Talk about a cover-up. Just today, the Boston Globe disclosed that electricity giant NStar has been conducting a secret operation that allows their customers to pay more to get their electricity from wind power rather than a carbon-polluting source. Actually, the program, “NStar Green,” isn’t a company secret -- but I hadn’t heard of it, none of my neighbors had, and Brookline Climate Action had to go door-to-door to tell people about it. It might as well be secret.
I don’t think NStar Green is some big, bad greenwashing scheme. NStar probably let the program languish because investing more money in it would yield little profit. And that’s okay, because it’s not NStar’s job make clean energy -- or dirty energy. It’s NStar’s job to make money. A corporation is responsible for making profit, and anything after that is optional as long as it’s legal. ... read more
In July, California Governor Jerry Brown, announced a plan to increase the state's renewable energy to a 12-gigawatt by 2020, by relying on “tens of thousands of little decisions” by residents and business owners. Brown cited the cost of routing large-scale energy farms in remote areas as a reason for focusing on smaller projects. He also cited the delays in previous large-scale desert projects due to litigation over natural resources, native animals, and Native American sites.
However, a recent article from Freakonomics.com points out several concerns with this plan, based on simple cost-benefit analysis:
-Individuals (such as homeowners and small businesses) do not make decisions based on what is “socially optimal”... read more
Environmental organizations such as Greenpeace recently began to put pressure on YUM!Brands, parent company of many large fast food restaurants, due to the immense damage they are doing to tropical rainforests. YUM! Owns chains including Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, A&W and Long John Silvers and has over 38,000 locations across the globe.... read more
The San Francisco Department of the Environment (SF Environment) is partnering with the city Assessor-Recorder's office and Energy Upgrade California to launch the SF Home Improvement & Performance (SFHIP) incentive program. The goal of the program is to increase the affordability of "green" home improvements for San Franciscans. San Francisco is one of the only cities in California that provides governmental incentives in addition to state and federal incentives for going solar.
I am all about making small lifestyle changes to decrease my negative impact on the environment. While I may not be able to afford solar panels or an electric car, I CAN by local foods, hang-dry my clothes and do other small things which can add up to a BIG impact by the end of the year.... read more
Plug-in electric vehicles are becoming more affordable, available, and popular. Leading “green” city, San Francisco, passed legislation to help increase the convenience of electric vehicles in hopes of enticing residents to purchase the green cars. The city is challenged with the task of installing 80 public charging stations at 20 locations by 2012.
The city has been working for roughly two and a half years to implement the charging station policy and necessary infrastructure. ... read more
The Huffington Post and 24/7 Wall Street released articles today naming 10 US cities with the largest green job growth. The statistics are based on a non-partisan Brookings Institute study.
While the overall US economy has struggled, green businesses added 565,337 new jobs in between 2003 and 2010. The median salary for a green job is almost always higher than that of a non-green job and many of these jobs are in the manufacturing sector, creating job growth in some older cities known for manufacturing that have been hit hard by the recent economy. The report also states that “on a per job basis, establishments in the clean economy export roughly twice the value of a typical U.S. job ($20,000 versus $10,000).“... read more
Last May I saw a shining vision of sustainable urban living. A couple I know had totally retrofitted their house for full energy efficiency and were giving tours to show how it could be done. The house, a 19th century Boston triple-decker, had leaked btu’s for over a hundred winters but now it’s insulated, ducted, and sealed, and ready to play its part in a 21st century green city.... read more
An independent study conducted in June found San Francisco to be the “greenest” city in the United States and Canada. This doesn't come as much of a surprise – the city has made headlines for leading the way with policies such as mandatory composting and a grocery store plastic bag ban.... read more
Last week the Obama administration released information about the proposal for increased auto emission standards. The proposal includes a 56.2 mpg minimum for all new cars by 2025. American car manufacturers would have to meet this number as a company-wide average. With the demand for electric cars already on the rise, this move would give electric vehicles the boost needed to become more mainstream.... read more
Last May I saw a shining vision of sustainable urban living. A couple I know had totally retrofitted their house for full energy efficiency and were giving tours to show how it could be done. The house, a 19th century Boston triple-decker, had leaked btu’s for over a hundred winters but now it’s insulated, ducted, and sealed, and ready to play its part in a 21st century green city.
