Welcome to the March 2009 Green InSight eNewsletter!

Jon Dougal Editor, Green InSight

"For the last 500 years, islands have been home to more
extinctions than all of the great continents combined.
Today, the earth's wetlands, mangroves and coral reefs
are now more endangered than the world's rainforests." Unknown

This insightful and progressive newsletter is concerned with present energy issues and technologies as well as the future of energy. The information is brought to you in living color, on widescreen digital HD format, and sparing paper use with our long shelf-life, greedy little electrons to deliver the latest from the far corners of the alternative and renewable energy empire to foster sustainable development. We exalt your feedback and contributions of your latest experiences and reactions to our content. Sustainability is not just our mission, it is our passion.

Increased Number Think Global Warming Is "Exaggerated"

Most believe global warming is happening, but urgency has stalled

by Lydia Saad

PRINCETON, NJ -- Although a majority of Americans believe the seriousness of global warming is either correctly portrayed in the news or underestimated, a record-high 41% now say it is exaggerated. This represents the highest level of public skepticism about mainstream reporting on global warming seen in more than a decade of Gallup polling on the subject.

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H2 Uh Oh: Climatic drought is just one of several worries for California’s water future

By: Rick Bishop
Date: March 3rd, 2009
Source: WRCOG

Ednote: The very sad part about human beings is that they don’t act on a “potential threat” until they are confronted by the impacts in real time. We have a climate crisis, oil crisis and an even more critical water crisis. The climate crisis is like we’re in a pan of water and the temperature is getting hotter, but we can still bear it. It will be too late when we are aware that the temp is going to kill us. At some point in the very near future we are going to have to increase everybody’s taxes to pay for moving entire civilizations away from the rising seas.

The water shortage is cyclical, yes, but right now it is about to impact California and many southwest regions with water rationing. Heavy fines for washing your car or watering your lawn, lawns will go bye-bye. California’s governator has made a “call to arms” to combat water shortages…

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Europe’s Way of Encouraging Solar Power Arrives in the U.S.

By: Kate Galbraith
Date: March 13, 2009
Source: The New York Times (www.nytimes.com)

Ednote: When you see the movie the International – with Clive Owen & Naomi Watts, you’ll view the German rooftops of virtually every building covered in PV. We’re 8 years behind the renewable energy curve. Many countries around the world have seen the promise of cheaper energy coupled with rising demand and have acted quickly through incentive based legislation. Now we are moving forward perhaps too slowly, but progress is at hand. Here is a background on why Germany has become the fastest growing solar energy country and why the U.S. should emulate the policy.

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Led's To Save $1.8 Trillion, Cut Emissions

Light emitting diodes, commonly called LEDs, are real unsung heroes in the electronics world. They do dozens of different jobs and are found in all kinds of devices. Among other things, they form the numbers on digital clocks, transmit information from remote controls, light up watches and tell you when your appliances are turned on. Collected together, they can form images on a sign or illuminate a traffic light or jumbo television screen.

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Spin Battery Uses New Source of Energy

Ednote: We can solarize the entire southwest and every house in the nation can have a solar energy input to run the house - all day long. We can have solar cells to run cars down the freeway - all day long. What happens at night is the sun goes somewhere else. Batteries are the needed silver bullet that can transform a coal based power system in the U.S. Here are some promising new technologies…

InterfaceFLOR 1st to Get 3rd Party Verified EPD

Date: March 5, 2009
Source: Imterface (www.interfaceflor.com)

Ednote: Way back in the early 90’s Interface Flooring (soft floors) was the major innovator of things green. Ray Anderson was the original Co-Chair of the Presidents Council on Sustainability with William McDonough under the Clinton/Gore administration. Ray went on a walkabout all over the US giving his sustainable message and building the green image of Interface in the process. Those of us that were inspired by Ray’s “standing room only” talks went on to proselytize his message to anyone who would listen.

Interface was the first company to publish a yearly corporate “Environmental Report” documenting the amount of waste and pollution they had reduced in their manufacturing process. Interface under Ray Anderson became the leader in the flooring industry and soon all the companies followed suit-along with some marketing pressure from the public about the 2.5bln tons of non-recycled flooring that was arriving at the landfills nationally. Because of Interface and Ray Anderson’s vision the flooring industry became the first and leading industry to endorse “sustainability”.

With the EPD certification they have done it again. Bravo!

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CRI Publishes Carpet Sustainability Standards

Date: March 9, 2009
Source: Sustainable Facility (www.sustainablefacility.com)

Ednote: The flooring industry has been a forerunner in the effort towards sustainability in a market sector. The Carpet and Rug Institute took an aggressive scientific approach to help its members position their companies on the road to sustainability, first championed by Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface, the industry became more proactive towards recycling and thereby reducing “embodied energy”. Now the CRI is moving to gain the industry members more creditability by having 3rd party certifications…

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Faith-based BIM

by Michael Tardif, Assoc. AIA,
Contributing Editor Source: GreenSage E-Zine (www.GreenSage.com)

Ednote: At the AIA conference in San Antonio in May of 2007, there were many purveyors of BIM technology and the presentations heralded a massive move in the A/E community to totally spec a building with on-line technology. In fact the need for an architect's library and live samples were said to be things of the past. The following article seems to put BIM in context.

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Interested in sponsoring our next eNewsletter issue? Contact Jon Dougal at (415) 798-1933 or editor@greenmotion.org.