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Author |
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Section |
Vocation, All I Ever Wanted
Employers scramble to make commutes less costly |
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05 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:43 PM on 05 Aug 2008 Recognizing the very real possibility of losing quality employees to jobs with shorter, cheaper commutes, employers across the country are scrambling to help their workers save on gas. Many companies have started to strongly encourage telecommuting, even paying for at-home workers' laptops, Blackberrys, and/or wireless connections. Microsoft has leased extra office space miles from its W ... |
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| Topics: business, gas prices, green living, greening biz operations, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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This Makes Us Crabby
Is your favorite beach polluted? |
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29 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:08 PM on 29 Jul 2008 Photo: Tom Twigg American beaches "continue to suffer from serious water pollution that puts swimmers at risk," concludes the Natural Resources Defense Council in an annual report. There were 22,571 pollution-related closures or warning advisories on 3,516 beaches in 2007, says the report, second only to the all-time high 25,643 closures or warnings in 2006. NRDC attributed the decline to less rainf ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, NRDC, placemaking, water pollution (all these topics) |
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I Wonder How to Wander
Google Maps adds walking directions |
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22 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:40 PM on 22 Jul 2008 Taking another step toward complete indispensability, Google Maps on Tuesday became the first service of its kind to add walking directions. In addition to searches for car and transit travel, pedestrians -- and, hell, Segway-ers too -- can now find the most direct and flat route from Point A to Point B. The function works for trips up to 6.2 miles long, and recognizes that one-way streets only apply to ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, placemaking, tech, travel, websites (all these topics) |
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Take a Short Walk, and a Long Peer
Major U.S. cities ranked by relative walkability |
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17 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:31 PM on 17 Jul 2008 Software company Front Seat has released a ranking of the most walkable U.S. cities, rating the relative distance to and density of businesses like grocery stores, bars, book stores, and coffee shops to calculate an overall walkability score. San Francisco took top honors, followed by New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia; the lowest scoring cities were Jacksonville, F ... |
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| Topics: business, green living, news, placemaking, Smartish Cities, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Making cities less dumb
Select Committee examines the benefits of smarter urban planning |
Kate Sheppard |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming held a hearing on Thursday about the opportunities for better urban planning to reduce energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions. 'Planning Communities for a Changing Climate' brought together a panel of experts on 'smart growth,' clean air policy, and transit. Witnesses included Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, who works in smart growth in Abu Dhabi; Steve Hewitt, administrator of Greensburg, Kan., the town ... |
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| Topics: green living, Muckraker, news, placemaking, politics, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Clarity Begins at Home
Honda produces new fuel-cell car |
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16 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:47 AM on 16 Jun 2008 Honda Motor Co.'s hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity rolled off the line Monday and will be leased to high rollers in California. The Clarity -- an update of Honda's original FCX, a handful of which were leased in 2005 -- runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water, and is twice as fuel-efficient as a gas-electric hybrid. Actresses Laura Harris and Jamie Lee Curtis, filmmaker Christopher Guest, and Little ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, California, cars, celebrity, green living, hydrogen, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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The Road to Recovery
Commuting can drive you crazy -- no, literally |
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09 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:04 PM on 09 Jun 2008 Think your commute drives you crazy? Well, you might be right. In a culture so accustomed to being on-the-go, sitting immobile in traffic for hours each day can take a toll on mental health, researchers say. "If you're stuck in traffic, there's a feeling of being out of control," says psychologist Laura Pinegar, who says she's hearing more and more complaints of traffic anxiety in her ... |
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| Topics: cars, green living, insanity, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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When Casual Friday Means Pajamas
More employees encouraged to telecommute, work short weeks |
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30 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:20 PM on 30 May 2008 Employers across the country are offering workers the option to telecommute or work a four-day week to help cut down on fuel costs. Compressed work weeks are particularly attractive to employees who work in places without reliable mass transit -- especially since a 10-hour day can mean coming in early and leaving late enough to avoid rush hour traffic. As an added bonus, ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Metro Effectual
City residents emit less CO2, study says |
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29 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:58 AM on 29 May 2008 Residents of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States emit less carbon dioxide pollution per capita than the U.S. average, according to a new study. The Brookings Institution analyzed data on household and transportation energy use and found that the average U.S. resident was responsible for about 2.87 tons of carbon pollution a year, but that residents of the U.S.'s 100 largest metro areas ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, placemaking, United States, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Where Many Have Gone Before
Prius sales top 1 million |
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15 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:17 PM on 15 May 2008 Worldwide sales of Toyota's Prius hybrid have passed the 1 million mark, the auto company announced Thursday. The world's first mass-produced hybrid was introduced in Japan in 1997 and in other markets in 2000. While it was at the time a risky business venture, it didn't take long for the word Prius -- Latin for "to go before" -- to become synonymous with popular hybrid technology (and yuppie enviro ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, cars, green living, hybrids, news, placemaking, Prius (all these topics) |
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If It's Broke, Fix It
EPA announces new lead standards for renovation of older buildings |
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31 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:04 PM on 31 Mar 2008 Contractors will have to train workers to follow "lead-safe work practice standards" when renovating or repairing older dwellings that house children or pregnant women, according to new standards introduced Monday by the U.S. EPA. The new requirements are an attempt to keep lead out of the bloodstreams of babes, as structures built before 1978 are likely to contain ... |
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| Topics: green building, green living, health, news, placemaking, toxics, US EPA (all these topics) |
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Play Ball!
Washington Nationals will play in first U.S. green-built stadium |
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28 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:00 PM on 28 Mar 2008 The Washington Nationals will play their baseball season opener Sunday in the first green-built professional stadium in the U.S. The LEED Silver certified ballpark was built on a restored brownfield, and many building materials were produced locally. The stadium boasts efficient lighting and plumbing, drought-resistant plants, a concession area with a green roof, filters to keep stormwat ... |
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| Topics: green building, green living, news, placemaking, sports, Washington DC (all these topics) |
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Starting to Tank
Americans using less gasoline |
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03 Mar 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:41 PM on 03 Mar 2008 Well, it's finally happened: Americans are starting to use less gasoline. It took a weakened economy and record oil prices -- crude hit an all-time high of $103.95 a barrel Monday -- but in the past six weeks, U.S. gasoline consumption has fallen by an average 1.1 percent from 2007 levels, the most sustained drop in at least 16 years (excepting the dropoff that followed Hurricane Katrina). As Americans move to mitig ... |
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| Topics: energy, green living, news, oil, placemaking, United States (all these topics) |
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Licensed to Ride
Percentage of 16-year-olds licensed to drive has dropped |
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25 Feb 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:52 PM on 25 Feb 2008 The percentage of 16-year-olds with a U.S. driver's license has decreased sharply in the last decade, from 43.8 percent in 1998 to 29.8 percent in 2006. Rising insurance costs, expensive driver education, and an increase in indoor pastimes are more likely to be driving the trend than environmental awareness -- and sure, most yoots still get around in four-wheeled transportation, chaffeured ... |
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| Topics: cars, green living, news, parenting, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Where the Streets Have No Name -- But the Skyscrapers Do
Environmentalists upset over Dublin's planned U2 Tower |
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05 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 10:14 AM on 05 Dec 2007 Bono and his fellow U2-ers are stuck in a melee (and they can't get out of it) over a plan to construct a skyscraper in band members' native Dublin. The tower, monikered U2 Tower in the name of self-love, would be the highest building in Ireland. Ian Lumley of heritage group An Taisce says the building is not the sweetest thing -- it would "be an ... |
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| Topics: celebrity, green living, Ireland, music, news, placemaking, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Right Club
Brad Pitt wants you -- to help with his NOLA green-building project |
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03 Dec 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 1:27 PM on 03 Dec 2007 Brad Pitt -- OMG he's so dreamy! Sorry, reflex. Where were we? Brad Pitt today unveiled designs submitted by architecture firms for his Make It Right campaign to build 150 affordable, sustainable, storm-safe houses in New Orleans. Architects were asked to design a 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom house for about $150,000. Pitt also unveiled a display of pink fabric "houses" ... |
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| Topics: celebrity, green building, green living, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Take 'Em for a Ride
NYT revs up special package on cars |
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24 Oct 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 4:04 PM on 24 Oct 2007 The New York Times published a gazillion-story special section on autos today, with many articles covering the green angle. Read up about General Motors' electric dreams, the difficulty facing Hummer marketers, waterless car washes, and more. source: The New York Times From the Archives You're Getting Warmer, Warmer ... Sprawling homes susceptible to flames in California. Dilution ... |
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| Topics: cars, green living, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Wheeling and Dealing
U.S. Transportation Secretary blames bikes for decay of roads and bridges |
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14 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 2:15 PM on 14 Sep 2007 When one rides a bicycle, one is able to transport oneself from place to place -- thus, one might call a bicycle "transportation." But not if one is U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters. Despite the fact that 10 percent of all U.S. trips to work, school, and store happen on bike or foot, Peters said in August that bike paths "are really not transpor ... |
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| Topics: bikes, Department of Transportation, green living, news, placemaking, politics, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Our Jaw: Still Dropped
Wal-Mart's eco-initiatives turning Arkansas into sustainability hotspot |
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07 Sep 2007 |
News |
| Posted at 9:14 AM on 07 Sep 2007 Attention shoppers: we bring you news of the latest sustainability hotspot, none other than Fayetteville, Ark. Green start-ups are flocking to town, the University of Arkansas has established an Applied Sustainability Center, and the mayor rides an electric bike to work. Why? Because of a certain retail giant whose headquarters lies half an hour away. Say it with us no ... |
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| Topics: Arkansas, business, green living, greenish companies, news, placemaking, Wal-Mart (all these topics) |
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Go Get 'Em, Plugger
Plug-in hybrids would reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, says new study |
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23 Jul 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Go Get 'Em, Plugger Plug-in hybrids would reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, says new study Plug-in hybrid vehicles, long extolled here at Grist HQ, seem always to elicit one question from doubters: Wouldn't running cars on electricity just mean more emissions from power plants? Answer: No! According to a ne ... |
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| Topics: ... climate, electric vehicles, electricity grid, energy, fuel efficiency, green living, greenhouse-gas emissions, hybrids, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Leo, I've Got a Feeling We're Not in Hollywood Anymore
DiCaprio-produced series will rebuild tornado-ravaged Kansas town |
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16 Jul 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Leo, I've Got a Feeling We're Not in Hollywood Anymore DiCaprio-produced series will rebuild tornado-ravaged Kansas town It's official: Nine months after the rumors began, Leonardo DiCaprio has confirmed that he and a partner will give birth to ... a reality series on green building. DiCaprio will executive produce the 13-part Eco-Town on the Discove ... |
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| Topics: celebrity, green living, Kansas, Leonardo DiCaprio, news, placemaking, severe weather, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Two Green Builders Take Trains Leaving From Different Stations...
U.S. schools betting on benefits of going green |
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29 May 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Two Green Builders Take Trains Leaving From Different Stations... U.S. schools betting on benefits of going green When we were kids, the only thing green about our schools was the vomit-hued paint on the bathroom walls. But times change, and these days, schools across the U.S. are incorporating green features that save money, improve student performance, and help protect the planet. The trend is ... |
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| Topics: education, green building, green living, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Junk in the Trunk
American food-guzzling leads to more gas-guzzling |
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25 Oct 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Junk in the Trunk American food-guzzling leads to more gas-guzzling Here's more motivation to go on that diet: You'll use less gasoline. Non-commercial U.S. vehicles are using at least 938 million more gallons of gasoline annually than they did in 1960 because drivers and passengers are considerably heavier and are dragging down fuel economy, says a University of Illinois study to be published in The Engineering Economist. ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Words Fail Us
Hummer propaganda aimed at kids through McDonald's Happy Meals |
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10 Aug 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Words Fail Us Hummer propaganda aimed at kids through McDonald's Happy Meals Sometimes a story comes along that so perfectly captures a culture's pathologies that it should be put in a time capsule, so future generations ... oh, right, there won't be any future generations. It seems that, according to fast-food behemoth McDonald's, this is a "Hummer of a Summer." A new series of TV and radio ... |
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| Topics: food and agriculture, green living, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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We've Been Cartwheeling to Work
Gas prices spur Americans to change behavior |
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25 May 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| We've Been Cartwheeling to Work Gas prices spur Americans to change behavior Americans hit in the pocketbook by high gas prices are, shockingly, changing their consumptive behavior. A survey by Consumer Reports found that over a third of American drivers are pondering getting a more fuel-efficient vehicle in place of their current one; half of those are considering a hybrid, and fewer than 5 percent want a l ... |
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| Topics: green living, news, placemaking, United States (all these topics) |
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