New Energy Code Changes are in Effect July 1, 2010: Is Your Building Prepared?
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010| June 17, 2010 | ||
| 6:00 pm | to | 8:00 pm |
New energy efficiency legislation that will drastically impact your building is fast approaching and you don’t want to be caught unprepared. Join us for an interactive session with leaders in the field of energy efficiency. Learn how you can take advantage of these required changes, and benefit from cost saving measures. You will also hear about all of the potential funding and financing opportunities available to help with project costs.
June 17, 2010, 6:00-8:00pm,
followed by networking a reception
Sony Wonder Technology Lab Auditorium
550 Madison Ave (at 56th St.)
PANELISTS
Representative from the City of New York: NYC Green Building Codes
Kate Grossman, Greenwich Energy Solutions: Energy Audits and Qualifying Buildings
Brett Greenberg, Bovis Lend Lease: Implementing Energy Efficiency Measures
David Gibson, Lutron: Advanced Lighting Technologies
Cliff Schorer, Greenwich Energy Solutions: Financing Options
Diana Pangestu, Solar One: NYSERDA Incentives and Case Study
Seminar Cost: $25
To register, click on the following link:
Posted in Cleantech, Economy, Energy, Energy $mart Communities, Energy Efficiency, Green Building, Legislation, New York City, NYSERDA, Products, Solar One, Solar One Events, Sustainability, Technology | Permalink
CFLs Soon Safer to Handle
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
In the not-too-distant future, it looks like you’ll be able to handle your CFLs without worrying about the hazards of mercury.
While Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) have long been seen as a technology with significant potential to conserve electricity and reduce consumer energy costs, one of their main drawbacks has been public trepidation about exposure to this toxic element if a bulb happens to break. Now nanotechnology researchers may have developed a way to reduce this concern. According to an article in this week’s Science Times, experiments with microparticles of various elements including sulfur, copper, nickel and most notably selenium have demonstrated promising results when binding with mercury. Potential applications could weave “nanoselenium” into CFL packaging and special cloth with which to mop up breakage, even plastic bags for recycling spent or shattered bulbs.
This means one less reason not to make the switch to these spiral-shaped icons of energy efficiency. Anyway, you won’t have a choice beginning in 2012. As a consequence of last December’s energy bill, traditional incandescent bulbs will be phased out of use, beginning with the 100-watt bulb and ending with the 40-watt in 2014. This ensures that, while we may not necessarily know how bright the future will be, getting there will be a whole lot more efficient.
Posted in Energy, Energy Efficiency, Legislation, Pollution, Products, Recycling, Renewables, Technology, Tru Light | Permalink
Future Now (but only in California.)
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
What has 3 wheels, pull-up doors, and gets 330 miles per gallon?
No, that’s not a typo. The super-cool plug-in hybrid Aptera gets more than 10 times the gas mileage of the average new car. Its lightweight, ultra-aerodynamic design and super-luxe interior with room for 2 adults plus luggage and surfboards make it one of the most exciting contenders for the Automotive X Prize, a $10 million grant awarded by the X Foundation to the company that can develop a low-carbon, 100+ mpg car that can be put into production quickly.
While it may look like a prop car from Woody Allen’s Sleeper, the Aptera is actually being put into production now. Californians can log on to Aptera’s website and reserve one for a $500 deposit (ultimate retail price: $25,000 and change.) With 3 wheels, the Aptera is officially classed as a motorcycle, but it packs all the safety features of a conventional full-size car, including air bags. (more…)
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Products, Transportation | Permalink
Where Are Your Old Cellphones?
Saturday, January 26th, 2008
Our friends over at INFORM have started a new series called The Secret Life. First on the agenda: cellphones. These devices that have totally transformed communication over the past 20 years have also become too-synonymous with “disposable” leading to their being sent by the millions to landfills and incinerators. And yet, many, if not all, of the materials used to make them are reclaimable and/or recyclable.
INFORM has put together a great 5 minute video about the need for more cellphone recycling, while also showing in some detail what happens to these phones during the recycling process. We encourage you to check out their website, watch the video, and then take those old phones out of your junk drawer and find a way to recycle them (they provide the info on how to do just that, of course).
In addition, this seems like a great time to remind everyone about the Greener Gadgets Conference coming up this Friday, February 1st. Our recent Green Renter with conference co-chairs Marc Alt and Jill Fehrenbacher was a great overview of the need to re-think the design process for digital technology, complete with some great examples like the BOGOlight that the audience got to pass around and test out. We’ll have a video version of their presentation on our site soon, but you can register for the conference right now.
Cellphone image by Chris Jordan, taken from inhabitat.com
Posted in Pollution, Products, Recycling, Sustainability, Technology, Waste | Permalink
Looking for a Job? Try Green.
Friday, January 18th, 2008
It would be difficult to think of one sector with more growth prospects than services, products, and construction in the environmental sector. 80% of the carbon dioxide emissions from NYC is the result of building use. The retrofitting of hundreds of thousands of buildings to use less resources is a good financial investment–and can’t be outsourced. All kinds of products and services will be–and are–undergoing a redesign to focus more on resource consumption and environmental impact. This ranges everywhere from your brokerage firm to your dry cleaning to your contractor.
There was a recent summit in San Francisco called Advancing the New Energy Economy where attendees discussed advancing the long-term growth, financial stability, and job prospects of the new green economy. Read more in a Sustanablog post.
Posted in New York City, Products, Sustainability | Permalink
