Tag: <span>energy</span>

Mud Houses: Affordable Housing for the Rich? – By CJ Kelley

In Marfa, Texas, prior to 2017, a house made of adobe bricks was appraised in the same way as any other house made of any other material. Now, following an update by the county tax assessors, inhabitants of adobe structures pay 57% more in taxes than other homeowners.   Let’s …

Green Jobs Growth in New York State

by Elise Ferguson, Hannah Lyons-Cavazos, and Tara McElhinney The Green Jobs Landscape Through its adoption of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) in 2019, the state of New York has crystallized its commitment to renewable energy and climate justice into law. As a state with enormous energy requirements, …

Transparent Solar: The Technology of the Future?

  What if your phone, your car, your home and office could be charged by the sun? Transparent solar technologies have the potential to transform cities from massive energy consumers to energy producers.   What is “transparent solar” anyway? Transparent solar is cutting-edge technology that absorbs and utilizes light energy …

Fighting Climate Change, One Utility Bill at a Time

I recently started work  for the data team at Bright Power, a company with a mission to help meet and track energy efficiency needs for various multifamily building clients in an effort to combat climate change. What drew me to Bright Power was their clear commitment to that mission, so …

How data management is more challenging, and satisfying, than climbing mountains–by Holly Kistner

When I started graduate school at Bard College’s Center for Environmental Policy (CEP), I also started my student employment with Bard’s Office of Sustainability as the “energy intern.” Less than a year ago, I would have laughed at the prospect of me working with energy data. Me? I’d just spent two …

Microhydropower: Part of New York’s Clean Energy Future?

Hydropower has a long history in New York State. There are more than 6,000 dams in New York, some dating back to the 1700s. Even through the industrial revolution of the 19th century, dams were the main source of power for running mills and powering machinery. As electric power replaced …

Green Festivals Inspiring Green Cities

As the impacts of climate change become more of a reality, many cities are developing sustainability plans to guide them towards a greener future. While setting the goals within these plans can be challenging, it is an even greater challenge to achieve them. Many of these plans focus on specific …

Grounds for Change: Building a sustainable business from the grounds up

“You could say this nation runs on two dark liquids — petroleum and coffee,” Professor Bob Thompson of Syracuse University once said. We’re constantly reminded of the social and environmental costs of our reliance on fossil fuels, but what about that other fuel? Conventional coffee: value without values Americans drink …

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: My Time at the Alliance

Reflecting back on my 6-month internship at the Alliance to Save Energy, one element stands out above all others: my coworkers.   The Beginning of My Internship This was my first “real” full-time job, and by “real,” I mean business attire, 9-5, 5 days a week, office computer work. It …

Tiny Office, Big Impact: My Work at EESI

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is a non-profit that works in the heart of the national political arena. This small organization is something of a hidden gem among the environmental giants in D.C., with a wide-reaching impact and a network of relationships with NGOs, policymakers, agencies, and industry. …