The top five reasons we need to localize:

• Make our cities more resilient
• Reduce C02 emissions
• Reduce energy consumption
• Prepare for an energy scarce future
• Create a publicly-owned safety net

In the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, regional officials have become increasingly concerned about how the San Francisco Bay Area would fare if another 1906-style earthquake were to occur. The San Francisco city government and CORE - Citizens of Oakland Responding to Emergencies (as well as the national emergency preparedness sector in general) are strongly recommending that people get prepared to live for 3 days without major infrastructural support (i.e., electricity, running water, supermarkets, etc).

Read more of this story »

According to the Princeton Review’s new Green Ratings for institutions of higher learning, 11 colleges stood out from the national field of 534. All 11 earned a rating of 99, the highest score possible in the Princeton Review’s new tally.

So which schools are tops in all things green?

Read more of this story »

Announcement of the suit came Monday and is being led by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. It charges the EPA with once again violating the Clean Air Act by refusing to issue oil refineries a performance standard in which to curb global warming.  A claim hinged on the fact that 15 percent of the U.S.’s industrial emissions comes from crude refineries.

“The EPA’s refusal to control pollution from oil refineries is the latest example of the Bush Administration’s do-nothing policy on global warming,” Cuomo said in a release. “Oil refineries contribute substantially to global warming, posing grave threats to New York’s environment, health, and economy.”

But the EPA is pointing to Congress to get the job done. EPA spokesman Tim Lyons said time and money would be better spent by encouraging Congress to take action on sound environmental legislation. But it was just in 2003 when the EPA claimed that under the Clean Air Act they couldn’t regulate vehicle emmissions because green house gases were not air pollutants. And as a result from another suit against them, the Supreme Court decided in a 5-4 ruling that they should step up and regulate CO2 emissions.

Read more of this story »

Part of a video series that will highlight the “secret life” and environmental impact of everyday products, the 5 1/2-minute-long paper video is more informative than its length might suggest. There are hints of “Hungry Planet: What the World Eats” in the images of an ordinary U.S. family and the piles of paper it consumes over the course of two weeks. (The stacks shrink considerably for families in the U.K. and even moreso for families in Mexico.) There are stats, too, presented in “An Inconvenient Truth” style:

Read more of this story »

The challenge, launched last year, honored its first winner this past June: a plan for a “Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World: The Challenge of Appalachia,” submitted by John Todd, a research professor at the University of Vermont and founder and president of Oceans Arks International. And just last month, the institute unveiled its Idea Index, which provides details on entries in every area from community and energy to transportation and water. It’s too much to take in all at once, so today, let’s look at some of the innovative ideas in one area alone: food.

Read more of this story »

That’s the plus that Fuel Outdoor Holdings LLC is bringing to Miami. Through its subsidiary, Fuel Miami LLC, the New York-based OOH media (that’s “out-of-home” advertising) company is installing 600 solar-powered bus shelters throughout the city. Under the 20-year arrangement, Miami gets the shelters for free and Fuel gets a place to display its customers’ ads, no electrical outlets required.

Read more of this story »

The question of whether to walk, bike or take public transportation is a no-brainer if you live in a city like New York, where driving can often be more of a pain than a pleasure. But what about the rest of the country? Not every community is large enough or dense enough to offer the auto alternatives the Big Apple does. And what about people who live in rural areas where everything is a half-hour’s drive away or more? Can we refashion our country’s way of getting around to be more European? Or are those of us in unwalkable communities doomed to either move elsewhere or live like so many billions do in the rest of the world, consigned to life in a radius of space measured in only a few miles?

Read more of this story »

The latter has long been a focus of the green development. One need only look at the mass of stories coming out of the Middle East and Asia to see that a green focus on design and architecture is now more important than ever.

Read more of this story »

Kids today. You let them play with a LEGO MINDSTORMS kit and what do they do? They build a solar powered AC outlet and 12 volt DC power port. At least, that’s what some enterprising students at New York City’s Little Red School House and Elizabeth Irwin High School did in the courtyard of the Brooklyn Ecoeatery restaurant.

The Off-Grid Outlet has a tracking mechanism to make sure that it always points towards the sun. The outlet’s users can control the solar panel using switches, and can watch the relationship between the panel and the energy captured via embedded displays.

So who will actually get to make use of the roving outlet?

Read more of this story »

Whatever the cause (and there’s good reason to blame all three to some degree), most so-called experts these days aren’t expecting oil prices to drop anytime soon. In fact, Newsweek this week features a sobering article titled, “The Coming Energy Wars,” that predicts we’ll soon see oil prices top $200 a barrel. When that happens, the authors warn, we can expect everything about our daily lives to change.

Read more of this story »

If you think the energy/food potential for hemp is underutilized, wait’ll you get a gander at algae. This little microorganism really packs a punch.

According to The Book of General Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know is Wrong (2006, Harmony Books) (I highly recommend it, by the way — it’s packed with fascinating information and weird insights), algae breathes out more oxygen than all the world’s land-based plants and trees combined. Certain types of algae also deliver a whopping amount of protein and nutrients per farmed acre (20 times more than soy beans, in the case of spirulina).

Read more of this story »

Starting few weeks ago with the interview of James “Surendra” Conti of East West Bookstore, we continue in our presentations of the bookstores that are part of our bookstores program and the people behind them.

Today we have the pleasure to present you with the Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe of Harlem, NY and its co-owner and managing partner, Marva Allen.

When I entered Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe few months ago, I knew immediately I arrived to a unique bookstore. The bookstore located in the heart of Harlem, New York has established itself as an important part of the commercial revival of Harlem, becoming the largest and best-known African-American bookstore in the U.S.

Read more of this story »

The Great Lakes Water Resources Compact aims to protect the water rights of the eight states bordering the lakes: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Michigan’s approval of the agreement brings the number of states signed on so far to five: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and New York.

Read more of this story »

With gasoline prices in the U.S. breaking new records weekly, for example, law enforcement officials are seeing more cases of cooking grease thefts from fast-food establishments and other restaurants. Why used grease? Because cooking oil can be converted into biodiesel fuel that can be sold at a cool profit.

Read more of this story »

The Climate Action PAC will start with New York State legislative seats in 2008 and local races all over the state in 2009. The overall goal, according to the NY League of Conservation Voters, is to get politicians thinking about developing a comprehensive statewide energy plan.

Read more of this story »

Based on Subaru’s R1 minicar now being sold in Japan, the R1e was developed in partnership with the Tokyo electric Power Company, Inc.

An AC permanent magnet synchronized motor produces 54 hp, and can be quick-charged to 80-percent capacity in 15 minutes while connected to a standard household outlet. A full charge is achieved in 8 hours.

The NYPA will add the car to its vehicle fleet this summer.

For more on the R1e, see Benjamin Jones’ article.

Source

Image Source: Subaru Motors

Juice environmental analyst Kevin Berkemeyer summarized how schools from different conferences are trying out different sustainability measures.

Read more of this story »

The New York Times reports that a “long-awaited” city study found that, outside of those drivers lucky enough to have city-issued placards that give them special parking privileges, typical commuters face near-hopeless odds of finding a parking space in some areas. The city’s financial district, for example, offers only one-third the number of spaces needed for the non-placarded drivers passing through.

Read more of this story »

Come out Monday, March 10 at 7 pm to the Green Renter lecture series held at the Solar One house on the East River. This week’s lecture will feature Charles Komanoff, a renowned energy-policy analyst and environmental activist, speaking about Ted Kheel’s policy approach to NYC’s congestion problem: 100% free mass transportation.

I’ll admit—sheepishly—some days when I’m extremely tired from a long day at work, head bouncing to some tune on my ipod, I often walk into the subway and without thinking, try to walk through the turnstile without swiping my card. After I’m jolted out of my stupor by the immovable metal bar at my crouch, I realize I’m entering, not exiting the station and I must pay. I often dream about free subway rides—my dream could come true if New York City adopted Ted Kheel’s plan.

Read more of this story »

As part of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s long term sustainability plan, PLANYC 2030, congestion pricing is intended to reduce the amount of cars coming into the city, thus reducing the amount of auto emissions contributing to air pollution. While many city council members like the idea of cleaner air, some are questioning the details of the plan.

Read more of this story »