Category: Green Building LEED News
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Fracking Industry Tries to Buy Democracy in Rural Illinois
Johnson County, IL has oil and gas interests panicked about a local effort to stop fracking. They’re spending tens of thousands of dollars in the rural county to defeat a referendum that opposes fracking and defends local rights. The referendum reads: “Shall the people’s right to local self-government be asserted by Johnson County to ban…
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How California’s 75 Percent Recycling Goal Will Create Thousands of Green Jobs
Ever since California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law requiring the state to achieve 75 percent recycling by 2020, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) wanted know more about how the statute would impact the environment and jobs sector. The NRDC commissioned Tellus Institute to assess the potential for more jobs if the state does reach…
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How Renewable Energy Can Power Japan Post-Fukushima
Naoto Kan tells PBS’s Miles O’Brien he looks forward to a Japan where “all electricity produced by nuclear power will be supplied by solar panels.” Kan was Japan’s pro-nuke Prime Minister until three melt-downs and four explosions ripped Fukushima apart and spewed its unmeasurable clouds of deadly radiation into the air and ocean. Now a member…
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15 Endangered Species You Can Spot in U.S. National Wildlife Refuges
On March 14, 1903 President Theodore Roosevelt established what is considered the first national wildlife refuge. Now, hundreds of refuges later, these protected areas are among the very best places to see rare wildlife. President Roosevelt’s creation of the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida enjoys a prominent place in conservation lore, both for the public…
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How One State Can Triple Its Renewable Energy Use at No Additional Cost
By Sam Gomberg With Gov. Rick Snyder’s recent announcement of clean energy goals for Michigan, the conversation is quickly developing around the future role of renewable energy in the state. To help inform that conversation, a newly released analysis by my Union of Concerned Scientists colleagues and me found that Michigan can triple its use of renewable energy—from 10…