Project: Greenify | Guide to Going Green in Your Home, Office & Life

Energy Announces $193 Million for National Renewable Energy Lab

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced $193 million in Recovery Act funds will be used to support wind and other renewable energy projects at the National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL) in Golden, CO.

NREL will get $68 million for an energy-efficient office building, with hopes of implementing the design process in other projects. NREL will also apply $19.2 million for solar, geothermal and fuel cell equipment to produce electricity for its labs and $13.5 million for upgrades to its biorefinery research facility.

Another $10 million is targeted for testing and evaluation of wind technology at the Department of Energy's Wind Technology Center in Colorado.  The DOE is already using $45 million to research and test drive-train systems for wind turbines, $14 million to encourage private industry development of lighter, durable materials for wind turbine components, and $24 million to develop partnerships between universities and industry to focus on critical technological improvements for wind energy.

Currently, three states lead the nation with wind-driven electricity generation; Texas, Iowa, and California.

"Wind energy will be one of the most important contributors to meeting President Obama's target of generating 10 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2012," Chu said.  He is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in Berkeley, CA.

The Energy Department is managing $39 billion in grants, tax breaks and loan guarantees under the stimulus package, with much of it going to renewable energy and conservation programs.

Untie Your Right to Clotheslines!

It may violate the covenants of your neighborhood association.  In some towns, it maybe be against the law.  But your right to hang your laundry oustide on a simple clothesline is being challenged in courtrooms across this country by groups who really are offended by your clean sheets and underwear drying in the breeze.

Spin into action!  Go hang out at Project Laundry List to learn the history of clothesline bans and see what you can do.  Remember the words of famed Abolitionist (and unsung hero of the rinse cycle) Frederick Douglas:  "Agitiate!  Agitate!  Agitate!"

TOP TEN REASONS TO AIR DRY YOUR CLOTHES 

(from: Project Laundry List.org)

Dryers use ten to fifteen percent of domestic energy in the United States!

10) Save money (more than $25/month off electric bill for many households).

9) Clothes last longer; fibers are not removed by the dryer. Where do you think lint comes from?

8) Clothes and linens smell better without adding possibly toxic chemicals to your body and the environment.

7) Pollution free: makes no heat and causes no exhaust.  Conserve energy and the environment, while reducing climate change.  

6) It is moderate physical activity which you can do in or outside.

5) Sunlight bleaches and disinfects.

4) Indoor racks can humidify your home in dry winter weather.

3) Clothes dryer fires account for about 15,600 structure fires, 15 deaths, and 400 injuries annually. The yearly national fire loss for clothes dryer fires in structures is estimated at $99 million.

2) Can be an outdoor experience that is meditative and community-building.

1) Demonstrates that small steps can make a difference. Don't have to wait for the government to take action!

Guide to Earth Day | Happy Earth Day 2009

Today is Earth Day and the internet is ablaze with Earth Day information. As Treehugger puts it:

"This year marks the 39th celebration of Earth Day, a holiday that brings focus to all the positive things people are doing to help the planet survive and thrive. It is a single day of celebration and activism, but it has the power to spark long term commitments to improve our daily habits, our communities, our world. Green isn't just a trendy term anymore, it's how we all need to live to ensure our survival - and Earth Day underscores that living green is not only important, but also fun, easy, inspiring, and entertaining."

Here's a guide to the best of Earth Day 2009:

• Treehugger's Earth Day Page (Videos, Stories and more)
• List of Earth Day Deals provided by IdealBite
• Amazon's Earth Day savings (eco-friendly products)
• Bounce Energy's Earth Day Green Energy Plan for Texans
• The Earth Day Network
• History of Earth Day from Wikipedia
• Kaboose's Earth Day Info (Crafts, Events, Food)
• Disney's New Movie Earth

Here's the best of Earth Day News:

• New York Times: 'Green jobs' at heart of Obama's Earth Day push on energy
• US News & World Report: 10 Things You Should Know About Earth Day
• NY Daily News: New Disney film 'Earth' opens on Earth Day and boasts world-class nature

Happy Earth Day from Project: Greenify and Bounce Energy.

Owens Corning Teams Up with Pickens Plan to Conserve Energy

If you ever saw pink fiberglas insulation, you probably saw some of Owens Corning's most famous product.  When CEO Mike Thaman reivewed the Pickens Plan  to reduce America's dependancy on foreign petroleum, he discovered a significant piece was missing:  energy efficiency in both residential and commercial buildings consume 40 percent of energy in America.

That was something Thaman knew his company could help improve.

According to Frank O'Brien-Bernini, vice president and chief sustainabilty office for Owens Corning, of the 126 million homes in the US there's 80 million that are underinsulated.

"All buildings need a 30 to 50 percent more insulation increase depending on when they were built. Then you can offset 28 percent of the foreign fuel that we import today,” O’Brien-Bernini said in the Toledo Free Press . “That’s the opportunity in this. That all directly translates to greenhouse gas. We talk about 40 percent of the energy in the states; it’s about 43 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States come from operating buildings — that’s more than transportation, more than industry.”

Owens Corning began in Toledo in 1938. It invented and produces several products, such as fiberglass insulation, reinforcements, and shingles.

Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credits for 2009

Sure, it's Tax Day and no one really wants to think about having to do it all over again next year. But with springtime just starting and summer around the bend, there's lots of ways to improve your home's energy efficiency -- and ways you'll be able to take a tax credit on your income taxes next year.

The U.S. Environmental Proteciton Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have posted information on their Energy Star website that show how you can claim the Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credit for 2009.

The Tax Credit will be available for up to 30% of the cost, up to $1,500 total, in 2009 and 2010 for existing homes.  This covers windows and doors, insulation, roofs, heating/air conditioning, non-solarwater heaters, and biomass (typically wood) stoves placed into service (ie: ready to use) during 2009.

A further Tax Credit for existing and new homes is available for up to 30% with no upper limit through 2016 for geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, solar water heaters, small wind energy system (home wind turbines), and fuel cells.

Many, many --and I mean: MANY -- window and door and insulation manufacturers are currently offering incentives to consumers interested in improving their energy efficiency.  No matter what your project, it will pay to research and shop around.

Additional tax credit information is available from the DOE and also includes credits for hybrid vehicles and other alternative fuels vehicles.

Giving a Greener Gift

Since Earth Day falls in April, it's the perfect month to start (or continue!) to add greener habits to your daily life. There will be a wealth of tips shared during the next 30 days so it will be easy to find a few additional things to add to your routine. For instance, have you ever thought about giving greener gifts? Giving gifts is something we do a lot during the year. Making small changes in how we choose those gives can make a difference.

To help you get a head start this April, online marketplace etsy.com is going to be focusing on all things green.

Our celebration of April, “La Primavera,” focuses on spring lifestyles, horticultural and garden themes, cooking, artisanal foods, recipes, celebrations, our loved ones, an introduction to the outdoors, materials, senses, and a special salute to Earth Day on April 22nd.

We are excited to highlight the lifestyle trend surrounding the slow food movement, the global, grassroots movement originating in Italy that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment . . . We think appreciation and the time invested in a handmade meal is what Etsy is all about.

To help you get started, they've created this handy environmentally-friendly gift guide that includes all sort of handmade, recycled, and organic finds throughout their site.

In addition to buying greener gifts, you can also give gifts greener. Skip the store-bought wrapping paper and use items you have around the house instead, like left over fabric or the funnies section from the newspaper. Try giving homemade cards instead of expensive (and pretty wasteful) store bought ones.

For more tips, check out Planet Green's Guide to Green Gift Giving. 

Plenty of Green Magazines

Looking to get your green magazine fix now that Plenty is no more? Fear not! There are still plenty of great magazines focus on greening out there.

If you prefer to read your magazines the old fashion way, there are a few magazines that make good replacements. First, it might be a good idea to read Turning the Page: Environmental Impacts of the Magazine Industry before subscribing to a bunch of new magazines. It gives a nice overview of the environmental issues associated with magazine publishing and helps you know what to look for when choosing a publication. Here are two printed magazines that are probably a safe bet:

Orion - Around since the early 80s, Orion takes a holistic approach to green, covering art, science, spiritual inquiry, and conservation issues. It offers both a print and digital edition.

OnEarth -  As the quarterly publication of the Natural Resources Defense Council, it focuses on the green aspects of politics, nature, wildlife, culture, science, and health. A subscription also includes membership NDRC.

If you've decided to go strictly digital with your magazine reading, why not give these publications a try:

Delicious Living -This online mag covers just about everything about being greener. Food, beauty, health, you name it. It also includes forums, a blog, and podcasts on how to live greener.

Living Green - Focused on green practices, eco-friendly products, and sustainable solutions, this online publication covers all things green related to home, work, and community. They even have a Eco Real Estate section with listings of houses, property, and agents across the country for people looking for greener housing options.

These are just a few of green print and online publications out there. What's your favorite green magazine?

Going Green at Lunch

If you are looking to save money, bringing a bagged lunch to work is a good first step. (Check out this great Lunch Savings Calculator to see how much you could be saving.) However, if you want to be green too, you need to go a step further. Brown lunch sacks, plastic storage bags, and plastic utensils add up to a bigger carbon footprint. Thankfully, there are some inexpensive (and fun!) ways to cut back on your lunch costs while still being eco-friendly.

• Box it up - Pack your lunch in a Japanese-style bento box or laptop lunches. These convenient containers let you pack a variety of foods in a convienent space-saving box and can be used over and over again.
• It's in the bag - Shop around for a reusable lunch sack. Whether you choose an insulated bag or a cute cloth bag, they are always a better alternative to one-use brown bags. You can also reuse any plastic bags you have stuffed under the counter.
• Rinse and repeat - If you've already got a big box of sandwich bags in your cupboard, make sure to reuse them as much as possible. Simply rinsing them after each use and turning them inside-out to dry will help them last longer so you'll create less waste. The same goes for plastic utensils and aluminum foil. 
• Bulk is better - Avoid buying individually-wrapped items and pre-cut produce when you are shopping for lunch items. Not only are they more expensive, they use more packaging. 

For more tips, check out Pack a Waste Free Lunch over at the EPA Greenversations blog.

Spending Federal Stimulus Money? How About Hydrokinetic Power?

U.S. Rep. Soloman P. Ortiz (D-corpus Christi) recently confirmed that the City of Brownsville  and Corpus Christi are among those municipalities receiving $3.2 billion dollars in stimulus funds from the Federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Program.

While the Brownsville Planning Department stated that it has not come up with a specific project for those funds, I think I may have found one for them...

Everyone usually thinks of hydroelectric power as requiring a huge dam.  Not so with hydrokinetic power.  Hydrokinetic power uses the power of the current of a river or tides to spin a turbine and generate electricity.  Sounds too advanced?  Not at all.  American industry began using streams and rivers to turns mill wheels since the early 1700s.

So now a Houston-based company, Hydro Green Energy is placing one its hydrokinetic turbines a short distance downstream from a traditional hydro-electric dam site near Hastings, MN., in the Mississippi River.  The expected test output is 100 kilowatts or about enough to power 60 homes.  It is the first of its kind to be licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

A 2007 study by the Electric Power Research Institute found that the U.S. could develop at least 13,000 megawatts of river and ocean-based hydrokinetic generated electricity by 2025.

Hydro Green has also filed an application with the FERC to begin construction of the world's first hybrid hydrokinetic/offshore wind power generation project.  IT is only in the planning stages but calls for placement of thirty arrays of 30 turbines (900 in all) in the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston and is estimated to generate an average of 2,731,050 megawatt hours per year with little or no pollution.

So Brownsville and Corpus Christi, better get in line with that seed money now.  Every town in America with a river or a shoreline might just jump ahead of you!

Bounce Energy offering Texas Residents Earth Day Promo for April

For the entire month of April, Texas electric company Bounce Energy is offering residents in the deregulated areas of Texas a special promotion on their 100% green energy Blue Sky plan.  Here's the details...

• 100% renewable green energy at Bounce Energy's lowest rate (their Super Saver rate) for the 1st Month.
• Your choice of $50 Home Depot Gift Card or Donation to World Wildlife Fund
• $50 Bill Credit when You Sign Up for Auto Bill Pay
• $200 of Energy Efficiency Products from Bounce partner, Standard Renewable Energy (example, Home Energy Audit)
• One Full Year of Free Companion Airline Tickets, no black out dates

For more information visit:

• To Order the Earth Day Green Energy Plan
• Bounce Energy's Blog on the Earth Day Special
• Press Release on the Bounce Energy Offering Plan and Guidance for Earth Day