Energy

Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski believes that politicians of both parties will support her five energy objectives: Make it abundant, affordable, clean, diverse and secure. Will it provide a 'conversation starter' to frame federal policy?

February 11, 2013 - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

The global engineering firm envisions a "smart" building that will plug into "smart" urban infrastructure and cater to an increasingly dense and technology-savvy urban population.

February 11, 2013 - Building Design

The District of Columbia is challenging the federal government on climate action, with lawmakers proposing to outlaw a local coal-burning power plant that powers Congress.

February 7, 2013 - The Washington Post

Global leaders met last week in New Delhi to discuss climate change mitigation through sustainable development measures. For those on the front lines of climate change, the intransigence of the U.S. has sparked concern, reports Joanna Zelman.

February 6, 2013 - The Huffington Post

Hydraulic fracturing may finally allow drillers to extricate oil from the Monterey Shale, creating a shale oil boom that could dwarf ones in states such as North Dakota. Environmentalists are digging in to limit the controversial practice.

February 5, 2013 - The New York Times

Friday brought word that Energy Secretary Steven Chu will leave the Obama administration once a replacement is in place. With his departure, each of the cabinet's energy and environmental positions remain vacant.

February 2, 2013 - The Hill - E2 Wire

A new report indicates that carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. have fallen by 13% in the past five years. The last time carbon emissions were this low, Ace of Base was topping the charts and "Pulp Fiction" was reviving the career of John Travolta.

February 1, 2013 - The Guardian

France's Environment Ministry has decreed that as of July, all shops and offices in the country will be required to shut off their lights at night in order to save energy and “reduce the print of artificial lighting on the nocturnal environment.”

January 31, 2013 - The New York Times

As Barack Obama takes the oath of office for his second term, Places editor Nancy Levinson argues for an intensified political agenda for architects and urban designers.

January 27, 2013 - Places Journal

Established eight years ago by a bipartisan coalition of Northeast and mid-Atlantic governors, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was the first cap-and-trade system established in the U.S. It now faces an uncertain future.

January 26, 2013 - The New York Times

"Canada is getting hotter faster than ever before and at a faster rate than almost any other country," reports Anna Mehler Paperny, and the country's infrastructure, public health, and economy are vulnerable to unforeseen impacts.

January 24, 2013 - The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Is a new luxury 6,721 square-foot home located in a gated community on the far outskirts of Las Vegas truly “the new face of efficiency"? Kaid Benfield elaborates on how the LEED certification system can be so easily gamed.

January 23, 2013 - The National Resources Defense Council

"America is renewing itself from the bottom up." That is the premise underlying the second annual “Innovations to Watch” list just released by The Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program and The Rockefeller Foundation.

January 20, 2013 - Brookings

The "great global project" of this century, says Patrick Doherty, is how to "accommodate 3 billion additional middle-class aspirants in two short decades." In a bold essay, he outlines how the U.S. must lead the global transition to sustainability.

January 15, 2013 - Foreign Policy

While the fiscal cliff talks did not increase the gas tax as some transportation analysts had hoped, it did increase a benefit that many commuters who ride public transit will appreciate, particularly those whose monthly expenses total $240.

January 10, 2013 - Sierra Club Compass

In her news article and blog, Rebecca Smith examines the reduction in electricity consumption in the U.S. - the causes and how utilities have reacted to remain profitable.

January 7, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Like a lot of people, Placeshakers is kicking off the new year with a list: placemaking wishes for 2013. Read on for seven trending ideas they hope break large.

January 4, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Lloyd Alter dismantles the aggrandizement of the new LPL Financial building being developed by Hines in La Jolla, California, which a recent press release touts as the "Largest Net-Zero Energy Commercial Office Building in U.S."

January 4, 2013 - Treehugger

No, the title of this post is not an analogy. Diane Ackerman takes a looks at the very literal ways in which cities around the world are harnessing body heat to warm up residential and office buildings.

January 3, 2013 - The New York Times

We've known for decades the better ways to do things, for greater urban health, sustainability, resiliency, vibrancy and economic success. So this year, let's resolve to have the will and skill to get past the short-term politics, the rhetoric, the market momentum, and the financial self-interest that has kept our better solutions from being realized.

December 31, 2012 - Brent Toderian