And not just talking about hurricanes.
While we here on the East Coast hunkered down for the worst from Hurricane Irene, I noticed another storm on the radar not so immediately apparent, but important to watch, nonetheless. The green-building world is coming under siege, and anything related to making the planet a healthier place is being portrayed by some as tantamount to communism, failure, or perhaps even treason.
OK, maybe not treason. But here's the situation: Recently the New York Times, typically a refuge for environmentalism in the mainstream media, published an article essentially calling the green jobs sector a colossal failure. The article enigmatically tossed aside contrary findings from a prior Brookings Institute report of "explosive growth" in the sector.
Perhaps the Times felt Brookings was off because it included workers in public transportation, green tech media, eco-smart retail, and sustainable restaurants in their green jobs assessment. Or maybe they were just feeding from the same trough as other media pundits, filled with endless tales of the mismanaged Seattle weatherization program or non-stop stories of Solyndra. Whatever the case, the newspaper has been blasted by the sustainability sphere, which believes that these jobs should be recognized as part of the new green economy, a sentiment echoed prominently Wednesday in a scathing rebuttal from activist and former White House adviser Van Jones.
Thus, to help the understaffed NYT correct its poorly researched argument (which has now gone nearly viral in the investment world and elsewhere), Home Science will feature a series of stories of everyday Americans working hard to build a sustainable green economy while making a living.
Our next post includes a visit with Philly musician Mark Snyder at his day job with an innovative Delaware compost company that gathers recyclable waste from local restaurants. Plus we're queued up to talk with some friendly folks who run a thriving eco home furnishings store in Houston - examples of sustainable businesses that are not running for cover. Call them truck drivers, salespeople, roofers, energy auditors, weatherization installers, app-makers, or IT specialists - if they're working for a business that specializes in improving the environment and getting paid for it, I call them green jobs people. Seems clear as spring water to me.--D.A. DeMers.
The Empire State Building: A Beacon for America's Energy Independence. By Christina Nunez via National Geographic's Great Energy Challenge blog.
Many conversations at the American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY) conference in Aspen focused on what needs to be done, what can be done realistically, and what isn’t being done to transition the United States away from fossil fuels.
So it was refreshing and inspiring to hear about something that has been done: retrofitting New York City’s Empire State Building so that it will cut energy consumption by 38.4 percent, creating jobs and generating revenue in the process.
Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, who consulted on the project, and building owner Anthony Malkin discussed the retrofit at AREDAY Friday. Malkin said that the goal for the project was to go beyond “green building” standards that don’t address economics and lead to a chase for “points”: “Put bike racks and a shower in [your building], get three points. Put in a green wall with plants and a water feature in your lobby, get points.” Read More...
Support Philly's Sustainable 19125 Community Initiative. Sourced via the New Kensington Community Development Corporation.
The people from Sustainable 19125 made a great YouTube video about all the green practices taking place in our local Philly neighborhood. Help them promote this community-led initiative by taking a moment to watch the video, hit "Like", and leave a comment! And as as noted in the organization's recent newsletter, "you may even be surprised to find a neighbor/friend making a special guest appearance." Watch it here...
Sustainable 19125 describes itself as "a broad and innovative partnership among community residents, businesses, and numerous government, nonprofit, and for profit partners to green the Fishtown, Olde Richmond, and East Kensington neighborhoods of Philadelphia." The organization states that it strives "to make 19125 the most sustainable zip code in the city." Their initiative is fostered by New Kensington Community Development Corporation, with help from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
For more info, including green community resources, forums, and ways to get involved, be sure to visit Sustainable 19125's newly redesigned website at www.sustainable19125.org.
Other information for Philly's Kensington/Fishtown area communities, including general events and business news, can be found on the New Kensington Community Development Corporation website at www.nkcdc.org.
Stay safe and God bless.
While we here on the East Coast hunkered down for the worst from Hurricane Irene, I noticed another storm on the radar not so immediately apparent, but important to watch, nonetheless. The green-building world is coming under siege, and anything related to making the planet a healthier place is being portrayed by some as tantamount to communism, failure, or perhaps even treason.
 |
| Sustainability backlash? Image: Wikipedia |
Perhaps the Times felt Brookings was off because it included workers in public transportation, green tech media, eco-smart retail, and sustainable restaurants in their green jobs assessment. Or maybe they were just feeding from the same trough as other media pundits, filled with endless tales of the mismanaged Seattle weatherization program or non-stop stories of Solyndra. Whatever the case, the newspaper has been blasted by the sustainability sphere, which believes that these jobs should be recognized as part of the new green economy, a sentiment echoed prominently Wednesday in a scathing rebuttal from activist and former White House adviser Van Jones.
 |
| Hurricane Irene, Philly. |
Our next post includes a visit with Philly musician Mark Snyder at his day job with an innovative Delaware compost company that gathers recyclable waste from local restaurants. Plus we're queued up to talk with some friendly folks who run a thriving eco home furnishings store in Houston - examples of sustainable businesses that are not running for cover. Call them truck drivers, salespeople, roofers, energy auditors, weatherization installers, app-makers, or IT specialists - if they're working for a business that specializes in improving the environment and getting paid for it, I call them green jobs people. Seems clear as spring water to me.--D.A. DeMers.
The Empire State Building: A Beacon for America's Energy Independence. By Christina Nunez via National Geographic's Great Energy Challenge blog.
Many conversations at the American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY) conference in Aspen focused on what needs to be done, what can be done realistically, and what isn’t being done to transition the United States away from fossil fuels.
 |
| Tallest green building. Image: Wikipedia. |
So it was refreshing and inspiring to hear about something that has been done: retrofitting New York City’s Empire State Building so that it will cut energy consumption by 38.4 percent, creating jobs and generating revenue in the process.
Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, who consulted on the project, and building owner Anthony Malkin discussed the retrofit at AREDAY Friday. Malkin said that the goal for the project was to go beyond “green building” standards that don’t address economics and lead to a chase for “points”: “Put bike racks and a shower in [your building], get three points. Put in a green wall with plants and a water feature in your lobby, get points.” Read More...
Support Philly's Sustainable 19125 Community Initiative. Sourced via the New Kensington Community Development Corporation.
 |
| NKCDC office. |
Sustainable 19125 describes itself as "a broad and innovative partnership among community residents, businesses, and numerous government, nonprofit, and for profit partners to green the Fishtown, Olde Richmond, and East Kensington neighborhoods of Philadelphia." The organization states that it strives "to make 19125 the most sustainable zip code in the city." Their initiative is fostered by New Kensington Community Development Corporation, with help from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
For more info, including green community resources, forums, and ways to get involved, be sure to visit Sustainable 19125's newly redesigned website at www.sustainable19125.org.
Other information for Philly's Kensington/Fishtown area communities, including general events and business news, can be found on the New Kensington Community Development Corporation website at www.nkcdc.org.
Stay safe and God bless.
