LEED Ginger Bread Home

(Click to see bigger version) GingerBread House, originally uploaded by jon.peck.

We found this picture on Flickr and thought it was quite fitting for the holidays. This ginger bread house features some green home features. You can see to the upper left the electric solar panels and green roof. As you travel to the outside of the home you will see the LEED plaque on the on the exterior wall. On the right you will see the residential wind turbines powering the building. Of course the project has a carpool lane and parking for electric cars. You can view the orginal photo on Flickr.

The building sports eco-friendly features galore: high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, solar panels, a wind turbine, a “carbon negative” annual energy profile and a yard filled with native and endangered plants … and more.

And the best part: It’s entirely edible. In fact, surplus building materials doubled as snacks for the architects. Via Cornell.

Via Prefab

Storing Energy in “Super Concrete”

Finding ways to harness solar energy more efficiently, researchers are working on creating a mix of concrete that could store thermal energy created by solar panels at temperatures up to 600 degrees C. Researchers from the University of Arkansas, with a $770,000 award from the US Department of Energy will expose their creations to high temperatures, paying close attention to the rates of thermal loading and the effects of temperature cycles.

Solar Panels Heat the Concrete
Solar panels are used to gather heat that the concrete absorbs, but the energy must be transferred to the concrete via a steel tube. The researchers are also looking for ways of making this energy transfer more efficient.

“Solar holds great promise as an alternative source of energy,” said Panneer Selvam, professor of civil engineering. “The government recognizes this and knows that we must move in this direction. The problem is that scientists and engineers have not yet developed technology that will allow producers to harness solar power efficiently. So, one area of emphasis to reduce costs is something called thermal energy storage, which is nothing more than developing effective and cost-efficient methods of transferring heat from collectors and holding it before sending it to generators. That is what we are trying to do.”

Cheaper Solar Power
It costs anywhere between 13 and 17 cents per kilowatt hour to store solar energy. The Department of Energy wants to achieve the same storage at 5 cents per kWh by the year 2020.

via TreeHugger

In case you were wondering who hosts our website?

1and1 the world’s largest web host server provider, announced a few months ago that their US data center is going green. 1&1 Internet is purchasing enough Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from the non-profit, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, to match 100% of the electricity used at the company’s data center. They host over five million websites and them offsetting 100% will make a big impact.

The majority of the RECs will be sourced from the Bowersock Mills and Power Company’s hydroelectric facility in Lawrence, Kansas. This hydroelectric facility is certified low impact by the Low Impact Hydro Institute (LIHI). 1&1′s renewable energy purchase for the Lenexa, Kansas-based facility is enough clean energy to power at least 300 U.S. homes for one year. 1&1 will save emissions of 30,000 tons of CO2 per year.

“1&1 Internet accepts the responsibility to become a green-powered company,” said Oliver Mauss, CEO of 1&1 Internet Inc. “We are proud to now be the first big hosting company with all our data centers’ energy usage offset by renewable, clean energy. We believe this is an important step for every organization to take, and a contribution helping to save our planet.”

You can learn more about 1and1 on their website.

Repower America with Wind

This series of ads is designed to make the opportunity real and concrete. Ranchers making money from wind. Electricians wiring old buildings to be energy efficient. Jobs, clean energy, a strong economy. The climate crisis averted. This is the future under a ‘Repower’ed America’. Most people don’t realize that the proven technologies needed already exist today. We have to show them. And we don’t have much time.

For years, the fossil fuel industry has worked overtime to brand renewable energy as a tree-hugger delusion. But exactly the opposite is true. For example, wind power is cheap and a mature technology. Wind turbines produce electricity for less cost than oil or natural gas plants, and are competitive with new coal plants, even today. And building the wind turbines to capture this energy will create good manufacturing and construction jobs here in America. Of course, once you build the turbines you don’t have to pay for any expensive foreign oil or dirty coal. American workers making the tools to harness clean American energy — that’s what the Repower America plan is all about.

This ad also depicts an electric pickup truck, which is particularly head turning. The oil companies have worked for years to make people think that electric cars can never rival internal combustion in power or performance, and that’s just plain wrong. Hybrids are ready today, as you know. And cars build with electric motors are four times as efficient as today’s cars with gasoline engines. That’s why electric cars can run on less than $1.00 per gallon-equivalent, if you get your clean power from wind, for example. And electrics can deliver all the torque and power anyone could want. It’s time for Detroit to begin building this new fleet of 21st century cars.

Eco Scene Reviews Easy Water Saver

For better or for worse, multi-tasking is a part of our daily routines – calling while driving, surfing while watching TV, or texting while shopping. But sometimes, saving time can waste resources. If you floss, clean, or select your outfit while waiting for your shower water to heat up, the folks at Evolve have just the solution for you – The Lady Bug.

I tested The Lady Bug for weeks, with mixed results.

All Steamed Up (+)

* The Lady Bug is an attachment you put between your showerhead and water pipe. Using what evolve calls ShowerStart Technology, The Lady Bug detects when your water gets to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (the average comfortable water temperature) and slows the water to a trickle.
* Once you’re ready to enjoy the shower, just pull the release trigger, and the water comes flowing out of your showerhead at the perfect temperature.
* The Lady Bug will save you an estimated 2,700 gallons of water a year.
* With an estimated $75 in savings, the $29.95 investment will be earned back in just four months.
* Evolve donated 260 of their low-flow showerheads to Greensburg, Kansas, a city that was destroyed in 2007 by a tornado and is now being rebuild as a fully green town. It is the title city on the Discovery Channel Planet Green show Greensburg.
* The lady bug attaches to any shower arm with industry standard ½” fittings.
* It’s extremely easy to attach and use; it took me about five minutes to get it all set up.

Down the Drain (-)
* The instruction manual actually made the process more confusing and is unnecessary.
* Arguably, this isn’t the most effective way to save water, as you’re still running water to make sure it’s warm. This only helps if you’re someone who turns on the shower and then tries to do things while the shower is on.

The Final Rinse
The Lady Bug is a great option for people whose main concern is energy savings, but not the best option for water conservation. Better water conservation choices: the previously reviewed Shower Manager, or taking a “military-style” shower, which means turning the water off when you’re lathering up.

It’s available to purchase from Choose Renewables – and one of its favorite products!

View the original post from EcoScene written by Shayne Bell.