ReGeneration Roundup - 2008-03-24
Green Building’s Role is Elevated by New Studies
In what must be old news to the men and women who are leading the charge in this new industry, it’s looking more and more like green building is going to play a key role in cutting global carbon emissions. A recent study by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation evaluated the impact of buildings in North America on the environment, and concluded that by adopting green building methods, we could cut CO2 emissions by 1,800 megatons per year. As Hank Green from EcoGeek blogged, that’s roughly the amount of CO2 that was produced by all cars and planes in North America last year. For those of you interested in this, have a look at the many articles covering the granddaddy king of all green building projects, the Masdar City Headquarters in Abu Dubai, which will be the world’s first positive energy building.
Massive Tidal Energy Project Coming to Korea
Harnessing the seemingly endless power of oceanic tides has long held allure to mankind, but utilizing tidal energy has proved to be an environmentally challenging and underutilized endeavor. An ambitious collaboration between Britain’s Lunar Energy and Korean Midland Power Co hopes to remedy this with the world’s largest tidal power project. The joint effort is slated to be completed by 2015 and will help alleviate the threat to local wildlife, ecosystems, and ships by installing a field of 300 60-foot tall power turbines deep beneath the ocean’s surface off the coast of South Korea. The £500 million project is expected to create enough energy to power 200,000 homes and should be finished by 2015. Similar schemes are being eyed for other parts of the world, including one under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Pittsburgh Convention Aims to Make the Green Ecomony a Reality
The phrase “green-collar jobs” has been an oft-heard phrase this election year in the United States with both Democratic Party candidates, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, pledging to make the creation of these jobs a priority of their prospective administrations. To address this challenge, a coalition of concerned non-profit environmental and economic research organizations from across the country met at a conference in Pittsburgh, PA to discuss the challenges and opportunities of shifting to a clean energy economy. A state report exploring the green job potential in clean energy industries and a detailed guide for cities to exploit the growth of this industry resulted from the conference. The potential of this industry to transform and energize the economy is very promising, not to mention the positive effects it with have on the environment. These reports provide comprehensive and usable information that should help to reach that goal.
Web site Offers Gallons of Water-Efficiency Tips
CleanTechnica has pointed us to a wonderful Web site brought to you by the California Urban Water Conservation Council and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Web site, called H2ouse.org, offers water-efficiency tips for homeowners and will even take you through an all-encompassing tour of a typical home, highlighting areas of water saving potential and offering suggestions every step of the way. The breadth of the site is staggering, and no nook or cranny of the home is overlooked. This site promises to do wonders to help reduce your water consumption and save you a few bucks along the way.
Japan Ranked the World’s Most Railway Friendly Nation
The International Union of Railways has provided data grading the railway systems of the world’s economic powers, and Japan was ranked as the leader in rail kilometers per citizen. This should come as no surprise to people who used Japan’s renowned rail network. The trains are easy to use, fast, punctual, and can quickly get you just about anywhere in the country. Switzerland, which has the most dense rail network in the world, ranked second. The United States was at the bottom of the list, though rising fuel costs have had many re-evaluating the benefits of rail travel.
