By Timothy B. Hurst •
February 15, 2008
Nearly 50 leading U.S. and European institutional investors managing over $1.75 trillion in assets released a climate change action plan at the United Nations that calls on Congress to introduce national policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% below 1990 levels by 2050. U.S. institutional investors also pledged $10 billion dollars over two years in renewable energy technologies and project development, energy efficiency, green building and clean technologies. The group of investors also wants the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to insist that companies listed in New York and elsewhere disclose their exposure to climate change risk. The plan aims for a 20% reduction in energy used in core land and building investments over a three-year period.
The two largest pension funds in the US, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, with some $246.7 billion under its management, and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, $168.8 billion strong, were both on board with the institutional investor coalition. These two large and incredibly wealthy pension funds tend to be leaders in the institutional investor arena. George McPherson, senior managing director of the DC-based private equity firm Global Environment Fund said he expects other pension funds to create more programs geared towards clean technology over the next year.
By Philip C. Curtis •
February 14, 2008
Not really but HolidayLEDs.com announced today that it will continue its Christmas light recycling program beyond the previously established sunset date of January 31, 2008.
So far the company reports that it has recycled over 3,000 pounds of incandescent holiday lights which it received from several hundred participants. Anyone who is looking for some place to send their old Christmas lights to die can mail them to HolidayLEDs.com for recycling.
And because I know it will be asked, the lights [...]
With all the writing we’ve done recently about the Coskata partnership with GM, and the unique process the company’s created to make ethanol from almost any material containing carbon, you might think we’re getting paid to cover this. That’s not the case, of course; rather, this news points to some really exciting new directions in ethanol development. We’ve got some more posts up on Coskata… but not here at Gas 2.0…
Today, we [...]
By Michelle Bennett •
January 19, 2008
Let me be the first to admit that I don’t know much about hydrogen. It’s the most abundant element in the universe and yet elusive here on earth. There seems to be a conflict of logic here, but remember that it is the lightest element. It is so light weight that on earth it rises above other useful gases like oxygen and escapes into space. Fortunately finding hydrogen is not the problem; usually scientists rip it out of [...]
By Timothy B. Hurst •
January 11, 2008
The U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS), a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior has formally established an interim adaptive management program called the Alternative Energy and Alternate Use Program (imho, a very bad name). The program will regulate any future development of offshore wind projects on the outer continental shelf. The new program puts forth 52 “best management practices to minimize potential adverse impacts of future projects” but has no impact on the imminent decision in [...]
By Sarah Lozanova •
January 10, 2008
A tidal energy facility in Nova Scotia could help fuel development of this emerging renewable energy source.
The last few years have been a time of amazing growth in the renewable energy industry and the renewable energy potential of many regions is increasingly being utilized. Tidal energy is becoming a hot topic, with many companies and locales looking to harness this energy source. Currently, Nova Scotia is considering the construction of [...]
Climate change and its impact on Florida will take the stage, front and center, when the Florida chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) holds its 2008 statewide meeting later this month.
“As greater awareness of global climate change emerges, each [...]
By Jim Gunshinan •
January 2, 2008
December 28th, 2007 by Jim Gunshinan
Broke Your CFL? Don’t Panic!
The typical dose of mercury in a CFL is about the sizeof a pen tip
(circled in red), and these doses have been getting smaller and smaller.
(Photo provided by EPA.)
Australia has already begun to phase out the incandescent light bulb,
and the energy legislation recently signed by President Bush has
begun that process in the United States. Every time I turnaround,
it seems, someone is handing me a brand new
compact
[...]
By Sarah Lozanova •
December 27, 2007
Carbon sequestration will be used in this new coal-fired power plant to reduce the carbon footprint of electricity.
The town of Mattoon, Illinois rejoiced when the developers of a $1.8 billion low-pollution power plant announced the selected location. This rust-belt town will no longer be primarily known as the bagel capital of the world. The 275-megawatt prototype plant will generate both electricity and hydrogen. Carbon dioxide emissions will be captured and pumped deep into [...]
The San Francisco board of supervisors has approved the country’s largest municipal solar program. The program is designed to reduce the cost of solar for city residents and leverage private dollars to get more solar on San Franciscans’ roofs (earth2tech).
