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America's "Metropolitan Moment"

by Elizabeth Willmott on

In the September 15 issue of The Atlantic magazine, Brookings expert Bruce Katz called out a “metropolitan moment,” in which municipal and regional leaders are “adapting the discipline of private sector business planning…to the task of revitalizing and restructuring metropolitan economies.”

Growing Drumbeat from Rational Republicans to Address Climate Change

by Eileen V. Quigley on

Of late, a rising set of rational Republican voices can be heard affirming the assessment of 95 percent of the scientific community that the earth is warming at an alarming rate due to burning fossil fuels.

RePower Bainbridge

by Bobby Hayden on

How citizens on Bainbridge Island came together and created an option to change behavior through energy use, move closer to carbon neutrality and become a model for other communities. "We’ve seen a 50 percent decrease in our heating costs and our overall energy costs are down approximately 35 percent.” - Matt Olson, Bainbridge Island homeowner and RePower Bainbridge participant

The home run we need: Biocarbon

by Rhys Roth on

RBI.  I’m a baseball fanatic -- especially in playoff season -- and I was hoping that our new program could have that acronym.  

Kilowatt Crackdown

by Bobby Hayden on

How commercial building owners use energy efficiency to become more competitive in a challenging market.

Bright Lights... Big Savings

by Bobby Hayden on

In Spokane, a public performing arts center held great potential for energy efficiency upgrades given its age. Watch how improving the efficiency of the facility reduced the amount of electricity and natural gas used, thus helping to offset rising energy prices.

Fuel Cells: Charging Ahead

by Jamie Pool on

While fuel cell technology is still advancing, certain applications are on the market right now, providing jobs at over 630 companies and labs across the United States.

Social Norms and Energy Efficiency

by Hendrik Van Hemert on

Are we wrong to always assume households act economically rational when considering efficiency? A growing interest in behavioral frameworks for energy efficiency programs is challenging this assumption and several recent studies support a shift from pure economic incentive to a greater behavioral focus.

Marketing Energy Efficiency for Local Municipalities

by Eberley Wedlake on

To be successful, energy efficiency programs can employ strategic marketing principles - focusing on audience, strategic messaging and media, and engagement with contractors - to involve residents in retrofitting their homes.

Extreme Weather and Global Climate Change

by Eileen V. Quigley on

This week’s news brought stark evidence that extreme weather likely caused by global climate change is threatening global food supply and destroying communities.

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United states (and a province) flex for climate progress

Major media outlets show an uncertain committment to climate and clean energy journalism; while the US stalls out on climate progress, Washington, California and Quebec collaborate to reduce pollution