You’ve all heard the tired mantras about changing your lightbulbs and recycling at home in order to save the planet – are you yawning yet? Many consumers think that going green is a gesture of self-sacrifice that often comes at great expense and inconvenience – but nothing could be further from the truth. What many don’t realize is that going green is not really about doing something good “for the planet” but is instead about improving your own quality of life through making your environment safer and healthier. And one of the easiest places to start leading a greener and healthier life is in the home.

No one better epitomizes smart, healthy and stylish green living than Ecofabulous founder and cradle-to-cradle green designer Zem Joaquin. This eco jetsetter and green girl about town is well known for her phenomenal green parties, her insightful analysis of green products over on her site Ecofabulous, and her ability to make eco-friendly lifestyle choices feel glamorous and fun. We recently sat down with Zem to find out more about her gorgeous green home in the beautiful hills of Marin County, CA, and get her personal tips and tricks on how to make your home cleaner, greener and healthier through the power of smart design. Read on to find out about Zem’s secret tips for a green home, including – believe it or not – foot pedals on sinks!

Read the rest of 5 Tips to Make Your Home Safe, Green & Healthy from Zem Joaquin

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Post tags: 5 Tips to Green Your Home With Zem Joaquin, and look for non-toxic varieties, bamboo flooring, c2c, C2C design, cork floors, cork harvesting, cork tree, cradle-to-cradle design, cradle-to-crale, eco design, eco fabulous, eco floors, eco home, eco-friendly flooring, ecofabulous, foot pedals, green design, green flooring, green floors, green home, green lifestyle, green living, green style, greenguard certified, Harvesting cork in Portugal, healthy home, how cork is harvested, IAQ, improving indoor air quality, low VOC MDF, Marvin Windows, Medium Density Fibreboard, no-VOC MDF, non-toxic furniture, non-toxic home, nontoxic MDF, refurbishing vintage furniture, safe home, sick building syndrome, Think carefully about MDF, toxic home, toxic MDF, VOCs, Volatile organic ch, Volatile Organic Componds, Zem's daughter on her cork floor

Read the rest of Habitat World: Seven Sustainable Habitat for Humanity Projects

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "energy star", 90-percent-efficient furnaces, creating healthy homes, empowerhouse, Energy Star-rated appliances, habitat for humanity, House of the Immediate Future, low-flow toilets, Miller Hull Partnership, passive house, Reclaimed Materials, Shala Carlson, Solar Decathlon, Solar Power, sustainable Habitat projects, Sustainable housing Projects, tankless hot water heaters

Bob Vila’s name has been synonymous with home improvement since he helped launch This Old House in 1979. After nearly thirty years of producing and hosting television shows about the world of home design and improvement, he now showcases many of his ideas on his popular website, BobVila.com – a destination also packed with how-to articles and archived episodes. A pioneer of the adaptive reuse movement, Vila helped bring “green” thought to the forefront, and in more recent years he has focused much of his efforts on investigating sustainable building and design. Read on for our conversation with one of the most recognized voices in remodeling as he discusses green building, retrofitting, materials and energy, and how we need to recognize science and the role of government when we talk about policy.

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Home Improvement Legend Bob Vila Talks to Us About Green Building

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Post tags: Allan Slope, Bob Vila conversation, Bob Vila Green, Bob Vila green building, Bob vila interview, Boston renovation, Cash for Caulkers, eco retrofit, existing building design, Green Building, green renovation, green retrofit, healthy materials, Hometime, micro wind power, solar design, solar thermal aesthetics, This Old House, Victorian restoration

The Keystone XL pipeline has some big competition, and it is coming from a number of very small challengers. Scientists at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA are working under a $1.3 million grant from the Department of Energy to produce biofuels from algae and human waste. Instead of relying on dirty tar sands and massive amounts of energy to extract and transport the viscous petroleum, algae needs only the contents of a toilet bowl and some sunlight. The algae not only helps to clean municipal waste water efficiently and inexpensively, but takes advantage of a basically free source of food for the microorganisms to grow. Governments are able to meet the rising costs of removing impurities from water, provide green jobs, and avoid scarcity issues related to using water to grow biofuel crops or fracturing shale. Algae can even be sold as feedstock to biofuel refineries for an extra source of income.

Read the rest of Cal Poly Project Produces Energy and Purifies Water Using Algae and Human Waste

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Post tags: algae, algae technology group, america, atg, biofuel, cal poly san luis obispo, California, central california, Department of Energy, fossil fuel, Keystone XL Pipeline, petroleum, raceway ponds, san luis obispo water reclamation facility, Solar Power, tar sands, tryg lundquist

North Carolina-based Duke Energy just flipped the switch on what the company claims is the world’s largest battery power storage system. Situated at their Notrees wind farm in western Texas, the $44 million, 36-megawatt facility utilizes cutting-edge technologies to provide storage for—and therefore a steady supply of power from—the 153-megawatt renewable energy plant which supplies electricity to Walmart.

Read the rest of World’s Largest Wind Energy Storage System Launches in Texas

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Post tags: "solar energy", battery power storage, battery racks, duke energy, north america wind power, renewable energy grid, renewable energy storage, solar farm, texas wind storage, wind farm, wind power texas, world's large wind storage, Xtreme Power

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) just launched a new initiative to improve the battery life of electric vehicles. Announced this past week in San Francisco, the $7.4 million Advanced Management and Protection of Energy Storage Devices (AMPED) project will mobilize teams from Utah State University, Washington University, and the Eaton Corporation to extend the range and life of lithium-ion batteries in electric and hybrid cars.

Read the rest of The DOE and NREL Team Up on 3 Projects to Improve Battery Life for Electric Vehicles

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Post tags: advanced management and protection of energy storage devices, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, amped, ARPA-E, battery, Department of Energy, DOE, eaton corporation, electric vehicle, ev, ford motor company, HEV, ilan gur, lithium ion, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, San Francisco, university of colorado at boulder, university of colorado at colorado springs, Utah State University, washington university

President Obama won the 2012 US election last night, and in a powerful victory speech he called for climate action to address a nation that is “threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet“. The statement came after a long campaign that barely mentioned the environment, so now we look to our Commander in Chief to see what he will do in the face of a rapidly changing climate. With a Republican-controlled House of Representatives filled with many who are skeptical of climate science, what will four more years mean for the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, and the growth of our economy? Read on for a look at critical opportunities for the Obama Administration to combat climate change in the years to come.

Read the rest of Obama Calls for Climate Action After Winning 2012 Presidential Election – Here’s What’s Next for the Environment

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Post tags: 2012 Election, 2012 united states presidential election, barack obama, barack obama reelection, Climate Change, election, Environment, environmental policy, environmental protection, green design, obama, obama 2nd term, obama reelected, obama second term, obama/biden 2012, politics, POTUS, president of the united states, sustainable design, us election

Solar panel manufacturer Amonix has announced that its concentrated photovoltaic technology has set a new efficiency record; their module achieved a conversion rate of 33.5%, which meets a long-standing Department of Energy goal for solar technologies to achieve an efficiency of “one third of the sun.” Moreover, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has successfully tested the Amonix modules at an even higher efficiency rate of 34.2%, considered the “highest ever [efficiency] reached by a photovoltaic module under real-world conditions.”

Read the rest of Amonix Achieves Highest-Ever Recorded Solar Power Efficiency with Concentrated Photovoltaics

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Post tags: 33.5% efficiency, Amonix, concentrated photovoltaic technology, convering sunlight into electricity, Department of Energy, direct sunlight photovoltaics, efficiency record for solar power production, federal tax credits for solar power, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, one third of the sun, semiconductor materials, Solar Power, vahan garboushian

Inspired by old telescope technology and high-efficiency solar panels used in space, a small research team at the University of Arizona (UA) has developed a new “telescope solar panel” that doubles efficiency compared to standard photovoltaics. At the foundation of the design is a dish-shaped mirror (similar to those widely used in concentrated solar power plants), which increases the intensity of sunlight. The device concentrates photons (light particles), making more of them available for conversion into electricity in the solar cells.

Read the rest of University of Arizona’s Breakthrough Telescope Solar Panel Doubles Efficiency

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Post tags: clean tech, concentrated photovoltaics, concentrated pv, concentrated solar power, green design, renewable energy, Solar Power, sustainable design, telescope solar panels, University of Arizona

If you own a cell phone, chances are you charge it up at least once a day from the mains—but research from a team at the University of California could present us with a bizarre, green alternative. The scientists have discovered how to generate power from one of the smallest things on earth: bacteria. More specifically, bacteria-eating viruses, which could provide consistent power to our cell phones without the need for fossil fuels or heavy metals.

Read the rest of Bacteria-Eating Viruses Could Lead to Cell Phones That Never Need to be Plugged In

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Post tags: bacteria energy, bacteria-eating viruses, carbon emissions, cell phones, M13 bacteriophage, piezoelectricity, Seung-Wuk Lee, university of california

Natcore Technology scientists have created a black silicon solar cell with an average reflectance of 0.3%, making it the “blackest” solar cell ever designed. Compared to the most efficient solar cells currently on the market, Natcore’s development offers a tenfold decrease in reflectance over the solar spectrum. The result is an increase in energy efficiency that could help solar power compete even more effectively with traditional fossil fuels.

Read the rest of “Blackest” Solar Cell Ever Designed Absorbs 99.7 Percent of All Light

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Post tags: black silicon, black silicon solar cells, blackest solar cell, Natcore, Natcore Technology, NREL, reflectance, solar, Solar cells, Solar Power

A report released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research shows that solar power installations in the United States grew more in the third quarter of 2011 than in all of 2009. The growth in the third quarter of 2011 totaled more than 240% of the growth in the third quarter of 2010, and by year’s end the United States will have installed 1.7 gigawatts of solar energy – the same amount of energy as two nuclear power plants.

Read the rest of US Solar Industry Grows More in Third Quarter of 2011 Than in All of 2009

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Post tags: "solar energy", green energy, green power, renewable energy growth, solar development, solar energy growth, solar energy installation, solar installation, solar panel installation, Solar Power, solar power growth, solar power installation, Solar Roof, solar technology, sustainable energy growth, us solar industry

Inhabitat doesn’t in any way condone deep water drilling for oil and natural gas, but we understand that until renewable solutions even out with emissions-heavy energy resources, it will exist. With the horror of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill still on our minds, it was interesting to hear that the Department of Energy (DOE) is investing in technology that will help prevent another destructive catastrophe like the one in the Gulf of Mexico. Among the DOE’s promising new technologies are a 3-D-laser-imaging robot, research into creating drilling equipment strong enough to withstand natural disasters, an automatic electric-powered pressure protection system, and new systems for cementing wells that will reduce risks related to pressure at deep sea sites.

Read the rest of DOE Invests in High Tech Solutions to Make Deepwater Drilling Safer for the Environment

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Post tags: deep water drilling, deep water natural gas, deep water oil well, deepwater horizon, Department of Energy, department of energy fossil fuel, department of energy funding, department of energy grant, department of energy loan, department of energy renewable, DOE, oil spill, oil spill technology, preventative technology, preventing an oil spill, safe deep water oil drilling

The Obama Administration just announced that they are ordering an independent, non-partisan review and analysis of the Energy Department’s entire loan portfolio. The administration’s large energy loans recently came under fire after Solyndra, a California-based solar manufacturer that received a $535 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy, filed for bankruptcy. The White House is calling for the review partially to quell Republican accusations that the White House improperly handled the granting of the loan by pushing it through the review process. The White House counters that this is not true and is hoping that the public report that is issued at the end of this review process will prove their actions were not inappropriate. The review will also recommend an early warning system that should help with the management of taxpayer dollars within the Energy Department’s loan program.

Read the rest of White House Orders Review of All Energy Loans In the Wake of Solyndra Bankruptcy

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Post tags: energy department loans, energy loan, government loan, review energy loans, solyndra bankruptcy, solyndra grant, solyndra loan, stephen chu, white house, white house review

Sure, you can save fuel by making lighter cars and more efficient engines or by adding new batteries, but what if fuel economy could be boosted just by changing the bad habits of drivers? That’s exactly what researchers at the University of California, Riverside’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CERT) are working to do. Using a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Energy, the group of scientists is finding ways to change our behavior when we’re in the driver’s seat to maximize our mileage and improve our fuel efficiency by as much as 30 percent. It may seem easy, but we all know that old habits die hard.

Read the rest of Researchers Studying How to Increase Fuel Efficiency By Changing Our Behavior

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Post tags: Center for Environmental Research and Technology, cert researchers, changing behavior to save fuel, changing driver behavior, department of energy grant, drivers waste fuel, fuel economy, fuel efficiency, fuel efficient drivers, fuel efficient routes, gps system, increasing fuel efficiency, Kanok Boriboonsomsin, real time driving feedback, university of california, university of california riverside

Much to the disappointment of environmental activists nationwide, the Obama administration has given Transcanada the go ahead to construct the 1,711 mile Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry heavy oil from Canada to Oklahoma and all the way down to the Gulf Coast in Texas. In a rather ambitious statement, the administration has concluded that not only will the pipeline provide a more secure source of energy, but that there won’t be any significant damage to the environment.

Read the rest of US State Department Approves the Keystone XL Pipeline

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It’s a beautiful thing when innovators take two problems and turn them into one solution. That’s the goal of a team of scientists out of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who believe they can sequester carbon dioxide pollution while simultaneously using it to generate renewable energy. The project, which recently received a $5 million grant from the Department of Energy, would inject carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere deep into the earth, where the temperature is 125 degrees Celsius. The gas would become “supercritical” at this temperature, taking on some liquid properties. It would then be pulled up and fed into a turbine that converts heat into electricity.

Read the rest of Berkeley Researchers Say Carbon Pollution Can Be Turned Into Energy

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Post tags: carbon capture and storage, ccs, Climate Change, CO2, geothermal energy, lawrence berkeley laboratory, renewable energy, supercritical carbon dioxide

Solar start-up comany Semprius just unveiled an ultra-tiny solar cell that is half the size of a pinhead and (when combined with powerful but inexpensive lenses) can concentrate sunlight more than 11,000 times and convert it to electricity! The minuscule solar cells are created through a low-cost production system that utilizes standard manufacturing processes and micro-transfer printing. This system enables the creation of CPV modules with high performance, high reliability, and low cost – not to mention scalability and high-volume production.

Read the rest of Semprius Unveils Powerful Micro Solar Cell That Can Fit On A Pinhead!

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Post tags: pin sized solar cell, semprius micro solar cell, semprius new factory, semprius solar cell production, semprius solar cells pin sized, semprius solar company, solar cell production, solar cell semprius

Measure twice, cut once.

This old adage is one that craftsmen understand well and never question. Careful measurement and planning is essential in producing any quality product, and when it comes to the building industry, a lot of time and effort is spent on measuring and analyzing how a building’s design will interact with materials and environmental conditions like wind, sunlight, water and gravity. In the last couple of decades the building industry has gone digital, and building measurement and analysis tools have become increasingly high tech. Building Information Modeling (BIM) software is a relatively new, promising tool that allows architects and engineers to digitally model the different elements of a building (shape, structure, heating / cooling, cost, materials etc) in real-time and quickly understand how specific changes in design or construction models will impact other variables like structure, loads, energy efficiency and the fiscal bottom line. BIM has especially helped to enable sustainable design – allowing architects and engineers access to higher tech tools than ever before to carefully integrate and analyze things like heat gain, solar, ventilation, and energy efficiency in their designs.

Read the rest of How Building Information Modeling (BIM) Helps Buildings Go Green

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Post tags: 2d/3d cad, 3D reoresentation, 3d studio max, 3DS, Architecture, arup engineering, autdocad, autodesk, BIM, building information modeling, Building Modeling, CAD, Case Building + Technology, Case Design, case virtual design and construction, computer aided design, Department of Energy, DOE, ecotect, Green Building, Grimshaw Architects, Maya, Miami Science Museum, MiaSci, Revit, usgbc, Using BIM For Green Building

A group of researchers have developed the technology that will lead the way in creating nano sensors that can energize themselves. The technology will be able power tiny devices by garnering electricity from the tiniest of moments — like the pulse of a vein or blood vessel, a light breeze or the movement of someone walking. They hope to be able to create new devices that can be used as tiny implantable medical sensors, tiny flying surveillance cameras or wearable electronics.

Read the rest of Energy Scavenging Wireless Nano Sensors Could Provide Battery-Free Devices

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Post tags: battery free nanotechnology, battery free wireless devices, electricity from movement, movement powered devices, nanotechnology research, new battery free research, self powered nanotechnology, self powered wireless devices, wireless device research