President Barack Obama

In the 2011 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama highlighted many goals as part of the administration’s “winning the future” campaign. Energy efficiency was one such goal, and last Thursday the President, speaking at Penn State, unveiled the Better Buildings Initiative, a plan for a 20% improvement in energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 2020. It’s no coincidence the plan was reveled at Penn State, a school with more than 500 researchers working on energy and environmental studies. The President touted Penn State as a leader in the research towards a clean energy future.

The initiative also strives to reduce companies’ energy bills by $40 billion per year. The plan aims to achieve these… [view entry]

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]

A few days after this shocking event made headlines, the resulting oil spill became apparent. Oil from the rig’s well immediately began to spew forth into the water column through a damaged well-head, forming a 5-mile long oil slick on the ocean’s surface in short time. Within two weeks, BP had tried and failed to use the well’s blowout protection, President Obama declared dedication of any… [view entry]

President Barak Obama has been an advocate of clean energy solutions to the climate change challenge, calling for the US to, “make the investments that would allow us to become the world’s leading exporter of renewable energy”.  The White House website has an Energy & Environment page dedicated to the accomplishments they have achieved up to date including efficiency investments in the American Recovery and Investment Act and increasing fuel efficiency standards.    These have been great steps… [view entry]

From the New York Times Green Inc. blog an article on the options being debated for either totally replacing the current carbon cap and trade system or tweaking our current set-up. On one side of the argument, many are saying that giving carbon emission credits to big business amounts amounts to rewarding polluters. (Given the fact some companies have been selling off carbon credits they got for free, it’s not hard to see that point.)

Some environmental groups favor a ‘carbon tax’ which would be applied to all non-renewable carbon-based energy sources. The revenue generated from levying this tax would be used to fund renewable energy development and offset current tax burdens.

There is no doubt a carbon tax would have an immediate effect on… [view entry]

The Green Ball, of course, was billed as carbon neutral. The emissions generated from the electricity used at the event were offset by buying emissions-reduction credits from Native Energy, which supports Native American, farmer-owned, community-based renewable energy projects. It was a lot of electricity, judging from the megawatt sound system. “It’s a bit loud,” said Paula DiPerna, executive vice-president for the Chicago Climate Exchange, who regretted not bringing earplugs.

Possibly the only ball  where the star wasn’t President Obama, it was this guy.