Green cleaning products are gaining popularity with the wealthy and well connected. Interested in using green cleaning products in your home? Check out Seventh Generation or Green Clean (a local company) or consider mixing up some green cleaners yourself from ingredients like vinegar and baking soda.
Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg proposed a series of projects and regulations to turn New York into “the first environmentally sustainable 21st-century city.” Most contentious is the proposed $8 a day charge for anyone driving into lower Manhattan, but the proposal included improved public transit for neighborhoods without access to subways (that would be completed before congestion charges are instituted). The proposal also calls for the creation of a New York City Energy Planning Board and an Energy Efficiency Authority to oversee conservation efforts.
... we've heard that phrase thrown around at lots of green building events in town lately (with credit to Sy Syms, of course). The idea is that if consumers understood the impact of their choices on their wallets, their health and the environment, they might make different choices. The New York Times yesterday looked at the way Sharp is selling their solar panels in California, and it's an interesting strategy of education first, sales second.
Something to listen to while you bike or ride to EarthFest at the Zoo this Sunday - iTunes' Earth Day podcasts. Download podcasts from Treehugger.com, the Sierra Club, NPR, and more! Free, entertaining and educational.
As of May 1st, the EPA will be asking hotels and convention centers bidding for their business about the sustainability of their operations. According to the NY Times, the "questions range from sweeping queries about recycling programs and energy efficiency to specific ones about paperless billing and reused towels". Unfortunately, the questions will only be "considered" when selecting a meeting space, and the EPA won't verify the honesty of hotels answers.
The EPA is also (finally) considering a proposal that would cut emissions from lawnmowers about 35 percent, and put reduce powerboat and outboard engine emissions by 70 percent. The proposal would regulate about 25 percent of all mobile-source hydrocarbon emissions.
Baby steps, but maybe they're starting to take the Supreme Court ruling earlier this month to heart?
Unless you want drag your copy of the GreenSpec directory with you every time you head out to the home improvement store, it can be difficult to identify environmentally preferable products. Until now. Today Home Depot (the world's largest buyer of construction material, and the country's second biggest retailer) will introduce a "Eco Options" label that identifies products as environmentally friendly. The initiative is expected to include 6000 products by 2009 - or 12 percent of the chain's sales. Read more in the NY Times or check out the official Home Depot site for more information.
For anyone who might have missed it, Thomas Friedman's cover story from Sunday's NY Times Magazine is a green call to arms. Friedman asserts that green is the answer to the "three major issues facing every American today: jobs, temperature and terrorism". He writes that "green is not about cutting back. It's about creating a new cornucopia of abundance for the next generation by creating a whole new industry."
Read the entire article online here, and watch "Green: The New Red, White and Blue," a documentary featuring Thomas Friedman's' reporting on green technology on the Discovery Channel on Saturday, April 21st at 9:00pm.
Today's Plain Dealer has a profile of Cleveland's own Garland company and local green roofs - complete with a reference to our own Cleveland Environmental Center and a quote from GBC's Melanie Kintner Knowles! Read the article online here.
As we were digging out from the snow this morning, 90.3 WCPN's The Sound of Ideas was talking about the impact of global climate change on our region. If you missed the show, you can still listen online. The Plain Dealer also reported yesterday on the consequences that climate change will have on Lake Erie and the regional economy (and it's not good).
The E4S Network Hub in Akron kicks off this Wednesday with an exploration of the pulse and possibility of high performance buildings and products in the Akron area, co-hosted by the Cleveland GBC. From 5:30-8:30 on April 11th come to network and learn about the LEED green building ratings system, the return on investment from green buildings, and local LEED projects by the Summit County Metroparks and the Akron Zoo.
This exciting event - the first of its kind in Akron! - is free and open to the public, but registration is required. RSVP online or by calling 216-451-7755. Exhibitor tables are also available for organizations and businesses that embrace sustainability. More information is available online at the E4S website. We'll see you there!
Organizations seeking money for capital projects from either the Cleveland or Gund Foundation will have to seek LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. From the Plain Dealer's coverage - "Melanie Kintner Knowles, interim executive director of the Cleveland Green Building Coalition, also welcomed the policy, along with the increased attention it brings to the issue. 'I think it's excellent,' she said. 'The more incentives and the more it's in the front of people's minds, the better.'" We agree! Read the full PD story here.
From today's New York Times - "In one of its most important environmental decisions in years, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate heat-trapping gases in automobile emissions. The court further ruled that the agency could not sidestep its authority to regulate the greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change unless it could provide a scientific basis for its refusal." Read the full story here, or listen to NPR's coverage here.
Not sure if your next home renovation project requires an architect, or at what point you should hire them, who to hire, how to find them, or what value they'd bring to your project? Visit the American Institute of Architects' website for a new feature on How Design Works for You. We're also fans of the online video case study that shows step-by-step how homeowners and architect worked together to create a sustainable home in Minnesota. There's also a great article on saving money while saving the environment by going green, and information on the growing demand for sustainable, energy-efficient homes.
Looking for a Cleveland architect to work with you on your next green design project? Contact Cleveland GBC at 216-961-8850.
