Green Education Prospectus
Green Job Growth
Source: Pew Charitable Trusts, 2009, based on the National Establishment Time Series Database; analysis by Pew Center on the States and Collaborative Economics.
Green Job Distribution
Source: Pew Charitable Trusts, 2009, based on the National Establishment Time Series Database; analysis by Pew Center on the States and Collaborative Economics.
Tag Archives: sustainable living
The [Not So] Guilty Pleasure of Air Conditioning: Coming Soon With Solar AC
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of walking out of the oppressive heat of a midsummer day into the perfect chill of a well air-conditioned building. Air conditioning is one of those modern conveniences like the cellular telephone: it hasn’t really been around that long, but now that we are used to it we wonder how people ever survived without it. However, there’s a high price tag – in most modern buildings air conditioning accounts for the single largest energy expenditure for the summer months and in many places for much of the year.
With conventionally powered electrical compressor heat pumps, that means that some of the first suggestions that an Eco Consultant is going to give a homeowner or business to reduce utility costs are going to have to do with optimizing the use of climate control systems in order to curb the appetite of these energy-hungry machines. But what if this wasn’t necessary? What if the hotter it got, the cheaper it got to run your AC? What if you could crank your thermostat to “cold” and let it rip without feeling the least bit guilty or apprehensive about what the bill at the end of the month was going to look like? Continue reading
Cars Are Getting Cleaner, Faster
Taking a deep breath nowadays might just be a little bit healthier than it was just a few short years ago. It’s common knowledge that cars and transportation are a leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and other airborne pollutants. However, according to recent figures new cars today are cleaner than ever before. Of course most consumers expect that cars will get cleaner as time goes on; as part of the natural progression of technology and the demands of continuing legislation regulating vehicle emissions. What might come as a surprise is how quickly the change is happening.
Of course progress is most noticeable among the cleanest of the herd. Average carbon emission figures for the cleanest cars dropped by 21 per cent over the last four years. According to consumer information website Green-Car-Guide.com, cars in the low-emission group emitted an average of 102.8 grams of CO2 per kilometer driven for the 2010 model year (CO2 is considered to be the primary contributor to global warming). In 2006 the same group recorded an average emission of 131.1 g/km. The difference of28.3 g/km represents the 21 per cent drop.
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Posted in Car, Energy Efficiency, Green, Sustainable Living
Tagged alternative fuel vehicles, alternative fuels, carbon dioxide emissions, carbon emissions, cars, clean cars, clean diesel, eco friendly, electric cars, energy efficiency, environment, fuel efficiency, global warming, green, green cars, green economy, green environment, green living, hybrid cars, sustainability, sustainable living, suv
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5 More Green Living and Eco Friendly Apps for Iphone and Android
These days our phones are so much more than just simple communication devices. The Apple [Nasdaq: APPL] iPhone and Google [Nasdaq: GOOG] Android platforms are revolutionary. They are our lifelines, and they also provide us with help on things that many people would never imagine a phone can do. With that in mind, here are 5 more green related apps that Eco Institution found when researching our last article.
Carbon Tracker – The Carbon Tracker app is a GPS-enabled program that helps users to actually calculate and account for their carbon footprint from daily commuting, business trips and vacations. The cool thing is that you can actually set goals for maximum emissions per month and then check up on your progress. It can also be networked for use by more than one person for businesses and universities. Continue reading
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Green, Sustainable Living, green education
Tagged android, apple, carbon dioxide emissions, carbon emissions, eco friendly, energy, energy conservation, energy efficiency, environment, Google Inc, green, green environment, green living, iphone, iphone 4, smart phones, sustainability, sustainable living
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Watchdog Group Releases Latest Scorecard of State Energy-Efficiency Rankings
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released their fourth annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard last week. The poll is a broad, comprehensive analysis of a variety of different factors that contribute to progress in increasing overall energy efficiency including information about residential, commercial, industrial and transportation energy use in each state. It looks at laws, policies, programs and incentives that residents are exposed to concerning energy use and how that successful they are at increasing efficiency and reducing waste. According to their website, the ACEEE is an independent, non-profit watchdog group that is focused on the advancement of energy efficiency as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection.
The 2010 poll put California in the number one spot for the 4th year running. The state has occupied the top spot since the ACEEE began publishing its findings in 2006. According to information in the report, California nabbed the top spot because of its efforts in consumer energy efficiency programs and incentives, utility decoupling, alternative business models, reward structures for consumer efficiency and policies establishing efficiency as a priority resource.
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GroundedPower Combines Home Energy Tech with Social Media Tools to Help Consumers Rein in Electricity Use
As the technology has become more accessible and cheaper, a number of companies have brought home energy displays to the market that are designed to help consumers track electricity use in their homes in real time. However, few of their offerings have been quite as promising as the new power management suite being released by Massachusetts based company GroundedPower.
Power monitoring devices have seen increased popularity recently as utility companies are making the transition to smartgrid configurations. Many power companies that are deploying smart grid technology have begun to supply power meters to their customers as a way of helping them to keep tabs on energy use. However the concern is that customers may not remain committed to using the monitors once the novelty of having the device wears off and they will fall back into old patterns. Continue reading
Mobile Phone Manufacturing is Getting Greener
When asked to name one thing that they can’t live without, many people have the same answer: my mobile phone. Mobile phones have become more than just useful gadgets these days. Plain and simple, make our lives easier. From making a last minute call for pizza or working on the go, to engaging yourself in a social media network or sending that last-minute email from the train, mobile phones are part of our lives. And because many people find it important to own a mobile phone, reports have indicated that in 2009, mobile phone ownership exceeded 1 billion units. And of course just like anything else, increasing mobile phone use and manufacturing has had environmental impacts.
Of course making phone calls through our mobile phones uses electricity, which contributes to the production of carbon dioxide (CO2). This is the chemical largely responsible for global warming. So just like any other appliance, the more hours you spend making a phone call using your mobile phone adds up to the amount of CO2 added in the atmosphere. Continue reading
Kids Returning to School in Eco Style
It’s back to school season once again. Parents are keen in preparing back-to-school must haves: books, uniform, school supplies, school service coordination and of course the “waking up early” routine. How about their meals, their packed lunch, and snacks? What do we consider when we prepare food for them?
In the light of the rising issues with childhood obesity, including First Lady Michelle Obama’s all-out campaign against obesity, most parents and school councils have coordinated plans and strategies on how to provide healthy and nutritious school meals. Even with busy schedules, parents nowadays have find ways to prepare lunch and snacks for their kids to make sure of the nutrients they are getting. We can say that of course parents are the foremost responsible for their child’s healthy eating attitude.
Kids are now are eating more nutritious meals and have embraced the “change in healthy-eating-habit” lifestyle. Next is, are we contributing to saving our planet? We should be. Eating healthy goes hand in hand with being eco-friendly.
Posted in Green, Sustainable Living, green education
Tagged green schools, kids, recycling, sustainable living
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Sustainable Landscaping Practices Should be Practiced by all Homeowners
Friendly, striking, and sustainable; these are qualities that homeowners should learn to strive for in their outdoor landscaping. They are not only great qualities that will heighten the marketability of the property, but proper landscaping can also increase the energy-efficiency level of the home. Furthermore, while some homeowners have the luxury of time to tend their garden some are just too busy for the task. Enter xeriscaping. It’s a fairly new concept that an aesthetically appealing garden can also contribute to sustainability, but with xeriscaping techniques it is possible.
But how do homeowners practice sustainable landscaping around their homes? How extensive does xeriscaping have to be, or at the very least what are some of the elements that comprise a sustainable outdoor landscape? An extreme example of a sustainable residential garden is called “Project Living Proof,” a model for a sustainable landscape design situated in the sprawling front of a 99-year-old house in the Rockhill neighborhood of Kansas City, owned by the Metropolitan Energy Center.
With rain gardens and rain barrels being an integral part of the design, the garden also includes native shrubs and flowers, raised beds for vegetables, a patio for backyard picnics, a low-maintenance lawn and permeable paving in the parking area. Likewise, the garden uses reused and recycled materials wherever possible. “Whatever stage you are in your greenness and seeking — whether you are thinking about it or are in the midst of it, you want to see what’s available to you. In this project, it’s almost all there,” says Jim van Eman, architect for Project Living Proof.
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Posted in Green, Sustainable Living
Tagged energy efficient homes, renewable energy, renewable energy projects, sustainability concepts, sustainable city, sustainable garden landscape, sustainable green living, sustainable housing, sustainable housing projects, sustainable landscape design, sustainable landscaping ideas, sustainable living, wind and renewable energy
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Retirees and Unemployed are Perfect for Green Opportunities
There is nothing more debilitating than not having a job at an age far from retirement. This is exactly what some men and women in their 50s and 60s are experiencing after losing their jobs since the nation’s economic crisis that shook many business establishments to reduce their manpower. And the ongoing fear for many is that they might be discarded from the workforce forever, especially at the event of having to compete with the younger generation whose unemployment rate is likewise higher.
The Labor Department statistics have shown that of the 14.9 million unemployed, more than 2.2 million are 55 or older, and nearly half of them have been unemployed six months or longer—a big blow that could affect their retirement package in the future. Continue reading
Posted in Green, Green Collar, Green Government, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Living, green education
Tagged garden planting jobs, green collar jobs, green economy, green housing, green jobs, green opportunities, green solar installation, green work for retirees, green work opportunities, green workers, green works, solar panel installation jobs, sustainable living
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Top Emerging Eco Trends in the World
The green economy is becoming a world-wide trend and it doesn’t stop at the creation of green jobs to uplift the lives of many hopeful individuals. If previous news of energy efficiency development centered in the construction industry recently, then we are in for bigger surprises as Dan Kammen—director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley; and Ron Pernick—co-founder and managing director of Clean Edge unveiled the hottest trends we can look forward to in the coming months.
For one, the call for more clean-energy investment will rage on following the call of US business elites led by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and Bank of America chairman Chad Holiday this June for an annual $16 billion investment in clean-energy innovation. “Low-cost clean energy is the single most important way to lift poor countries out of poverty and create more stable societies. The whole world would benefit from this, and the United States can and should lead the way. The time for action is now,” urges Gates. Continue reading
