commonground

Saving Money with Smart Meters

Baltimore Gas and Electric will join the movement this year as it begins testing meters that, among other things, could save customers money by rewarding them for using less power during times of peak demand, as on hot summer afternoons. ( Baltimore Sun)

Smart Meter                                                                                                                      PG&E

Google's Great Science Gambit

Just in case there's a pizza  joint on planet Neptune that needs  a Web presence.  Google today will announce its partnership with the University of Washington, the University of Arizona and others to create the world's largest database -- a moving picture of the universe. ( Seattle P-I)

LSST                                                                                                               

Boston to Sprout Green Buildings

Boston is expected to become the first major US city to require developers to adhere to a strict set of so-called green-building standards, officials said today, for all projects of 50,000 square feet or more. ( Boston Globe)

USGBC                                                                                         Boston Green Building

New Construction Going Green

Green buildings are  good for business and the environment. Is  the mantra of the green building movement, as Fortune 500 Hundred Companies and the US federal government implement  sweeping changes  for new building construction. ( Charlotte  Observer)

USGBC

Mini-Windmills England's Hottest Home Accesory

Miniature windmills have suddenly become the latest "must have" accessory among Britain's eco-conscious city dwellers. ( CS Monitor)

Urban Wind Turbines

Spacing Out in a Treehouse

Lit up at night, Dustin Feider's treehouse looked like a moon sitting 40 feet above the ground in a poplar tree. Besides the fact that it looks like he dropped an Ewok village  onto a front yard in Pewaukee, Wis., all the materials are either made from recycled products or are themselves recyclable. ( Miami Herald)

Geodesic Treehouse

Gimme' Green Shelter

No longer the domain of the green geek, rising political stars like David Cameron, the UK's charismatic Conservative Party leader, are leading the pack by installing a domestic wind turbine in his home. Turbines are only part of the picture though. A whole range of household green upgrades and systems are becoming popular in UK's metropoles. ( World Changing)

Green Building, UK

A Leaner, Greener US?

Under pressure to find new ways to save energy, the US Department of Energy is speeding adoption of new efficiency standards for devices ranging from pool heaters to microwave ovens. (CS Monitor)

Energy Codes

San Francisco's Greening Skyline

Green architecture starts with common sense. It's about properly orienting buildings to the sun and the wind, making sure that insulation actually insulates, and using recycled material instead of finite or environmentally harmful ones. But in the eyes of industry and government professionals, a building isn't officially considered green until it passes a national rating system. (SF Bay Guardian)

LEEDS                                                                                                               Sustainable Cities

Surf's Up on Clean Green Energy

Among renewable energy proponents wave energy was creating barely a ripple. However, there's a renewed interest as smaller, more powerful generators  cabable  of withstanding  the corrosive effects of salt water are being tested.  ( CS Monitor)

OPT                                                                                                                                OSU