Jetson Green

Coal + Climate Change, ASLA's Green Roof, Sprawl Costs, Nanotechnology, Greener Homes + LEED Criticism (WIR)

The highly respected Ed Mazria, founder of Architecture 2030, says, "The only fossil fuel that can fuel global warming is coal. If you stop coal, you stop global warming. End of story."
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) reports on their green roof: it retained lots of water, reduced building energy costs, and lowered the outdoor air temperature.
Green Technology Forum report finds that nanotechnology can make green buildings more cost-effective, energy-efficient, and in tune with their environment.
Greener homes mean much more than planting lots of trees.
Texas Traffic Institute study says traffic congestion is worse than last year and cost the nation over $78 billion, including the cost of lost time.

BONUS: A Wave of LEED Critical News

The Green Standard? LEED Buildings get lots of buzz, but the point is getting lost.
What’s right and wrong with LEED.
USGBC advised to make location part of LEED certification to avoid sprawl.

The Grid Impacts of Net Metering
Big Steps in Building: Ban Minimum Floor Areas
Kendall House in Miami is a model of efficiency and low environmental impact.
Who’s the greenest bank of all? Sustainable building is all the rage – and big banks want in on the action.
I never promised you a rose garden. You say natural. I say neglected. A growing number of urban gardeners are facing off with their neighbors over how they tend their plots: wild and eco-friendly or manicured and weed-free.

Vehicle to Grid Technology – Power to the people: run your house on a Prius.
Fitter. Happier. Better. Greener. Science shows sustainable design does more than help the Earth, it makes you feel better, too.
AlwaysOn Going Green 100 – a first annual list of the hottest private companies in greentech.
There’s a new trend in residential energy: being the first small wind turbine on the block.
Aspiring to be America’s greenest city, state commitment helps Sacramento rank No. 2 in energy efficient office space.

The Urban Revival – Cities may be the key to curbing climate crisis.
Fat Zones – Does where you live influence what you eat? A new study says ZIP codes are surprisingly accurate predictors of obesity.
Another new study suggests that people who live in damp, moldy homes may be prone to depression.
A new roof and attic system being developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory could help owners lower summer utility bills by 8% or more.
Alcoa announced the start-up of a 588,000 watt, roof-mounted photovoltaic solar power system at its California manufacturing facility, enabling the supply of clean and reliable renewable energy.

A new report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development found that the costs of green building are often misunderstood, and even overestimated by as much as 300%.
HGTV announces the Green Home Giveaway – they will build a home somewhere using eco-friendly materials and give it away in 2008.
Sun Microsystems completes next-generation, energy-efficient datacenters in California, the U.K, and India — they expect to save over $1.1 million in energy costs per year.
Developing special lending programs dedicated to energy efficiency projects is a good way for banks to support green endeavors.
With climate change and 80% of the world’s population living less than 30 miles from a coastline, Discovery talks about green principles in building a modern city.