Green Options » chicago

Try Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro Now to Help Green Your Company and US Schools

Lucille Chi — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:31:06 +0000

Have you ever done the math on commuting to work? Telecommuting saves money, it’s a fact. Yet most folks are fearful of stepping out of the in-person environment. Luckily the barriers have been broken by Adobe as their new Acrobat Connect Pro software has video, audio, and interactivity that create an almost in-person experience for meeting attendees.

In addition, Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro online meeting software is now offering a free trial and every time someone signs up they donate twenty-five dollars to help a school go green. In fact, Adobe has partnered with the U.S. Green Building Council and the mayors of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco to help schools go green in their communities. Each city will receive up to $100,000 to create classrooms that foster learning alongside smart environmental practices.

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Who’s Counting? Obama’s Olympic Failure Has Meaning for Copenhagen and Climate Change

Joe Walsh — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 02:43:47 +0000

After a campaign that resulted not only in victory, but in the transcendence of Barack Obama to something beyond a political figure and the elevation of David Axelrod to membership in the Rove/Carville College of Cardinals in American political life, the White House has not had much time to bask in victory’s glow. The economy remains in the tank, Afghanistan is drawing more frequent comparisons to Vietnam, and the health care and climate change fights have been taxing.

Yesterday, Obama hopped a plane to Denmark for a whirlwind Scandinavian tour where it was thought that his presence and pitch might push Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics across the goal line. Instead, ChiTown did not make it out of the first round of balloting. Safe to say that if the White House knew that, Obama would not have made the trip. The failure marked the first - and probably last - time that a sitting US President schilled in front of an IOC selection committee.

The miscalculation is a familiar one. Just after Labor Day, POTUS addressed a joint session of Congress to drive home his point on the urgency of health care reform happening this year. Now barely into October, the only Senate health care bill thought to have a chance on the floor emerged from committee with no bipartisan support. And, as October begins it is clear that if any health care reform bill is signed in 2009, it will not include the now notorious “public option.”

In both cases, the White House made the decision to put their guy out there, but - evidently - no one counted the votes beforehand. The situation is eerily similar to the early administration flubs in the appointments process (i.e., the Daschle false start and the Judd Gregg quagmire). Any good party whip knows that you do not bring a bill to the floor until you know how the roll is going to be called.

As a result of Denmark, Obama winds up wearing a piece of a defeat that was inevitable and it was not even his fight. The Chicago Olympics story is clearly being played up for everything - and more - than its worth by the Right, but it is worth considering why - given that the Chicago bid was circling the drain - Obama let himself get dragged down with it?

When the call came asking for his support, White House staffers should have told the Chicago team to spend 48 hours having coffee with everyone who held a vote, and bring back their tally. If it looked close, then Obama has a tough call to make. But, if they cannot bring back a straw poll or if they bring back numbers that show the Windy City being blown away, then the White House has an easy answer: “love to help, but…”

As the world closes in on December’s big UN climate change conference — back in Copenhagen — it begs the question: is the White House strategy informed by good ground-level information on where other parties sit? Clearly, that strategy includes putting pressure on reluctant Senators with the prospect (read: threat) of EPA regulation of emissions in the absence of comprehensive legislation, even something as watered-down as Waxman-Markey. The upside to handing things off to Lisa Jackson is that it may force the hands of some of the upper Midwest Dems Obama needs to get to 60. And, even if it is not enough of a prod to move a bill through the Senate, it allows Obama to fly his flag in Copenhagen.

But, what if they are not close to 60? What if the lever is not the right one to swing the votes they need. Based on their recent due diligence, it is difficult to say whether the White House even knows where their votes are, who can be swung, and how. That said, should they roll the dice with an EPA plan? How will the inevitable backlash inside the US look on the global stage?

Strong political interests are already lining up against the idea of an executive power move on carbon, and with a lot of Dems looking more vulnerable for the mid-terms in 2010, you have to wonder if the move does not just paint Obama back into a corner and have allies running in the other direction on climate change.

On the campaign trail - in spite of Reverend Wright - Obama earned the gloss “No Drama Obama.” A little less than a year into his tenure as President, the shine is wearing off.

Flickr photo by RobBeer.

Nation’s Largest Utility Leaves US Chamber of Commerce — Because of Climate Change?

Zachary Shahan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:55:46 +0000

John Rowe, Exelon CEO, said yesterday that climate change legislation is an urgent issue. At the same time, he announced that the nation’s largest utility would not be renewing its membership with the US Chamber of Commerce because of the Chamber of Commerce’s opposition to climate legislation.

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150 MPG “Algaeus” Plug-In Prius To Cruise Coast-to-Coast On Algae Fuel

Christopher DeMorro — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:03:58 +0000

In an effort to drum up attention and support for their algae-based biofuel, Sapphire Energy has announced they will conduct a coast-to-coast journey in their “Algaeus” plug-in hybrid. Part electric hybrid, part biofuel vehicle, Sapphire claimes the Algaeus will get 150 miles per gallon from its hybrid/biofuel drivetrain.

The Algaeus will visit 10 cities, starting in San Francisco on September 8th and ending in New York City on the 18th.

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The EV Infrastructure chicken-and-egg problem: Resolution

Richard Lowenthal — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:11:49 +0000

Coulomb Technologies was founded in 2007 with the mission to ensure that anyone who is considering the choice to buy an electric vehicle will have adequate access to fuel for the cars.

In the US there are 247 million cars but only 53 million home garages, meaning that a lot of electric vehicles will need to be fueled outside the home garage. Exacerbating the situation, according to studies at UC Davis, 80% of owners of electric vehicles will want to charge more than once a day.

It comes to this: we need charging opportunities where our cars are parked when we sleep and when we work. Since Coulomb’s founding, much as been written regarding the “chicken and egg problem” with infrastructure and vehicles. Will people buy electric vehicles if they don’t have a place to charge them, and conversely, will anyone buy infrastructure if they don’t see cars?

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Zipcar’s Low-Car Diet: One Month Without a Car

ZipCar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:35:18 +0000

Last year, 300 folks across North America turned in their car keys for a month as part of the 2008 Zipcar Low-Car Diet. And, in addition to cutting congestion, they also walked 85% more, biked 136% more and decreased their miles driven by 71%. Pretty impressive, eh? Starting July 15, a new crop of participants from all Zipcar cities worldwide* will begin the 2009 Low-Car Diet: one full month of living without a primary car.

Zipcar will be selecting 30 participants in each Zipcar metro to take part in the 2009 Low-Car Diet. Zipcar and its partners are committed to providing all participants with the necessary tools for creating transportation nirvana, including:

Bike rentals
Transit passes
Complimentary meals at participating restaurants
Discounts at local retailers
And, of course, a 1-year Zipcar membership with some driving credit to get started

There will be a number of applicants for only 30 spaces, and Zipcar would like to make sure they’re the best. If you think you’d like to try an unconventional diet just fill out this short survey.

*Zipcar cities include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, London, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, DC.

Photo Courtesy tvol via Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Disclaimer: Gas2.0 parent company Virgance is participating in the Low-Car Diet.

These progressive US cities and businesses are not alone in their desire to lay the infrastructure foundation. Already in the US, cities including San Jose, San Francisco, Walnut Creek, Las Vegas and Chicago have networked infrastructure in place.

In Europe some of the biggest deployments to date are now installed in the Czech Republic, Netherlands and Amsterdam. Other businesses too are installing charging stations in anticipation of coming electric vehicles.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company installed two charging stations for patrons and employees of the brewery with electric vehicles. Coulomb’s charging stations are an important part of Sierra Nevada’s sustainability initiatives that include solar, fuel cells, recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation and transportation improvements. Sierra Nevada was the first corporation to install the ChargePoint networked charging stations.

In this industry the recession helps. Tax credits and stimulus funding are providing funds to cities to pay for infrastructure. Additionally, cities, counties, and businesses are buying fleets of whatever car they can find. The time is right now, in part because of the recession, in part because every automaker has announced plans to manufacture electric vehicles.

Coulomb and our networked infrastructure have received broad support from leaders, policy makers and environmentalists. The rollout of electric vehicles in the next 18 months requires an open and ubiquitous charging infrastructure.

With progressive leadership from early-adopter municipalities, utilities, and businesses, infrastructure is in deployment now. Unlike the chicken and egg debate – there is a clear answer – infrastructure is taking shape worldwide, even though very few vehicles are shipping today. Progressive organizations are putting out the welcome mat for electric vehicles.

More on Coulomb Technologies:

Coulomb Technologies was founded in 2007 with the mission to ensure that anyone who is considering the choice to buy an electric vehicle will have adequate access to fuel for the cars. Visit www.coulombtech.com to learn more about Coulomb’s infrastructure plans and where you can find a local charging station. Follow Coulomb on Twitter @coulombevi

Earth Pups: Chicago Woman Fulfills Dream of Green Doggy Daycare

bmae — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:38:55 +0000

Julie Thomas had been working for LaSalle Bank for ten years when she got her final assignment. She was transferred to Chicago to sell the bank-essentially, to sell herself out of a job.

In that situation, most people of Thomas’ ilk would have begun the search for another corporate career. But with new-found freedom and a little extra cash, Thomas took a different route. She decided to follow her idiosyncratic dream– to start an eco-friendly doggy daycare. Earth Pups was born.

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Sears Tower Reaches for Heights of Efficiency With $350 Million Retrofit

Leslie Berliant — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:43:31 +0000

The Sears Tower loomed large during my childhood in the Chicago suburbs. I remember when it opened in 1973. We took a special trip downtown to see it. According to my aesthetics as a seven year old, it wasn’t very elegant and I preferred the John Hancock Tower with its swanky restaurant on the 95th floor and proximity to Marshall Fields. Then the company my dad worked for was bought by Coldwell Banker, a subsidiary of Sears at the time, and his office was moved to the Tower. I spent some quality daddy-daughter time there, and one memorable summer got paid the incredibly generous sum of $8 an hour to take the train to the city every day, do some filing and hang out downtown.

But the Tower, in my mind, never had much to distinguish it other than a great view from the 103rd floor, its height of 110 stories and the convenience of the train station. But now everything is changing.

By the end of the summer, it will no longer be the Sears Tower. It will be called the Willis Tower, named for the global insurance broker. But more importantly, the building will undergo a $350 million efficiency and renewable energy retrofit that will reduce the base building electricity use by up to 80 percent - 68 million kilowatt hours annually or 150,000 barrels of oil every year. The retrofit will also create more than 3,600 jobs in the Chicago area.

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Solutions to Global Warming: Reduce my Carbon Footprint by 70%?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:37:48 +0000

Making a list of actions you can take to prevent global warming, or at least reduce your own carbon footprint? One item you may not have considered: move to (or stay in) an urban environment.

Reduce Your Transportation Carbon Emissions by 70%

That’s the conclusion shown by data recently added to the Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology’s Housing and Transportation Affordability Index. CNT took a look at 55 metropolitan areas around the United States, and found that, in terms of transportation choices, urban living definitely belongs on the list of solutions to stop global warming: “When measured on a per household basis, it found that the transportation-related emissions of people living in cities and compact neighborhoods can be nearly 70% less than those living in suburbs.”

What does this mean for you?

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The Urban Jungle Re-Imagined: Mayor Daley Pushes Green Roofs

Alan Smith — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:02:37 +0000

Urban Spaces – once concrete jungles of pollution – are starting to realize the potential for green living, and the race is on for which city can push that envelope the furthest.

That was the thesis put forward during today’s Marketplace of Ideas panel, which featured Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and was hosted by the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy (DMI). Mayor Daley spoke about the realized benefits of green roofs, a design that Chicago has embraced with more than 600 roofs either in construction or completed, totaling more than 7 million square feet green of space. These roofs cool the city, absorb rain water and air pollution, provide jobs for their installation and maintenance, and even provide folks with quality of life improvements.

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Connecticut and Massachusetts Could Get EV Charging Network

Dave Tyler — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:36:02 +0000

Hey, hold on a just a minute Chicago, San Francisco and Portland. Connecticut and Massachusetts want in on your race to be the country’s EV hotbed.

Northeast Utilities wants to build a 575-outlet EV charging system in the Nutmeg and Bay States, The Hartford Courant says. The pilot project would take two years to complete and the outlets would be built at private homes, businesses and public spots. Total cost: $1.4 million, helped out by a $694,000 federal grant.

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Chicago Gets First Solar Powered EV Charging Station

Jerry James Stone — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:31:38 +0000

San Francisco and Portland might be engaged in some electric vehicle pissing contest, but I think both cities just got seriously spanked by Chicago!

Yes…Chicago!

The Windy City just unveiled the first solar-powered electric vehicle charging station during the IOC tour. The Solar Plug-In Stations will be used daily by the City of Chicago Department of Fleet Management to power the city’s electric cars.

“Carbon Day and the City of Chicago are demonstrating true innovation, ingenuity and initiative,” said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. “Solar energy and electric vehicles are an inevitable partnership that is one more step to reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”

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A passion for sustainable design: Foresight Design Initiative

John Ivanko — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:42:07 +0000

Figure out what you love to do. Then just do it — under a green umbrella. By focusing on the process, rather than the product, Peter Nicholson serves as ecopreneuring inspiration, founding the premiere non-profit organization serving sustainable education in Chicago, Foresight Design Initiative, based around his passion for design. Nicholson is among the Ecopreneur Profiles featured in our ECOpreneuring book.

“For me, design is manipulating variables for a desired outcome, which in this case is improving our urban quality of life without sacrificing the needs of future generations,” explains Peter. “The variables could be anything from words to graphics to economic influences. I’m fascinated with how we could use design to empower people, to improve human conditions holistically, and often dismayed by the abundant examples of how poor design hinders us.” Today, Peter serves as Executive and Creative Director of Foresight Design Initiative, providing him a palette for sustainable design expression. Like many sustainable enterprises, they have plans to operate from a showplace green office building not unlike the Matson and Associates Eco-Building in State College, Pennsylvania.

Peter’s career roots back to a foundation in music, essaying initially to be a concert cellist. “When I realized I didn’t have the talent for professional music, I parlayed my music background into arts administration,” explains Peter. Blending music and entrepreneurship, his first venture included launching a classical orchestra in New York City. “I felt classical music was staid and stuck in the 19th century, losing a whole new potential audience. With this new group, we aimed to blow the lid off same old same old and designed fresh, hip graphics and style for every element.”

Enticed by design, Peter enrolled in a design graduate program but left after a year, realizing he had garnered the tools he needed, and took his education into his own hands. A residency in Europe led him to the o2 Challenge in the Netherlands in 1998, a life-changing, dynamic, hands-on working conference on sustainable design that planted the seeds for Foresight Design Initiative. “I realized that sustainability would not evolve without a broader application of design and found, in the challenge of this pursuit, barriers that were both worthwhile and fulfilling to engage,” explains Peter. “Sustainable design, however, was an emerging field; I knew I needed to create the conditions to practice this vocation.”

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What Does $10B in Stimulus Really Mean for High-Speed Rail?

Timothy B. Hurst — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:00:52 +0000

After a recent trip to California, I was reminded what it is like to have a mass transit infrastructure that can take you just about anywhere you want to go. Unfortunately, the U.S. rail infrastructure has withered significantly since its zenith in the early twentieth century, and unlike many of its European and Asian counterparts, it has almost zero high-speed rail service, excluding the Acela Express between Boston and Washington, D.C.

But things might be changing on the rail front, partly because of the machinations of an Obama administration steeped in the loco-centric history of the biggest rail hub in the country - Chicago.

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The Twelve Days of sustainablog: Bees, Stimulus Checks, and Biodynamic Wine

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:21:11 +0000

2008 was a banner year for sustainablog, and we want to end it as strongly as we started. So, for the next twelve days, I’ll take a look back at some of the best and most memorable posts from the past year.

Let me start off, though, by expressing my immense gratitude to all of the writers who contributed during 2008. This was our first full year as a multi-author blog, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the way it turned out. Some of the writers I’ll mention have moved on; others on coming on board. I’m grateful for the inspiration you’ve all brought to the blog over the past year, and look forward with anticipation to what the new year brings us.

January 2008

Like New Year’s fireworks, January started off with a bang. Here are a few great posts to remember:

Jason Phillip’s post on Chicago’s bottled water tax was one of our most popular ever… it’s still getting pageviews!
Maria Surma Manka wrote a very thorough (and also very popular) review of Scientific American’s “Solar Grand Plan.”
I took a look at an innovative South African whose developed a low-cost, high-yield method of generating energy from chicken poop.

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Incite / Insight Event on Green Design in Chicago

Megan Prusynski — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 23:34:23 +0000

AIGA Chicago is organizing an event called Incite / Insight 2008: Responsible Design 101, November 20 in Chicago that addresses the significance of green design. AIGA, the professional association for design, is the oldest and largest professional membership organization for graphic & communications design. The organization has been at the forefront of promoting the shift to sustainable design practices through their Center for Sustainable Design.

Green business owners are realizing that green marketing and design is a business asset that’s here to stay as momentum in the green movement builds. The graphic design industry is responding by opening more and more dialogues about sustainability and greening their practices. In this vein, Incite / Insight 2008 in Chicago focuses on the importance of green design.

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Chicago Sends Voter Registration Papers to Dead Fish

Meg Hamill — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:11:16 +0000

The Illinois voter registration materials sent to “Princess Nudelman,” a deceased pet goldfish, have stirred up some controversy in the hometown of Barack Obama.

I think it’s time for a little humor in these final two weeks before an important election. And so I’m writing an election story about a dead goldfish named Princess Nudelman. The news however, is not being seen as humorous to some, who fear the mistake might be a sign of election fraud. The mailing has generated a number of complaints from residents throughout the state.

“I am just stunned at the level of people compromising the integrity of the voting process,” said Lake County Clerk Willard Helander, a Republican, who said she has noticed problems with almost 1,000 voter registrations this year.

Beth Nudelman, Democrat and owner of the dead fish, said that Princess may have found herself on some sort of mailing list after the family put her name down when applying for a second phone line.

“There was no fraud involved,” said Nudelman. “This person is a dead fish.”

It is thought that the registration materials were sent by the “Women’s Voices, Women Vote” project. This not-for-profit group encourages single women to vote, and purchased the list of names from a vendor.

From this one mailing, 63,500 people returned their voter applications. In order to validate identities, the mailing asked for a social security number and a driver’s license number.

It doesn’t seem to me anything worth getting all riled up about. If someone is truly interested in getting people out to vote, they’ll probably come up with a better tactic than luring in the dead pets of Greater Chicago.

Source: msnbc

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

While a lot of the discussion of the event hinged on (obviously) the similarities and differences between Chicago and New York, it was interesting to me to see how everyone at the event spoke about the importance of a project getting off the ground. Sure, innovation always has problems, many of which can be summed up simply by citing the general inertia of government. But the only way to beat that inertia is to get test projects started: the best part of having a green roof might be that it is so highly visible. Everyone who has seen one in action wants one, and the more people are exposed the louder the clamor for green roofs becomes. According to Craytor, simply being out in a community doing the installation work has raised the level of interest and the level of education about green roofs exponentially. That’s the kind of public perception win that gives a ton of credit to the early adopters for fighting through and just getting something — anything — built and up on a roof.

Update: Video from the event! Mayor Daley explains that programs funded by the stimulus must hire local workers with an eye to sustainable communities, as well as environmental effects:

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Sustainable South Bronx’s Miquela Craytor points out the benefits of green roof:

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Image Credit: Alan Smith

Mexico City Plants Green Roofs

Amanda Peterka — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 03:17:52 +0000

It’s common to see smog settling over Mexico City. But soon it’ll also be common to see green roofs dotting the landscape. The city is starting on the plan to suck up some of the pollution and cut energy use. The green roofs would also help lower the city’s temperature and reduce flash flooding because of the roofs’ ability to capture water.

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Google’s Project ‘10 to the 100th’ Deadline Is Oct. 20

Adam Williams — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:57:31 +0000

Google is holding a Project “10 to the 100th” competition to offer opportunity to all of the unknown geniuses out there who have something world-altering to contribute.Serve up an idea that can improve the planet for the most people you can imagine.

It’s simple to submit an idea online. Check some boxes, fill out some blanks and click the “Submit” button before Oct. 20 to participate.

Source: Google

Update: Video from the event! Mayor Daley explains that programs funded by the stimulus must hire local workers with an eye to sustainable communities, as well as environmental effects:

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Sustainable South Bronx’s Miquela Craytor points out the benefits of green roof:

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Image Credit: Alan Smith

‘Cool Globes’ Inspires Action Against Global Warming

Adam Williams — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:03:13 +0000

It’s art in action for the planet. CoolGlobes is a project confronting the need for a cooler planet, by generating awareness via art such as Karen Ami’s Wind Andamento that is on view in San Francisco. Chicago, San Diego and Washington, D.C. are also into the CoolGlobes scene, with London planning to debut in 2009.

Source: CoolGlobes

Update: Video from the event! Mayor Daley explains that programs funded by the stimulus must hire local workers with an eye to sustainable communities, as well as environmental effects:

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Sustainable South Bronx’s Miquela Craytor points out the benefits of green roof:

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Image Credit: Alan Smith