You can’t beat the satisfaction of making the world a cleaner, more pristine place. For this reason, more and more people want green jobs. The more President Obama talks about them, the better they sound. In reality, many of us can have a tremendous impact, without working for a wildlife reserve or a solar energy
Large herds of buffalo once trampled the Great Plains, making the landscape appear black and in motion. Wolves roamed the continent, creating complex societies. This time period now lives as legend, in accounts from early settlers and Indian stories. Scattered reserves are home to relatively small populations. A recently study by scientists from the Princeton
Japan backed the United States last month during the United Nations-led talks in Bali, opposing the European Union proposal for cutting emissions by 2012. Japan however has helped redeem itself by pledging $10 billion over 5 years to help developing countries reduce carbon emissions. The “Cool Earth Partnership” fund pledges $8 billion in assistance and
Venture capital investments in clean technology reached an impressive $5.18 billion last year in North America and Europe. North American-based companies received three times the investments of the European-based companies. Not surprisingly, energy generation was responsible for $2.75 billion in investments, with solar energy shining. “In 2007, solar emerged as a significant investment theme, and
A tidal energy facility in Nova Scotia could help fuel development of this emerging renewable energy source. The last few years have been a time of amazing growth in the renewable energy industry and the renewable energy potential of many regions is increasingly being utilized. Tidal energy is becoming a hot topic, with many companies
What might start out as one lick here and another lick there can turn into a full fledged salt addiction for woodland animals. Dear, porcupines, hares, birds, and other animals may all indulge in this habit. There is no shortage of salt to feed this addiction, with13 million tons applied to winter roads each year
Carbon sequestration will be used in this new coal-fired power plant to reduce the carbon footprint of electricity. The town of Mattoon, Illinois rejoiced when the developers of a $1.8 billion low-pollution power plant announced the selected location. This rust-belt town will no longer be primarily known as the bagel capital of the world. The
The federal solar tax credit is set to expire at the end of 2008, slowing the solar energy growth that the US market has seen recently. On a recent trip to Greece, I was struck by the prevalence of solar hot water heaters that dotted nearly every rooftop in sight in many villages. I learned
Wind is the fastest growing energy source in the United States. Over the last five years, wind energy output has increased tenfold. Unlike most other forms of energy used to produce electricity, wind is a variable energy source. Some wind energy may be wasted when too much energy is produced and more energy might be
If this region of the US were its own country, it would be the fifth largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the world. With 71% electricity generation from coal and a large manufacturing base, change is needed. The seeds of change were planted last week when Midwest governors signed an accord designed to reduce
Can large retail chains help lead the way in green building? LEED certified (Leadership in energy and environmental design) retail stores currently account for only 6% of the LEED certified projects. The recent collaboration between the U.S. Green Building Counsel (USGBC) and national retail chains indicates that change is on the horizon with the USGBC
