Daily Archives: September 18, 2009

Green buildings: Chicago tops U.S. cities on group's list

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Laura B.

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune. Mayor Richard Daley wants to make Chicago the greenest city in America. By one measure, he’s done it. Chicago now has more certified green buildings than any other city in the country, … Continue reading →

Posted in Green Building, Illinois | Leave a comment

Can Google's page-rank algorithm help save endangered species and ecosystems?

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Laura B.

Read the full story at Scientific American. When users seek information from Google, the search engine relies on a proprietary algorithm called PageRank™ to determine the order of the sites that show up in search results. Now, two researchers say … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Wildlife | Leave a comment

Can Dirt Really Save Us From Global Warming?

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Laura B.

Read/listen to the full story at NPR. This month the Senate is set to take up the climate and energy bill that Congress began work on last spring. One provision will likely set up a system to pay farmers for … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Climate Change | Leave a comment

Universities of Colorado, Washington Top Sierra Club's Green Schools List

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Laura B.

Read the full story at GreenBiz. Universities are getting increasingly green, both from an infrastructure standpoint of building green, buying gree and improving efficiency, but also from an educational standpoint, as students clamor for greener courses in greener settings. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Publications, Schools, Sustainability | Leave a comment

Labels, Consumers and Efficient TVs

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Laura B.

Read the full post at Green, Inc. Europe has long used a letter-grading system for indicating the efficiency of consumer electronics (above right). The labels runs from the letter G, representing the least efficient electronics products, to A, representing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing/Consumer electronics, Energy, Green Business, Publications, Research | Leave a comment

New Research Investigates Potato Bioplastic and Corn-Based Glue

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Laura B.

Read the full story at GreenerDesign. Separate research initiatives in the U.S. and Canada are turning potato starch into high performance bioplastic packaging and using corn germ to reduce the amount of resin in glue.

Posted in Chemical Industry, Research, Sustainable Design | Leave a comment

How Termites Inspired Mick Pearce's Green Buildings

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Laura B.

Read the full story at GreenerBuidings. When I mention the words “high-rise office building” what do you think of? Probably an enclosed glass and steel box, stripped of detail, perfect in its photogenic, modernist simplicity. Perhaps, like me, you also … Continue reading →

Posted in Biomimicry, Green Building | Leave a comment

Michaels Cuts Energy Use Over 25 Percent with Site Controls

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Laura B.

Read the full story at GreenBiz. An energy management solution that Site Controls crafted for Michaels Stores Inc. has led to a more than 25 percent drop in consumption among the retailer’s nearly 1,000 stores.

Posted in Energy, Green Business | Leave a comment

The Bottom Line on Corporate Sustainability

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Laura B.

Read the full post at Green, Inc. Corporate sustainability is a “key driver” of innovation that also yields real financial rewards rather than extra cost, a new study in the Harvard Business Review has found (PDF). “By treating sustainability as … Continue reading →

Posted in Green Business, Publications | Leave a comment

Planting the Seed for a Municipal Carbon Economy

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Laura B.

Read the full story at ClimateBiz. Local governments are looking for powerful tools to create momentum for addressing climate change: What if our taxes and fees were calculated according to greenhouse gas emissions? Nearly a thousand mayors have signed the … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Local Initiatives | Leave a comment