Great article in Greenbiz this week about a new national (U.S.) study showing that building ‘green’ can translate into average savings of $100,000 per year, or roughly the equivalent of two full-time teacher salaries!
Wow.
I personally believe that green design and contruction should be a given when it comes to schools, regardless of the price tag - so needless to say when I learn that green schools not only DON’T cost more, they actually save heaps of cash (among other great benefits), I get pretty excited!
Here is a blurb:
Sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers, the American Institute of Architects, the American Lung Association, the Federation of American Scientists and the US Green Building Council, the report includes a detailed analysis of 30 green schools built in 10 states between 2001 and 2006. The analysis demonstrates that the total financial benefits of green schools are 20 times greater than the initial cost, and include energy and water savings, and improved student health and test scores. If all new school construction and school renovations went “green” starting today, energy savings alone would total $20 billion over the next 10 years.
20 BILLION dollars! That’s a lot of dough ray me! Don’t think there are too many economists who could ignore numbers like that!
I’m certainly hopeful that we’ll see more greening of schools as a result of studies like this. Not only does it make financial sense, but it also serves a fantastic way to educate students about the importance of environmental responsibility.
If you have not read the Greebbiz article already be sure to check it out: Study Shows Going Green Saves Schools $100,000 a Year
Technorati Tags: school, school board, green contruction, green design, students, teachers, greenbiz, AFT
Written by Bentley on November 7th, 2006 with no comments.
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I recently came across an article in the Toronto Star, “The Eco-Celebrities”, and it piqued my interest. Increasingly, celebrities like Jay-Z, Yao Ming, Edward Norton, Willie Nelson and actor Leonardo DiCaprio are all lending their names and voices to environmental causes.
The one actor who caught my interest was Leonardo DiCaprio. I was curious to learn more about Leo’s eco efforts and I bounced over to his website, http://www.leonardodicaprio.org. I was instantly impressed with the website. The site is clean, visually appealing, well organized and extremely informative. The What’s Important section rocks and outlines major issues:
• Global Warming
• Fresh Water
• Biodiversity
• Oceans
• Sustainability
• Bush Record
Visitors to the website have the option to dig down and learn more about each of the issues. This is a website that I can spend hours visiting. Be sure to check out Leo’s short films, Global Warming and Water Planet. You can even watch Leo’s short film on Global Warming.
One of the sections to visit is the Take Action section. In order for change to happen, we need to take action and lend our voice and efforts to initiatives that will provide positive change. If we all work together, we can reverse the negative harm we have caused this planet.
The links found within the website are highly useful and I will be returning to the website to grab links for our EcoSherpa directory.
Have a look at Leo’s website.
http://www.leonardodicaprio.org/getinformed/index.php
Leonardo DiCaprio has an eponymous environmental foundation, with an educational “eco-site” at http://www.leonardodicaprio.org, he gives activist speeches at charity benefits, and he’s produced 2 short enviro films: Global Warming and Water Planet.
To see what other celebrities are doing for the environment, read the article found at the Toronto Star online.
Technorati Tags: eco-celebrities , Global Warming, Leo DiCaprio, sustainable living, eco-activism, environmental change, Eco-friendly living
Written by steve on November 7th, 2006 with no comments.
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The Gaia Napa Valley hotel (- named after the Greek term for Mother Earth) is the first hotel on the West Coast to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s requirement for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.
The 133-room hotel has been in the works for about six years and is still under development. Unlike other hotels who implement green features, the Gaia has been developed from the ground up.
Some of the eco initiatives used by Gaia:
• Responsibly harvested “new growth” wood was used
• Extensive use of solar power
• Techniques for conserving water, energy and other materials in its ongoing operations were developed
• Recycled corrugated metal covers the lobby’s outside walls
• “Gray” water from the showers and sinks are recycled in the ponds and landscaping.
Eco Aesthetics and Comfort:
• Heat and cold are regulated naturally
• Rooms are lighted with Solatubes
• Air quality is maximized through low emission paints and adhesives.
The GAIA hotel is not stopping there. The rooms are equipped with toilet paper and facial tissue made from recycled products, shampoo dispensers that do not leave a plastic bottle to dispose of and recycling bins in each room. The rooms are also cleaned using cleaners that meet eco-friendly standards.
Guests can also learn about green living by utilizing the hotel’s news kiosks and reading the conservation tips found in each room.
Like many things that are either good for us or the environment, the hotel came at an inflated cost. Using typical and traditional materials and construction materials the hotel would have costs $9 million to build. Unfortunately the Gaia’s green initiatives pushed the construction costs to $20 million. It isn’t cheap being green but well worth it. I hope people who are visiting the area will choose green and help support this wonderful hotel!
Visit the Gaia Hotel website
Technorati Tags: eco hotel , Gaia Napa Valley, sustainable travel, green friendly hotel, California Eco-friendly hotel
Written by steve on November 7th, 2006 with no comments.
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I just came across an article, found on MSNBC which talks about a silent passenger jet that is being developed by a team of 40 scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Cambridge University.
The team has unveiled their conceptual design that will look to alleviate the deafening sound of planes taking off and landing. As well, the Silent Jet will be designed to carry 215 passengers and achieve 124 passenger-miles per gallon. The Silent Jet will be 25% more fuel efficient than current aircraft.
“Public concern about noise is a major constraint on expansion of aircraft operations. The silent aircraft can help address this concern and thus aid in meeting the increasing passenger demand for air transport,” said Edward M. Greitzer, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT.
The Silent Jet project, (dubbed the Silent Aircraft Initiative), has established a production date of y 2030. However, in order to develop the aircraft by 2030, the integration of the propulsion system with the aircraft needs to be solved.
Eco-Friendly air travel is desperately needed and I applaud MIT and Cambridge for launching this initiative . I hope the Silent Jet team can solve their technical difficulties and expedite their efforts to launch the aircraft sooner rather than later.
To learn more about the project, visit the Cambridge-MIT Institute.
Technorati Tags: Silent Jet , Eco-Friendly Passenger Jet, MIT, Cambridge, airplane fuel efficiency
Written by steve on November 7th, 2006 with no comments.
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