Energy Efficiency

Each year, schools spend over 6 billion on energy a figure that is greater than the cost of textbooks and computers combined, reports Washington, D.C.based Alliance to Save Energy. About 25 percent of that energy is wasted in inefficient facilities.; As Congress prepares to vote on legislation to help school districts build new schools and renovate existing schools, renewable energy activists are urging the lawmakers to consider adding incentives for energy efficiency to the package.

Energy efficiency by its nature is beneficial to efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, Alliance to Save Energy President David M. Nemtzow testified Thursday before a joint hearing of Senate and House subcommittees concerning the Clinton administration Climate Change Technology Initiative. ;The climate change initiative would allocate 6 billion in tax credits and federal grants to promote energy efficiency investments and research, development and deployment.;Energy efficiency has been repeatedly cited as a key solution to slow the loading of carbon and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

President Barack Obama plugged his plans to boost energy conservation research Thursday during a visit to Pennsylvania, arguing that green technology will leave more green in Americans' wallets. Building on the "Winning the Future" theme he introduced in the State of the Union speech last week, Obama told a crowd at Penn State University that fostering the construction of new, energy-efficient buildings could save businesses up to $40 billion a year in utility bills. "Making our buildings more energy efficient is one of the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ways to save money, combat pollution, and create jobs right here in the United States of America," he said.

Think of the future of green energy and the mental picture you may conjure up is one of vast solar plants glinting like a beetle's eye in the sun, or ranks of wind turbines turning in the breeze. While the years to come will feature more of these power sources, one of the most potent weapons in the green energy arsenal is actually remarkably prosaic: efficiency. According to research sponsored by the U.S. Government, improving the efficiency of the national electricity grid by 5 percent would be the equivalent of eliminating the fuel use and carbon emissions of 53 million cars.

How much the burning of fossil fuels is increasing global warming is still a matter of debate among scientists. But even major oil companies admit that the balance of scientific evidence suggests a link between human activities -- especially the burning of coal, oil, and gas -- and climate change. Shell, one of the world's largest oil producers, is backing the cuts in fuel emissions outlined by the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. The company says: "Global warming is a reality.

Information is power, but does information -- by itself -- actually make people change their behavior? Not often, says BJ Fogg, director of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University. "For all the discussion and hype about living in environmentally friendly ways, few people are seeing information and then changing their behavior based on that information," he said. "They've got many other things to worry about in their lives that are much more urgent than 'Let me figure out how to stop driving to work.

An estimated 50 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will receive their one-time $250 economic stimulus check starting in early May -- several weeks ahead of schedule, Vice President Joe Biden announced Thursday. Biden also announced the distribution of $3.2 billion in new funding for state and local energy efficiency programs from the Department of Energy. The $250 checks "will make a big difference in the lives of older Americans and people with disabilities -- many of whom have been hit especially hard by the economic crisis that has swept across the country," Biden said in a written statement.

After the release of a miserable June jobs report, President Obama stood with a group of green company CEOs and told reporters that "men and women like these will help lead us out of this recession and into a better future." But if the White House puts too many eggs in the green recovery basket, we may all be disappointed. The green sector is simply not large enough or competitive enough to be a major engine of job creation. The CEOs who stood with Obama lead smart, innovative and, in many cases, rapidly growing firms.

The federal government will cut its greenhouse gas emissions 28 percent by 2020, President Obama announced Friday. "As the largest energy consumer in the United States, we have a responsibility to American citizens to reduce our energy use and become more efficient," the president said in a statement. "Our goal is to lower costs, reduce pollution and shift federal energy expenses away from oil and towards local, clean energy." Obama signed an executive order in October requiring federal agencies to set their goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions within 90 days.

The future of the national parks in the Southeast United States is looking better and brighter ? at least from the perspective of energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies. Jim Powell, director of the U.S Department of Energy Atlanta Regional Office, and Jerry Belson, director of the National Park Service's Southeastern Regional Office, signed a formal agreement June 29 under which the two entities will work together to provide energy efficient and renewable energy technologies for park facilities in the Southeast.

Powered by the same energy produced by a toaster, this weekend 39 solar-powered cars are preparing to race across the Australian outback reaching speeds in excess of 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) along the way. Setting off from Darwin on Saturday, many of the cars taking part in the biennial, 3,021-kilometer (1,877-mile) Veolia World Solar Challenge to Adelaide look more like ping-pong tables on wheels rather than conventional cars. However, the spirit of adventure and quest for more energy efficiency is what drives the teams of volunteers, university students and organizers.

President Barack Obama plugged his plans to boost energy conservation research Thursday during a visit to Pennsylvania, arguing that green technology will leave more green in Americans' wallets. Building on the "Winning the Future" theme he introduced in the State of the Union speech last week, Obama told a crowd at Penn State University that fostering the construction of new, energy-efficient buildings could save businesses up to $40 billion a year in utility bills. "Making our buildings more energy efficient is one of the fastest, easiest, and cheapest ways to save money, combat pollution, and create jobs right here in the United States of America," he said.

The United States has the third largest ecological footprint per capita, behind only the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. We face an extraordinary challenge in overcoming our environmental deficit. Unfortunately, the American building-design community's vision of sustainability is myopically focused on increasing the energy efficiency and reducing the embodied carbon of individual buildings. So-called "green" buildings are simply not sustainable if, for example: ? Their occupants drive long distances every day. ?

Information is power, but does information -- by itself -- actually make people change their behavior? Not often, says BJ Fogg, director of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University. "For all the discussion and hype about living in environmentally friendly ways, few people are seeing information and then changing their behavior based on that information," he said. "They've got many other things to worry about in their lives that are much more urgent than 'Let me figure out how to stop driving to work.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs Wednesday sought to deflect suggestions that former President Bill Clinton is a friendlier bridge to the business community than President Barack Obama. "No, no," Gibbs replied, when asked at his daily briefing whether Clinton's "more moderate economic policies" were a selling point with business executives who were also attending meetings Wednesday at the White House. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden hosted an hourlong meeting Wednesday afternoon at the White House with Clinton and business leaders, according to a White House official.

President Obama ratcheted up his administration's push for a clean energy agenda Friday, emphasizing the prospects for an economic recovery fueled by so-called green jobs. "The jobs of tomorrow will be jobs in the clean energy sector," Obama said during a visit to a small business in Arlington, Virginia. "That's why my administration's taking steps to support a thriving clean energy industry across this country." Obama highlighted his proposed Home Star program, which was first outlined in the State of the Union address.

The federal government will cut its greenhouse gas emissions 28 percent by 2020, President Obama announced Friday. "As the largest energy consumer in the United States, we have a responsibility to American citizens to reduce our energy use and become more efficient," the president said in a statement. "Our goal is to lower costs, reduce pollution and shift federal energy expenses away from oil and towards local, clean energy." Obama signed an executive order in October requiring federal agencies to set their goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions within 90 days.

The California Energy Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to become the first state to impose energy efficiency standards for televisions. The agency estimates the move will save consumers $1 billion a year in energy costs. The new standards, which will take effect in January 2011, prevent the sale of energy-guzzling televisions with a screen size 58 inches or smaller, mandating that new models consume 33 percent less electricity by 2011 and 49 percent less electricity by 2013.

After the release of a miserable June jobs report, President Obama stood with a group of green company CEOs and told reporters that "men and women like these will help lead us out of this recession and into a better future." But if the White House puts too many eggs in the green recovery basket, we may all be disappointed. The green sector is simply not large enough or competitive enough to be a major engine of job creation. The CEOs who stood with Obama lead smart, innovative and, in many cases, rapidly growing firms.

An estimated 50 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will receive their one-time $250 economic stimulus check starting in early May -- several weeks ahead of schedule, Vice President Joe Biden announced Thursday. Biden also announced the distribution of $3.2 billion in new funding for state and local energy efficiency programs from the Department of Energy. The $250 checks "will make a big difference in the lives of older Americans and people with disabilities -- many of whom have been hit especially hard by the economic crisis that has swept across the country," Biden said in a written statement.