Strive for green

Tracking Stimulus Spending and Initiatives for Energy Efficiency Upgrades in California

Nicholaus Harris — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:49:38 +0000

As federal stimulus money is allocated to states for weatherization, and local governments work to promote green job growth, we want to know how everything will shake out. Which homeowners will be eligible for loan programs, rebates, incentives or tax credits for weatherization? How do energy auditors and efficiency contractors tap into the funds to [...]

Zero-Interest Loans for Home Energy Savings Improvements?

Nicholaus Harris — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:29:40 +0000

I just learned about some exciting legislation introduced by Congressman Van Hollen (D-MD): From his website: Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Assistant to the Speaker, introduced the National Home Energy Savings Revolving Fund Act, which will enable over one million households across the country to achieve significant, cost-effective energy savings. The legislation will [...]

Where does $295M for efficiency and renewables go in California?

Nicholaus Harris — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:07:40 +0000

A great source of current cleantech/greentech/ecotech news (whatever you want to call it) is greentechmedia. Today in my inbox, I found a link to a story detailing the $780M the DOE is handing out for weatherization. Basically, as I understand it, efficiency contractors will be able to more effectively sell retrofits to homeowners because of [...]

San Francisco and Berkeley Environmental Event Calendars

Nicholaus Harris — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:48:52 +0000

One of the best ways to get involved in your local environmental scene is to go to lectures, events, and social functions. Whether you are looking for green jobs, sustainable business opportunities, or just to meet like minded friends, the Bay Area hosts a seemingly endless array of eco things to do. While we have [...]

Glimpse the clean energy future Wednesday night: Earth: the Sequel

Nicholaus Harris — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:50:41 +0000

I can’t say we are very big on TV here at Strive for green, but we’ll be tuning into this show tomorrow night:

50 million barrels of oil a year for US bottled water drinkers

Nicholaus Harris — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:59:29 +0000

Despite evidence that it doesn’t actually taste any better and contains some rather nasty toxins, people continue to drink billions of dollars worth of bottled water per year. The process of manufacturing the plastic for the bottles, filling them, shipping them around the world, and ultimately disposing/recycling (or not) the bottles is an incredibly wasteful [...]

Upcoming Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative (BERC) Symposium

Nicholaus Harris — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:09:42 +0000

Coming up on February 23rd, the Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative (BERC) is hosting their annual energy symposium titled “Bold Ideas for a New Energy Landscape.” I will be there recording observations on Striveforgreen, so if you can’t make it yourself, check back here. Look forward to the symposium, and meeting fellow cleantech enthusiasts! Here is [...]

Un-Touristy Tips for Outdoor Loving Visitors to the San Francisco Bay Area

Nicholaus Harris — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 09:38:19 +0000

Whenever I visit somewhere new, I always want to figure out what the outdoor loving locals do. I’m not interested in paying to take some touristy tour; I want to connect with locals who love their area and want to share it. I’ve noticed that travel guides often do a great job pointing out where [...]

Great New Yorker Piece on Van Jones

Nicholaus Harris — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:10:47 +0000

Van Jones is a hero to us at Strive for green, and I’ve had to the privilege of hearing him speak on several occasions. He is quite simply the most engaging and inspirational speaker I’ve ever heard. A close friend sent this article to me, and it provides an excellent overview of Van’s life and work: [...]

Focusing on External Costs to Reduce CO2 Emissions - Beijing as a Case Study

Nicholaus Harris — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:40:09 +0000

I attended an interesting lecture today hosted by Berkeley’s Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) titled “De-carbonization and good accounting practices.” The author, Felix Creutzig, basically discussed how to factor in external costs when deciding how to regulate carbon emissions, and used congestion in Beijing as a case study. You can see his research in the [...]