The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has set up a voluntary program for individuals and businesses to tackle sustainability issues in the state. It rewards those who make the extra effort to reduce their carbon footprint and lead by example. The Environmental Stewardship Program now boasts more than 500 participants, including Ortho Clinical (more…)

From 2005 to 2010, Portugal was able to raise the amount of renewable energy in the country up to 45 percent. Portugal has always been very adamant about the inclusion of using renewable energy sources. The first part of the plan was introducing natural gas to replace coal and oil and energy market liberalization to the private market. Now, Portugal is solely (more…)

High-temperature superconductor (HTS) wire transmits 100 times the electricity of a standard copper wire of equal size and it does so with virtually no loss. HTS wire costs more than conventional copper wire used today. Electricity transmission and distribution losses in the United States are approximately 6.5% as of 2007. HTS cabling is a quality investment as it will be (more…)

2010 was a historic year for the General Services Administration (GSA). With a portfolio including 350 million square feet of public buildings, 200,000 federal vehicles, and a flow of goods and services throughout government totaling $95 billion, GSA has the capacity to impact every corner of government in every region of the country. In 2010, President Obama set (more…)

According to a popular and pernicious myth, you can’t fight poverty in the developing world without fossil fuel energy and the emissions that come with it. Yet while trumpeting this idea makes a good marketing strategy for the coal industry, more and more developing countries are proving you can in fact have environmentally responsible and (more…)

South Korea is a country with a lot on her mind as of late. The recent debacle with North Korea continues to have ramifications within the country’s political and military arenas and all the while they are still working towards developing a strong renewable energy policy. Currently, South Korea has a series of plans that would provide their nation with a wide variety (more…)

Thanks partly to its success using biofuels to power cars instead of oil, Brazil has become known as something of a sustainable business leader. The country deserves credit for taking some initiative on renewable energy, and at last year’s climate summit in Copenhagen President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was one of the most outspoken proponents for an ambitious (more…)

In a move that could significantly decrease US energy use and associated emissions, building officials voted on the first of November to increase the efficiency of typical buildings 30% by the year 2012. By making this improvement to the International Energy Conservation Code, (more…)

Municipal fleets, including buses and other forms of city transportation, use a heavy amount of energy every year.  Much like the military, we’ve seen a steady decline in the rate at which they consume. Factors include: (more…)

Imagine paying less than $15 a month for electricity and gas. Imagine living in a home without air conditioning or heating vents. If the price sounds right, but the house itself sounds either drafty or stifling, think again.

If you were living in a passive house, you wouldn’t have traditional heating and cooling equipment, but you’d still be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. And your (more…)