San Francisco, the city that banned plastic bags, bottled water and Styrofoam, is taking another big step down the path to sustainable urban living. In March 2011, the City of San Francisco will begin installing more than 17,000 LED street lighting fixtures, effectively replacing most city-owned street lamps.
Tags: · Anchorage, CFLs, Davies Symphony Hall, fluorescents, LED lights, LED street lights, LEDs, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, San Francisco environmental program, San Francisco green, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Seattle, street lamps, street lights
A sign warns of pollution in the Duwamish River. (Photo: Washington State Dept. of Health)
Tags: · Boeing, Duwamish Waterway, King County International Airport, Rivers, Seattle, Water Pollution
From Green Right Now Reports
The Department of Energy announced $10 million has been awarded to 16 cities for 40 new Solar America Cities Special Projects. The funds, made through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will enable the cities to increase solar energy use in their communities through innovative programs and policies that the government believes can be replicated across the nation.
The cities chosen for these awards came from the group of 25 large U.S. cities that are part of the DOE’s Solar America Cities program, which recognizes the participating cities as partners highly committed to solar technology adoption at the local level. Those cities already have been given millions of dollars in funds and technical assistance to accelerate solar adoption.
Tags: · Austin, Berkeley, Boston, Department of Energy, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York City, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Seattle, Solar America Cities Special Projects, Tucson
From Green Right Now Reports
King County Metro in Seattle has ordered up to 500 diesel-electric hybrid buses from Daimler Buses North America. The first year order includes 93 hybrids, and the transit service took options for up to 200 more buses.
Daimler says the first Orion VII diesel-electric hybrids will be delivered to Seattle beginning in mid-2010.
With the latest orders, Daimler Buses says it will have a total of more than 2,900 diesel-electric hybrid transit buses in revenue service or on order for various transit authorities throughout the U.S. and Canada – making it the largest hybrid provider worldwide.
Tags: · Daimler, Orion VII diesel-electric hybrids, Seattle
By John DeFore
Green Right Now
Somewhere in between the sleep-away camps, beach excursions and baseball games of summer, kids and parents alike generally see the appeal of the sand-free floors and refrigerated air of a good museum. Institutions across the country know this is a great time to squeeze some education into kid-friendly, entertaining exhibitions; here’s a list of some of the best nature-oriented attractions for vacationers who’ve felt a bit too much heat this month.
Tags: · American Museum of Natural History, Audubon Insectarium, Chicago, Cockrell Butterfly Center, Exploratorium, Houston, museum exhibits, Museum of Natural Science, Museum of Science and Industry, nature exhibits, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC
From Green Right Now Reports
Puget Sound Energy announced it has distributed more than 10 million free and discounted compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to its more than 1 million electric customers in Western Washington since the residential lighting program launched in 2002.
The utility said there is now an average of 10 energy-saving bulbs in use for every customer in the utility’s 9-county electric service area. PSE has distributed the bulbs to electric customers through local retailers, events and special promotions.
Tags: · Puget Sound Energy, Seattle
By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
You know your car is a gas hound. But what about the water it requires?
Keeping a car clean, whether you rinse it off in your driveway or get it scrubbed at a professional wash, uses buckets of agua, more than you might realize.
If you’re careful, washing your car at home might use 10 gallons of water, but probably more like 25 or 50. A car wash can use much more, in the range of 75 to 100 gallons.
Tags: · Advanced Mobile, Autos, Chicago, Eco Suds, Eco Suds Hand Car Wash, Eco-Pit, EPA, Greener Businesses, Houston, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, Water Conservation, water efficiency
America’s urban centers are becoming ever greener, with the National League of Cities holding its first ever Green Cities Conference last month. While many cities have recently taken up environmental causes, some have been carrying the banner for years.
Seattle, home to such earlier innovations as the 60s Space Needle, Microsoft, and grunge rock, is one such green leader.
In 2008, Seattle was anointed the nation’s leader in LEED-certified buildings by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), culminating an eight-year-old sustainable building policy calling for city-funded projects to be LEED-qualified at the silver level.
Seattle also can boast about its:
Tags: · Carbon footprint, Climate Change, Climate Protection Initiative, Energy Conservation, global warming, Mayor Greg Nickels, National League of Cities, Seattle, trash reduction, Water Conservation
By Sommer Saadi
Green Right Now
Do not underestimate the excitement of Earth Day. Trust us. There is a lot to look forward to this year – the Green Apple Festival and Earth Day Network are making sure of it.
The two organizations have teamed up to put together the largest Earth Day festival in America. The event will take place April 17 to 19 (the weekend before the official Earth Day on April 22) and features simultaneous service events in ten major cities across the nation including New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
Tags: · 1 House at a Time, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Earth Day Network, Green Apple Festivals, International Bird Rescue Research Center, Los Angeles, Lower East Side Ecology Center, New York City, Planet Green, Seattle, Washington
Learning not to waste – whether it’s food, electricity or water – is not only good in these economic times, but even more important, it’s beneficial for the environment.
The Nalgene Least Wasteful City Study, released this week, ranks the country’s 25 largest metropolitan areas on wasteful behavior. San Francisco led the group with the least wasteful habits, while Atlanta ranked at the bottom.
Tags: · Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Least Wasteful City Study, Los Angeles, Nalgene, New York, Portland, Recycle & Reuse, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis
Nalgene’s least wasteful city study, which was produced from a survey of 3,750 Americans in the top 25 largest cities that sought to probe their “mindset”, asking them about their green habits like whether they used public transportation and reusable grocery bags or composted and reused containers — resulted in San Francisco taking top honors as the most mindfully-least-wastefully green city:
Tags: · Boston, Denver, Least Wasteful Cities, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nalgene, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC
Photo: Green Apple Network From Green Right Now Reports Green Apple Festival and Earth Day Network have released the 2009 line up for the free “Green Apple Thank You Concerts” for volunteers in major cities across the country over Earth Day Weekend (April 17 through 19). Performers at the flagship event “Earth Day on the [...]
Tags: · Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Denver, Earth Day Network, Green Apple Festival, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC
Barbara Kessler
Andrew Winston
Danielle Nierenberg
Anthony Swift