Half of GE fleet to be electric vehicles by 2015

Posted on November 12, 2010 by quest

In a move that will put some confidence into the future and sustainability of the reborn electric vehicle industry; General Electric has placed an order tens of thousands of electric vehicles. GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt said the large order will, “accelerate the adoption curve, drive scale, and move electric vehicles from anticipation to action.”
GE is a global powerhouse and diversified technology, media and financial services company. They are already in power generation including solar and wind energy. From Fairfield, CT GE announced

The Austonian Gets Four-Star Rating From Austin Energy Green Building

The Austonian, Austin’s newest and tallest luxury residential high-rise in the heart of downtown, has been awarded a coveted Four-Star rating from Austin Energy Green Building (AEGB).

The Austonian is the newest and most modern example of a sustainable and environmentally-smart high-rise community in the United States.
The Austonian’s Four Star rating from Austin Energy is the equivalent to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Gold rating.
“This accomplishment is the result of support from

Update A New Green Renaissance VI

Cali Vineyard & NY College to build Urban Farm

Posted on November 11, 2010 by quest

The green economy is bringing together some interesting partnerships. From California’s Russian River DeLoach Vineyards joins up with Brooklyn’s Kingsborough Community College to start an Urban Farm on the 71-acre campus in Manhattan Beach, located at the southern tip of Brooklyn, New York. Wine & Spirits magazine named DeLoach Vineyards a Top 100 Winery for the tenth time in the winery’s history in 2009. DeLoach has grown its small-lot vineyard designate wine program, converted to organic and biodynamic farming practices, and implemented traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques such as open-top wood fermentors, native yeast fermentations, and hand punch-downs. Kingsborough serves a widely diverse student population and ranks among the top community colleges in the country in associate’s degrees awarded to minority students. DeLoach Vineyards announced

LEARN FROM: GREEN WEBINARS

Recycling organically

Posted on November 11, 2010 by quest

Organic

is one of those words that gets used so much you might just forget what it really means…. simple and healthful and close to nature, “an organic lifestyle.” And recycling? To use again in the original form or with minimal alteration: So that’s it! Core values on going green. Reusing what it close to nature with minimal alteration. Seems that’s what Recycling.com and OrganicAuthority.com are doing with a new partnership they’ve created. An online resource that provides a wide range of information while educating the public about the benefits of buying and choosing organic produce, meats, and products, while promoting sustainable living and an organic lifestyle. From Los Angeles

VANCOUVER: ECO FASHION

Solar an energy solution whose time has come

Posted on November 10, 2010 by quest

The information coming from research groups, associations, trade groups, authors, government agencies all confirm what is becoming apparent. Solar is hot. Happening! The defeat of Proposition 23 was confirmation from Californians that going green is becoming the next major megatrend. Just as the personal computer and the internet changed society; solar too has the potential to change the world as we know it. But as we continue down the solar road…how can we use it day to day? Already there are solar powered mobile phones in Africa and India. Consumer electronics such as solar powered laptops and camcorders are already starting to find their way into the marketplace. And the SolarPlanet the worlds largest solar boat is now in the Atlantic heading for Miami on its around the world tour. Even as the big push continues for big utility scale solar projects homeowner interest in solar continues to rise. The release of a White Paper entitled

GIFTS@ECO FRIENDS SHOP

Energy Secretary Steven Chu knows the power of waves

Posted on November 9, 2010 by quest

The United States Secretary of Energy and Nobel Prize laureate, Dr. Steven Chu, visited the headquarters of Irish wave energy development company, Wavebob Ltd. last Friday in Maynooth, Ireland and met with CEO Andrew Parish and his team. The visit follows the recent announcement that Wavebob Ltd. had secured a grant of $2.4 million from the US Department of Energy to support the company’s ongoing technical development in the US.

Secretary Chu is a vocal advocate of research into alternative energy sources. During a tour of the Wavebob facility, Secretary Chu and Parish discussed the massive potential of the global ocean energy resource and the potential to create a large new industry in the manufacture and supply of wave energy converter technology. Secretary Chu saw a demonstration of the Wavebob wave energy converter and learned how Wavebob is progressing its commercial agenda and securing a global reputation as a leading pioneer in this emerging sector.

CEO Parish believes that the Energy Secretary’s interest in Wavebob reflects a firm commitment to developing new sources of renewable energy. “This visit by Secretary Chu is certainly a tremendous boost to our company, and is of course a very great honor. More importantly though, Dr. Chu’s visit and his Department’s grant allocation of $2.4 million shows that the US government supports our work and is aware of the significant contribution that wave energy devices could make to the US energy market.”

Wavebob Ltd. has partnered with some of the most powerful players in the US energy sector and the company has been building up a presence in the US since the establishment of its US head office in Annapolis, Maryland in 2008. The $2.4 million US Department of Energy grant was allocated from a total fund of $37 million in marine and hydrokinetic energy grants.
Also last week, Secretary Chu visited the Marine Institute of Ireland in Galway. The Marine Institute of Ireland is the national agency responsible for marine R & D in Ireland, including ocean energy.

Green building innovator to speak in DC

Posted on November 9, 2010 by quest

Robert Frechette who was principal design engineer on the world’s tallest building and man-made structure the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai will be keynote speaker at the DC Economic Partnership’s (WDCEP) 10th Anniversary Annual Meeting Luncheon in Washington DC. Frechette, President of PositivEnergy Practice LLC will address the attendees on high performing buildings, the process for de-carbonization, and on innovative engineering models.

Frechette was also principal engineer for the Pearl River Tower, the world’s most energy efficient office tower now under construction in Guangzhou, China, where he used advanced wind-powered, solar-collecting, breathable-skin, and cold radiation comfort innovations in the design. Additionally he was the principal engineer for the greening of the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) and the Chicago DeCarbonization & Implementation Plan.

Frechette’s body of work also includes a wide range of projects from government buildings and museums, to laboratories, airports, hospitals, academic buildings and corporate offices, including several in Washington DC, such as the National Museum of American History, RFK Stadium Renovation, Department of Transportation HQ, Oracle Headquarters, Mary Switzer Building, and the Star Spangled Banner Lab. Frechette is a Senior Fellow with the Design Futures Council, a global network of design community professionals, and a frequent lecturer on high-performance design and green engineering. He is the co-author of Nantucket Principals (2002), which focused on trends and issues influencing green building and sustainable design. In 2004, Frechette was recognized by the United States Congress for his work in sustainability and his work on the Pearl River Tower was featured on a Planet Green episode (Power Tower) this past June.

Featured at this year’s Development Showcase will be Tesla Motors, which will have on display its Roadster that features 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, 245 miles per charge and 0 emissions. The WDCEP’s Annual Meeting and Development Showcase (AMDS) is Friday, November 19 at the Washington Convention Center, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Visit wdcep.com to register, or call 202-661-8670.