Last week, President Obama stood firm against Republican pressure and big oil’s demands and denied TransCanada’s push for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. This is very good news for clean energy and environmental communities, however, TransCanada intends to swiftly propose a re-route of the massive pipeline through less “environmentally sensitive areas”, which include attempting to avoid Nebraska’s Ogallala Aquifer, an aquifer critical to Nebraska’s natural habitat, livelihood and farming community, never mind its fresh drinking water supply.  This point of entry has been the main challenge for the company.  It will be interesting to see where President Obama stands on the predicted newly proposed route, which is anticipated to arrive at his desk within two weeks.

The proposed $7 Billion Keystone XL pipeline would carry crude tar sands… [view entry]

Last night, I attended a meeting hosted by SF Environment, a department of the city and county of San Francisco.  I was in awe and inspired by how much one city can accomplish when it comes to educating the public about energy efficiency and environmental consciousness.  Not only is San Francisco leading the domestic urban composting charge with a city-wide composting program, whereby the city mandates composting in addition to recycling, but the city is making the process of being an ecoconsumer easier and easier.

When I relocated here two months ago, I was astounded at how commonplace composting was – the city simply places compost bins throughout the city and provides them to each city resident.  In addition, SF Environment provides free compost containers for your kitchen so you… [view entry]

The clean energy revolution has never been more critical.  In a report released December 8th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made a direct link between the con­tro­ver­sial drilling prac­tice known as hydraulic frac­tur­ing and ground­wa­ter contamination.  For years, hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” a method to extract oil and gas from under­ground deposits that uses a mix­ture of sand, water and chem­i­cals to frac­ture shale rock and release the gas, has been taking place across the country, mainly unabated and unquestioned by politicians and industry professionals.

Now however, it’s official: fracking has been correlated to tainted groundwater that is often entirely undrinkable by area residents and wildlife alike.  The EPA report specifically notes high con­cen­tra­tions of ben­zene, xylene, gaso­line and diesel fuel in groundwa­ter sup­plies linked to waste­water pits and deeper fresh water wells. … [view entry]

It has been two months since summer intern, Dana Rubin, launched the Energy Efficiency after school club in Holyoke, MA.  Located in the resource section on the CEA website, are the activities that Dana has been piloting to the 11-13 year old environmentalists at Peck Middle School. So far the students have learned about water conservation, compact fluorescent lighting and the benefits to contributing time to their local community.  The group is enthusiastic and ready to make small changes in their lives to make a big difference all together.

Most recently,  students undertook designing light-switch covers that were  posted around the school, to inform their peers and teachers about the importance of turning off the lights when leaving a room. In the weeks to come, the students will… [view entry]

From Boston to Austin real estate there’s a new trend.  Rooftop gardens, or green roofs, are popping up everywhere. These gardens add life and color to gloomy, industrial looking cities and drab roofs.

Rooftop gardens improve air quality, create local food sources, delay water runoff, and bring color to a dull roof.  They also help insulate buildings and reduce electricity and gas costs, which is  particularly beneficial for people who live in very hot or cold areas. According to GreenRoofs.com, green roofs allow buildings to retain 30% more heat in the winter than ordinary roofs. Green roofs also reflect light and heat, which may help buildings stay cooler in the summer. The insulation from rooftop gardens also helps block out noises from outside.

There are many different kinds of green… [view entry]

In celebration of Pollution Prevention Week and amid an atmosphere of intelligent concern for the environmental health and safety of products we use in every day life, the EPA has launched a simple online guide for the eco-labeling  programs it supports; the Greener Products Portal.

Consumers, small businesses, retailers, manufacturers, and institutional purchasers can use the Portal to search for products that are included in EPA-approved product labeling systems. Using a set of 3 drop down boxes to narrow their inquiries folks can find information on a wide range of products; from appliances to building materials, from automotive products to cleaning products. This tool can be useful for a wide range of people; from parents to industrial purchasers, and the many demographics in between.

For those most concerned with… [view entry]

One of the most exciting intern projects completed this summer is a new component of our website: an online Interactive Home.

Clicking on different household components will bring you to information about DIY energy saving projects and renewable energy guides. In the house you’ll find know-how to install just about every energy saving measure available from upgrading to solar lighting outdoors to sealing drafts. Check every section of your home -  including doorways, refrigerators, lamps, boiler rooms, laundry machines, and more!

For example, if you would like to learn about geothermal heat pumps, click on the image of red and blue lines buried underneath the home. Clicking will open up a new tab, with concise and helpful information including a general definition, two different types of systems (horizontal-closed loop and… [view entry]

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s stance on biomass has recently changed its tune from one of skepticism to one of acceptance as a state-wide “clean” energy policy. Why the sudden switch? State environmental groups, the same groups who helped lobby to get him into office, are wondering the same thing and are now turning against Patrick’s newfound position at large.

According to a recent article in the Boston Phoenix, the Patrick administration will release a document in the next few weeks that will contain the final regulations for the state’s biomass subsidies.  According to environmental groups, the Administration is planning to reverse its original position as a nod towards a handful of developers who stand to make money off of biomass production.

These regulations will come at the expense of ordinary… [view entry]

What is common between the beach, the pool , cold showers and lemonades ?

Water !

Even though water seems like it is an unlimited resource, is in reality a limited resource because there are no known new sources of water. Americans consume about 150 gallons of water every day, which is twice the world average. Water needs energy to be transported and has a huge environmental impact. More water required means more dams and reservoirs, which in turn means more damage to marine habitat.

Check out National Geographic’s water footprint calculator to discover how you use water and calculate your footprint.

Here are things you can do to conserve water and do your part to save the environment :

… [view entry]

Poster child: Dana Rubin shows off her silly side at work

One of our busier interns this summer has surely been Youth Liaison Dana Rubin.  She leads an extensive effort to introduce ideas about energy efficiency to young people in Cambridge.  Dana doesn’t play teacher here though–the idea is to get the right sort of educational materials into the right hands.

Ever since May, Dana’s been researching and compiling ideas for lesson plans, which present concepts related to energy use in bite-sized and fun ways.  The lessons are geared towards kids age 9-13 and are very much hands-on or crafty.  In one deceptively simple lesson, the children build paper pinwheels and stick them outside to twirl in the wind.  At the most basic level, these toys… [view entry]