Saturday, July 31, 2010

Clips: What is Government’s Role in Achieving Price Parity for Renewable Energy?


Check out my post What is Government’s Role in Achieving Price Parity for Renewable Energy? published by design-build firm The Neenan Company.

Excerpt...

Can renewable energy reach price parity without government subsidies? While green energy is gaining momentum, it is still generally considered more expensive than conventional fossil fuels. How can this be? The word “renewable” implies seamless cycles of regeneration. Sunlight and wind are infinite. If we could live truly passive lifestyles, they would be enough on their own. Unfortunately, our society has been built to require fuel, so the trick now is to make non-polluting sources affordable and available.

Recent reports claim that “renewable energy expansion counted for 60% of newly installed capacity in Europe and more than 50% in the US. Experts even believe that this year or the next, the world as a whole will add more capacity from renewable than conventional sources.” Unfortunately, this newly installed capacity still accounts for only 6.2% of the market in the United States.


click here for the whole article

Friday, July 16, 2010

Living Pavilion Exhibition Opening


The Figment Living Pavilion is getting its own exhibition at the Center for Architecture. Please join us for the opening. Free event. Free beer. Yay!

Monday, August 2nd, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
The Center for Architecture
536 LaGuardia Place


Thursday, July 15, 2010

Clips: Guidance on the Guidelines

pic: swanksalot 

Check out my post Guidance on the Guidelines: How Good is LEED? published by The Neenan Company, a design-build firm in Colorado.

Excerpt...

Green building is not just a fad. It’s a real change in society’s relationship with nature. While conscientious firms have always embodied the first principles of sustainable design–from proper siting to make the most of the sun to climate-sensitive passive heating and cooling–there is now a need for public guidance. This has led to the enormous success of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC)’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, and opened a critical debate on how best to serve the domain of green design.

click here for whole article