Green Options » Keith Rockmael http://greenoptions.com/author/greenranger/ Post archive of Keith Rockmael Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:05:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en http://greenoptions.com/author/greenranger/ http://greenoptions.com/wp-content/avatars/1312.jpg Green Options » Keith Rockmael PETA McCruelty Billboard in SoMa http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/09/peta-mccruelty-billboard-in-soma/ http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/09/peta-mccruelty-billboard-in-soma/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:05:57 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/09/peta-mccruelty-billboard-in-soma/ They say that a picture is worth a thousand words but, of course, I’m not going to dedicate 1000 words or even 500 to this picture. My green friend and I spotted this billboard in a not exactly obvious place in the Soma district of San Francisco but we figured that PETA didn’t have or want to spend the big bucks on a billboard right next to the 101 freeway. Still the billboard, for those eyeballs who it, makes its point.

We figured that with all the talk about food and food sources (see the stirring documentary Food, Inc. or read The Omnivore’s Dilemma or Fast Food Nation) that people can make their own decision about where their McNuggets come from and if they want to munch on them.

PETA often creates outrageous ads and they definitely like to stir the pot. Their ads, seen or not, often start a dialogue which we like. Dialogue about our fast food nation – we’re loving it.

]]> http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/11/09/peta-mccruelty-billboard-in-soma/feed/ 9500 Liberty Documentary Fuels Immigration Debate http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/10/30/9500-liberty-documentary-fuels-immigration-debate/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/10/30/9500-liberty-documentary-fuels-immigration-debate/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:35:49 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/10/30/9500-liberty-documentary-fuels-immigration-debate/ For anyone who has seen the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, they might get that same feeling of “us” versus “them” that fills the truly indie 9500 Liberty. Body Snatchers grabbed its content and texture from the red scare, the McCarthy era where people believed that Communists (or rather aliens) launched an invasion of the small town. 9500 Liberty takes that same feeling with a Virginia town that according to some locals has been invaded by Zapatistas but the scary thing here is that the film here is a documentary.

In the McMansion and McMall loaded Prince William County, a wealthy suburb of Washington D.C., directors Annabel Park and Eric Byler weave a hot button topic film that shows a community hatefully splitting itself in half  — one side the conservative, wealthy lower and middle class Anglos who wish their community to remain lily white and the other side the immigrants who moved into the lower and middle class neighborhoods but also built the McMansions, cook the food and represent much of the quiet economy of the town. The film shows the racial divide that forms as a result of a one notable blogger who creates a fear campaign camping and gets the city council to enact an immigration policy that requires police officers to question anyone they have “probable cause” to suspect as being an undocumented immigrant.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/10/30/9500-liberty-documentary-fuels-immigration-debate/feed/ 9500 Liberty Documentary Fuels Immigration Debate http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/30/9500-liberty-documentary-fuels-immigration-debate/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/30/9500-liberty-documentary-fuels-immigration-debate/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:01:53 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/30/9500-liberty-documentary-fuels-immigration-debate/ For anyone who has seen the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, they might get that same feeling of “us” versus “them” that fills the truly indie 9500 Liberty. Body Snatchers grabbed its content and texture from the red scare, the McCarthy era where people believed that Communists (or rather aliens) launched an invasion of the small town. 9500 Liberty takes that same feeling with a Virginia town that according to some locals has been invaded by Zapatistas but the scary thing here is that the film here is a documentary.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/30/9500-liberty-documentary-fuels-immigration-debate/feed/ Big Important Speeches and Little Breakout Groups at BSR http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/23/big-important-speeches-and-little-breakout-groups-at-bsr/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/23/big-important-speeches-and-little-breakout-groups-at-bsr/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:57:59 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/23/big-important-speeches-and-little-breakout-groups-at-bsr/ No matter who attends the BSR conference, we always seem to find a balance between the people who legitimately wish to improve sustainability, not just for their company but the planet, and those who set out to further their profits by subtle or blatant greenwashing.

During the Thursday morning breakfast, Zhang Yue, chairman and CEO of China-based Broad Air Conditioning woke the crowd up as he spoke through an interpreter. A few minutes before that, I found myself asking a colleague “Who is this guy?” After 10 minutes, I changed my mind. More people should listen to this guy. True, I haven’t done due diligence on his company but if his company does half the things that he says they do then I’m on board. Yue created China’s first “non-electric chiller” and insists on showing consumers how triple paned windows will reduce their need to use air conditioners. Consider that their business revolves around making air conditioners.

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/23/big-important-speeches-and-little-breakout-groups-at-bsr/feed/ BSR 2009 - Biodegradable Lanyards and Microsoft Sustainability http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/22/bsr-2009-biodegradable-lanyards-and-microsoft-sustainability/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/22/bsr-2009-biodegradable-lanyards-and-microsoft-sustainability/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:04:05 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/22/bsr-2009-biodegradable-lanyards-and-microsoft-sustainability/ Ah, it feels good to have the BSR conference back in San Francisco. Even though the economy has gone to hell, it is good see that probably close to 1000 attendees hit the conference so the sour economy has not killed the whole notion of notion of sustainability and companies.

Good start — as we walked in and registered the staff handed me a recyclable, biodegradable, compostable lanyard.

The theme for this year’s conference - Sustainability in a Reset World

After admiring our lanyards and breakfast we jumped into packed conversation with Pamela Passman of Microsoft. Of course we considered today’s launch of Windows 7.

The discussion centered on the sustainability of Microsoft. Now, most people will admit that the technology business isn’t the least sustainable or “dirtiest” business. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t press a heavy carbon footprint. Passman discussed that companies need software to track their own carbon footprint.Microsoft may have many ideas for other comanies but they need to look in the mirror as well.

She admitted the two most pressing issues that Microsoft needs to improve in so far as reducing their carbon footprint that includes:

1- Traveling (lots of it)

2 – Data centers — The data centers continue to be electric and water intensive.
Microsoft claims to be attempting reduce the footprint of these data centers.

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/10/22/bsr-2009-biodegradable-lanyards-and-microsoft-sustainability/feed/ Whisky - Real Slow Food http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/19/whisky-real-slow-food/ http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/19/whisky-real-slow-food/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:57:34 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/19/whisky-real-slow-food/ Before the recent Whisky Fest in San Francisco, a select group gathered for a whisky tasting of the Bowmore whisky which in itself should be deemed a special treat especially when sipping on the 25 year Bowmore single malt and the 44 year old (older than most us in the room) Bowmore Gold, which up until that moment had only been savored by a few ones in the U.S. Toss in the fact that we sampled this whiskey at the classic power lunch spot meets oh la la One Market and everything seemed to be going as smooth as the and Bowmore 12 and the Tombo Tuna (we hope wild caught).

But of course, being in San Fran, we struck up the whole Green thing as far as Bowmore and whisky production. The Bowmore crew being from Scotland aren’t exactly strangers when it comes to Green or sustainable practices. After all, we would have to say that whisky might be one of the ultimate slow foods. A few tastes later only spurred the spirited dialogue. The fact that Bowmore came in second in the Green Apple award a few years ago impressed us. We even liked the fact that they got downright innovative in the fact that they use the waste heat generated from the stills plant to not only dry the barley but heat the local public swimming pool as well. They also use the generated hot water to pre-heat the facility that works like a form of radiant heating.

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]]> http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/10/19/whisky-real-slow-food/feed/ The Green Elements of CAR Expo 2009 http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/10/19/the-green-elements-of-car-expo-2009/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/10/19/the-green-elements-of-car-expo-2009/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:15:58 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/10/19/the-green-elements-of-car-expo-2009/ Attending the recently concluded CAR Expo in San Jose CA we could see that things weren’t exactly hopping, especially in the Green seminars and Green expo booths. Who could blame everyone, with the still lingering effect of the economy, unemployment and overall uncertainty? The Expo offered a bevy of economic forecasts, short sale sessions and new DRE laws going into effect but of course we went to check the green goings on. How’s the Green movement within the ranks of the real estate world? If my Green colleague and I would guess from the sparse attendance at the few green sessions and Green display booths then the state of Green Real Estate isn’t exactly on everyone’s radar.

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]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/10/19/the-green-elements-of-car-expo-2009/feed/ Checking Out the Treasure Island Music Festival Green Flavor http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/18/checking-out-the-treasure-island-music-festival-green-flavor/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/18/checking-out-the-treasure-island-music-festival-green-flavor/#comments Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:27:50 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/18/checking-out-the-treasure-island-music-festival-green-flavor/ It’s getting to be almost a cliché here in San Francisco with large music festivals that have either a green backbone or a heck of lot of social justice behind it. Both Outside Lands and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass sit only slightly in the rear view mirror but this weekend we hit the Treasure Island Music Festival to check out the music, happenings and the overall Green flavor.

Considering that several thousand people crammed into the festival space on Treasure Island we think that overall they handled the transportation issue in a pretty Green way. We made our way to the festival via zero-emission Bauer buses that picked most of the masses up at AT&T Park. The only real griping we heard came from East Bay attendees who said that they had to drive or take BART to SF instead of having shuttle buses come to the East Bay as well.

Upon entering the festival we couldn’t help but noticing the Ferris wheel but then after that we spied a pair of decent size solar panels that sat near the entrance. Unfortunately, we couldn’t determine or find anyone who knew what the solar power generated. We’re sure it the energy went toward something beneficial.

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/10/18/checking-out-the-treasure-island-music-festival-green-flavor/feed/ West Coast Green 2009 Comes Back to San Francisco http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/10/05/west-coast-green-2009-comes-back-to-san-francisco/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/10/05/west-coast-green-2009-comes-back-to-san-francisco/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:57:44 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/10/05/west-coast-green-2009-comes-back-to-san-francisco/ It’s good to have West Coast Green back in SF. Not that San Jose didn’t play a fine host to last years bigger conference but the show lacked something last year, call it a vibe, or energy but something didn’t gel. So, this year’s scaled down but energetic and education West Coast Green found itself a new home at the Fort Mason. Maybe the ocean air and bay views added a green spark to the conference.

The economy definitely had an impact on this year’s West Coast Green with less venders but with less money that mean that people just had to get more creative with less moola such as the floating island, show gardens and even the sustainability built Jewish Sukkoth. The usual green rock stars like Eric Corey Freed and Michelle Kaufman made their presences felt with their energetic personalities.

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]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/10/05/west-coast-green-2009-comes-back-to-san-francisco/feed/ Coral Reef Alliance 15th Anniversary Party http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/29/coral-reef-alliance-15th-anniversary-party/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/29/coral-reef-alliance-15th-anniversary-party/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:34:57 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/29/coral-reef-alliance-15th-anniversary-party/ “We’re on a mission and we’re in a hurry,” represented one of the slogans or rather calls to action for the small but influential Coral Reef Alliance. They celebrated their 15th anniversary a couple of nights ago with an energetic, education and edible gathering at the oh so elegant Bently Reserve building in San Francisco.

The festivities brought together their field representatives from all over the globe including: Belize, Fiji, Mexico, Indonesia, Honduras, almost anywhere coral reefs have become an endangered species. Over locally produced and multilayered Lagunitas IPA and tasty hors d’oeuvres the crowd mingled and discussed the state of coral reefs worldwide. Talking to the various field reps, we got the idea that they create awareness and educate many locals and tourists with little resources. It was as if the field reps paraphrased a quote from the film The Grapes of Wrath, “Wherever there’s a fight about coral reefs, I’ll be there.”

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/09/29/coral-reef-alliance-15th-anniversary-party/feed/ The Informant! Delves Into the World of Lysine http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/09/18/the-informant-delves-into-the-world-of-lysine/ http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/09/18/the-informant-delves-into-the-world-of-lysine/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:43:02 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/09/18/the-informant-delves-into-the-world-of-lysine/ When was the last time any moviegoer hard heard words lysine and high fructose corn syrup in the same movie? I’m not talking about a documentary but rather a major motion picture with real celebrities and budgets and that sort of thing. Those hungry for a “corn- based” movie will be excited to check out the new film “The Informant!” which opens later this week.

While some film fans may be psyched to see the Matt Damon’s newest role as Mark Whitacre, and others queue up too see director Steven Soderbergh do something other than an “Ocean’s” film, my friend and I liked the whole corn based aspect of the film. What other film maybe except for documentary flicks like King Corn, or Food Inc. open with such info about how corn exists in a ridiculous amount of food and even non food items.  The Informant! delves right into the world of the corn based lysine and even high fructose corn syrup (the photo depicts a scene where one of the FBI agents spies yet another product containing high fructose corn syrup).

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]]> http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/09/18/the-informant-delves-into-the-world-of-lysine/feed/ Outside Lands Day 3 - Give, Take and Green http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/30/outside-lands-day-3-give-take-and-green/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/30/outside-lands-day-3-give-take-and-green/#comments Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:02:33 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/30/outside-lands-day-3-give-take-and-green/ It’s still relatively early here out the third day of Outside Lands, people either circulating with cups or beer or coffee (or both). We’re taking a slight music break to check out some of the tents, behind the scenes offerings, and offer other general musings about the festival.

We checked out a local SF band Big Light early today - 1) to check out a local band and 2) because they played at the Solar Stage (completely powered by solar like last year). Wouldn’t it be nice to have all of the stages powered by solar? They actually used solar on a larger scale for OL uno but they had power issues which apparently turned into economic issues this year.

Behind the scenes, most people think that a lot of drinking and eating goes on, which is true but people like Ice Cream Man sits in his ice cream van and just gives out ice cream - free. Why does he do it? He wants to just give something simple like ice cream (we downed a few Cherry Garcias while we talked with him) just to promote community and show people that you can simply give stuff away without expecting anything in return. Ice Cream Man hits the festival circuit but we’re more impressed when he hits various childrens’ hospitals and gives out free ice cream to sick kids. Now that’s a wonderful dessert.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/30/outside-lands-day-3-give-take-and-green/feed/ Outside Lands - Day 2 - Bands and Sustainability http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/29/outside-lands-day-2-bands-and-sustainability/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/29/outside-lands-day-2-bands-and-sustainability/#comments Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:34:19 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/29/outside-lands-day-2-bands-and-sustainability/ Live from Outside Lands day two (Green posse in tow), today we focus on some of the artists. After all, for most people Outside Lands remains about the music. But unlike many festivals or shows Outside Lands offers a significant numbers of bands and singers who either have some direct social justice, environmental or artistic causes that they support or create.

Pearljam, who rocked us (despite poor Eddie Veder’s scratchy throat) last night has been offsetting their tours since 2006. The social and environmentally minded rockers fight corporate monopolies, create and cover songs with social and environmental angles (no surprise that they they covered Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” among other tunes last night), and donate even donate their bank to alt energy projects.

Tonight, another powerhouse in the sustainable movement the Dave Matthews Band hits the main stage. These band helped start a project called the Bama Green Project which maintains a partnership between Reverb and IZSTYLE, and encompasses various environmental efforts that the band commits to while on the road, in the studio and at home. The DMB and the Bama Green Project works on educating DMB fans around the world about how to take simple and positive environmental actions.  It’s good to know that we have some help in this educational environmental thing.

It’s not all about the big bands, smaller bands such as Blind Pilot, who toured the West Coast twice now on their bicycles, Lila Downs (who unfortunately canceled at the last minute) creates education funds for women down in Oaxaca Mexico), and West Indian Girl did their last tour with a bio diesel RV.

Hopefully, Outside Lands and other festivals will invite more bands with a social and environmental conscience. Sure the music is important but it doesn’t mean that the bands can’t do something good for someone or something else as well.

Back to work as the music continues…..

]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/29/outside-lands-day-2-bands-and-sustainability/feed/ Live From the First Day of Outside Lands http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/28/live-from-the-first-day-of-outside-lands/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/28/live-from-the-first-day-of-outside-lands/#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:29:24 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/28/live-from-the-first-day-of-outside-lands/ Before the onslaught of crowds hit Golden Gate Park for Pearljam tonight, I, along with other Green minions checked out the Ouside Lands Green scene just as West Indian Girl hit one of the numerous stages.

Don’t say that we didn’t warn you but those who are short on cash should consider the Global Inheritance sponsored recycle booth in the Eco Lands section. They offered a similar booth last year but not many people seemed aware of it. The deal here is that anyone who wants nifty Outside Lands shirt (for free) just needs to bring 75 empty cans or bottles to the booth. For 250 bottles you can snag a pair of Loomstate organic jeans and 150 gets a recycled record vinyl clock. Those not as inspired can get some Fuel TV sunscreen (and boy is sunscreen mandatory today) for just eight bottles.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/08/28/live-from-the-first-day-of-outside-lands/feed/ Two to Tango - All Electric, Way Fast, But Pricey http://gas2.org/2009/08/18/two-to-tango-all-electric-way-fast-but-pricey/ http://gas2.org/2009/08/18/two-to-tango-all-electric-way-fast-but-pricey/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:20:26 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://gas2.org/2009/08/18/two-to-tango-all-electric-way-fast-but-pricey/

It was a one in 20 chance encounter. I felt like a paparazzi who got a chance to spy a celebrity but in this instance my camera caught a shot of the Tango, the car that makes look the Smart Car look like a Lincoln Continental.  Only about 10-20 Tangos exists which makes the sighting more special. Actually my neighbor (a solar guy who already drives an EV-4) had the thing in his driveway in the Lower Haight and a crowd of passersby, tourists, and green auto enthusiasts formed around this electric only car.

As they say, looks can be deceiving. My neighbor said that the Tango can beat a Tesla in terms of acceleration. The Tango can accelerate from zero to over 130 mph in one gear. It accelerates from zero to 60 mph in about 4 seconds. We say Zoom to that.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/08/18/two-to-tango-all-electric-way-fast-but-pricey/feed/ Documentary Movie The Cove – Shallow Water. Deep Secret. http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/10/documentary-movie-the-cove-%e2%80%93-shallow-water-deep-secret/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/10/documentary-movie-the-cove-%e2%80%93-shallow-water-deep-secret/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:28:15 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/10/documentary-movie-the-cove-%e2%80%93-shallow-water-deep-secret/

[UPDATE: Dolphin Slaughter in Taiji's 'Cove' Suspended]

A seemingly paranoid, ex-dolphin trainer slowly drives through a foreign land while being pursued by police and other locals may appear to be the start of a riveting spy thriller and in some cases that’s exactly what this film is but instead of drawing from the mind of Robert Ludlum, this situation comes from a real life deep dark cover up. Four years in the making, The Cove, surrounds the slaughter of thousands of dolphins in Taiji, Japan instantly thrusts viewers into a sort of Flipper espionage that not only rivets the audience but sends them on an emotional and educational rollercoaster.

The Cove refers to a sea inlet of the coast of Taiji where on the surface the town seems to embrace dolphins but in reality some of the local politicos as well as a handful of fisherman keep the dolphin slaughter a secret to not only most locals but the rest of Japan as well.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/08/10/documentary-movie-the-cove-%e2%80%93-shallow-water-deep-secret/feed/ Mt. Whitney Water and Pollution http://sustainablog.org/2009/08/03/mt-whitney-water-and-pollution/ http://sustainablog.org/2009/08/03/mt-whitney-water-and-pollution/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:35:41 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://sustainablog.org/2009/08/03/mt-whitney-water-and-pollution/ It’s not that Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the Lower 48, needs any more publicity. After all, about 30,000 hikers annually make the trek up to the thin air of 14, 496 feet. People who secure even a day use wilderness permit (not much fun making the ascent in one day) through the Mt. Whitney lottery system often feel better than if they had won a state run lottery where they actually win money.

On a recent (this past week) stroll up into the thin air of Mt. Whitney my hiking buddies and I discovered some things. While most hikers have courtesy and smarts to be as conscious as possible toward environmental stewardship it always happens where a few conventionally grown apples ruin it for everyone else. Case in point being at the last reliable water source (High Camp Tarn) before the final push up the 99 switchbacks to reach the summit what did we spy? A dazzling reflection of the various peaks? Yes. A plethora of discarded Mountain House packages resting on the floor of the tarn. You bet. Not only did these packages tarnish the beauty of the scenic watering hole but even forgetting esthetics, who wants to drink water from a polluted lake before a major climb?

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]]> http://sustainablog.org/2009/08/03/mt-whitney-water-and-pollution/feed/ Scrap - Source for the Resourceful http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/07/27/scrap-source-for-the-resourceful/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/07/27/scrap-source-for-the-resourceful/#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:15:26 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/07/27/scrap-source-for-the-resourceful/ For some people the act of walking in to a shopping mall during a huge sale makes them sort of shake like they are on crack and for me and my friend Mouse, walking into Scrap for the first time, it caused a similar reaction. How could I not have known about this place? True, the location could not be less in the middle of nowhere and in San Francisco that is quite a trick. But still, I have no excuse.

Scrap, which their pamphlet calls “a creative reuse center and workshop space” came about in 1976, way before recycling and Green became trendy, as a resource for artists and teachers. Scrap also set out to promote environmental awareness and creative reuse.

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]]> http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/07/27/scrap-source-for-the-resourceful/feed/ Green Thinking Builds 500 Days of Summer http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/07/17/green-thinking-builds-500-days-of-summer/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/07/17/green-thinking-builds-500-days-of-summer/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:36:52 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/07/17/green-thinking-builds-500-days-of-summer/

The new flick 500 Days of Summer, which generated much buzz as the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, rolls out in limited release today. Lot’s of people are talking about it as a romantic comedy meets Memento which in film terms means that those with ADD or short attention spans might be confused by this rambunctious romantic romp. But for us, the buzz doesn’t just lie in the zigzagging sex talk but rather in the architecture talk. Even more specifically in the Green architecture talk.

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]]> http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/07/17/green-thinking-builds-500-days-of-summer/feed/ Free Federal Tax Incentive Green Decoder http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/07/10/free-federal-tax-incentive-green-decoder/ http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/07/10/free-federal-tax-incentive-green-decoder/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:40:34 +0000 Keith Rockmael http://greenbuildingelements.com/2009/07/10/free-federal-tax-incentive-green-decoder/ http://www.greenandsave.com/files/de-coder-logo.jpgDid you know that if you install a Biomass Stove – wood, pellets, etc. that you can nab a  30% tax credit ($1,500  max) up until 2010? Who knows that homeowners can get a 30% tax break for installing Solar Hot Water Heating until  2016? Maybe the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) which was signed into law by President Obama in February 2009 isn’t as complicated as the IRS tax code but does anyone really want to delve into the 400 pages of legislation to figure all the ins and outs about how to qualify for the green tax credits available to homeowners?

In a Cliff’s Notes version of the myriad incentives, rebates, and tax incentives GREENandSAVE has created a Federal Tax Incentive Decoder and condensed the material to 11 bite sized pages. Best of all, this resource does not cost a dime and can be downloaded at: http://www.greenandsave.com/homecheckup/free_federal_tax_incentive_decoder

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