Get It In Writing

With more than 35,000 people from six continents descending on Phoenix for the Greenbuild 2009 Convention and Expo, Mayor Phil Gordon presided over the dedication and ribbon cutting of the first National Green Building Standard Emerald-certified remodeled home in the United States, verified by the NAHB Research Center.

The landmark residence at 150 W Elm Street in Phoenix is one of many houses remodeled to eco-friendly LEED or NAHB standards by Phoenix-based Green Street Development, and one of three featured on the Greenbuild tour schedule. The home is located less than one half mile from the city’s light-rail corridor, as part of Green Street’s goal in helping to encourage the redevelopment of walkable neighborhoods within the city center.

New Jersey’s Columbus Baptist Church celebrates moving up without moving too far.

For the elders, staff and congregants of Columbus Baptist Church in the Columbus, N.J., suburb of Mansfield Township, their new sanctuary is most certainly something of a divine miracle. The mixed contemporary church, whose mission of “being a lighthouse for our region” underscores
their deep involvement in the local community, had long ago outgrown their original 18th century, 100-seat sanctuary.

Green Street Development is working toward a new type of urban renewal, renovating older homes along Phoenix’s light-rail corridor to LEED or NAHB green standards. By creating eco-friendly, low-upkeep homes within walking distance from public transportation, Green Street encourages the rebuilding of neighborhoods. This week at Greenbuild, the company will unveil the first two NAHB Emerald-certified remodels in the United States, with Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon presiding over the ribbon cutting ceremony at 150 West Elm Street.

Green Street is also working to empower others, holding seminars on green building; currently the classes are offered in Phoenix, Tucson and Prescott, with other locations projected soon. The seminars regularly draw a mix of homeowners, municipal officials, contractors and other educators.

Phoenix Mayor to Perform Ribbon Cutting on Nation’s First NAHB Remodel

Among the many exciting events taking place during the upcoming Greenbuild 2009 Convention in Phoenix will be the unveiling of the country’s first National Green Building Standard Emerald-certified remodeled home, verified by the NAHB Research Center.

The landmark residence at 150 W Elm Street in Phoenix will be officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony officiated by Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, and is one of many houses remodeled to LEED or NAHB standards by Phoenix-based Green Street Development. The event will take place at 3:00 PM on Friday, November 13.

The current issue of Distributed Energy contains a glowing profile of the new cogeneration power solution at California’s Casino Morongo, the new resort on the Morongo tribe’s 32,000-acre reservation on Interstate 10 in Cabazon. The $250 million resort, which includes a casino, 27-story hotel, multiple restaurants and more, boasts a completely grid-independent 8MW power plant that places zero demand on the local utility company, Southern California Edison. The tribe, which also runs a $26 million water bottling plant operated by Arrowhead, is understandably proud of the place.

The Financial Times is reporting that more than 80% of stimulus dollars being spent on wind energy has been going to companies outside the US.

The report, conducted by the Washington-based non-profit Investigative Reporting Workshop, states that of the more than $1 billion in US Treasury grants awarded thus far, 84% has gone to European wind-turbine manufacturers, with the largest recipient being the US subsidiary of Spanish manufacturer Iberdrola Renewables. According to the report, the eleven US-based wind farms that have received cash grants to expand their operations have purchased a total of 982 wind turbines….695 of those from overseas. That has created an estimated 4500 jobs for other countries’ economies.

As regular readers of this blog know, we frequently report on products and people who are not our clients, and in whom/which we have no vested interest, other than a love of technology. We see something cool and innovative, we spread the word.

We also make a point of trying to verify the info we’re disseminating. We reach out to the company responsible for the tech we’re reporting on, just to confirm we’ve got our facts straight. Being PR mavens, we try to extend the courtesy of making sure we’re conveying their intended message. Not to kiss up or patronize, but simply out of respect for their work.

A vast majority of Americans overwhelmingly support the development and funding of solar energy, according to the 2009 SCHOTT Solar Barometer, a national survey conducted by independent polling firm Kelton Research.

The report in Solar Industry Magazine also indicates that this support is spread across all political parties, with 89% of Republicans, 94% of Democrats and 93% of Independents agreeing that it is important for the U.S. to develop and use solar power.

The survey found that 92% of Americans think it is important for the U.S. to develop and use solar energy. This figure is largely unchanged since the previous SCHOTT survey in June 2008.

Getting people to change their habits and go green isn’t always easy. Only a certain percentage of folks are motivated by the knowledge that it’s the “right” thing to do….and even then, only a certain percentage of the time.

As any eco advocate will tell you, economics is a more powerful persuader than ecology. More people are motivated by saving money than by saving the planet. Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative….show someone how going green can reduce their expenses and it ceases to be a political issue.

Okay, it’s not eco-tech per se….but it’s technology and it’s one of the coolest applications that’s been released in the recent past. Mashable‘s Ben Parr reports on PhotoSketch, an image recognition software created by five computer science students at Tsinghua University and the National University of Singapore.

The basic premise works like this:

1.  Draw the outlines of the figures you want in your picture – anything from seagulls to a Mercedes, whatever.

2. Add labels for each of the items, as well as for the background.