See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News

ANAHEIM, Calif. — For growers, measuring the benefits and costs of sustainable practices is a process that somehow manages to be both reassuring and threatening — and something that must be addressed by suppliers to Wal-Mart, which plans to roll…

But Mark Gale, president of Charleston Orwig, said growers fear the information will be turned against them.

“As soon as they start sharing it with Wal-Mart or McDonald’s, the next step will be the buyer forcing measurement down on growers in ways they can’t deal with,” he said.

…

“…. asked why growers, some who have long histories as suppliers, shouldn’t be taken at face value as protectors of natural resources and the matter dropped.

“The reality is we’re going to be held more and more accountable for the way we produce food,” Pezzini said. “Like the food safety issue, I’d rather be in there creating something than having it handed to me.” “

See on www.thepacker.com

See on Scoop.it – Twitter & Social Media

Whether you travel for work or for fun, Twitter can help you get more out of your travel for less. So buckle up, read and go ~ you can thank me later!

See on onlinefantastic.wordpress.com

See on Scoop.it – Twitter & Social Media

Twitter, a popular online social networking and microblogging service, is the first place government agencies post alerts and advisories on earthquakes and other natural disasters.

See on www.vancouversun.com

See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

A smart-road design that features glow-in-the-dark tarmac and illuminated weather indicators will be installed in the Netherlands from mid-2013.

“The Roosegaarde design promise comes as UK authorities announce that lights on motorways, residential streets and footpaths will be turned off or dimmed from as early as 9pm to save money (hundreds of thousands of pounds, in some cases) and to meet green targets.”

See on www.wired.com

See on Scoop.it – Twitter & Social Media

Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. became conduits of information for people seeking help or solace as superstorm Sandy ravaged the U.S. East Coast, reinforcing social media’s importance in connecting people during a crisis.

“This time the rush has moved beyond traditional social media, Li said. Instagram, a photo-sharing service that Facebook acquired earlier this year, has become a popular way to post images from the storm in the New York area, she said. The service, which lets friends easily share photos taken from mobile phones, has more than 100 million users, the company said earlier this month. “

See on www.businessweek.com

See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

A new US study shows that twice the effort is going to developing supply technologies than to improving the efficiency of end-use technologies.

– Energy end-use outperforms supply technology in each of the three desirable outcomes listed above. According to the researchers, “they occupy a greater share of energy system investments and capacity, and engage higher levels of private sector activity, they offer higher potential cost reductions, and they provide higher social returns and higher emission reduction potentials.”

See on reneweconomy.com.au

See on Scoop.it – Green Energy Technologies & Development

The technology that animates video games enables a leap in science, as the U.S. government deploys Titan, the most powerful “hybrid” supercomputer yet.

“The Titan system at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee is a leading contender to top the industry’s official list of the world’s fastest supercomputers, to be announced next month in Salt Lake City. It can handle 20,000 trillion calculations each second…”

“But Titan’s signature achievement is how little energy it burns while blazing through those computations.

Titan’s predecessor supercomputer at Oak Ridge, the 2.3-petaflop Jaguar machine, drew 7 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power a small town. Titan needs just about 30 percent more electricity, 9 MW, while delivering ninefold greater computing power.”

See on news.nationalgeographic.com

See on Scoop.it – Green Building Design – Architecture & Engineering

Now is the time to make sure you know where your candidates stand on the day’s most important issues. Two important issues that will have a major impact on our state’s future are clean energy and energy efficiency.

“A recent poll … found that Wisconsinites overwhelmingly support clean energy and energy efficiency. In fact, the poll found that 85 percent of Wisconsin voters support increasing the use of wind energy to meet our state’s future energy needs, and 89 percent support increasing the use of solar energy. …”

“By passing clean energy policies and increasing funding for money-saving programs … legislators can help create Wisconsin jobs. Companies … can create more jobs if leaders work together to advance clean energy and energy efficiency policies.”

See on host.madison.com

See on Scoop.it – Green Building Design – Architecture & Engineering

Energy efficiency is at the heart of changes that will be incorporated into structures of the future

By Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun October 27, 2012

“Retrofits are crucial.

One of Hood’s main assignments is overseeing the redevelopment of existing buildings. More often than not, that means uncovering, through energy audits, glaring examples of waste – air leaks, inadequate insulation, inefficient heating and ventilation systems.

“We are involved in residential projects where we can achieve 80-per-cent reduction in energy use …. These are tried and true technologies around good building enclosures and high-performance mechanical systems such as heat pump technology.”

“On the commercial side, a lot of the audits we do for energy we’re seeing 30-to 50-per-cent reduction in energy use in ways that are cost-effective. The payback is five to eight years.”

See on www.vancouversun.com

See on Scoop.it – Green Building Design – Architecture & Engineering

Pittsburgh continues to gain bragging rights where planning and architecture are concerned. That was reinforced this month with two unrelated events.

“…an expert on new building technologies, says it will be the tallest office building in the country to use natural ventilation, rather than being a hermetically sealed box, like office towers of the past. …”

“The AIA also gave out several “Green Design Citations.” One is especially notable. This is the redesign of the old South Hills High School on Mt. Washington …, the huge old school was converted into 106 units of housing for the elderly along with community and commercial spaces. It achieves unusually high energy efficiency for an existing building.”

“Architectural Record and the AIA gave high praise for imaginative redevelopment and planning along our revived riverfronts. …”

See on triblive.com