Tag Archives: Boston

Cambridge Thermal Imaging Project

Posted on by
Reply

This winter photo shows brightness where the most heat is escaping this home.

Cambridge! It’s finally here: a chance to vividly see the cool or warm air leaving your drafty home, without having to pay hefty fees to a thermal photographer. Thanks to the Thermal Imaging Project on which HEET has partnered with Sagewell Inc., Cambridge homeowners can request thermal (infrared) images of the outsides of their homes.

The images are taken with car-mounted cameras similar to those used for Google Maps street view, and taken on a “first come, first served” basis – with highest priority given to locations with highest demand.  With the slight air of a Groupon deal, Sagewell has asked for 400 requests from Cambridge before they will release our thermal images for free.

Because of fossil fuel prices skyrocketing and scientists projecting Cambridge’s summer temperatures will soon start looking more like Atlanta, GA temps, everyone’s heating AND cooling bills are only on their way up. High efficiency in your home is valid for every season.

Even better, the easiest time to work on your home’s energy efficiency is spring and summer, when the wait for weatherization services is short!

Request yours on Sagewell.com now.
It should take about a minute to do so;  just enter your address at the bottom of the home page, hit enter, and then enter your information on the next page that shows up by clicking the green “HERE” (see following photo).

This page appears after you enter your address at the bottom of Sagewell.com's home page.

There have already been over 100 requests for thermal images, so if 300 are generated in the next month, everyone will get to have this great service free of cost.  Tell your neighbors! We all want to save money and live a little lighter on the planet, don’t we?

The Extra Goods
You and other homeowners, condo owners, and landlords can access their images and an individualized report free of charge online via a password-protected account when the images are available (Sagewell will email you a link).  The individualized report shows what to work on, how much it will save you, and connects you with the needed free and rebated services. Commercial building owners and owners of more than one building will be able to view their images and analysis for a small fee.

Not all buildings can be analyzed (due to blocked views from trees, etc. or private way constraints), but Sagewell has agreed to image around 22,000 buildings in Cambridge!

The Thermal Imaging Project will enable residential and commercial building owners to lower costs while supporting our city’s climate and emission reduction goals. One more great tool to wield for average citizens and environmental warriors alike. Get to http://www.Sagewell.com now!

If you have any remaining questions, please contact Sagewell at info@Sagewell.com or HEET at heet.cambridge@gmail.com.

Massachusetts Residents Call Out Scott Brown, Rally Strong for Clean Air

Posted on by
Reply

Crossposted from 350.org

Today I got to stand next to more than 50 Massachusetts mothers, children, workers, community leaders, and people of faith to kick off something truly unique – a “crowd-funded” citizen’s campaign to hold Senator Scott Brown accountable for voting to gut the Clean Air Act. At 12:00pm on the sidewalk in front of the JFK Federal Building in Boston, also known as Scott Brown’s district office, we held banners and puppets of Scott Brown and his fat cat supporters “Coal” and “Oil, signs, and a blow-up of the new ad our friends and neighbors funded.

The text of the ad read: “Senator Brown: On April 6th you voted to gut the Clean Air Act. Was it because dirty energy companies and their corporate front groups poured more than $1.9 million into your campaign last year? Are you working for people or Big Polluters?” Interested in joining us in funding the ad? Check it out here.

Right after the rally Marla took our message up the JFK elevators to Senator Brown’s office, delivering word of the rally along with 103 postcards and 240 letters from members of the Massachusetts Council of Churches and Mass Interfaith Power and Light. The messages called on Senator Brown to support the EPA’s ability to regulate carbon dioxide next time a vote comes up on the Clean Air Act and ensure low income people have access to weatherization and green jobs.

At 6:30pm tonight at a podium inside the Newton Marriott Hotel Scott Brown will host a “Women for Brown” fundraiser (with a $1000 minimum) alongside the brand new Women For Brown coalition, a group created to respond to the League of Women Voters’ ads calling Scott Brown out for his April 6th vote to gut the Clean Air Act. We know what Scott Brown is going to say at that podium tonight: “Today in front of my office the political attack machine was at it again, playing politics as usual with the public.” He’ll talk about the “special interest groups” who are attacking him for trying to defend jobs. Yes, he will raise some money tonight. But the more Scott Brown digs in his heels, the more votes he will lose.

Today’s rally was no “political attack machine,” as Brown calls people who criticize him. Today’s rally was everyday-Massachusetts – a state where you don’t get to draw a line between jobs and the environment, the economy and climate change. People here across the political spectrum and in all corners of the state understand the threat of climate change and know that the jobs of tomorrow and today are in clean energy.

Greening America’s Capitals – Boston and Hartford

Posted on by
1

As recently reported by GreenBiz, Boston and Hartford have been chosen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as two of the five cities that will partake in the Greening America’s Capitals program. This is great news as it means a team of EPA backed designers will visit each city and will create and design plans that promote smart growth and will help ensure the future sustainability for both capitals.

In conjunction with the U.S Department of House and Development and the U.S. Department of Transportation, the EPA will provide all five cities with plans for “high-quality green development that includes cleaning up and recycling vacant lands, accessing and improving waterways, providing greater housing and transportation choices, and reducing infrastructure and energy costs.”

Specifically, the press release notes that Boston “asked for assistance through EPA Greening America’s Capitals to create realistic greening options for City Hall Plaza that can be realized in the near term. Goals of the redesign will be to create well-defined edges and entrances, provide more bike access and parking, connect the plaza to existing streets, increase green elements such as trees and vegetation for better stormwater management, and support energy efficiency and green building improvements in City Hall and nearby buildings.”

As for Hartford, the program “will help Hartford staff and stakeholders create a redevelopment plan for the Capitol Avenue corridor and connections to nearby locations, such as the Frog Hollow neighborhood and a proposed Sigourney Street bus rapid transit station. Redesigns will focus on public open spaces, such as parks and state building grounds, as well as green street improvements that better manage stormwater, improve the pedestrian environment and aesthetic character of Capitol Avenue, and encourage future redevelopment.”

Along with Boston and Hartford, the three other cities chosen to receive this award are Charleston, WV, Jefferson City, MO, and Little Rock, AK. These cities beat out numerous others for this assistance and we are thrilled that of the pilot cities, two are GreenScene cities in New England. Congratulations to all the five capitals!

350.org Solar Road Trip to White House

Posted on by
Reply

Beginning September 7th, Bill McKibben and students from Unity College in Maine are on a road trip to Washington D.C., with a specific goal in mind. This 350.org-affiliated group plans to approach the White House to urge President Obama to install solar panels on his roof in order to finally make a stand on energy issues, set an example for citizens, and to participate in 350.org’s “Global Work Party” on October 10th (10-10-10).

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter put solar panels on the White House. In 1986, President Reagan removed them and they were never replaced. Years later, Unity College in Maine adopted the panels where they have lived ever since. Until now.

Unity College has removed one panel from their cafeteria roof and donated it to 350.org’s campaign to convince President Obama to put solar back on the White House roof.

The road tripping group is carrying with them the one historical solar panel, a public message, and a promise from a company who will donate a slew of new panels to populate the rest of the roof with as long as the President agrees to take the challenge.

As a way of bringing awareness to the mission and garnering support with which to face the White House, the bio-diesel-powered caravan has made stops along the way in Boston and New York City. At each stop, discussions were had and signatures were gathered in a petition of a unique form: on the glass front of the panel!

With the recent failure of any action toward comprehensive clean energy/climate action legislation in the Senate, many feel that it is an imperative time for the President to take a stand on energy issues. This is one way for him to do just that without the rest of the Government interceding; as Mr. McKibben stated, “they can’t filibuster his roof.”

Not only will this be a great first act on the issue of energy, but if the White House takes leadership here, it might jump-start the rest of the country to move in this direction (the 350.org web site details the significant spike in seed sales shortly after Michelle Obama planted the White House garden).

Thus far, somewhere throughout the stops that were made in Boston and NYC, Bill McKibben has spoken with the White House via telephone and heard that they are “interested” but that “it’s complicated.” Plans for further discussion have been scheduled.

Updates on the progress of the road trip are available via email sign-up, or by visiting the website. Less formal updates are available via Twitter, by following @Panel350.

Stay tuned!

You may view a trailer for the documentary surrounding the Presidential solar panels here.

A Permanent Boston Public Market

Posted on by
Reply

Old Northern Avenue Bridge Farmers' Market Boston needs a permanent public market and now there is a coordinated campaign to make it happen. An impressive list of entrepreneurs, businesspeople, government officials, farmers, and community leaders have all come together to form a coalition that is building a grassroots campaign to send the message to our elected leaders.

As mentioned on Boston GreenScene before, building a sustainable food system is crucial to the future of Massachusetts. A vibrant Boston Public Market would be a vital, visible step towards reaching that goal and this coaltion appears to have what it takes to make a permanant public market in Boston a reality. So, take a second to visit the BPM website to learn more and send an email to Governor Patrick to express your support!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_zxiQc9Yyg

Cross-posted at Boston Green Scene

Entire City of Boston to be Scanned for “Energy Gushers”

Posted on by
1

IR scan of a local home
Big news coming out of Boston this week. Last Friday, the Wattzy team had the opportunity to join Mayor Tom Menino and MIT Projessor Sanjay Sarma for an historic announcement – the entire City of Boston is to be scanned in infrared.

Infrared scanning is nothing new in the world of single-family homes, as any energy efficiency pro can tell you. Utilities like NStar even offer home infrared scans at free or discounted cost. They are highly effective at identifying areas of home heating inefficiency. Although commercial services have offered wide-area aerial scans for some time, this will be the first complete street-level scan of a major city.

If any place can use a city-wide scan, it certainly is Boston. Our housing stock is some of the oldest in the country, which means a huge opportunity for energy savings. The Boston Climate Action Leadership Committee estimates that Boston business and residents “could save more than $2 billion over 10 years” through basic weatherization.

It was no coincidence that this historic event took place at the offices of Next Step Living, a leading Boston-based contractor that provides energy efficiency services directly to homeowners.

Contractors like Next Step Living “are the energy drillers of the clean-tech era,” said MIT Professor Sanjay Sarma. “Instead of the Gulf, they are drilling for energy savings in our homes. This infrared technology is for prospecting.” Professor Sarma is widely credited as the technology visionary behind the foundation of the commercial RFID industry.

Continuing with the “Drill, Baby! Drill!” theme, Galen Nelson, the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s green tech business manager said, “The American home is often referred to as the Saudi Arabia of energy efficiency. There’s so much to be capped.”

In addition to developing the infrared technology to scan every square foot of Boston from the aircraft and street level, Professor Sarma isn’t afraid to put his money where his mouth is. He displayed an infrared image of his home pulsating with red highlights from excessive heat loss. A still version is show above.

“An Energy Gusher,” Professor Sarma said, “and a huge opportunity.”

We at Wattzy certainly agree! The opportunity to save with energy efficiency can indeed be huge.

That’s why Wattzy provides Professor Sarma and all residents of the City of Boston with an easy way to estimate and track their savings from energy efficiency projects.

Climate Sleep-Out in Boston pays off

Posted on by
Reply

Green PRCs Picture of Boston Common by Ian Maclellan for The Leadership Campaign For the past seven weeks, college students from around the region have been camping out on Boston Common on Sunday nights calling for Massachusetts to run entirely on clean energy by 2020. After a final, snowy sleep-out last Sunday, the demands of The Leadership Campaign were answered, sort of.

On December 7, state officials introduced a bill to create a task force charged with proposing ways to get Massachusetts to 100% clean electricity by 2020.

The resolution seems like a nice way of saying we’ve heard you, now bugger off, but then again Massachusetts relies on coal for only 25 percent of its electric power (about half the national average) and has set a goal of 20 percent renewable electricity production by 2020.

I wonder what it would take for the state to get to 100 percent “clean electricity”—the Leadership Campaign seems to include fossil fuel plants that use waste heat capture and recycling in its definition of clean—by 2020.

Image Credit: Ian Maclellan for The Leadership Campaign

Boston Globe reporter gets audited

Posted on by
Reply

No, our local paper is not in trouble with the taxman (that’s just President Obama’s cabinet picks) but Geoff Edgers from the Boston Globe decided that his heating bills were getting out of control. So he called up his energy provider-National Grid-who sent over a Conservation Services Group auditor to perform a thorough check up on his 100 year old home. Among the pleasant suprises-free CFL light globes to replace his incandescant bulbs. Watch the video below to see what else Geoff learned while making his home more energy efficient. If you’re a Cambridge resident, you can sign up now for your own FREE home energy audit.