by Shana Fong on December 22, 2009
Challenges from ever-rising energy prices and past-due utility bills are looming for low- and middle-income American families. According to Henry Shelton, director of the George Wiley Center, in 2009, some 31,000 households in Rhode Island will have their utilities shut off, and the effort to juggle energy bills and mortgages is helping push some homeowners into foreclosure.
With the prices for electricity and gas becoming more and more volatile, we must take action to establishing our energy independence as a country.
Read the full article in the New York Times here.
by Shana Fong on December 15, 2009
“I know the idea may not be very glamorous, although I get really excited about it,” Mr. Obama said, “here’s what’s sexy about it: saving money.”
Mr. Obama said the current lack of efficiency in most homes and buildings is the equivalent of watching “$20 bills just, sort of, floating though the window up into the atmosphere.”
We couldn’t agree more, Mr. President. We believe in inner beauty!
Read the full article on ABCnews.com here.
by Marcia on December 11, 2009
By 2015, more than 28 million people will be using home-energy displays to keep track of their usage, according to a new report from Pike Research. The study went on to say that about half of those users will keep tabs on energy consumption via an actual display in the home, while about 11 million will monitor usage via the Internet and an additional 2.6 million will check their efficiency from mobile phones. CNET/Green Tech blog (12/10)
by Shana Fong on December 10, 2009
A new study from the National Research Council supports what other studies from sources such as McKinsey have been touting: investing in energy efficiency represents a huge money-saving opportunity that can’t be ignored.
The report states that “the full deployment of cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies in buildings alone could eliminate the need to add to U.S. electricity generation capacity.” More details in the New York Times blog here: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/study-cites-substantial-efficiency-savings/.
by Shana Fong on December 9, 2009
In a speech on Tuesday, December 8 at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama singled out residential energy retrofits as one of the keys to near-term job creation for American workers. This is a big opportunity – 17 of our nation’s construction workers are out of work, and more than 20% of our nation’s carbon emissions come from residential buildings. With home retrofitting, we can put those workers back to work while making millions of US homes more energy efficient, helping homeowners everywhere save energy – and carbon and money – in the process. For more details and a transcript/video of the President’s speech, click here.
by Shana Fong on
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said its investigation has found a possible link between health problems reported by homeowners and higher-than-normal levels of hydrogen sulfide gas emitted from the wallboard coupled with formaldehyde. Is your home making you sick?
Read the full article on IEQ Review here.
by Shana Fong on December 3, 2009
Ask a climate question in the live CNN/YouTube debate on the Copenhagen COP15 YouTube
channel. Leaders and activists at COP15 will come together to answer your top-ranked questions on climate change on Dec. 15 during the international talks. http://www.youtube.com/cop15
by Shana Fong on December 2, 2009
Most people aren’t aware of exactly how their home’s air quality affects their health and the health of their family. Did you know that up to 30% of the air you breathe comes from your crawlspace? As you can imagine, crawlspace air is full of moisture and dirt, which can lead to issues such as respiratory distress and mold.
Here’s another example of the link between childhood asthma and formaldehyde exposure from household items such as furniture and carpet. Roughly 7% of adults and 9% of children suffer from asthma in the U.S. – by identifying the triggers, we can help improve the health of future generations starting at home. American Chronicle (11/30)
