Humanity’s ecological footprint may have leveled off after decades of consistent increase, according to new data released last week by the Global Footprint Network. … [Read more...]
Shipping to Halve Carbon Footprint by 2050 Under First Sector-Wide Climate Strategy
Global shipping must at least halve its emissions by 2050, according to an international deal adopted on Friday. Reaching an agreement on how to achieve this goal will be difficult as countries already challenge many proposed measures, writes Sara Stefanini of Climate Home News. … [Read more...]
How Can Cities Reduce Their Ecological Footprint?
The last post in this series looked at the vital role of ecological footprinting in ensuring that our individual actions are truly sustainable – i.e. within the limits of what the Earth's resources can provide. This is called 'one planet' development. … [Read more...]
Dominion Power Promises Huge Solar Investments and a Lower Carbon Footprint, or Does It?
Dominion Virginia Power released its updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) this week with a press release that promised thousands of megawatts (MW) of new solar power and a dramatically lower carbon footprint. In a remarkable turnabout, the Executive Summary declares, “The Company must now prepare for a future in which solar PV generation can become a major contributor to the Company’s overall energy mix.” … [Read more...]
Climate Change a Main Influencer in Hottest June on Record: How Can Businesses Reduce Their Carbon Output?
The hottest June on record marks the fourteenth consecutive month in which average temperatures reached all-time highs. Both Gavin Schmidt and Walt Meir of NASA commented on an “underlying trend which is producing these record numbers”. But when it comes to our influence on global warming, we’re well past the stage of skirting around the edges. In 2007, the Fourth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found the … [Read more...]
Clean, Efficient Power Helps Legrand, North America Deliver on DoE Commitments
At Legrand, North America our commitment to operational sustainability runs deep and we are always looking for ways to reduce our energy consumption and carbon footprint. As a Challenge Partner in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings, Better Plant Program, we sought to provide cleaner and more efficient power to our operations sites and reduce wasteful spending on energy. … [Read more...]
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Huge Carbon Footprint
Leonardo DiCaprio recently won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in The Revenant. I saw the movie, and to my layman’s eye it certainly seemed like an Oscar-worthy performance. I was rooting for him to win, as was, it seems, most of America. His victory reportedly set a social-media record, with 440,000 posts in about a minute to become the single-most Tweeted minute during an Oscar telecast. While I applauded his victory, I … [Read more...]
New Case Studies in Energy Management Show the Path from ‘Why’ to ‘How’
By Victoria MillsBusiness leaders have long agreed on the “why” of environmental management: seeing the value in increased profits, reduced waste, and a smaller carbon footprint. But the “how” has often been the stumbling block.Two case studies released today from adidas Group and the Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver (DHA) help to answer that question, detailing energy management strategies that deliver tremendous value and are … [Read more...]
New Apps that Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
by Nicholas BucoThere seems to be an app for everything nowadays. Even with over 350,000 apps in the Apple App Store, it can be hard to find one that will actually add value to your life. Luckily, there's good news for anyone looking to reduce his or her carbon footprint. There has been a new wave of extremely useful energy apps that can do anything from track your daily energy consumption to find the most efficient light bulbs to buy for … [Read more...]
It’s Not About Where Your Solar Panels Came From, It’s Where They Are Going That Counts
One of the most infuriating things about reading advice for people wanting to reduce their carbon footprint is the colossal lack of perspective people some folk have when it comes to cutting emissions.There’s people unplugging their phone chargers but not their DVRs. Worrying about where their food comes from, rather than what type of food it is. Or recycling their plastic bags rather than just getting some reusables.You see, … [Read more...]
3 Strategies to Slash Your Foodprint
The search for solutions to climate change is understandably focused on energy. But sometimes it’s a bit myopic, particularly in relentlessly looking at the power sector. Let me illustrate.Dredging through the data from EDGAR I can see that power generation resulted in 11.4 Gt CO2e in 2010. This is about a third of global CO2 emissions, or just under a quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions.By contrast emissions from the food … [Read more...]
Mapping the American Carbon Footprint, Down to the Last Zip Code [INTERACTIVE MAPS]
![Mapping the American Carbon Footprint, Down to the Last Zip Code [INTERACTIVE MAPS]](http://theenergycollective.com/wp-content/uploads/american carbon footprint-150x150.jpg)
In the process of researching and writing our free eBook ’Emit This’ I mapped out the average American’s carbon footprint. The result was the tree map above which shows the typical spending of an American results in 19 t CO2e of greenhouse gas emissions, split into 5 categories. A further 5 t CO2e results from construction and government spending.For someone who isn’t trained in environmentally extended input-output analysis this is a … [Read more...]
My Carbon Footprint in 2012
Writing a blog about reducing your carbon footprint is much, much easier than actually cutting your footprint.This post is where the rubber meets the road. It details my carbon footprint from 2012, the things I did, the things I didn’t do and my struggles along the way.I did the data back for this post back in January but didn’t publish then as the blog was brand new. Now that 2013 is coming to an end and I’ve almost got another year of … [Read more...]
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