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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Kauffman Foundation Study Finds MIT Alumni Companies Generate Billions for Regional Economies - MSNBC Wire Services - msnbc.com
Turning bricks and mortar green - MIT News Office
Turning bricks and mortar green - MIT News Office
The limestone and glass walls of MIT's Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex (BCSC) glint white and silver in the sun. But the complex, also known as Building 46, is really quite green.
The world's largest center for neuroscience research, BCSC opened in 2005. Its high-performance building envelope, gray water reuse, exhaust-fan heat recovery, and daylight-balanced lighting have earned it a coveted ranking by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it one of the greenest buildings so far on the MIT campus. And newer buildings under construction could do even better.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Maximizing Progress: GreenWheel ~ Electro-Motorized Bicycle Retrofit
Maximizing Progress: GreenWheel ~ Electro-Motorized Bicycle Retrofit: "Nice write-up in AutoBlog Green by Domenick Yoney on MIT GreenWheel: Simply an electric bicycle revolution about the MIT Media Lab SmartCities team building...
'...a wheel that can turn an ordinary bicycle into a very desirable electric one in an easy, cost effective manner. Enclosing a motor, A123 Systems batteries and a generator into a small aluminum pancake hub, the GreenWheel can give you up to 25 miles of propulsion, or much more if you don't mind pedaling. Unlike conversions kits from the past, it forgoes running wires the length of your bike by incorporating the magic of bluetooth to control the twist-throttle.'"
'...a wheel that can turn an ordinary bicycle into a very desirable electric one in an easy, cost effective manner. Enclosing a motor, A123 Systems batteries and a generator into a small aluminum pancake hub, the GreenWheel can give you up to 25 miles of propulsion, or much more if you don't mind pedaling. Unlike conversions kits from the past, it forgoes running wires the length of your bike by incorporating the magic of bluetooth to control the twist-throttle.'"
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Carrotmob
Carrotmob
WHAT IS CARROTMOB?
Carrotmob is a method of activism that leverages consumer power to make the most socially-responsible business practices also the most profitable choices. Businesses compete with one another to see who can do the most good, and then a big mob of consumers buys products in order to reward whichever business made the strongest commitment to improve the world. It’s the opposite of a boycott.
It’s easier to understand if you look at an example. In the first ever Carrotmob event, a liquor store agreed to invest in upgrades that made their store more energy-efficient. In exchange, hundreds of Carrotmobbers showed up at once to support the winning liquor store. To the right is a video of that campaign, and the mayhem that ensued…
So…that video might be a little heavy on the dancing, but it explains the concept rather well. Now, choose a category below and we’ll tell you why the people in that category tend to love Carrotmob….
If you want to organize your own Carrotmob, email us at info@carrotmob.org. Also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
ban the bottle � orgtheory.net
ban the bottle orgtheory.net
When I was visiting the Bay Area a couple of years ago I heard about a movement among San Francisco city workers to ban bottled water distribution on city property (I think they eventually made this a policy). The “ban the bottle” movement has now started to take hold on U.S. university and college campuses. Student-led environmental activist groups are leading the way, pushing administrations to consider adopting more environmentally-sustainable policies. Here’s this description of an early success from Inside Higher Ed:
Many in the “Ban the Bottle” camp are taking inspiration from Washington University in St. Louis, where university money is not supposed to be spent on bottled water — the sale of which is banned on campus as of January 1 (although it’s still being sold in one market through March 15 due to a contractual obligation).
Washington University officials have been flooded with dozens of requests for information — how’d they do it? — and on Friday they hosted a conference call explaining how. “I hope it can be one of those things that we can be the first domino that falls,” said Deborah Howard, special assistant to the executive vice chancellor of administration.
“It wouldn’t have been successful without the student campaign. We wouldn’t have done it. There’s too much resistance,” Howard said – resistance tied to revenues. While Washington saves money in not having to buy bottled water for catered events, “campuses make a lot of money in dining services and vending machines selling bottled water.”
This is an excellent example of the impact that student movements can have in creating market changes.
When I was visiting the Bay Area a couple of years ago I heard about a movement among San Francisco city workers to ban bottled water distribution on city property (I think they eventually made this a policy). The “ban the bottle” movement has now started to take hold on U.S. university and college campuses. Student-led environmental activist groups are leading the way, pushing administrations to consider adopting more environmentally-sustainable policies. Here’s this description of an early success from Inside Higher Ed:
Many in the “Ban the Bottle” camp are taking inspiration from Washington University in St. Louis, where university money is not supposed to be spent on bottled water — the sale of which is banned on campus as of January 1 (although it’s still being sold in one market through March 15 due to a contractual obligation).
Washington University officials have been flooded with dozens of requests for information — how’d they do it? — and on Friday they hosted a conference call explaining how. “I hope it can be one of those things that we can be the first domino that falls,” said Deborah Howard, special assistant to the executive vice chancellor of administration.
“It wouldn’t have been successful without the student campaign. We wouldn’t have done it. There’s too much resistance,” Howard said – resistance tied to revenues. While Washington saves money in not having to buy bottled water for catered events, “campuses make a lot of money in dining services and vending machines selling bottled water.”
This is an excellent example of the impact that student movements can have in creating market changes.
Monday, February 09, 2009
14 green machines - Green scores
14 green machines - Green scores (1) - CNNMoney.com
As you might expect, the top 10 "greenest" vehicles, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy are all smaller cars.
Not everyone can drive a compact car, though, so the group supplied us with a list of the greenest cars in 14 different categories from subcompacts to full-size pick-ups.
The ACEEE bases its "Greenest" and "Meanest" vehicle selections mainly on fuel economy, but other factors figure in, including the amount of noxious emissions it puts out and pollution created in the manufacturing process, which is estimated based on a vehicles' weight.
The category designations are ACEEE's and are based, in some cases, on EPA vehicle size classifications. In other cases, the ACEEE created its own classifications.
As you might expect, the top 10 "greenest" vehicles, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy are all smaller cars.
Not everyone can drive a compact car, though, so the group supplied us with a list of the greenest cars in 14 different categories from subcompacts to full-size pick-ups.
The ACEEE bases its "Greenest" and "Meanest" vehicle selections mainly on fuel economy, but other factors figure in, including the amount of noxious emissions it puts out and pollution created in the manufacturing process, which is estimated based on a vehicles' weight.
The category designations are ACEEE's and are based, in some cases, on EPA vehicle size classifications. In other cases, the ACEEE created its own classifications.
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