If you haven’t already pre-registered to celebrate the holidays at the 3rd Annual Austin Green Holiday Party, do so soon. It is coming up soon and this year it is hosted by 10 great organizations. Fiesta Gardens (2100 Jesse E. Segovia St., Austin, TX 78702) Thursday, December 16th, 2010 from 5:30pm-9:30pm Registration: Pre-Registration ONLY for this Event (No Cash [...]
Archive for the ‘Efficiency’ Category
Clean Cars Could Save Texans over $16 million on Thanksgiving Travel
Posted in Air Quality, Efficiency, Transportation, tagged Fuel economy in automobiles, fuel efficiency, Thanksgiving, United States Environmental Protection Agency on November 23, 2010 | 1 Comment »
As Texas families prepare for one of the busiest travel holidays of the year, a new Environment Texas report finds that more fuel efficient cars could save Texans over $16 million at the gas pump this Thanksgiving holiday alone. The report was released as new federal fuel efficiency and global warming pollution standards for cars [...]
Watch the “Story of Electronics”
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, green jobs, Toxics, tagged Business, Electronic waste, Electronics, environment, recycling, The Story of Stuff, Waste Management on November 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
A new online film, the “Story of Electronics”, is available to watch today, Tues, November 9. This is the newest in the series of the excellent, user-friendly Story of Stuff web-films about excessive consumerism and waste. The Story of Electronics tells the story of how electronics are really “designed for the dump” and not made [...]
Energy Efficiency: Bulbs to Use and Books to Read
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, tagged bulb, CFL, Compact fluorescent lamp, consumer, demand, efficient, Efficient energy use, Energy, energy conservation, Hot Flat and Crowded, incandescent, Incandescent light bulb, LED, Light-emitting diode, supply, Thomas Friedman on November 6, 2010 | 1 Comment »
We use more electricity now than ever, and since 2007 our energy usage in Texas is outpacing population growth. How many of us charge our cell phones or laptops all night so they’re ready for use in the morning? Or perhaps run the AC 24 hours a day during the blazing Texas summers? Several years [...]
The Story of Electronics online film release coming
Posted in Consumers, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, green jobs, recycling, Toxics, tagged Business, Electronic waste, Electronics, environment, recycling, The Story of Stuff, United States, Waste Management on October 31, 2010 | 1 Comment »
A new online film, the “Story of Electronics”, will be released on Tues, November 9. This is the newest in the series of the excellent, user-friendly Story of Stuff web-films about excessive consumerism and waste. The Story of Electronics tells the story of how electronics are really “designed for the dump” and not made to [...]
Austin poor spend much of their income on electricity
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, tagged Austin, Austin Energy, conservation, Efficient energy use, electricity, Energy, Energy Efficiency, Household, poverty, Technology on October 28, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Austin Energy hired a consultant to help determine how its rates compare to those of other utilities in preparation for its plan to substantially raise electricity rates in 2012. The work is ongoing, but an eye-opening statistic has already emerged. Estimates indicate that the average US household’s energy costs are equal to 7% of household income, [...]
Renewables, renewables, my kingdom for renewables
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Renewables, tagged LED lights, renewable energy, Renewables, solar, wind power on October 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Dean Kamen is known for his many inventions, some of which have transformed the world, from the insulin pump and an all-terrain wheelchair to portable water purification systems and robotic prosthetic limbs. Of course, others, like his Segway self-balancing electric scooter (which visitors to the Texas capitol will see whizzing past with curious sightseers holding [...]
Texas slipping in Energy Efficiency ranking
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, tagged ACEEE, Energy Efficiency, Texas on October 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
According to an American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) study, Texas now ranks 32nd among U.S. states in energy efficiency, down from 23rd in 2009. The current 10 top-ranked states in energy efficiency are shown below: 1. California 2. Massachusetts 3. Oregon 4. New York 5. Vermont 6. Washington 7. Rhode Island 8. (tie) Connecticut 8. [...]
Austin Energy offers consumers assistance with charging stations for their new EVs!
Posted in Air Quality, Consumers, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Renewables, Transportation, tagged Air Quality, Austin, Austin Energy, Carbon Dioxide, Charging station, Electric vehicle, emissions reductions, EV, EV incentives, EVs, Global Warming, plug-in hybrids, Plug-In Vehicle, Public Citizen, transportation on October 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
In the coming weeks you might notice a sleek, new Nissan LEAF or Chevy Volt cruising past you on the road. Many of the major car companies are introducing electric, plug-in vehicles (EVs) designed for the American family market. They range in cost from about $20,000-$45,000 and are small and practical. Not all EVs run [...]
Smitty’s statement on former PEC/AE GM Juan Garza’s new nuclear job
Posted in Co-op Reform, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear, Renewables, tagged Austin Energy, Juan Garza, nrg energy, South Texas Project, Tom "Smitty" Smith on September 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Statement of Tom “Smitty” Smith: We are shocked to hear the news that former Austin Energy and Pedernales Electric Cooperative General Manager Juan Garza has taken a job promoting nuclear power with New Jersey-based NRG Energy. While Garza rightfully acknowledges the danger climate change poses to Texas, nuclear power’s life cycle carbon footprint, exorbitant cost [...]
Local, Small Businesses Benefit from Stimulus
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, green jobs, Renewables, solar, tagged doe, economy, green economy, green jobs, jobs, Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding, solar energy, SOLAR PANEL, stimulus, TEXAS STIMULUS FUNDS on September 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Republicans keep rejecting the success of the stimulus package but that is nothing new, being opposed is just a Republican thing to do nowadays. President Obama said yesterday that even if he said the sky is blue, Republicans would disagree. Despite all that, in Texas, the stimulus seems to serve its purpose just fine, especially [...]
EDF’s Jim Marston in HouChron on Single State Agency for Efficiency
Posted in Consumers, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Good Government, tagged efficiency agency, Energy Efficiency, environmental defense fund, Jim Marston, PUCT, state energy conservation office, texas comptroller, texas department of housing and community affairs on August 30, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Some great points from the director of Environmental Defense Fund‘s Texas Regional Office (and Energy Program), Jim Marston. If you’re concerned about government spending, consolidating existing efficiency programs and oversight into one agency has the potential to reduce overlap and redundancy in government and create more opportunities for consumers and businesses to save money.
Fed’s getting into the energy storage act, along with the TCEQ ?
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, natural gas, Renewables, tagged compressed air energy storage, Energy, Energy Efficiency, energy storage, flywheel energy storage, public citizen texas, renewable energy, Renewables, solar power, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on August 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Long thought to be the last commodity that can’t be saved for later use, large scale electrical energy storage is finally looking like a technology who’s time might have come. Recently introduced the “Storage Technology of Renewable and Green Energy Act of 2010″ Act (S. 3617) introduced by U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Ron Wyden [...]
Tres Amigas SuperStation on Track for 2014
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, green jobs, Renewables, tagged Austin, Energy, energy storage, green jobs, public citizen texas, renewable energy on August 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Local energy storage company Xtream Power inks a deal to supply the Tres Amigas project with their technology. CH2M, another firm with central Texas connections (who has been hiring some of Austins finest green talent) lands the construction contract. Will local green engineers Kurt Lyell (one of the original founders of Austin Bio-fuels) or John [...]
Oncor to give away a limited number of free in-home energy displays
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, green jobs, tagged conservation, dfw, energy conservation, energy reduction, in home monitor, oncor, public citizen texas, Real time energy display, smart meter on August 16, 2010 | 7 Comments »
Oncor wants to get some home energy monitors in the field to see how they work and get customer feedback. There are a limited number available, so you would need to act fast to have a chance at one. There are a couple of qualifications, of course. First you must live in the Oncor service [...]

















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