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HOME STAR Legislation Idled Until Fall as Energy Bill Stalls in the Senate

Shana Fong — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:52:29 +0000

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced on Tuesday that he will postpone a vote on the Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act of 2010 until after the August recess. Reid told reporters that the scaled-down energy bill, which includes the proposed HOME STAR retrofit incentive and financing program, lacks enough votes to pass this week. Here’s how Politico summed up the situation:

It initially appeared that the slender offshore drilling package was a “must-pass” bill with political momentum, but it became evident during the past week that Reid lacked the votes within his own caucus to force the issue as the Republicans held firm against it.

Central to the offshore drilling reform bill was a title to eliminate the $75 million liability cap on damages oil companies must pay in the case of spills and other disasters. Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska), both close allies of the oil industry, made clear they opposed that provision.

The deeply partisan atmosphere in the Senate ensured that there would be no opportunity to amend the bill with a scaled-down compromise liability title. Reid’s staff had made clear that if the bill were to come to the floor, it would be subject to a only straight up or down vote.

Supporters of the HOME STAR legislation are now focusing their efforts on a renewed push to get the law enacted in the fall when Congress is back in session.

Read the full Politico report here: www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/40597.html.

Home energy fixes for under $100

Shana Fong — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:43:06 +0000

Here are some easy and effective home energy fixes you can do around the house for $2 to $90:

Light switch and outlet sealers: under $5
Two of the most frequently overlooked sources of air leakage in a home are light switches and outlets. Dodge those drafts by sealing up any switches and outlets where you can feel a draft on your hand.
Hot water heater pipe insulation: $2 per foot
Use this cost-efficient fix as a quick way to reduce wasted energy on water heating. Insulating just the first 6 feet of pipe from your water heater will cost $12 and will save you over $5 a year on water heating while reducing CO2 emissions by more than 55 pounds. We typically recommend insulating the first 10 feet of pipe.
Monitor your meter: $20
Purchase a Kill A Watt electricity monitor and plug in your appliances and electronics to find out which ones are the biggest energy culprits. Use this to inform your future upgrade decisions or see how much energy you can save with easy adjustments like turning down your refrigerator’s temperature.
Smart powerstrips: $20-90
Cut back on phantom power by plugging electronics into smart powerstrips, such as the one by Wattstopper which turns devices on and off based on occupancy and uses a motion detector to manage energy use. Our recommended smart strip is Belkin’s Conserve.
Faucet aerator: $2
These handy products are one of the least expensive ways to increase your water efficiency by mixing air into the water stream. When installed, each aerator will save 500-2,000 gallons of water a year.
Chimney balloon damper: $35-50
The fireplace is a common area for heat loss in your home, as most dampers don’t work well and many older homes don’t have them. Inflatable balloon dampers fit in most chimneys to keep heated air in, and you can remove them whenever you want.

The Great Escape

Shana Fong — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:41:41 +0000

The gaps you can find around the windows and doors of the average American house add up to the equivalent of a hole in the wall that measures 10 inches by 10 inches.

Your house has more leaks than the CIA. There are cracks all over the place. Your doors and windows don’t quite meet their frames; there are tiny spaces where the walls almost join the floor; there are open areas around your electrical and plumbing outlets. And these little gaps eat energy. In fact, an amazing amount of heat in the winter – or cool air in the summer – escapes through them. But you have two simple weapons to fight with: caulking and weatherstripping.

Energy Facts

Caulking and weatherstripping an electrically heated home can keep some 1,000 pounds of CO2 out of the air. So if 1,000 of these homes were weatherized, over a million pounds of CO2 would be saved.
Believe it or not, stopping air infiltration can reduce your home’s heating and cooling bills by up to 40%.
People are concerned that although weatherstripping may save energy, it will keep fresh air out of their homes. While it’s true that some ventilation is necessary, it’s really not much of a problem – a typical house may get twice as much fresh air as it needs. In other words, the air is probably flying out of your house as quickly as you’re heating or cooling it.

Caulking vs. Weatherstripping

Cracks without any moving parts – like the places where a wall in your house meets the outside edge of a window frame, or two other dissimilar materials come together – can be sealed with caulk.
The places where doors and windows close into their frames can be sealed with weatherstripping – cleverly designed strips of felt, rubber, metal, or plastic that fill the spaces around doors and windows, and compress when you shut them.
Weatherstripping materials come in many styles. Some are self-sticking, so you don’t even need a hammer to install them. Others must be nailed on. Still others are crafted so pieces on the frame and the door lock together when the door closes.
One of the trickiest places to weatherstrip is where the door meets the threshold. Special “shoes” and “sweeps” are available to stop these air leaks.
Besides saving energy, weatherstripping and caulking have an additional benefit: By stopping drafts, they’ll make your home more comfortable.

Leak Patrol

Some evening, when your house is at least 20°F warmer than the outdoors, hold your hand up to various places around windows and door frames. If you feel any drafts, the windows and door frames need weatherstripping.
You can also use a smoking incense stick to look for drafts. Hold the stick near places you think might have cracks; if the smoke dances or gets sucked in, you’ve found a place to seal.
Many of the biggest air sealing opportunities are up in the attic and below your floors. For these harder-to-reach leaks, it’s a good idea to call in a trained professional such as Recurve to quickly identify and remedy your home’s major leakage areas.

Excerpted from 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, by The EarthWorks Group.

Facts Behind the Fanfare

Shana Fong — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:02:21 +0000

Americans purchase about 16 million fans each year. In the heat of summer, fans can be a good alternative to energy-sucking air conditioners.

Energy Facts

Ceiling fans consume as little energy as a 60-watt bulb – which is about 98% less energy than most central air conditioners use.
Ceiling fans are often used instead of air conditioning. But it’s not necessarily one or the other. Fans produce air currents that carry heat away from the skin, so even air conditioned rooms feel cooler when one is running.
Many ceiling fans save energy in winter as well as summer. The secret: Their motors run in “reverse.” This pushes warm air caught near the ceiling down to where you can feel it. Set the fan on low speed so it pushes room air up against the ceiling, forcing warm air slowly down the walls to the floor.
How much difference can that make? Some rooms in your house can be 15° warmer at the ceiling than at the floor. A well-placed ceiling fan can reduce this difference to only 3°.
Remember: fans only save energy or make you feel cooler if you are in the room, so remember to turn them off when you aren’t using them.

Simple Ways to Save Energy

If you’re shopping for a ceiling fan: Purchase an ENERGY STAR-rated unit. You’ll find them at home improvement centers. Look for a fan that’s reversible and has more than one speed. Check to make sure the blades are angled at least 10°.
If you’re thinking about where to install one:Rooms with the highest ceilings are the best candidates. But make sure the blades are between seven and nine feet above the floor.
Match the fan to the room. For rooms 12 feet by 12 feet or less, you can use a 36 or 42-inch fan. For rooms up to 12 feet by 18 feet, use a 48 or 52-inch fan. For bigger rooms, you may need more fans.

Excerpted from 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, by The EarthWorks Group.

The Lawn Rangers

Shana Fong — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:14:20 +0000

An acre of lawn needs 1.3 million gallons of water a year to stay green and healthy. Here are some tips on how be water-wise without sacrificing your grass.

Energy Facts:

During the summer, the majority of household water is used for keeping yards green.
Even in places where water doesn’t have to be moved long distances from source to tap, a significant amount of energy is required to treat and process it before it enters the water main.s

Simple Ways to Save Energy:

Use a push mower instead of a power motor to save energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80 pounds a year.
Set your mower blades so they cut grass about 2-3 inches tall. Mowing it shorter dries out the soil faster and increases water use.
Let grass clippings turn into mulch. During dry periods, cut the grass high and leave the clippings on the lawn to keep it from drying out – thus reducing the amount of water your lawn needs.
Most lawns need about 1 inch of water a week once they’re established. Apply it slowly so the water doesn’t run off.
Here’s how to tell how long it takes to apply an inch of water: Set two or three cans out on the lawn and turn on the sprinkler. Check every few minutes to see how long it takes to land an inch in each can. Average the times for the cans, and that’s the length of time to water.

Watering Smart

Water early in the morning or very late afternoon to cut down on how much water evaporates before it reaches the roots.
Try drip irrigation for shrubs and garden plants. It’s a way of putting the water in small, steady amounts right to the soil around the plant you’re watering.
When you re-landscape, group together the plants that need similar amounts of water. That way, you can avoid overwatering one just to irrigate another.

Going Native

Consider plants for your yard that are already adjusted to local conditions and don’t require extra water or attention. These are usually plants that are native to your area.
Think about shrubs, succulents, and trees as a substitute for some of your lawn. Nothing requires more water than a lawn.
When you’re ready to reseed or resod your lawn, look for grasses that require less water to thrive.
Check your local government website for information about water conserving plants. These plants are also called “drought tolerant,” and the practice of landscaping to conserve water is called “xeriscaping.”

Excerpted from 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, by The EarthWorks Group.

Cool Tricks for Summer

Shana Fong — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:35:39 +0000

June is upon us, and for many that means starting to use our air conditioning units regularly. On an average summer day, Americans provide enough cold air to produce 16 trillion ice cubes. Check out these cool tricks to stop the cost of keeping cool from making you sweat.

Energy Facts:

To cool your house efficiently, your air conditioner has to be cool itself. Try to keep it in the shade. An air conditioner exposed to direct sunlight will use up to 5% more energy than a shaded one.
Air conditioners located on the north side of houses generally use less energy than those on the south or west sides, where it’s sunnier.
If your air conditioner’s already in the sun, you can build a simple wooden shade screen for it. (But don’t block the air flow.)

Simple Ways to Save Energy:

If you’ve got central air conditioning: Don’t close your vents. Closing too many of them actually reduces operating efficiency. Instead, reduce the air flow to unused rooms by partially closing the registers. Whenever possible, leave the room door partly open to keep the system operating efficiently.
Turn the air conditioner off when you leave the house for several hours or more.
A thermostat’s not a throttle, so don’t switch your air conditioner to a colder setting when you turn it on. It won’t cool the room any faster, but it will waste energy when you forget to turn it back up.
Put a timer on your room air conditioner, or use a programmable thermostat on your central air conditioner. You don’t need to leave your air conditioner on all day to have a cool house when you get home. Hardware stores sell timers that will automatically start your air conditioner shortly before you get home. You may never notice the difference… until you see the savings on your electric bill.
Keep the heat out. Minimize the amount of heat entering your home from outside by closing shades and curtains on hot days – sunlight coming through windows can account for 20% of your air conditioning bill. And don’t leave windows and doors open while your air conditioner is running.
Set the thermostat as high as possible.

Caring for Coils:
You can save energy by taking care of air conditioner coils, just like your refrigerator coils. They won’t work efficiently unless the fins that cover the coils are clean and straight. So check them out every spring.

If the fins are bent, you can carefully straighten them out with a plastic spatula. Or call a service person to repair them.
If they’re dusty, dirty, or clogged with old leaves, you can vacuum them with your household vacuum cleaner. If the attachment on the vacuum won’t fit between the coils, blow the dirt away instead.

Don’t Forget the Filter
Air conditioners are equipped with filters to protect their fan blades, motors, and other internal parts. Replace or clean dirty filters. Dirty air filters are the #1 cause of air conditioning service calls. But filters are easy to replace and you can do it yourself. Put in a new one every month during the summer. Be sure all hardware is replaced and securely re-attached.

You may want to consider a permanent filter that you can wash instead of replacing. Some permanent filters restrict air flow too much for some units, so check first with a Recurve representative or another qualified technician.

Excerpted from 30 Simple Energy Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, by The EarthWorks Group.

Lose 142 Pounds (of Carbon) a Week

Shana Fong — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:00:25 +0000

A while back, National Geographic put out a great guide with 10 steps to cutting the excess carbon out of your life.

Weight control and health tend to go hand in hand—and what’s true for our waistlines also holds true when it comes to the weight of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) and the health of the planet. Excess pounds of carbon dioxide are raising the earth’s temperature and putting coastlines, not waistlines, at risk. Yet for a lot of people, the idea of going on a carbon diet to reduce pounds, much less tons, of the stuff seems airy when there’s nothing to hold onto.

Think of pounds of CO2 as inflated balloons: One pound of CO2 would fill a balloon about two and a half feet wide, and the amount of energy each of us uses every day, just to power our homes and drive our cars, would fill 47 of them. Imagine that for each member of your family 47 of those balloons are added to your home each day. In a week, a family of four would pack in 1,316 balloons, in a month 5,703, and in a year 68,432—enough to fill a building nine stories tall and 100 feet on each side. You wouldn’t be able to find your house in it. It’s no wonder we’re smothering our planet in greenhouse gases. The more balloons of CO2 in the air, the more heat they trap in our atmosphere. So here’s a 10-step carbon diet—a program to keep the greenhouse gas out of 142 balloons every week.

1. Wash your clothes in cold water instead of hot.
• • • • • • • • •
Burst balloons: 9 per week
Start with something easy. Washing machines produce over 500 pounds of CO2 a year when run on hot water. But your clothes will be just as clean and may even last longer when laundered in cold water.

2. Use a drying rack.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Burst balloons: 14 per week
Dryers produce about 1,450 pounds of CO2 per year and the high heat damages fabric. So get more life out of your garments, lower your electric bill and spare the planet by drying at least half of your clothes on a rack or line. Plus, sunlight is the most effective stain-remover around.

3. Seal and weatherstrip your home.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Burst balloons: 17 per week
This summer, sealing your home will ensure you don’t lose the cool air you’re paying for. Caulking and weatherstripping doors, windows and any cracks or openings in walls will save about 225 pounds of CO2 per season to run your AC. It pays off even more in the winter when you need to trap the heat; every year, you save 640 pounds of CO2 if you have natural gas heat and 470 pounds if you have electric heat.

4. Insulate.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Burst balloons: 41 per week (natural gas heating), 30 per week (electric heat)
Insulating your home is a bit more demanding and best handled professionally. There are a number of insulating options better than fiberglass, which presents a breathing hazard from airborne glass particles and formaldehyde released during installation. Some green-building specialists claim that spray foam insulation is the most efficient and cost-effective variety, even though it’s usually composed of petroleum-based polyurethane. If you choose spray foam, consider a blend that includes soybean oil, such as BioBase501, to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels. Another alternative, recycled denim insulation, uses a more eco-friendly material but isn’t as efficient an insulator as polyurethane foam.

5. Wrap your water heater and turn down the temperature.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Burst balloons: 16 per week
Insulating your water heater with a simple DIY kit, available at most hardware stores for $20, will save you 300 pounds of CO2 annually. As water heaters can account for up to 13 percent of your utility bill, set the temperature to 120° F. Turning it down from 140° F will save 479 pounds of CO2 annually. If you’re really up for a renovation and it makes sense for your household needs, switch from a conventional water heater to an on-demand heater.

6. Run the dishwasher only when full.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Burst balloons: 17 per week
Wait until you fill your dishwasher before turning it on and always set it to the energy saver mode.

7. Turn off your TV, DVD player, computer and cable box.
• • • • •
Burst balloons: 5 per week
Even while idling in “standby” mode, your home entertainment center and computer consume energy. Plug them into a power strip and turn it off after you shut down your electronics.

8. Clean your refrigerator.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Burst balloons: 15 per week
Take a look at the top of your fridge—cluttered much? Clear it off. Those piled-up plastic containers and cereal boxes can prevent your fridge from venting heat effectively. Then go for the more demanding project: Remove the grill at the base of the fridge (or turn the fridge around) to clean the coils.

9. Compost Your Food Scraps.
• • • • •
Burst balloons: 5 per week
Food waste stored in airless landfills is eaten by bacteria that release massive amounts of methane, a gas 21 times more heat-trapping than CO2. Composting ten pounds of food a week will keep five balloons out of the air.

10. Take the bus or ride your bike.
• • •
Burst balloons: 3 per week (bus), 12 per week (bike)
The average 12-mile commute to work produces roughly 12 pounds of CO2 (depending on your mileage, you produce one pound of CO2 for every mile driven). Even diesel buses are greener than cars when you factor in the number of passengers on board. Give the bus a shot once a week for a year. Or give your legs and heart a workout by commuting on a bike and save even more.

To sum it all up, after a year of these efforts, you’ll have kept over 7,000 balloons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. That’s about 3.5 tons of CO2 off the average carbon footprint.

Bathroom Water Conservation Tips

Shana Fong — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:19:16 +0000

It’s never been more important to be wise about water, as it’s quickly becoming a scarce resource. Bathrooms account for over 60% of the average household’s indoor water use and over 1,300 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from hot water heating. According to the EPA, if every U.S. household installed one low-flow sink faucet or aerator, it would save more than 60 billion gallons of water annually. Here are some easy tips on water conservation:

Install Faucet Aerators on Bathroom Sinks
When installed, each aerator will save 500-2,000 gallons of water a year.

Toilet Leak Detection
Use toilet dye strips to detect leaks that may be wasting over 200 gallons of water a day.

Toilet Water Flow
If you have an older toilet (built before 1980), you could be wasting up to 5 gallons of water every time you flush, compared to modern low-flow toilets. To check the date of your toilet, lift up the lid on the tank. The date is normally stamped on the underside of the lid.

You can reduce water usage on older toilets by adding a filled 1-liter bottle in the toilet tank. This will reduce typical water consumption by 500 gallons per toilet per year.

Brushing Teeth
Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth to save more than 1,200 gallons of water a year.

Shaving
Turn off the water while shaving. Fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of water to rinse your razor, rather than running the tap and save about 1,000 gallons of water a year.

Shower Time
If you reduce your average shower time from 10 minutes to 5, you can save more than 4,200 gallons of water each year and cut your utility bills. You would also eliminate an extra 300 pounds of CO2 emissions just from the energy used to heat the water.

Low-Flow Showerhead
Standard showerheads made before 1994 use about twice the water used by newer, energy-efficient models. Maintaining ample water pressure, the most efficient showerheads use as little as 1.5 gallons of water per minute, saving 7,300 gallons of water and $30 to $100 a year, compared to 2.5 gpm models.

To check whether you can save money with a low-flow showerhead, check your current showerhead’s flow rate which may be written directly on it. Another way to check the flow is to hold an empty half-gallon milk carton under your showerhead, turn on the water and use a clock to time how long it takes to fill the carton. If it takes less than ten seconds to fill it, you should consider changing the showerhead to a more efficient model. Look for models with the EPA’s WaterSense label.

Put a Stop to Your Junk Mail

Shana Fong — Wed, 19 May 2010 15:42:44 +0000

Around 100 million trees and 28 billion gallons of water are used to send junk mail to Americans every year, according to greendimes.com. You can stop 75% of unsolicited mail by registering on the Mail Preference Service on the Direct Marketing Association Website (for a fee of $1). Within 90 days, most unsolicited mail will stop.

Source: The Daily Green

Give your Fridge an Efficiency Boost

Shana Fong — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:59:18 +0000

Do you need an new fridge?
Refrigerators built before 1993 use twice the energy as any of today’s Energy Star refrigerators. The back-up fridge in your basement or garage may be the largest electricity user in your home and your biggest savings opportunity.

If your refrigerator is more than 10 years old, it may be so inefficient that a new Energy Star refrigerator could pay for itself in energy savings in just a few years. When shopping around, keep in mind that side-by-side refrigerator-freezer models use about 7 to 13 percent more electricity than freezer-on-top or on-bottom models.

Refrigerator Efficiency Tips:

Refrigerator Positioning – To maximize the efficiency of your refrigerator, position the unit away from heat sources such as ovens, dishwashers, and windows with direct sunlight. Allow at least two inches of clearance around the unit for good air circulation.
Door Seals – The rubber door seals on your refrigerator and freezer seal the cold air inside. If they are worn out, the compressor has to work harder to maintain the proper temperature. You can check whether your refrigerator door seals are in good working order by placing a bright flashlight inside the refrigerator. Direct the flashlight toward a section of the door seal, close the door and darken the room. If you see an light shining through the cracks, you may need to have the seals replaced. Be sure to reposition the flashlight to check the entire length of the seal.
Clean the Coils – A refrigerator coil brush should be used to clean the coils every 6 months so they don’t have to work as hard to dissipate heat from the fridge. Don’t forget to unplug the refrigerator before cleaning.

Fast Facts from Energy Star:

A pre-1993 fridge costs $110 per year in electricity.
U.S. households have 44.5 million fridges over 10 years old, 12.7 million of which are secondary units, often in basements and garages. And some homes have three fridges!
16.9 million household freezers are over 10 years old – that’s 44 percent of all freezers.
Combined, the inefficient appliances above use $4.9 billion per year in energy costs.
New ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators must be at least 20 percent more energy efficient than the minimum federal standard. New ENERGY STAR qualified freezers must be at least 10 percent more efficient than the minimum federal standard.
Every step we take to become more energy efficient and lessen our impact on global climate change is a step to preserve energy resources and our environment for generations to come. Just think: if every American home replaced its old refrigerators and freezers with ENERGY STAR qualified models, together, we would save…

* Enough energy to light more than 8.3 million homes for an entire year.
* Nearly $1.8 billion in annual energy costs.
* Annual greenhouse gases emissions equivalent to that of nearly 2.1 million cars, or nearly 1% of all registered automobiles in the United States. That is more than the number of registered autos in the entire state of Connecticut. Lined up bumper to bumper, those cars would stretch from New York to Los Angeles and back.

Green Basics – Dispelling the Myths

Shana Fong — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 23:30:06 +0000

Treehugger has a fantastic section called “Green Basics” in which they cover the hottest topics in going green. They break topics down into digestible chunks and help you cut through the greenwashing to decide between paper or plastic and whether biodiesel really is all that.

The article on offshore drilling is particularly relevant these days with Obama announcing plans to expand offshore drilling – and then a month later, the most disastrous oil spill possibly ever occurring in the Gulf of Mexico.

Offshore Drilling: Worth the Oil, or False Hope?
With fuel prices and consumption dominating the news—not to mention our country’s future energy policy—we offer a quick primer on the complex subject of offshore drilling. How much oil do we currently produce from offshore drilling, and how much might we potentially recover? What’s the status of the moratorium banning offshore drilling in various areas? What are the environmental risks? And perhaps most importantly, what is the psychological impact of thinking that offshore oil holds promise as a source of abundant, less-expensive oil when nothing could be farther from the truth?

Offshore Drilling: Background Info
The term offshore drilling refers to the extracting of oil from fields that lie beneath the ocean floor, anywhere from a few hundred feet to 200 miles off the coast. The first offshore well was drilled in 1887 from a wooden wharf off Summerland, California; technology improvements have made it possible to drill in deeper water and farther from shore ever since. Today, some 4,000 platforms operate in the U.S. federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico, primarily off the coastlines of Louisiana and Texas, and off the coast of Alaska, producing approximately 565 million barrels of oil per year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s overview of offshore activity. U.S. offshore oil production of 565 million barrels per year equates to roughly 1.5 million barrels per day; contrast that figure with U.S. current oil consumption of 21 million barrels per day.

Offshore Drilling: What’s the Fuss
The debate about offshore drilling stems from questions over how much oil potentially could be recovered from underwater fields versus the time and cost, both in dollars and environmental impact, related to that process. Common misperceptions notwithstanding, the debate does NOT stem from notions that offshore drilling could eliminate U.S. need for foreign oil (at current consumption, the U.S. uses 8 billion barrels of oil per year; conventionally recoverable oil from offshore drilling is thought to be 18 billion barrels total ever—not per year). The debate does NOT stem from notions that offshore drilling would guarantee lower fuel prices (oil is a global commodity, and U.S. production is not big enough to influence global prices).

Offshore Drilling: Environmental Risks
Environmental risks associated with offshore drilling include discharges or spills of toxic materials, interference with marine life, damage to coastal habitats, and effects on the economic base of coastal communities. Recent research suggests that transporting the oil poses greater threats than the drilling process itself. In Louisiana, the 10,000 miles of canals dug to transport oil and lay pipelines contribute to coastal erosion because the canals crisscross the state’s coastal wetlands. While technology improvements have lessened the occurrence of oil spills in the last 40 years, the Minerals Management Service, a bureau in the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages the nation’s natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf, projects about one oil spill per year of at least 1,000 barrels in the Gulf of Mexico over the next 40 years. Every three to four years, it says, a spill of at least 10,000 barrels can be expected. Those spills could potentially hit the beaches of western Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas.

Offshore Drilling: The Moratorium
Rights to U.S. offshore areas are shared between the states and the federal government according to various acts passed over the years. Specifically, the states have jurisdiction over any natural resources within 3.45 miles of their coastline (except Texas and the west coast of Florida where the jurisdiction extends to 10.35 miles), and the U.S. has rights up to 200 miles off the coastline. Offshore drilling has been banned in various areas thought to be particularly environmentally sensitive over the years. An offshore oil moratorium that had been in effect since 1981 expired October 1, 2008. With the lifting of the ban, areas in the Gulf of Mexico can be opened up for drilling by the federal government. Additionally, areas off the coasts of California, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia can be opened up if those states approve. According to an Nov. 12, 2008, MMS press release, the agency has already begun the process for approving leases off the coast of Virginia. However, offshore drilling in new areas won’t deliver a drop of oil for ten years, according to numbers cited by the Bush administration two years ago. In fact, the U.S. Energy Information Administration recently did a detailed study of the likely outcome of offshore drilling for their Annual Energy Outlook 2007, and concluded that increased access would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil production or prices before 2030.

Offshore Drilling: False Hope
It’s too soon to tell what the real impact of the moratorium being lifted will be. But the psychological impact of knowing there is more oil available to be drilled may be a negative for Americans’ energy-mindedness. “Thinking that there is more oil to be drilled offshore gives people a false sense of hope that there’s actually enough oil out there to make us energy independent,” says Jonathan Dorn, staff researcher at the Earth Policy Institute. “Nothing could be farther from the truth. The DOE data shows that there’s an insignificant amount of proven oil reserves, plus it will take five or 10 years to drill the oil given the existing backlog in the offshore fleet and other factors.” A similar view is shared by Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope: “All the debate about drilling this year accomplished nothing other than serving as a distraction from real energy solutions. Every time Congress tries to implement real clean energy solutions, the oil industry and its allies demand a ransom. Once the politically-charged election season is over we will be able to revisit this issue as part of a comprehensive energy bill that moves us away from dependence on oil and invests in clean energy solutions.”

Offshore Drilling: Facts and Figures

Offshore drilling currently accounts for 30 percent of total U.S. oil production.
The United States currently produces approximately 1.5 millions barrels of oil per day from offshore drilling, and consumes nearly 21 million barrels of oil per day.
The United States currently consumes nearly 8 billion barrels of oil per year.
The Minerals Management Service estimated there were 76 billion barrels of “remaining undiscovered technically recoverable” oil in U.S. offshore regions, but this estimate represents the “potential hydrocarbons of an area that can be produced using current technology, without any consideration to economic feasibility.” Of this 76 billion barrels, 18 billion are considered “conventionally recoverable.” Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration Overview report.
One barrel equals 42 gallons of crude oil.
Of the crude oil consumed in the U.S., 66 percent is imported.
U.S. oil production currently occurs onshore in the lower 48 states (2.9 million barrels per day), offshore (1.4 million barrels per day primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, plus 0.7 million barrels per day off Alaska).
Lifting the moratoria on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) would reduce the price of a gallon of gasoline by at most a few cents—and this would not be seen for at least another decade.
Oil is traded as a global commodity and its price is set on the world market. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) could simply reduce exports to negate even the nominal potential price reduction.

Here are a couple more of our favorite articles:

VOCs: Volatile Organic Compounds, Indoor Air Quality and Respiratory Health
You can’t see them, but they’re all around us. They aren’t listed as ingredients on the objects we bring in our home, but they’re often there. They’re volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, a wide range of carbon-based molecules (organic compounds) used in a wide range of products that find their way into our homes. Under normal conditions, they vaporize, effectively leaving their host and entering the air, where they combine with other airborne compounds to form ozone, which isn’t good to breathe.

Eating Local Food: The Movement, Locavores and More
The local food movement, eating local, being on the “100 mile diet” or being a locavore are all synonymous with local food, an idea that has risen to prominence as an important part of the larger green movement. Local food integrates production, processing, distribution and consumption on a small scale, creating sustainable local economies and a strong connection between farm and table.

Learn the myriad environmental, social, economical and agricultural benefits of supporting small family farms and seasonal food grown right in your own backyard.

How to Help Stop Allergies and Asthma Attacks at Home

Shana Fong — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:04:05 +0000

Respiratory allergies and asthma issues are very common, and both are made worse by breathing irritants in the air. However, it is possible to make sure the air you’re breathing at home is clean and free of the things that aggravate allergies and trigger asthma attacks.

Symptoms such as coughing and wheezing due to allergens or asthma triggers are a sign that your home is not healthy or performing well, especially if you’ve already taken measures such as getting rid of carpet.

The common culprit behind poor indoor air quality is dirty air being pulled into your home through an unsealed duct system or through other leakage areas. Since the duct system is usually in the crawlspace or attic, it can pull in outside pollutants (like ozone or pollen from outside or mold spores and dust from the attic) and trap them in your home. Sealing leaky ducts can often make a significant difference at home for people with allergies and asthma, but it is often overlooked as a solution. For the same reason, air sealing in the attic and crawlspace are also highly recommended.

It is also important to properly ventilate your home and clean/change your furnace filter regularly – or better yet, install a high efficiency air filtration system. If you take all of these steps, you can breathe easy knowing that the air in your home is healthy.

The Difference between Free and Paid Home Energy Audits

Shana Fong — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:41:06 +0000

Here’s another question we hear from customers all the time:

What’s the difference between a free energy audit from a utility company like PG&E, and one that you pay for?

A home energy audit is the first step in understanding how to make your home more energy efficient by uncovering how it uses energy and where it is losing energy. You have a few options when it comes to energy audits:

• Simple do-it-yourself audit: Utilizing a tool such as the ENERGY STAR Home Energy Yardstick, which compares your home’s energy use with others across the country and provides suggestions on improvements
• Free audits offered by utilities, organizations, or companies: A basic assessment conducted by a technician that looks at some of the areas in your home that affect your energy usage and carbon footprint
• Professional audits by home energy companies or raters: A comprehensive assessment performed by a certified auditor that identifies the most cost-effective improvements to address root causes of your concerns and provide long-term solutions

Both DIY and free energy audits are good starting points but vary greatly in process and goals from professional audits. Here’s an illustrative example of how they differ:

Acterra, a local nonprofit organization, offers free audits to homeowners in select areas of the South Bay. Conducted by a team of two trained volunteers over two and a half hours, the “HouseCall” is an introduction to basic energy efficiency and conservation measures. It includes simple upgrades such as changing out light bulbs to compact fluorescents, optimizing refrigerator and water heater temperatures, and installing faucet aerators. Additionally, the volunteers will suggest other tips on other energy-saving upgrades. For renters and homeowners alike, it’s a great first step if you are looking for a simple, no-cost way to reduce your energy usage by up to 10%.

Recurve’s energy audit includes a 20+ point inspection of your home, including blower door testing to assess the leakiness of your home, attic and crawlspace inspections, utility bill data analysis, heating and cooling load calculations (i.e. how much energy it takes to heat and cool your home on the coldest and hottest days of the year, respectively), lighting and appliance audits, and heating, cooling and water heating systems analyses. The result is a comprehensive report on how your home is currently using energy and a roadmap to making your home more healthy, comfortable and efficient. And if you move forward with the improvements, you will often see significant results – most of our customers see upwards of 30-50% in energy reductions.

In sum, free energy audits are a great way to identify easy, DIY fixes to your home and can be utilized by renters and homeowners alike. Professional audits offer a much more thorough look at how your home uses energy and the specific steps you can take to significantly improve efficiency in the most cost-effective path possible.

To clear a few questions/myths up:
• PG&E only offers free audits to businesses, not homes
• If you decide to do the energy upgrades, some professional companies will credit part or all of the audit cost back – making it essentially free
• Beware of free audits offered by companies that are just trying to lure in buyers of their product, instead of relying on a comprehensive whole-home approach

Remember, energy audits alone don’t save energy. Use the information you glean from your home audit to identify the improvements that make the most sense for your energy needs and your budget.

Resources:
• Energy Star’s take on home energy audits: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hm_improvement_audits
• Home Energy Yardstick: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=HOME_ENERGY_YARDSTICK.showGetStarted
• Acterra’s Green@Home program: http://www.acterra.org/programs/greenathome/housecalls.html

Vote for Recurve for Best Green Building!

Shana Fong — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:13:26 +0000

We have been nominated for the 2010 Best of the Baylist in Green Building. Click below to vote for Recurve!

Manufacturing: Another Way Energy Efficiency Retrofits Support Job Creation

Shana Fong — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:24:06 +0000

A recent study by energy efficiency nonprofit Home Performance Resource Center found that more than 90 percent of caulking and insulation, among other efficiency materials, is made in the United States. This is an example of another way energy efficiency retrofits support job creation – not only through installation, but manufacturing too.

Check out the article in the New York Times here.

Webinar on How to Minimize your Energy Consumption and Find Financing Options

Shana Fong — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:05:11 +0000

Global Exchange & Green Festival Co-Founder Dr. Kevin Danaher and Recurve President Matt Golden will present a webinar about energy efficiency. It will be interactive and fun to participate. You never know who’s interested to improve their home energy efficiency, please forward this email and help us spread the word.

What: Energy Efficiency webinar
When: Thursday, March 18, 2010
Details: 60-minute webinar and Q&A. Learn how to minimize your home energy consumption, where to go to find financing options, and what is the current condition of federal energy policies. Hear from energy expert Matt Golden who has grown his successful green business helping people save money.

More info visit: http://bit.ly/cDSck7

Recurve Makes List of Top 50 VC-funded Greentech Startups

Shana Fong — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:11:40 +0000

Greentech Media’s analysts, editors, and reporters put together a list of 50 top venture-funded greentech startups – and Recurve made the cut! Here’s what the folks at Greentech Media had to say about us:

Recurve: Formerly Sustainable Spaces. They do energy efficiency retrofits. Recurve is assembling a dynamic software package that will allow contractors large and small around the world cut down the time, cost and errors in conducting retrofits. A lot of the employees come from Google—you can’t say that about other construction companies. In fact, a number of large contractors are testing it out now. Co-founder Matt Golden is also one of the driving forces behind the $6 billion Cash for Caulkers program recently introduced by Obama. Recurve’s next policy initiative: funding retrofits by getting them classified as carbon credits.

Check out the full list here.

Congress To Focus on Energy Efficiency Programs This Week

Shana Fong — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:57:05 +0000

Later this week, the House and Senate will hold hearings to discuss energy efficiency programs such as Home Star (which will provide rebates for upgrades to homes), Building Star (a similar program for commercial buildings), and manufactured housing rebates. This comes shortly after Obama’s visit to Savannah, GA, during which the President touted the benefits that these energy efficiency programs would have on job creation, carbon reduction, and energy savings.

Read the full article in the New York Times here.

Obama Spells Out Rebates for Energy Efficiency

Shana Fong — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:09:14 +0000

Today, President Obama is traveling to Savannah, GA to outline some of the details of the Home Star program (aka Cash for Caulkers) that Recurve founder Matt Golden has been instrumental in composing.

Obama has previously said that shifting the U.S. toward cleaner, renewable sources of energy and making homes — particularly older houses — more energy-efficient will help accomplish three goals: reducing America’s dependence on foreign energy sources, creating much-needed jobs and saving consumers money on their utility bills.

Under the first level of energy rebates, Silver Star, consumers would be eligible for rebates between $1,000-$1,500 for a variety of home upgrades, including adding insulation, sealing leaky ducts and replacing water heaters, HVAC units, windows, roofing and doors. There would be a maximum rebate of $3,000 per home.

Under the second level, Gold Star, consumers who get home energy audits and then make changes designed to reduce energy costs by at least 20 percent would be eligible for a $3,000 rebate. Additional rebates would be available for savings above 20 percent.

The administration expects household demand for energy upgrades to be boosted once the program is underway, similar to how Cash for Clunkers boosted demand for fuel-efficient vehicles.

Read the full article from Associated Press here.

Job Losses Have Decreased Dramatically Since Obama Passed ARRA

Matt Golden — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:31:36 +0000

Obama might be taking a lot of fire, but his policies are starting to work. Job loss has been going down every month since Obama took over. It’s hard to argue with this data:

Read the full article here.

First Jobs Bill Advances in Senate

Matt Golden — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:15:48 +0000

Employment stimulus legislation moves forward with bipartisan support, paving the way for further job-related measures

Following yesterday’s test vote on a $15 billion job-creation package proposed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the first in a series of bills aimed at lowering the nation’s unemployment rate is poised to pass the Senate later this week. Congressional leaders have indicated that three to five more job bills are in the works, including legislation authorizing the proposed HOME STAR retrofit incentive program.

The current bill creates or extends tax breaks designed to encourage hiring of unemployed workers and retention of existing employees, and allocates funds for various labor-intensive infrastructure projects. Five Republican Senators voted in favor of the legislation, including newly elected Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown. The 62-30 vote blocked a GOP filibuster and virtually assures passage of the bill when a final vote is taken.

Efficiency First continues to be actively engaged in the legislative process, and is working closely with members of the House and Senate to assure inclusion of the HOME STAR language in subsequent legislation.

Drafty House? New Windows May NOT be the Solution.

Adam Winter — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:00:30 +0000

We hear this question from homeowners all the time:

I think I need to replace my windows because I can always feel a cold draft when I am next to them. Are there any alternatives, since it’s such a pricey upgrade?

Surprising to many, replacement windows are not always the best solution to cold drafts – particularly for homeowners on a tight budget. So before running out to the local window retailer, be sure to consider other possible causes for drafts and their (often times) less expensive solutions.

Typically, the cold feeling you get when standing by a window is caused by a combination of radiant heat loss as your home’s heat is drawn directly through the glass, and air leaks that allow cold outside air to flow through your home. Swapping single-pane windows with double-pane replacements will help with radiant heat loss, but if your house isn’t well sealed and insulated, investing in costly new windows might not solve the problem.

Draftiness is usually the result of warm air rising and escaping into your attic through leaks in walls, ceilings and can lights. As the warm air escapes, it is replaced by cold air that flows in from poorly sealed crawlspaces and other low-lying areas. That’s when you feel the drafts.

Finding and sealing air leaks can have a huge impact on interior comfort. The average home leaks 100 percent of its heated air every hour. At Recurve, we prefer leakage rates closer to 35 percent, which seriously reduces drafts and energy waste.

In most homes, windows only account for a small fraction of the air that leaks out. And because replacement windows are such a big investment, it’s usually more cost-effective to tighten your home first by improving insulation and sealing air leaks– particularly in the attic and crawlspace. Your home will also feel warmer if you close your blinds or drapes at night to reduce the amount of radiant heat loss.

In any case, it’s best to begin with a professional audit of your home’s energy performance. By conducting a thorough inspection of the various elements that contribute to your home’s overall comfort and energy consumption – including insulation, heating and cooling systems, and duct systems – the auditor can help you figure out which improvements will give you the most bang for your buck. You might find that $2,000 worth of insulation and air sealing will have the same impact as a $20,000 window upgrade.

If you have enough money left in your remodeling budget, energy-efficient replacement windows can be a terrific option. We’ve seen impressive results from a line of fiberglass windows manufactured by Sunnyvale-based SeriousWindows. Their top-of-the line windows achieve an insulation rating of R-11, which is better than what many people have in their walls and ceilings.

Finally, no matter what home energy improvements you decide to make, be sure to take advantage of the tax credits and other incentives that are available for this kind of work. An experienced energy retrofit contractor will be able to tell which incentives are available in your area, and even help you with the necessary paperwork.

Recurve Ranked Third Most Innovative Energy Company in the World by Fast Company

Shana Fong — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:46:22 +0000

Today, Recurve was named 3rd among Fast Company’s 2010 ranking of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in Energy … an honor that cements its place among other top energy innovators like First Solar and Silver Spring Networks.

Check out the full article on Fast Company here.

Bay Area’s Top 25 Movers and Shakers in Cleantech

Shana Fong — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:50:18 +0000

Recently, RoseRyan compiled a list of 25 Northern California cleantech leaders, based on informal polling at key cleantech events in 2009. Matt Golden, president and founder of Recurve made the illustrious list, along with others such as Steve Westly, Chuck Reed (mayor of San Jose), and Richard Swanson (founder of Sunpower). Check out the rest of the list here.

San Francisco Introduces Its Own Innovative Financing Plan for Energy Projects

Shana Fong — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:48:42 +0000

In January, I mentioned how innovative financing is changing energy in America. San Francisco residents can now share bragging rights with other progressive counties such as Berkeley and Sonoma – GreenFinanceSF has officially been signed into law! This innovative program is the nation’s largest PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program to date, making $150 million in bonding capacity available to private property owners to finance water conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements starting in April. Learn more here: http://greenfinancesf.org/

In 2010, 200 local governments nationwide are expected to have administered programs based on the PACE model. Good ideas are worth spreading!

Berkeley Residents: Get off your Gas!

Shana Fong — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:40:13 +0000

The City of Berkeley is once again hosting the residential natural gas efficiency contest for Berkeley residents (renters and homeowners). All residents who receive a natural gas bill from PG&E, either directly or through their landlord, are eligible to enter and win. Cooperatives are eligible this year as well.

The contest period covers natural gas use for the month of February, so start conserving now! Last year’s prizes included Whole-House Performance Testing, $100 in BART tickets, Farmer’s Market Gift Certificates and gift baskets, and Berkeley Repertory Theater tickets.

Categories include: Lowest Natural Gas Use Overall, Lowest Natural Gas use Per Person, Greatest Percentage of Natural Gas Reduction, and Most Creative Effective Strategy for reducing natural gas consumption.

Contestants may also be eligible for up to a 20% bill credit from PG&E through their Winter Gas Savings program.

Download a contest application here: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=34650

For additional information, please contact the Contest manager at Energy@CityofBerkeley.info or call 510-981-7435. PG&E is a co-sponsor of this contest.

An Illuminating Statistic on Fuel

Shana Fong — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:33:42 +0000

As originally reported by The Thin Green Line, for every unit of fuel burned, only 13 percent of the potential energy is actually converted as useable output to power machines, and illuminate and heat buildings.

That means that 87% of the energy produced by fuel is wasted.

Who thinks it’s time to move to more efficient sources of energy?

Venture Funders Take Aim at Energy Waste

Shana Fong — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:20:38 +0000

‘Energy efficiency to shine in 2010’ reports the San Jose Mercury News

A pair of articles in yesterday’s edition of the San Jose Mercury News shed light on the growing national interest in energy efficiency and on the proposed HOME STAR retrofit incentive program. “Solar and wind power may get the headlines and attention,” the newspaper reported, “but green-tech experts say 2010 will be dominated by energy efficiency, the mundane but critical process of cutting the amount of gas and electricity that homes and offices use.”

Of particular interest to business leaders in the construction and related manufacturing sectors is the fact that investors are increasingly betting on the profitability of reducing energy waste:

Venture capital investment in energy efficiency hit a record in 2009: at least 115 deals worth nearly $1 billion, according to a preliminary tally by the Cleantech Group and Deloitte. That’s up 39 percent from 2008. Meanwhile, solar, which had 84 deals worth about $1.2 billion, was down 64 percent from 2008, and there’s increasing talk about solar being “overfunded.”

“In 2009, there was a pullback and realization by investors that because of the capital intensity of solar, there may be safer places to put their money,” said Scott Smith, U.S. cleantech leader for Deloitte.”

Mercury News staff writer Dana Hull also emphasized the wider economic and environmental benefits of energy efficiency: “It’s increasingly seen as an effective way to create desperately needed jobs, save struggling consumers money, wean America from its dependence on foreign oil and reduce carbon emissions – all at the same time.”

A second article provides an overview of the HOME STAR incentive program:

Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr, who serves on President Barack Obama’s board of outside economic advisers, is a leading champion for Home Star, which he describes as “Cash for Caulkers.” The idea has widespread support from big-box retailers, labor unions, environmental groups and the construction and contracting industries, which have been devastated by the collapse of the housing market. Although national unemployment remains at about 10 percent, almost a quarter of the nation’s construction workers are unemployed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

We are in an urgent moment where we desperately need jobs,” said Bracken Hendricks, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and an architect of the Home Star legislation. “You have business and environmental interests aligned around making this happen, and happen now. I have never seen a coalition this broad and this committed.”

Here are links to the full articles:

“Energy Efficiency to Shine in 2010”
www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14241691

“Government working on ‘Home Star’ Plan for Energy-Efficiency Rebates”
www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14261182?nclick_check=1

How Innovative Financing is Changing Energy in America

Shana Fong — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:51:56 +0000

Here’s a great post on Grist by Recurve friend and client Cisco DeVries, CEO of Renewable Funding.

In this article, Cisco discusses a shift in financing models for energy efficient improvements and renewable energy projects by funding them through loans attached to property tax. Dozens of states and municipalities, including several in the Bay Area such as Berkeley, Sonoma, and San Francisco, have already hopped on the bandwagon – thus demonstrating support for a public-private hybrid financing model that will achieve several goals at once: cutting energy use and carbon emissions, putting Americans back to work, and stimulating economic growth.

eWaste Recycling Fund Raiser

Shana Fong — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:17:08 +0000

Who doesn’t have a pile of unused electronics that they would love to get rid of – without just dumping it into a landfill? For those in the Bay Area, Conexions is hosting a FREE electronic ewaste recycling event. Bring your unwanted tv’s, computer monitors and equipment, and many other hard-to-recycle items to this event. Check out the details here.

Handy Guide to Recycling Nearly Everything

Shana Fong — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:00:48 +0000

On average, individuals throw away 4 pounds of garbage every day. About a third of the waste is from product packaging. If you recycle all your home’s newspapers and newsprint ads, cardboard, glass and metal, you can reduce carbon emissions by 850 pounds a year. Use this list as a handy reference guide for all of your recycling needs:

ALUMINUM
Aluminum refining is a major source of greenhouse gases. Recycling a ton of aluminum saves 37 barrels of oil. When you recycle a beverage can, rather than tossing it in the trash can, you’ll save enough energy to run a computer for 3 hours or a TV for 2 hours. If you have a party and recycle 125 aluminum cans, you’ll save enough energy to power a home for a day.

BATTERIES
Battery acid can be converted to sodium sulfate for laundry detergent, glass and textile manufacturing. For a list of retail chains with drop-off sites for recycling batteries, check with the Rechargeable Batter Recycling Corporation: (678) 419-9990, www.rbrc.org. Battery Solutions will help you dispose of batteries from cell phones, laptop computers, flashlights, cameras, watches, hearing aids, clocks and electronic devices: (800) 852-8127, www.batteryrecycling.com.

CARDBOARD BOXES
Contact local no-profits to see if they can use your boxes, or offer them on www.freecycle.org, or www.craigslist.org. UsedCardboardBoxes.com offers “box rescue” services to businesses with 1,000 or more of the same-sized boxes and resells the boxes to consumers.

CELL PHONES
About 500 million cell phones are taking up shelf space rather than being recycled. You can drop off your old cell phones at large retail chains like Staples, AT&T, Best Buy, Office Depot, and Sprint PCS. You also can donate to recycleplace.com or Collective Good, which refurbishes old cell phones for developing countries: (770) 856-9021, www.collectivegood.com.

COMPACT FLUORESCENT BULBS
CFLs contain up to 5 milligrams of mercury and should be disposed of properly. For nearby drop-off sites, call 1-800-CleanUp or visit www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling (click “where you live”), or www.earth911.org. You may also deposit CFLs at some large retail chains such as Ikea (www.ikea.com).

COMPOST
Use the searchable database at www.findacomposter.com to locate a composting facility in your area.

COMPUTERS AND E-WASTE
Electronics, such as old computers and televisions, contain chemicals and lead and should be recycled. For computer re-use programs, visit www.recycles.org a non-profit exchange that connects businesses and consumers with nonprofit organizations.

For disposal centers, visit www.earth911.org or call 1-800-CleanUp. The EPA website also provides a list of corporations, such as HP and Dell, that accept computers. For all your other “technotrash,” contact the Consumer Electronics Association at www.mygreenelectronics.org or GreenDisk at (425) 392-8700, www.greendisk.com.

GLASS
By some estimates, it takes about 1 million years for a glass bottle to break down in a landfill. When purchasing glass, look for recycled products. Producing glass from recycled glass requires 30% less energy than producing it from virgin materials.

INK TONER CARTRIDGES
More than 3 quarts of oil are used to produce one laser printer cartridge, and the plastic body takes more than 1,000 years to decompose. Check Earthshare for recycling locations: www.earthshare.org/marketplace.html, or deposit cartridges at participating office supply retail chains. Recycleplace.com will even pay for your old ink cartridges and cell phones: (877) 348-5319.

JUNK MAIL
Junk mail produces more CO2 than 2.8 million cars. To keep junk mail and catalogs out of your mailbox, contact the Direct Marketing Association’s free Mail Preference Service at www.dmachoice.org or try www.41pounds.org which charges $41, donating about 1/3 of proceeds to environmental organizations.

MOTOR OIL
If you recycle just two gallons of used oil, it can generate enough electricity to power the average household for almost 24 hours. Find recycling centers for used motor oil at www.recycleoil.org or call the American Petroleum Institute at (202) 682-8000.

PAPER
If you convince just 3 of your friends to recycle newspapers, you’ll save about 17 trees, 2 barrels of oil, 7,000 gallons of water, and 4,100 kilowatt hours of electricity.

When you buy paper, buy recycled! It takes 60% less energy to produce recycled paper and 58% less water than to produce paper from virgin wood pulp. It also generates 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution.

PLASTIC
Two-thirds of the 40 billion plastic bottles produced annually in the US end up in landfills, where plastics need 100 to 400 years to break down. Every ton of plastic bottles recycled saves 3.8 barrels of oil.

Recycling rules for municipalities vary but, in general, most recycling programs accept PET bottles, usually used for soda and water, and HDPE bottles used for milk and laundry detergent. The following items generally should not go into the recycling bin: automotive, pesticide, or solvent bottles, lids or spray pumps, toys, trays, tubs or containers, plastic bags or film.

STEEL CANS & APPLIANCES
Recycle 1 ton of steel, which is used to produce may household appliances, and you’ll save the energy equivalent of 3.6 barrels of oil. That’s 2,500 lbs. of iron ore, 1,400 lbs. of coal and 120 lbs. of limestone.

Check out the Steel Recycling Center’s database of recycling locations for steel cans and appliances: www.recycle-steel.org or call (800) Yes-I-Can. Some charities, such as Goodwill, accept working appliances.

STYROFOAM PACKAGING
Many pack-and-ship stores will accept foam packaging for reuse. For additional foam peanut drop-off locations, contact the Plastic Loose Fill Council at (800) 828-2214. To dispose of large quantities of styrofoam block packaging, go to www.epspackaging.org or contact the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers at (410) 451-8340.

Thanks to Eco Hatchery for providing the recycling tips.

Ed Begley, Jr. in Praise of Energy Audits

Shana Fong — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:46:43 +0000

Former St. Elsewhere star emphasizes the importance of ‘low-hanging fruit’ in home energy conservation

Celebrated actor and environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr. has been translating his green lifestyle into family entertainment with the revival of Living With Ed, a reality series now showing on the Planet Green television network. The show touches on a wide range of topics – from eco-friendly gardening and interior design to electric cars and home energy conservation – and has even featured an energy audit of model Cheryl Tiegs’ Bel Air estate. In a recent Q&A posted on the Planet Green Web site, Begley summed up the value of energy audits while answering a question about what kind of green businesses are most needed:

I think the key is to provide services that people need at the very ground level – the low hanging fruit so to speak. Solar panels, wind turbines, electric cars – all good things but not ground level things. What people really need these days is a home energy audit – one that can create a game plan for energy efficiency in each home. It looks at insulation, windows, ducting, lighting, HVAC, etc., and creates a full plan to bring each house up to a high level of energy efficiency. If I were to start a business, it would be doing home energy audits and doing the work that follows from them.

And here’s what Begley had to say to a viewer who was troubled by the high cost of residential solar, wind and geothermal systems:

Please don’t focus on energy PRODUCTION technologies. Try instead to focus on the low hanging fruit of energy and resource CONSERVATION. A kilowatt SAVED is so much cheaper than a kilowatt PRODUCED. I always recommend starting with a home energy audit – it will create a great game plan of things to do where you will get your fastest and largest return on investment. I didn’t get solar electric until 20 years after I started this stuff!

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

More information about Living With Ed, including broadcast schedules and video clips from the show, is available here: www.planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/living-with-ed/

Green building trends in 2009

Shana Fong — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:53:11 +0000

2009 was a fantastic year for progress and support of green building. Some of our favorite green building trends of the year were:

The increase in net zero energy building. Check out the Palo Alto historic retrofit we did here: Palo Alto Net Zero
Energy efficiency retrofits finally get financing support. CA has set aside over $3 billion, most of which will come from utility rebates.
Property assessed clean energy loans (PACE) gain popularity and are implemented in several states and municipalities.

See Greentech Media’s Top Ten in Green Building in 2009.

Utility bills – another casualty of the recession?

Shana Fong — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:44:45 +0000

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.

Mayor Newsom announces San Francisco Sustainable Financing for Green Retrofits

Shana Fong — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:22:04 +0000

Mayor Newsom, Recurve founder Matt Golden, Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, and others announce SF Sustainable Financing Program

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that San Francisco is introducing legislation to help finance new residential and commercial energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. San Francisco Sustainable Financing Program (SF²) is modeled after similar programs adopted by cities such as Berkeley and Palm Desert, in which the loan for improvements is attached to the property, rather than the individual, and will be paid back through property taxes over the life of the financing.

San Francisco Sustainable Financing (SF2) Highlights:

Establishes a citywide “Mello-Roos” Special Tax District.
Residential and commercial buildings of all sizes will be eligible.
Some of the eligible upgrades include: insulation, replacing windows, upgrading heating systems; water efficiency upgrades—such as installing low flow toilets, potable water offsets, irrigation measures, storm water management improvements; financing will also be available for installation of renewable energy generation on buildings, such as solar arrays, solar water heaters and wind turbines
Program phases in a mandate of a whole home energy efficiency audit and the installation of energy efficiency upgrades before renewable energy generation improvements.
Private capital to fund the retrofits through Renewable Funding, LLC.
Program participants can deduct the interest component of their solar financing tax on their tax returns.
Similar programs exist currently in Berkeley and Sonoma, and others are under development around the state, but San Francisco’s is the most aggressive and includes comprehensive water and energy efficiency improvements as well as renewable generation like solar.

According to Inhabitat, the genius of San Francisco Sustainable Financing is that it will leverage private market lending and available state and federal grant dollars to help home and business owners overcome the costs of green improvements without financial risk to San Francisco taxpayers. Up to $150 million has been set aside for this new program. This is different than cities with similar “repayment through property tax” solar and environmental improvement programs, where public or City investment dollars are used for financing instead.