Daily Archives: January 27, 2010

Michigan schools to get free help in reducing energy bills

Via The Mudpuppy. Energy Works Michigan, a program of the nonprofit Recycle Ann Arbor and The Ecology Center, is administering a state-funded Michigan Renewable Schools Program. Energy Works offers two programs for K-12 schools: the Renewable Energy Program and the … Continue reading

Posted in Funding Opportunities, Great Lakes Region, Renewable Energy, Schools | Leave a comment

Seeking To Cement A Green Future

Read the full story in ES&T. At first glance, cement, drywall, and bricks do not appear to be compelling targets for reinvention by green technology start-up firms. These old-fashioned building products, made from all-natural sources, have been used successfully for … Continue reading

Posted in Green Building, Research | Leave a comment

How eco-friendly is Apple's tablet?

Read the full story from CNET (via Reuters). Regardless of whether we see a gorgeous tablet from Apple on Wednesday, there is a clear trend toward using electronic devices to read what has traditionally been printed media. From an environmental … Continue reading

Posted in Computing/Consumer electronics, E-Waste | Leave a comment

NY: Home-brewed biodiesel poses risks

Read the full story in the Times Herald-Record. The idea of homeowners secretly brewing diesel fuel from used cooking oil might seem like material for a movie about a post-cataclysmic, dystopian future. But the discovery of a large cache of … Continue reading

Posted in Biofuels | Leave a comment

NREL breaks down walls for biofuels

Read the full story in DOE Pulse. Researchers at DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and ethanol producers are racing to come up with ways to make ethanol from cellulosic biomass that are cheaper and easier to produce than current … Continue reading

Posted in Biofuels, Research | Leave a comment

Rise of ethanol affects prairie birds

Read the full story at INFORUM. A new report says government incentives for corn-based ethanol are motivating farmers to convert grasslands to cornfields, resulting in declining grassland bird populations in the Prairie Pothole Region, including Minnesota, North Dakota and South … Continue reading

Posted in Biofuels, Research, Wildlife | Leave a comment

Michigan's foray into wind energy is faltering as orders for turbines lag

Read the full story in the Detroit Free Press. Data released Tuesday by the American Wind Energy Association show that Michigan’s efforts to diversify into wind energy face some significant headwinds. Orders for new wind turbines have slowed dramatically and … Continue reading

Posted in Great Lakes Region, Wind Energy | Leave a comment

Advocates of Climate Bill Scale Down Their Goals

Read the full story in the New York Times. Advocates of a comprehensive bill to combat global warming are looking to a more modest package that they believe has a better chance of clearing Congress this year.

Posted in Climate Change | Leave a comment

The New American Home to Incorporate Energy-Saving Technologies

Read the full story in EERE News. The National Council of the Housing Industry and Builder Magazine have unveiled the design of the 2010 edition of The New American Home, which aims to use 72% less energy than a similar … Continue reading

Posted in Green Building | 1 Comment

California Adopts Nation's First Statewide Green Building Standard

Read the full story at EERE News. The California Building Standards Commission unanimously adopted the first-in-the-nation mandatory Green Building Standards Code, called CALGreen, on January 12. The program, which takes effect on January 1, 2011, will require all new buildings … Continue reading

Posted in Green Building, Regulation | Leave a comment