Energy Efficiency
Energy Efficiency a Booming Biz
Stephen L. Cowell, an energy efficiency expert, says that while other careers are sputtering the business of creating savings by reducing energy consumption is going gangbusters.
The Economic Impact of Energy Efficiency Retrofits
Cary Lowe, Los Angeles-based attorney and advocate for energy efficiency, makes the case for the economic benefits of energy efficiency retrofits to the state of California.
Smart Grid Scores As Heat Beats Up New York City
In the face of a recent heat wave, New York City's smart grid stood up to the challenge and made sure that the power kept flowing.
Southern States Lagging in Energy Efficiency
The South eats up more resources than the rest of the U.S., says reporter Elizabeth Daigneau. With 36% of the U.S. population, the South uses 44% of the nation's energy consumption.
Targeting Private Buildings For Energy Reduction
If cities want to curb energy use, they should focus on private buildings, according to this article.
The Historic Costs of Going Green
Preservationists say a new California law that requires new construction to meet stringent green building standards could encourage demolition of historically significant buildings.
Government Plans Vertical Garden on Portland Skyscraper
As part of a $133 million renovation of a federal building in Portland, the Government Services Administration plans to add 200-foot high "vegetated fins" that will carpet the building with plants and - hopefully - energy savings.
Environmental Groups Look to Block Green Building Code
California is on the verge of approving the country's first state green building code, but some environmental groups are trying to stop it, arguing the code does not go far enough.
Denmark's Energy Efficient Poster Child
The Danish island of Samso is the poster child of clean energy. Its residents generate more energy than they consume. Now the Danish government wants to export that model back to the mainland.
The World's 'Greenest' City by 2020
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has announced a ten-point plan to turn his city in the greenest in the world by 2020.
Buildings That Are Green But Not Energy-Efficient
LEED-certified buildings may be constructed with little energy, but some are just as energy-intensive as non "green" buildings once they're in use. This disconnect is prompting the U.S. Green Building Council to change its rules.
Incentives for Energy Efficiency Expanding
The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Administration are looking to increase energy efficiency incentives for homeowners, including opportunities for larger home loans.
Building Codes: Most Important Aspect of Climate Bill
Architect Edward Mazria looks at the climate bill heading to the Senate for approval and argues that its most important part is the section on building energy codes, which he calls "more powerful than 100 nuclear plants".
Obama's Weatherization Program in Action
Van Jones tours a weatherization project in D.C., part of the $5 billion the Obama Administration is putting into weatherization projects to cut energy costs. (VIDEO)
Community Energy Planning and the Stimulus -- Take a Time Out!
Stimulus money is available for a variety of energy efficiency projects, but many understaffed cities are having trouble meeting the impending deadlines. Jessica Millman, Joe Schilling, and Kathryn McCarty have found a loophole that can help.
Potential Energy & Renewable Resource Mapping - PERRM™
One important planning approach for sustainable living is how to locate and integrate the natural and man-made attributes of the land to configure a low-carbon site for large scale development.
Forget Cars: Houses Are The Real Problem
The act of running and building our homes is responsible for almost half of the U.S.'s carbon footprint. GOOD Magazine asks, so why are we so obsessed with making cars sustainable instead of homes?
Can Older Houses be Energy Efficient?
We don't need to build new energy efficient homes as much as we need to refurbish the existing housing stock to make it more energy efficient, writes Richard Moe of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Firestorm Over Anti-Green Building Report
A study released last week by NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, concluded that green standards were not financially feasible for Class A office buildings. Not so, experts say.
Building Codes Gone Green
From Boston to Austin to L.A., more and more cities across the U.S. are making efforts to reduce their carbon emissions and environmental impact by instituting green building codes.
Pagination
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello