‘I don’t want to die’: As the country bakes, studies show poor city neighborhoods are often much hotter than wealthy ones
Here in DC, heat impacts specific neighborhoods in different ways. Socioeconomic factors combine with variations in temperature and vegetation to create increased risk of heat-related health risks for our vulnerable neighbors. [Washington Post]
A New Prescription for Healthy Building Retrofits
A new report by Energy Efficiency for All report offers a comprehensive guide for builders and policymakers in the use of readily available, healthier insulation and sealing materials, presenting policy frameworks to accelerate these materials’ adoption and improve air quality, both inside homes and outside, for better community health. [NRDC Blog]
What Will It Take to Make Buildings Carbon Neutral?
If cities are going to curb the rise of global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius, they’ll have to address the single largest contributor, by sector, to their carbon footprint: buildings. Buildings account for roughly 50 percent of a city’s total carbon emissions, and 70 percent in major cities like London, Los Angeles, and Paris. So what happens next? [CityLab]
Exhaustive new study looks at kitchen exhaust and household air quality
Kitchen exhaust is a big deal for people interested in energy-efficient homes; the designers work so hard to seal houses up tight and control the ventilation. A new study from researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder shows the impacts of cooking and an assessment of indoor air quality in passive and tightly constructed homes. [Treehugger]
Energy Efficiency: The Swiss Army Knife Of Clean Energy
Meeting global climate challenges will require every tool we have. Energy efficiency is the one dynamic solutions-set that supports all the things we ask our buildings to be – climate-friendly, resilient, safe, smart, secure, healthy, and grid-interactive. It’s also a huge economic engine. [ASE Blog]
Veterans Rock Energy Efficiency Jobs
Every workday, 2.25 million American energy efficiency professionals are on the job. Data from E4TheFuture's new report, Energy Efficiency Jobs in America, shows that while only 6 percent of the U.S. workforce are veterans, veterans make up 11 percent of energy efficiency workers. [E4TheFuture Blog]
Make These Five Energy-Efficient Improvements To Increase Your Home's Value
It's undeniable: Energy efficiency is in. In 2018, there’s an abundance of reasons why you should make your home more energy efficient. As a homeowner, there are hundreds of small, tangible steps you can take to do just that. They can be as minor as replacing your lightbulbs and switching detergents, or as large as installing solar panels. [Forbes]