Published on July 8th, 2008
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As the environment continues to gain more and more attention, so does the need to stay green and environmentally friendly. We’re seeing these qualities become more and more relevant and important in a variety of fields; from automotive to architecture.
The latter has long been a focus of the green development. One need only look at the mass of stories coming out of the Middle East and Asia to see that a green focus on design and architecture is now more important than ever.
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Published on June 6th, 2008
Kids today. You let them play with a LEGO MINDSTORMS kit and what do they do? They build a solar powered AC outlet and 12 volt DC power port. At least, that’s what some enterprising students at New York City’s Little Red School House and Elizabeth Irwin High School did in the courtyard of the Brooklyn Ecoeatery restaurant.
The Off-Grid Outlet has a tracking mechanism to make sure that it always points towards the sun. The outlet’s users can control the solar panel using switches, and can watch the relationship between the panel and the energy captured via embedded displays.
So who will actually get to make use of the roving outlet?
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Published on June 3rd, 2008
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Why have gas prices risen to nearly $4 a gallon (or more) in the U.S.? Is it oil speculation? Rising demand? Or the first signs of peak oil?
Whatever the cause (and there’s good reason to blame all three to some degree), most so-called experts these days aren’t expecting oil prices to drop anytime soon. In fact, Newsweek this week features a sobering article titled, “The Coming Energy Wars,” that predicts we’ll soon see oil prices top $200 a barrel. When that happens, the authors warn, we can expect everything about our daily lives to change.
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Published on May 27th, 2008
Editor’s note: Our friends at Eco-Libris have another success to share: a “book offset” partnership with Harlem’s Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe. As with each of these partnerships, Eco-Libris blogger Raz Godelnik profiles the store; we’re pleased to publish that profile, along with an interview of majority partner Marva Allen, today. This post was originally published on Saturday, May 24, 2008.
Starting few weeks ago with the interview of James “Surendra” Conti of East West Bookstore, we continue in our presentations of the bookstores that are part of our bookstores program and the people behind them.
Today we have the pleasure to present you with the Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe of Harlem, NY and its co-owner and managing partner, Marva Allen.
When I entered Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe few months ago, I knew immediately I arrived to a unique bookstore. The bookstore located in the heart of Harlem, New York has established itself as an important part of the commercial revival of Harlem, becoming the largest and best-known African-American bookstore in the U.S.
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Published on March 21st, 2008
New York/D.C.-based Juice Energy released an interesting analysis this week showing what various colleges represented in the NCAA tournament are doing to reduce their environmental impact.
Juice environmental analyst Kevin Berkemeyer summarized how schools from different conferences are trying out different sustainability measures.
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Published on March 20th, 2008
As the country experiences droughts in the Southwest and Southeast and absorbs the news of Lake Mead’s impending demise and pharmaceuticals in our drinking water, we can’t help but think about our water. Of course, despite our troubles, we are among the world’s most fortunate when it comes to safe, clean drinking water.
To help those in other parts of the world who are not as fortunate, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has developed The Tap Project, which runs this week through World Water Day on Saturday, March 23rd.
The concept is simple, but the results will be powerful: participating restaurants invite patrons to donate $1 for each glass of tap water that they normally receive for free. For every dollar raised, a child will have clean drinking water for 40 days. Since the lack of clean and accessible water is the second largest killer of children under five, this is an important outcome.
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Published on March 16th, 2008
Here’s another reason to take public transportation when you’re in New York City: there really is no parking … or at least not nearly enough for the number of drivers looking for a space.
The New York Times reports that a “long-awaited” city study found that, outside of those drivers lucky enough to have city-issued placards that give them special parking privileges, typical commuters face near-hopeless odds of finding a parking space in some areas. The city’s financial district, for example, offers only one-third the number of spaces needed for the non-placarded drivers passing through.
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Published on March 8th, 2008
New York City’s proposed congestion pricing plan may be in trouble.
As part of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s long term sustainability plan, PLANYC 2030, congestion pricing is intended to reduce the amount of cars coming into the city, thus reducing the amount of auto emissions contributing to air pollution. While many city council members like the idea of cleaner air, some are questioning the details of the plan.
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Published on February 28th, 2008
The New York Energy Consumers Council recognized leaders in energy with the Energy New York Award on Tuesday night.
New York University and John Gilbert, chairman of the New York Building Congress Energy Committee were recipients of the 2007 award.
New York University has made energy a large focus of the campus Green Action Plan, part of which is the construction of a new co-generation plant . NYU is also the largest purchaser of wind power by any institution in New York City.
John Gilbert was recognized for his work as chairman of the New York Building Congress Energy Committee, which includes spearheading three Building Congress publications on long term electricity needs of NYC. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on February 18th, 2008
The city of New York will phase out the use of tropical hardwoods in construction and maintenance projects, and will focus on more sustainable alternatives.
New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, made the announcement last week during a UN conference on climate change. The city also released a report detailing the short and long term strategies they’ll use to reach this goal.
Prized for its durability and resistance to rot, tropical hardwoods are favored for things like boardwalks, park benches and ferry docks. However, since these woods are not always harvested responsibly, the demand contributes towards the decimation of tropical rainforests. Non-profit organization, Rain Forest Relief estimates that New York city is the largest purchaser of tropical hardwoods in North America, purchasing over $1m each year.
The city has pledged to reduce the use of tropical hardwoods immediately by 20% as part of the city’s greater sustainability initiatives as laid out by Bloomberg in PlaNYC.
Read more at AM Metro NY, Epoch Times.
As the environment continues to gain more and more attention, so does the need to stay green and environmentally friendly. We’re seeing these qualities become more and more relevant and important in a variety of fields; from automotive to architecture.
