Get Energy Smart! NOW!

When it comes to discussing the value and power of a clean-energy future, in a way that touches core values and life-experiences of a good share of Americans, perhaps it is time to think and speak UMW.  No … not the United Mine Workers.  Instead,  when we think UMW and energy, we should turn to […]

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Today, Senator Energy Smart Jeff Merkley (D-OR) joined with three other Senators (Bennet, Udall, Carper) to introduce the Oil Independence for a Stronger America Act of 2011.  Through programs in five arenas, this bill targets eliminating “overseas” oil imports by 2030. The largest proposed savings would come from accelerating electric vehicle adoption and continuing to […]

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How should we understand the cost of a gallon of gasoline? This is a very serious question with a myriad of layers and implications. The price of gasoline, at the pump, is the most prominent indicator of energy costs for a very large share of humanity. Whether driving a car or taking a bus or […]

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Volkswagen has made noise with pretensions of being the greenest automaker. Greenpeace UK has taken a look at Volkswagen’s claims and determined that those pretensions could just be noisy greenwashing.  Volkswagen—which has previously stated it wants to be ‘the most eco-friendly automaker in the world’—has seriously dark-sided views on fuel efficiency standards and CO2 emissions. […]

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There are many paths to improve people’s lives while helping to address our climate challenges.  Within all economic groups, more energy-efficient cooking is one of those paths: whether modern kitchens upgrading from inefficient cooktops to radiant systems or, far more profoundly, helping people reliant on burning wood (or dung or other biomass) to have more […]

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This guest post from Barath questions whether we should focus on providing alternative energy to meet today’s energy demands or whether the focus should be on downsizing demands to meet alternative energy’s capacities if are to “seamlessly transition to alternative energy”.  Truth be told, probably ‘both’ — especially with a focus on energy efficiency to […]

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This guest post comes from the eloquent and thoughtful Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse. After DC failed to enact comprehensive climate change legislation, it was good to see states take the lead on regional cap-and-trade programs. We now have 3 regional initiatives to address greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) involving more than 30 states. That so many […]

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This guest post from Barath reviews key pitfalls and hurdles to deployment of clean energy systems As gas prices remain high and climate chaos becomes ever more apparent, people and institutions are right to argue ever more insistently for a shift to alternative energy sources that are likely to be available for the long haul […]

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What are the Three Rs?  Reduce, reuse, recycle. Right now, I am wondering, when it comes to clothing that makes a political statement, whether the choice is reduced to recycling for reuse a now 20-year old t-shirt. This Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) t-shirt dates from (I believe) the 1990 Earth Day amid efforts to […]

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Our building is 16 floors with 230 efficiency, one bedroom, two bedroom and three bedroom units. The laundry room on each floor is accessed through a room that includes the trash chute and two large recycling containers …one for paper and one for mixed  recyclables (jars, milk containers, cans etc.)   which are emptied daily. […]

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