Energy | Inhabitat Local

SEED House Brings Green Home Building To Los Angeles’ Lower-Income Communities

While Inhabitat usually showcases visually stunning or formally innovative buildings and designs, the importance of greening the common home is not lost on the Inhabiteam, our readers, or governmental organizations and NGO's. Green housing programs around the country teach green construction techniques and processes; in addition, training opportunities at the local level abound for building managers and supers. Various tax abatements and credits exist for the homeowner who weatherizes his or her home, or improves the energy efficiency or carbon footprint of his or her home. Through these programs and the popularization of certifications such as LEED, the sustainability movement has finally infiltrated the mainstream construction industry. It is in this spirit that the South Bay Energy Efficiency House, or SEED House, has been developed and constructed. This recently inaugurated, innovative facility is located on the Century Center for Economic Opportunity (CCEO) campus adjacent to LAX airport in Lennox, CA, and serves as an education and resource center for local residents and builders.

Cal State LA Activates New Solar Installation

Cal State University, Los Angeles further bolstered its reputation as a “green” campus with the installation of a new photovoltaic (PV) system on campus. The 77 panel system was activated in late July, and has been actively offsetting the energy demands of the Engineering and Technology building it sits above. After years of development, students and faculty are finally seeing their solar project come to fruition.

RAFAA Designs Beaming Modular Towers for the BrightSource Solar Plant in the Mojave

Construction is underway for one of the world's largest solar plants in the Mojave Desert, and from the renderings we've seen, it's going to be pretty visually enticing in addition to being a renewable source of energy. Three separate plants, operated by BrightSource Energy, will be built by 2013 and one of them is already under construction. RAFAA Architecture & Design was kind enough to share with us their proposal for the spiraling Solar Plant Towers, which include modular design and construction as well as a lifecycle assessment, efficient use of materials and end of life recycling.

Want a Green Job? Come to Los Angeles

Los Angeles boasts more green jobs than any other region in the nation, including the Bay Area, leaving San Franciscans a bit green with envy. According to a report released this month, the green job sector in Los Angeles has grown at a rate that is three

LABC Takes Home Global Green’s Environmental Leadership Award

The Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) is doing a lot these days to raise awareness and create policy around solar energy, taking advantage of all the sunny days available in Southern California. Their efforts recently earned them Global Green USA’s prestigious