Article

Thanks to Daniel C. for this article! Click on the link above to read about how companies are reducing their energy consumption and saving loads of money.

Imagine a business meeting where a coworker receives a text message on her cell phone from her home energy system notifying her it’s raised the refrigerator’s temperature to cut back energy use in response to a spike in utility energy prices. Meanwhile, back at her desk, the office window, guided by the building’s energy-management system, grows a shade darker, while external awnings automatically rotate to screen heat from the summer sun, cutting back on air conditioning needs. Her home and office are both responding to save energy — and money — without needing her input.

Such ideas aren’t science fiction, but rather a glimpse into the real future of energy technology in homes, businesses, government buildings and schools thanks to innovations in systems that monitor, manage and respond to daily energy demands. They not only conserve energy but cut energy bills and delay costly investments in new power plants, creating a win-win situation for the companies that make them, the customers and public utilities that use them and, most recently, the investors who fund them.

If there’s any doubt about the rapid advancement of energy-management and demand-response systems, one need only look to the enthusiastic response from investors. As global power grids face straining capacity, a new bull market is emerging across the energy industry.

“Demand response and energy management are a very hot area,” says Rob Day, principal of venture capital group @Ventures. “People have finally figured out that the best, cleanest and cheapest way to make a kilowatt-hour is not to have used one elsewhere in the first place.”