Green Business posts, articles, and infographics

What does the new economy mean for the shape of communities?

February 6, 2012 by Kaid Benfield
with 199 views

About a year ago, several of us attended a meeting in Washington at which a prominent smart growth leader was showing a presentation on “the business case for smart growth.” Much of it was based on the need for everyday, face-to-face business communication within companies and the need for dense environments to facilitate... [read more]

The geography of persistent unemployment contains some surprises

February 1, 2012 by Kaid Benfield
with 78 views

A bad economy hurts sustainability, in part because sustainability requires new approaches that must be funded, frequently with money from investors able and willing to take chances, or from local governments whose revenues are tied to declining property values or spending. I suppose a saving grace may be in the case of real estate... [read more]

How Formula One Made Your Car More Sustainable

January 31, 2012 by Bob Leonard
with 90 views

Read about how yesterdays innovations pioneered in Formula One are applied in your car, today. Do you think NASCAR has the same effect? [read more]

How measuring e-mails can reduce greenhouse gas emissions

January 26, 2012 by Green Buildings Alive
with 149 views

Our last post asked what we might draw from a global study of 500 million ‘tweets’ which found people are happiest in the morning – at almost precisely the time when complaints about the air conditioning in office buildings peak. The author of the twitter study, Scott Golder, commented “It looks like people send AC requests the same time... [read more]

How a rain garden cleans industrial pollution

January 25, 2012 by Kaid Benfield
with 211 views

(Note: Today’s post was conceived and largely authored by my friend and frequent collaborator, Lee Epstein. Lee is an attorney, land use planner, and sustainability advocate working in the mid-Atlantic region.) As NRDC’s water program rightfully emphasizes, one of the most vexing conundrums in highly urban areas is how to... [read more]

3 Requirements for Multigenerational Homes to work

January 23, 2012 by Tazmine Loomans
with 236 views

Multigenerational living is growing like gangbusters, with babyboomers retiring and recent grads increasingly moving home. Here, what factors to pay attention to. Do you agree? [read more]

Is Waste-to-Energy the future of energy in New York?

January 18, 2012 by Next American City
with 215 views

Coverage of Mayor Bloomberg’s state of the city address focused, as the speech did, on the mayor’s raft of education proposals, with some additional attention to his mentions of police corruption and the minimum wage. But the mayor’s reference to a once-controversial notion—“the possibility of cleanly converting trash into renewable energy”—passed all but unnoticed. [read more]

Micropolitan Manifesto

January 6, 2012 by Katie McCaskey
with 279 views

A call for artists, changemakers and entrepreneurs to reexamine the possibilities present in our smallest urban places... notably, the paradox of urban centers throughout rural America. [read more]

Green Microbreweries: Crafting a Sustainable Business

December 23, 2011 by Planet Forward
with 114 views

The craft beer movement has accrued a diehard following, recently creating a community of beer lovers and aficionados. In the last two decades microbreweries have been popping up across the country, serving home-brewed ales and lagers to thirsty followers. Craft brewers have carved out an important niche – many ... [read more]

Global Mayors Put UN’s Sustainable City Guidelines In Motion

December 7, 2011 by Warren Karlenzig
with 304 views

After providing the curriculum for training urban leaders from 12 Southeast and Central Asian nations a few weeks ago, the United Nations is now globally launching the full content of the Shanghai Manual: A Guide for Sustainable Urban Development in the 21st Century. [read more]

One Block Off the Grid Goes National!

July 25, 2011 by Robert Stockham
with 210 views

I have written about One Block Off the Grid before. I am a big fan of this group. I was thrilled to get this email yesterday: "I’m so thrilled to let you know that One Block Off the Grid has launched 2,170 new solar group discounts in 34 new states. Check out the map: http://1bog.org/nation The way it works is that whenever... [read more]

Green Roads Have Great Potential

July 20, 2011 by Derek Singleton
with 261 views

Green roads construction technology offers a great opportunity to build our roads more sustainably. But contractors are standing in the way of progress. A little known contract stipulation called cost-plus pricing is holding us back. Read more to find out how. [read more]