Four Must Do Steps to Win the Energy Challenge

March 15, 2010

Image by geofones via Flickr At the 2010  Efficiency Vermont’s Better Buildings Conference, Andy Shapiro of Energy Balance and I offered an “Energy Challenge” to the audience of architects and building owners to begin a broad based campaign to track building energy performance. This challenge extends not only to collecting the data for your business […]

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Building Energy Metrics

March 5, 2010

Image by Paul Garland via Flickr How many people would buy a car without knowing its estimated mileage? Comparatively, how many people would build a building without knowing an estimated energy performance? While all consumers have documented miles per gallon estimates for their vehicles, almost no building owners know how much energy their building uses, […]

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Bill Gates TED discussion on Energy and Zero carbon footprint

February 21, 2010

This is a clear and fascinating explanation of the CO2 challenge and why we must do something about reaching net zero, starting now. Personally though, it’s distressing to hear that rather than pursue renewable energy and battery technology solutions, a to-me frightening new nuclear technology has caught Bill Gates’ attention. My mind is having difficulty […]

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What if Vermont were to produce more energy than it consumes?

February 12, 2010

Should we, as Vermonters, be congratulating ourselves for leadership in the green economy and creating a renewable energy future? Van Jones, former green jobs czar of the Obama administration, thought so when speaking at the 2009 Vermont Business Expo. But is this deserved? I am not so sure. Yes, we all can point to great […]

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Silly S.E.C. — Climate Change Affects Everyone

January 31, 2010

So the S.E.C. has now said that companies have an obligation to tell investors of any risks, or potential benefits, that climate change poses to their business. To quote the New York Times: The S.E.C., on a party-line 3-2 vote, issued “interpretive guidance” to help companies decide when and whether to disclose matters related to […]

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Net Zero Energy Buildings: Stable Returns in an Unstable World

September 18, 2009

Faced with multiple challenges from environmental pressures due to climate change, energy price volatility and the economic downturn, we have never had a better time to build wisely. But we’re not talking about any ordinary buildings—we are talking about the design and construction of buildings that minimize the use of natural resources and energy. Such […]

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4 Steps to Effective Change for a Net Zero Vermont

August 5, 2009

Deep down we all probably recognize that despite good intentions and occasional spurts of progress, the lifestyle changes needed to successfully lower carbon footprints and increase energy efficiency will not be easy. We’ve seen and heard it many times: Old habits die hard. How can we make and sustain the change needed to help Vermont […]

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