What would you do if your doorbell rang on Halloween and instead of saying “trick or treat!” your visitors handed you a new, curly-cue light bulb (or two)? This year’s Halloween saw an event that was a brand new take on the usual compact fluorescent light bulb canvasses that the CEA hosts.  We are thrilled to see that this creative event went off without a hitch, and that it has set a great precedent for following years!

Please see below for the post featured on the Green Medford blog:

A group of us from Green Medford and Fletcher Green (a Tufts graduate student group) trolled the streets around the Columbus School last night–Halloween evening–handing out bags of treats to delighted and laughing residents at 84 addresses. People… [view entry]

On the heels of recent 10-10-10 and 350.org events, last Monday, the US federal government approved the largest solar energy project in the world—four plants costing one billion dollars each in southern California. The so-called Blythe solar power plant will consist of four, 250-Megawatt plants, built on public lands in the Mojave desert.  “When completed the project is expected to generate up to 1,000 Megawatts of energy … That’s enough electricity to power up to 750,000 average American homes and to make Blythe the largest solar power plant facility in the world,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. Given the recent explosion of Chinese solar and wind development, this news comes at an opportune time for the US renewable energy market.

The total capacity will be roughly equal to the turbine output… [view entry]

What should we do about climate change?

Instead of waiting for policy makers to act, you can help figure out the answer at the Climate CoLab; previously discussed in Opening the [Copenhagen] talks. Working alone—or in teams of people from all over the world—you can create proposals for what to do about climate change. The winning proposals will be presented to key policy makers, including officials at the UN and the US Congress. And if your proposal is one of the top two, you’ll receive travel funding for a representative of your team to attend one of these briefings.

We especially encourage entries from teams of undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in climate and sustainability issues. As usual rules and restrictions apply.

The deadline for the contest… [view entry]

The Cambridge Energy Alliance has participated in many CFL exchange canvasses. On a chosen day, we and volunteers head out into neighborhoods and knock on doors, offering to give an equal number of CFLs for the number of regular light bulbs a household will hand us. As a special treat with Halloween approaching, Green Medford has announced an event that is a new take on this idea.

From the Green Medford blog:

Hi all! I want to share with you a very fun idea and ask for your help in making it a big success!

We’re calling our event “Reverse Trick or Treat,” thought up by JR Siegel, a student at the Fletcher School and a Medford resident. The idea is for a bunch of residents to… [view entry]

Under mounting pressure from 10-10-10 groups, 350.org’s Bill McKibben, and various other environmental activists, the Obama Administration announced today that it will re-install solar panels on the White House roof. After weeks of rallying support for the Solar Road Trip including over 40,000 signatures by citizens who urged the President to retrofit the White House, Bill McKibben, 350.org, Unity College students, and the 40,000+ who were following the event were ultimately disappointed; previous coverage. The White House refused to take the Carter-era solar panel which was removed when Regan took office, and has since been living in Maine. however, the administration promised that they would “continue deliberative processes” surrounding solar on their roof. Since that day, not much has been mentioned on this topic by 350.org/Bill McKibben,… [view entry]

♫ Everything you know is wrong ♫
♫ Black is white, up is down and short is long ♫
♫ And everything you thought was just so ♫
♫ Important doesn’t matter ♫

—”Everything you know is wrong,” Weird Al Yankovic

Presumably Mr. Yankovic was just having his usual way with words and catchy tunes, but somewhat surprisingly the refrain from this song also reflects the public’s continuing misunderstandings about energy conservation.

New Scientist had a recent summary of a new journal article Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings. It uncovers some mismatches between what people consider to be significant means of conserving energy, and practices that actually do. The New Scientist article is a nice summary, but it glosses over a lot of detail,… [view entry]

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… [view entry]

The Green Light Distrikt has posted video of their even, “Energy Efficiency: Why Is the Low-Hanging Fruit so High?” which occurred a few weeks ago. Panelists included CEA’s community outreach manager Lilah Glick (below) as well as representatives from Wattzy, Next Step Living, EnerNOC and Powerhouse Dynamics. Additional videos of their presentation are available

Although double-hung windows are quite common in the Boston area, it seems many people do not take full advantage of their features. With proper use, windows can increase comfort, and all but eliminate the need for air conditioning; and on the odd days where lemonade and mind-over-matter won’t cut it, visit a local library or catch a movie.

How can you take full advantage of windows? If you have two, placing a fan in one to blow warm air out during the evening will pull cool air in the other, especially with a closed door. If you have only one window, a window fan with two fans blowing in opposite directions will also pull air through a space. These are rather obvious practices, but there is a no-cost technique particular to… [view entry]

The housing market, like the U.S. economy, is a mess. GDP growth dropped from 3.7% to 2.4% in the second quarter. In the housing market shrinking incomes and greater lender restrictions mean fewer qualified buyers are looking, which is driving down prices.

Here is the bottom line: if you want to sell your home without losing your shirt, you need an edge.

To find an edge, just look to the part of the economy that’s still growing – the green sector. In Massachusetts, major utility companies have stepped up energy efficiency investments this year with the goal of tripling enrollment in their programs. A recent report funded in part by the state department states that renewable energy use is at “a clear tipping point” for growth. Never before has… [view entry]