cleantech
More About Me
Denis Du Bois is a 25-year marketing veteran who specialized in cleantech. He writes about sustainable business for Energy Priorities Magazine and other publications.
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Please include costs for payback period calc
How much more do these measures cost?
Businesses need to see the payback calculation for green building measures, even though the final decision might not be completely financial.
Homeowners, however, have no marketing benefit to offset their added investment.
Take for example structural insulated panels, or SIPs. In my own experience, I found that building with SIPs cost nearly double. The energy savings -- in a moderate climate with low electric rates -- would take a lifetime to recover that cost difference.
Denis Energy Priorities
On A quick partial overview of green building techniques posted 2 years, 6 months ago 14 ResponsesClick here to view comment in original post
Efficiency: many are calling for behavior change
The current thinking on the energy side of environmentalism is that energy efficiency is a resource, like any other power plant or wind farm. We could meet many years of growing demand -- without building new power plants -- by being more efficient.
The difference between efficiency and conservation is that with efficiency you get to keep on doing the work you were doing, but use less energy to do it.
Building automation is a prime example. Energy Priorities has many articles about facilities that use more daylight, or smarter air conditioning. Same light, same comfort. Less energy.
In transportation, as they've long ago learned in Europe and Japan, some efficiency comes from smaller vehicles and engines. The quantum leaps in efficiency come from mass transit. You know, buses and subways. Same distance, less energy per commuter.
Electricity efficiency took off in California when energy costs went past 15 cents per kWh. The concept of mass transit in the U.S. might not catch on until we have $10 gasoline.
Denis Energy Priorities
On The seductive lure of toys that promise solutions without change posted 2 years, 6 months ago 39 ResponsesClick here to view comment in original post
Energy was in the spotlight at Greenbuild 2006
The USGBC is an environmental organization with a mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable building.
At the heart of this mission is energy efficiency. I went last week to find out whether energy is of interest to LEED architects and builders. It is. Here's my perspective (in words, podcasts and pictures) on the conference and expo.
Denis Energy Priorities
On Green building convention is abuzz posted 2 years, 11 months ago 1 ResponseClick here to view comment in original post
It's more than the 5% figure would indicate
After talking with Starbucks' Director of Environmental Affairs about their wind purchase for a case study this summer, I must say, just looking at the 5% figure belittles their effort.
Note the second part of their announcement, down at the very end -- Starbucks is supporting other organizations that are spreading the word about renewable energy -- an acknowledgement that Starbucks can't change the world alone.
Starbucks is supporting the World Resources Institute's Green Power Market Development Group and the Climate Group. Starbucks also announced a two-year commitment of cash and in-kind contributions to Global Green USA.
By Starbucks' own admission, it's not just about saving the planet.
"We could take care of our entire climate footprint and still not mitigate the long-term risk of climate change to the company," they said, referring to the potential negative impact of global warming on coffee harvests. "We have concerns about the long-term implications of climate change on our core business, which is coffee."
Denis Energy Priorities
On Coffee giant will buy 5 percent clean power for its U.S. stores posted 3 years, 11 months ago 5 ResponsesClick here to view comment in original post
Major orgs are serious about rebuilding green
Shortly after Katrina I wrote a brief article about being smart with tax dollars in rebuilding New Orleans sustainably, then this news came out:
Coalition Seeks to Embed Sustainable Strategies in Gulf Coast Rebuilding Efforts
The US Green Building Council, the Enterprise Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, the Trust for Public Land and others announced initiatives and ideas designed to assist in the rebuilding efforts of the Gulf Coast communities ravaged by the hurricanes.
These are not the vague notions of a group of nobodys. At the Greenbuild conference in November 2005, this group of heavy hitters held sessions on embedding sustainable strategies in the rebuilding effort. They harnessed the talents of the 10,000 attendees of the Greenbuild conference -- mostly professional builders.
Their plan is to take their collective advice out to the field and put it to work in rebuilding sustainably on the Gulf coast.
"In action" beats "under development" any day. I wish we could see as much intelligence behind the billions that will be spent rebuilding the region's electric grid.
Denis Energy Priorities
On Who's going to push the new New Orleans in a green direction? posted 3 years, 11 months ago 2 Responses