British marketing firm Futerra Sustainability Communications has produced a green marketing handbook intended for professionals, but useful for consumers as well (p. 5). I found the comparison of advertising regulations in Australia, France, Norway, the US & UK rather interesting… unfortunately we seem to enjoy fewer protections than the other listed nations.
The state is upgrading the state energy code as part of the Green Communities Act. On May 12, the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) approved the stretch code as an optional amendment to the 7th edition Massachusetts Building Code 780 CMR. Municipalities in Massachusetts do not have the legal authority to adopt their own code, but the recent passage of the state stretch code allows municipalities to adopt the tougher standard at their discretion.
This optional “stretch code” was developed in response to the call for improved local building energy efficiency in the commonwealth. The stretch code is about 30% more efficient than baseline code in Massachusetts. Some builders and developers worry the adoption of the stretch code will hinder a housing market revival and add additional red tape to the permitting process. Advocates contend that the stretch code will allow municipalities to improve the efficiency of buildings in their communities, helping to reduce greenhouse gasses and reduce fossil fuel consumption. See “Everything’s ACES” for additional context.
The stretch code would require a third-party certification for a HERS index rating of 60 or less on new buildings. The current base energy code in Massachusetts requires a maximum HERS rating of 99. For major renovations under the stretch code, a HERS index of 70 or less is required.
The City Council will need to adopt the stretch code by January 1 in order for it to go into effect by July 1, 2010. The City Council Health & Environment Committee is holding a hearing on the stretch code on July 28. The Climate Protection Action Committee and the Green Building/Zoning Task Force have recommended adoption.
Still wondering just what ACES a.k.a Waxman-Markley, or “The Climate Bill,” is all about? Perhaps this brief interview with the president of the Alliance to Save Energy will help. Of course, then there’s the question of whether it’s too little too late, too much too soon, or just right? Bill Moyers’ guests this week say it’s not enough. I tend to agree, though I’m not entirely convinced it’s the false start they’d have us believe. Regardless, the summary of Waxman-Markley’s measures seems fairly moderate. Indeed, the building code changes it calls for are only slightly higher than future federal regulations!
P.S. GovTrack has some interesting tools to let you monitor the progress of bills like ACES.
It’s hard to beat an infrared camera when you really want to see which parts of a building the heating/cooling dollars are flying out of however, they’re rather specialized and expensive pieces of equipment. If you’re technically inclined though, you might try making your own; alternatively, you could sign up for an enhanced energy audit.
At a recent meeting hosted by Robert Costanza and the Seventh Generation Corporation, we tried to figure out how to measure progress in combating climate change over the next five years. I’m of the school that says “If you can’t measure it, you can’t fix it.” So, five years from now, what do we have to measure and how do we have to measure it… Read more»
Last week, Warm Home Cool Planet received a phone call from Dr. Jesse Reich, CEO of Baystate BioFuels, whose company was recently profiled on NECN and on the pages of Warm Home Cool Planet. He provided us with some numbers on the use of BioFuels in the home that will be of interest to anyone who heats their home with oil and wants to reduce their use of non-renewable resources and the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere.
The average home uses approximately 730 gallons of heating oil each year-and each gallon of Number 2 home heating oil releases 22 lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere. Pure Biodiesel reduces the CO2 generated by approximately 85%. As mentioned previously, Massachusetts law now mandates each load of home heating oil contains 2% of biodiesel, which reduces the amount of CO2 released into the environment by an average of 275 lbs per house this year, and an additional 135 lbs each year the Biofuel blend is raised by an additional percentage point.
Most home furnaces, however, can accomodate a 20% biofuel blend in the oil tank. Each home that uses this B:20 blend will reduce the CO2 emitted by over 2750 lbs a year. Multiply that by the millions of homes in the New England area heated with oil and you’re talking about a truly significant reduction in greenhouse gases.
To get the B:20 Biofuel Blend for your home, contact your heating oil supplier. If you want to know more about BioFuels and their role in reducing greenhouse gases, click here.
A report by the British Carbon Disclosure Project suggests that there is merit to this progressive witticism maxim. The study reviewed the efforts of 18 American cities which are members of ICLEI: Local Governments for Sustainability, and found that in recent years cities have begun to undertake planning and mitigation efforts in earnest with positive effects.
A summary is available, as well as a PDF of the full report. The takeaway message is reminiscent of a recent paper by David Satterthwaite, in which he proposes that cities are the solution, not the problem. More evidence that the efforts of ICLEI’s ~1,100 members (from Albuquerque to Zagreb), and the ~1,000 signatories1 to the U.S. Conference of Mayors climate protection agreement (from Anchorage to Yonkers are well placed.
1. Interestingly, nearly half of ICLEI members are in the United States, and two thirds of those are also members of the conference, meaning there are 700 municipalities which are only members of the latter.
Gapminder is an organization dedicated to helping understand the world, and particularly environmental issues, by providing interesting tools for statistical analysis. They’re well-known for their Wonderbread-like bubble charts, and brief presentations by director Hans Rosling like the one at right on CO2 emissions from their “myth demolishing series.”
See also Worldmapper.
Austin, Texas–which we have always considered to be a little slice of Massachusetts right in the middle of the Lone Star state–has become the first town to pass and ratify a law that makes an energy audit mandatory when you sell a home within the city limits.
Almost 400 audits have been performed under the new ordinance which was passed in November 2008 and went into effect June 1 this year. After a furious lobbying effort by the Austin Board of Realtors, homeowners are not required to make all improvements, but the results will likely be used as a bargaining chip in most purchases.
One homeowner found that over 80% of his air-conditioning was leaking through his uninsulated attic and decided to make the repair to improve the prospects of selling his house. In this depressed market, most sellers will be looking for any advantage they can get.
Of course, Austinites have to find an energy auditor and pay for the audit. Luckily, if you live in Cambridge, requesting an audit is as simple as filling out a simple form and in many cases it’s free.
In case you missed it last week, among all the pop-culture news coverage and myriad other events, the U.S. has joined a majority of the world’s countries as a member of IRENA. The new International Renewable ENergy Agency. After reading their FAQ I still wasn’t entirely sure what they expected to do, but their press packet was a little more enlightening:
The Agency’s tasks will include, among others,
• working with its member states to improve the policy environment for the use of renewable energy,
• engaging in cooperation on technology transfer issues in the area of renewable energy, and
• supporting capacity building measures in the field of renewable energy.The Agency will advise its member states using an integrated, practice-oriented approach that takes account of country-specific circumstances. To that end, IRENA will pursue specific activities:
• policy advice,
• advice on financing and technology issues, and
• processing and provision of information, including reliable scientific data.
Sounds swell, and I hope that I’m not reading between the lines too much because it sounds like IRENA could actually seek some desperately needed patent reform. The existing system is a mess, and is regarded by many to hinder rather than help progress of the technical arts as the founding fathers initially intended. For instance, last week the Wall Street Journal carried an article about Toyota’s immense Prius patent portfolio, and its impact on the competition.