Microsoft releases initial results from an energy management pilot project that uses the MS campus as a test bed.
The Microsoft campus is serving as a test-bed facility for a "smarter buildings" pilot project that analyzes and interprets energy data for building managers and occupants.
A new Johnson Controls tool, called Panoptix, has tremendous promise. But will people see past the name?
Car trip! The BuildingGreen team drove to Toronto for Greenbuild, making a quick stop along the way to tour a new test bed facility in Syracuse.
The Syracuse Center of Excellence is a unique test bed for indoor environmental quality. Photo: Alex Wilson
Greenbuild is still a little quiet, but BuildingGreen staff are already super busy.
We were worried about finding the convention center, given a distinct lack of street signs, but it turns out you really can't miss it.
Yes, they are suggesting that we should purposefully eat insects as food, and that there are good ethical, environmental, nutritional, and culinary reasons for doing so.
The Large Blue Butterfly, found in Europe, lays its eggs on a marsh gentian leaf. Its larva (a caterpillar) hatches and falls to the ground and emits a scent that smells to certain species of ant just like its own larvae. The ants carry the caterpillar back to their nest, where they not only care for it as one of their own, but as one of their own that is going to turn into a queen. Meanwhile, the caterpillar is eating the actual ant larvae and growing large.
The "grid" part of the equation is the network that conveys electricity from plants to consumers and the "smart" part means computerizing the electric utility grid.
I had the honor of being within a few feet of a barn owl this weekend at the wildlife festival at the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum. Kept alive after being injured years ago and now a frequent visitor to classrooms and museums, this bird of prey was perched on the arm of a handler, who wore thick falconry gloves.
Green building is about more than saving money, but policymakers are embracing the business case for LEED and other rating systems--with sometimes confusing results.
A school bike rack is standard, but it doesn't help anyone if the bike rack stays empty. Schools, like all buildings, need to find ways to bridge the gap between design features and the people who end up using them. (Photo: Century Cycles)
What is it about the bike racks?
GE's 9-watt Energy Smart LED bulb is the first Energy Star-rated replacement for 40-watt incandescent bulbs and provides an omnidirectional light that is similar to incandescents. Photo: GE Lighting
I recently visited GE's Nela Park site and its Lighting & Electrical Institute, where I got a tour and a sneak preview of cutting-edge technology to come.
A bit of history
Watching our sweet little brook turn into a raging river during Hurricane Irene was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. An NRDC report tries to re-create this experience for others--before it's too late.
I've got my passport, my schedule, and a map of the expo floor. Just need to grab my coffee mug and my running shoes.
Research concludes that although the burning of natural gas emits far less carbon dioxide than coal, a greater reliance on natural gas would fail to significantly slow down climate change.
Shifting from coal to natural gas would have limited impacts on climate, new research indicates. If methane leaks from natural gas operations could be kept to 2.5% or less, the increase in global temperatures would be reduced by about 0.1 degree Celsius by 2100. The reduction in global temperatures would be more minor with higher methane leakage rates. (Courtesy Springer, modified by UCAR.)
Taking a look at the environmental effects of wind turbines
Correction: The author has posted a comment (see below) clarifying the likely width of the ridgeline road associated with this project.
One of my favorite pieces of Vermont trivia has been that the tallest manmade structure in the state is the Bennington Battle Monument, at 306 feet tall--and construction of it was completed in 1889
We waste almost as much food in the U.S. every day as we should be eating--about 1,400 calories per person. Wasting less is best, but if we really can't eat it, where should we put it?
