From Green Right Now Reports
How do cars pollute? In two main ways, through inefficient mileage (guzzling a gallon of gas every eight or 10 or 14 miles) and through tailpipe emissions.
There’s the pollution associated with manufacturing, also, but to keep it simple let’s stick with emissions and mileage. Obviously, both affect the air. Think of mileage as a measure of your car’s pollution volume over time – if a gallon of gas doesn’t take you very far, you have to burn a lot more gas — and emissions as the chemistry of that pollution; if the mix is particularly noxious, your car will be a bigger offender than one with better tailpipe controls.
So if you want to buy the cleanest car you can — in the price range you need — you’ll look at both factors. Fortunately, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has already done this work, assigning a “greenhouse gas” score to most models. Find it at the EPA’s Green Vehicles website.
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February 11th, 2009
By John DeFore
Green Right Now
Last week the Obama administration took one of the steps environmentalists have been hoping would follow closely after Inauguration day: More or less, he told the nation’s bureaucracy to start following the law when it comes to energy efficiency.
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Related Topics: · Appliance Standards Awareness Project, appliances, Department of Energy, Energy Policy and Conservation Act
February 9th, 2009
By Harriet Blake
Northerners dread opening up those utility bills this time of year. On the flip side, Southerners hate seeing theirs in summer. The local utility company is their arch nemesis. …Or is it?
More and more utility companies are working to help customers save money when it comes to energy — even though it’s counter-intuitive because when customers trim their energy bills, utility companies collect less money.
Setting up a less profit-bound system involves a concept called “decoupling,” in which states step in to help the power companies become agents for change. Typically, the state offers incentives to companies to help customers become more energy efficient. When electricity demand falls, the state might replace profits or extend other financial assistance to the power company, thereby “decoupling” the profits from usage.
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Related Topics: · California Energy Commission, Con-Edison, Department of Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Energy Star appliances, Florida Power Light, FPL, Pacific Gas & Electric, TXU Energy
