Al Gore, Sheryl Crow kick off Greenbuild 2009
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If you haven't already heard, the opening keynote at Greenbuild 2009 will be former U.S. Vice President, environmental advocate, and Oscar-, Grammy-, and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Al Gore.
Air Conditioning With Ice
Thermal batteries can be as effective in load shifting as electrical batteries, without the supply chain issues.
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Calmac IceBank tanks at One Bryant Park in New York City, one of the nation's greenest high-rise buildings.
Last week, we took a look at practical, easy-to-implement strategies for keeping our buildings cool during hot weather. This week, I'll describe a fascinating way to cool buildings using electricity at night to make ice. This isn't something most of us can run out and implement in our houses, but it's highly practical and cost-effective for many commercial buildings.
Mud and Straw in the Shadow of the U.S. Capitol
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| Bill Steen |
Banging the Building Drum Again—With Great Visuals
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Steven Chu, Ph.D, the U.S. Energy Secretary, has a Facebook page. I have no idea if it's actually him posting, but I'm still a fan, meaning I get regular updates.
Yesterday, he posted this chart that shows exactly where the 40% of energy used in the U.S. by buildings goes. This is not new information to me--I've heard it several times before in various ways--but it is an unusually powerful graphical representation. You can see immediately that while heating is a big energy hog in residences, lighting is the big deal in commercial buildings.
BuildingGreen Bulletin: Soy-Based Exterior Stain — August GreenSpec
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Twice each month, BuildingGreen publishes an email news bulletin with current news and product information briefs.
Men Should Pee Sitting Down
An ecological argument for why men should follow the female example and sit down.
by Allyson Wendt
Men should pee sitting down. Now before you call me a strident feminist, let me say that I'm backed up on this one by male colleagues and the reasons aren't what you think.
Keeping Cool in Hot Weather
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Exterior shades is one way to keep out direct sunlight during hot summer days.
If yesterday's forecast was correct, today may be the hottest day of the year for much of New England--with temperatures rising into the mid-90s. This may not draw much sympathy from friends in Austin, Texas where today's temperature may rise to 100 in this unusually hot summer, or in Phoenix, where it's projected to warm up to 107 (well below the season high of 116), but for southern Vermont, the mid-90s is pretty hot.
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