Transportation Transformation: Building Complete Communities and a Zero-Emission Transportation System in BC, co-published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Wilderness Committee, sets out key strategies for urban, suburban and rural areas that will improve transportation and quality of life at the same time.

What is the Smart Grid? Why do we need it?

It is not that we “need” the Smart Grid any more than we “needed” iPhones when we were all using cell phones prior to the iPhone. It is that the Smart Grid offers consumers more control over their power use, more value from their power use, the ability to save energy and carbon, and other benefits they cannot get from the traditional grid. What we do need is to make leaps and bounds in energy efficiency in order to meet our climate goals. The benefits of the Smart Grid I listed can make this make possible.

Dearest VT Solutions Community:

A small group of organizers has been coming together for the last couple months to make the upcoming Global Work Party on 10/10/10 a successful day of implementing climate-fighting solutions right here in Burlington, VT.

We're reaching out to far an wide for Work Party event hosts and volunteers so I'm writing to you all today in the hopes that you will have some ideas for projects that are in the works for Burlington and the surrounding area which can be included in 10/10/10 actions.

Video made by New York Director Shaky Jones.

Amongst immense controversy, the designers of the mosque being built near ground-zero in New York City are seeking LEED-certification. If they get this certification, it will be the first LEED-certified mosque in the country. Read here to see how religion and the environment have come head to head in this interesting story:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/08/controversial-nyc-mosque-leed.php

In an interesting turn of events, Wal-Mart and Seventh Generation have reached an agreement whereby Seventh Generation products will be sold at 1,500 Wal-Marts nationwide. This is certainly a change in behavior for Seventh Generation, who used to refuse to sell their products at Wal-Mart because of the giant's unsustainable practices and poor working conditions. This is the most recent in a rash of moves by Wal-Mart to appear more sustainable, the most notable of which is their new Sustainability Index. Their ability to sell Seventh Generation products in stores and online will certainly paint them an even deeper shade of "green", but what is in it for Seventh Generation besides a larger market share? To learn more and read statements by heads of both companies, check out this story on treehugger:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/07/7th-generation-1500-wal-mart-sto...

Yesterday, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that he would be increasing the number of buildings with white roofs for DOE and other buildings belonging to the government. This is part of the promise by the Federal government to reduce their emissions by 28 percent by 2020. White roofs are so effective because they reflect the sun's rays rather than absorbing them, thus cooling the inside of the house. In cities, it can also help cut down on the urban heat island effect. This effect occurs in cities where the landscape is dominated by dark roofs and pavement, and it creates a rise in temperature comparative to the surrounding, non-city landscape. If the transition was made to more and more white roofs our cooling costs could be reduced tremendously. The DOE itself has claimed to have already installed more than two million square feet of white roofs, claiming a savings of $500,000 a year in energy consumption. To take this a step further, in the video below, Steven Chu explains how if we were to retrofit all existing buildings with white roofs, and replace dark paving materials with light, it would be comparable to removing all automobiles on the planet for 11 years in terms of carbon emissions. Check it out: