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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
On efficiency
There's more room than you think |
Gar Lipow |
17 Apr 2007 |
Gristmill |
| (Part of the No Sweat Solutions series.) As almost everyone who studies the subject concludes, one key to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions is efficiency. Renewable sources generally provide energy at a slightly higher market price than fossil fuels. Oh, there are exceptions: passive solar heating, wind electricity, biofuel from waste. But overall, if we get all our energy from low-emitting sources, we will spend more overall per BTU. If we can use those BTUs efficient ... |
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| Topics: energy, energy efficiency, green living, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Beyond carbon taxes
A follow-up |
Gar Lipow |
12 Apr 2007 |
Gristmill |
| My last article made the point that in fighting climate chaos, only a refundable carbon tax, one that returns revenues directly to the population, mitigates regressivity in way that benefits those hit hardest by such a tax. It concludes by pointing out that just about everyone who pays serious attention to the problem of climate chaos concludes that carbon taxes or cap and trade systems -- methods of putting a price on carbon -- cannot by themselves solve the problem. T ... |
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| Topics: carbon tax, climate, energy, energy efficiency, politics (all these topics) |
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Power ballad
Canucks 1, US 0 |
Kate Sheppard |
05 Apr 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Turns out that springing forward a month early didn't save any electricity at all in the U.S. From Reuters: But other than forcing millions of drowsy American workers and school children into the dark, wintry weather three weeks early, the move appears to have had little impact on power usage. 'We haven't seen any measurable impact,' said Jason Cuevas, spokesman for Southern Co., one of the nation's largest power companies, echoing comments from several large ut ... |
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| Topics: Canada, energy, energy efficiency, United States (all these topics) |
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How Many Queens Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?
Britain's Queen Elizabeth studying how to green her palaces |
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03 Apr 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| How Many Queens Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb? Britain's Queen Elizabeth studying how to green her palaces Word on the street is HRH the Queen of England Her Majesty With the Breath of Baby's Breath Elizabeth is looking at ways to lessen the impact of her palaces. Proposals being floated include switching Buckingham Palace's 40,000 lights to efficient bulbs, build ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, energy, energy efficiency, news, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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Outback Darkhouse
Sydney, Australia, to put the lights out for climate change |
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27 Mar 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Outback Darkhouse Sydney, Australia, to put the lights out for climate change Last month, Australian officials announced that traditional incandescent light bulbs would be phased out by 2010 and replaced by compact fluorescents and other efficient lighting technologies. But Sydney is getting a jump on the energy-conservation action: this Saturday, bulbs across the city will be going dark for one hour. More than ... |
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| Topics: Australia, energy, energy efficiency, news (all these topics) |
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Journalism, wonkery, advocacy, nuclear power, and the kitchen sink
Join me for some navel gazing! |
David Roberts |
14 Mar 2007 |
Gristmill |
| There is sometimes a fine line between opposing something and not supporting it; between believing that something should be advocated against and believing it should not be advocated for; between believing that something is bad and believing that there are several better options. Two examples come to mind. One is adaptation, as opposed to mitigation, in response to climate change. (Much more on that soon.) The other is nuclear power. Readers of this blog probably th ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change adaptation, climate change mitigation, energy, energy efficiency, nuclear power (all these topics) |
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A Little Light Music
U.S., E.U. push phaseout of incandescent bulbs, U.K. gets serious about carbon |
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14 Mar 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| A Little Light Music U.S., E.U. push phaseout of incandescent bulbs, U.K. gets serious about carbon The world is seeing the energy-efficient light: a U.S. coalition including Philips Lighting and the Natural Resources Defense Council will push to phase out incandescent bulbs by 2016. ... |
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| Topics: Angela Merkel, climate, climate change mitigation, energy, energy efficiency, European Union, greenhouse-gas emissions, news, politics, United Kingdom, United States (all these topics) |
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The Hill Is Alive With the Sound of Musing
Pelosi and Boxer aim to green Capitol Hill |
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06 Mar 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| The Hill Is Alive With the Sound of Musing Pelosi and Boxer aim to green Capitol Hill Tired of talking the energy-efficiency talk in an eco-unfriendly setting, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Barbara Boxer (both D-Calif.) are aiming to green Capitol Hill. On Friday, Pelosi wrote a letter directing the House chief administrative officer to look into implementing &qu ... |
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| Topics: Barbara Boxer, energy, energy efficiency, legislation, Nancy Pelosi, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Group Hug
Leading tech competitors bury the hatchet to improve energy efficiency |
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28 Feb 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Group Hug Leading tech competitors bury the hatchet to improve energy efficiency Hold onto your geek hat: 11 leading tech companies have partnered to reduce the energy used by servers and data centers. The Green Grid -- made up of foes including Intel, IBM, Microsoft, AMD, Sun Microsystems, and Hewlett-Packard -- thinks data-center efficiency "is the most significant issue fa ... |
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| Topics: business, energy, energy efficiency, greening biz operations, news, tech (all these topics) |
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Yes We Ken
London mayor unveils comprehensive climate-change plan |
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28 Feb 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Yes We Ken London mayor unveils comprehensive climate-change plan London Mayor Ken Livingstone unveiled a Climate Change Action Plan yesterday in hopes of making the English capital the greenest city in the world. Under the scheme, London will switch 25 percent of its power supply to local generation, and businesses that invest in green technology will earn merit badges ... |
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| Topics: climate, electricity grid, energy, energy efficiency, London, news, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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The little green computer that could
British-built server up for big award |
Jerome Woody |
22 Feb 2007 |
Gristmill |
| We here at Grist love computers, even if sometimes they don't love us back. Every once in a while, a piece of technology comes out that you can't help but get excited about (and I'm not talking about the iPhone).The internet has physical houses in which information, services, and sites like this one are stored. These computers, known as servers, are the 'always on' engines that power the constant activity. Due to the mission-critical nature of such machines, performance ... |
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| Topics: energy, energy efficiency, tech (all these topics) |
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Shockingly funny PSA to raise energy conservation awareness
Watch |
Jerome Woody |
22 Jan 2007 |
Gristmill |
| The Energy Star Alliance is running a public service announcement profiling a fictional family powering their house with static electricity. It's a pretty funny commercial; I wish I knew the ad firm that did it. |
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| Topics: energy, energy efficiency, messaging, TV (all these topics) |
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Lighting the way
Wal-Mart pushes CFLs |
Kate Sheppard |
03 Jan 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Wal-Mart has has started a new campaign to push compact fluorescent light bulbs in their massive retail stores, according to an article published in the New York Times yesterday. Though only a reported 6 percent of homes use CFLs currently, Wal-Mart hopes to sell 100 million of the bulbs each year by 2008.'The environment is begging for the Wal-Mart business model,' Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott Jr. told the Times.Just the latest in the ongoing greening of Wal-Mart. Howeve ... |
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| Topics: consumerism, energy, energy efficiency, shopping, Wal-Mart (all these topics) |
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Top ten breakthroughs that could help cool the greenhouse
Read and be dazzled by the techno-futurism |
Gar Lipow |
12 Dec 2006 |
Gristmill |
| David asked contributors for end-of-year lists. Since I normally focus on conservative assumptions, I thought I'd use it as an excuse to look at future breakthroughs and cost improvements. I was going to weasel by calling these "possibilities," but instead I decided to use the time-tested technique of public psychics: I'll call them predictions, crow over any that come true, and pretend the rest never happened. 1. Power storage that will make electric cars ... |
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| Topics: cars, climate change adaptation, electric vehicles, energy, energy efficiency, hybrids, solar voltaic power, wind power (all these topics) |
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A double dose of dorkery
Eco-tech stuff |
David Roberts |
08 Dec 2006 |
Gristmill |
| In one of my other lives, I'm a bit of a tech/computer/gadget geek, though by the high standards of online dorkdom, a mere amateur. Those interests don't overlap with my gristmillian preoccupations all that often -- but today, twice: First, an amusing post on ForeignPolicy.com reveals that the avatars used in MMORPGs use as much energy -- in hardware and server cycles -- as the typical Brazilian. (If the preceding sentence means nothing to you, well, perhaps it's time ... |
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| Topics: energy, energy efficiency, green products, innovation, tech (all these topics) |
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Efficiency is the new new black
New report say so |
David Roberts |
01 Dec 2006 |
Gristmill |
| I meant to write a few days ago about the new report (PDF) from the McKinsey Global Institute which says that ... are you sitting down? ... efficiency is the fastest, cheapest way to cut global energy consumption. As Keanu would say: woah. Anyway, Joel Makower's got a nice post about it, so go read that. |
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| Topics: energy, energy efficiency (all these topics) |
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Chilly Screens of Winter
On inefficient windows |
Umbra Fisk |
08 Nov 2006 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am lucky enough to have a home I really love and food to feed my family and my pets. However, the home has one major energy flaw: it is older and has huge, single-pane window/walls with aluminum frames, in two adjoining rooms. We currently are not able to replace them, and they lose heat rapidly. With this winter being a bit colder, is there anything that you can suggest we do, other than the window upgrades ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics) |
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A View to a Sill
On window manufacturers |
Umbra Fisk |
06 Nov 2006 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, We are looking into replacing some of our windows. Any thoughts on which companies are more environmentally friendly, not just in the energy-efficiency of their windows, but in the manufacturing process (Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, recycling materials, etc.)? Lyell Slade Concord, Mass. Dearest Lyell, Let's warm up on this topic: Windows in residential buildings are responsible for about 2 percent of th ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, green products (all these topics) |
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Just Screw It
On replacing light bulbs |
Umbra Fisk |
21 Jun 2006 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am reluctant to switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs because that means tossing out not only used-but-still-working incandescent bulbs, but also the brand-new bulbs I have waiting in the closet. Is it really a positive effect overall when we're reducing our carbon emissions but adding to landfills? Julie Pittsburgh, Pa. Dearest Julie, Damn fine idea ... don't know why I didn't think of it myself. The gummint sa ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, waste (all these topics) |
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Fan-tastic
On personal fans |
Umbra Fisk |
14 Jun 2006 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, So the weather is turning hot again. I got my electric fans out of the closet. On the back of these, there are no indications of what amount of electricity they use. Could you illuminate which ones are most efficient? Howard Nelson Portland, Ore. Dearest Howard, Not really. Efficiency is very important for commercial ventilation, and even home ceiling fans and oven fans are given an Energy Star label, but I fear our lowly person ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency (all these topics) |
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Wary Indiana
An interview with Dick Lugar, GOP crusader for energy independence |
Amanda Griscom Little |
07 Jun 2006 |
Main Dish |
| If you had to name the foreign-policy heavyweight who has brought more political muscle to the energy-independence crusade than any other, it would be Dick Lugar. Republican from Indiana and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Lugar is no stranger to superlatives: Named one of the "10 Best Senators" in a recent issue of Time Magazine, he is also widely consi ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, energy, energy efficiency, interview, politics (all these topics) |
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You Can Count on You
On global warming and you |
Umbra Fisk |
10 May 2006 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I love the scientific ins and outs, really I do, but what oh what can we do about global warming? And I mean us ordinary folks with a house and mortgage and some percentage point of kids and a few compact fluorescents and maybe even a hybrid in the driveway. We're right there with you, so please don't leave us hanging. Peter Kelley College Park, Md. Dearest Peter, Right. Sorry. I got frowny last month, and for ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, business, climate, energy, energy efficiency, green living, politics (all these topics) |
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Win by losing
Are you America's most energy-inefficient person? |
Katharine Wroth |
20 Apr 2006 |
Gristmill |
| Just got word that Lowe's, Whirlpool, and the U.S. EPA Energy Star program will search this summer for the country's 10 most energy-inefficient families. The lucky winners will receive a home energy makeover 'to lower their monthly bills and help save the environment' and a return visit a year later to see how it's all going. During the search, Lowe's stores will host hands-on energy-conservation clinics. It's all in honor of the 10th anniversary of people ignoring E ... |
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| Topics: energy, energy at home, energy efficiency (all these topics) |
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Matters of the Hearth
On fireplaces |
Umbra Fisk |
23 Jan 2006 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, We pile on socks and sweaters, but there are just times you need more warmth. Should we use the fireplace or our central (gas-powered) heater? Also, can you let us know which is better, natural firewood or those chemically infused logs that claim lower particulate matter is released? Kas Sut Davis, Calif. Dearest Kas, Although we've contemplated this heating dilemma before, I find I have more to say about fire. Don't use ... |
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| Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics) |
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Over the Chill
On preparing for winter |
Umbra Fisk |
05 Oct 2005 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, With the coming winter, our local news did a story on how to save on heating. The tips included window treatments, lowering the water heater, etc. But those of us in apartments are limited in what we can do. I can feel the cold air seeping through the cracks, and laying towels on the window sills doesn't seem to help. Any advice? Carol Lafayette, Ind. Dearest Carol, Yar. It's going to be doom and gloom this winter acro ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green building, green living (all these topics) |
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