Denver's RTD Sets the Standard in Hybrid Electric Buses

Denver's Regional Transportation District operates a fleet of 36 hybrid electric buses on the 16th Street Mall, each powered by a dual electric and compressed natural gas (CNG) engine. The buses have greater fuel efficiency and produce lower emissions than a typical diesel bus. It is one of the world's largest fleets of advanced heavy-duty alternative vehicles.

Source

Recycle Your Tree and Make a Difference

After the clock strikes 2012 and your ornaments are boxed away, help your tree sprout wings!  The City of Denver provides residents FREE Christmas tree recycling between January 3-13.  Just put your tree out for collection curbside.  In the spring, you can enjoy mulch for your garden made from Christmas trees across the city.  The mulch will be available at the May 5th FREE Mulch Giveaway and Compost Sale.  For more information, click here.

Want to increase the value of your home or office? Go Green.

AUSTRALIA'S valuers have confirmed the hype - going ''green'' definitely increases the value of an office building.

The buildings worth the most are those that have the best energy rating, the Australian Property Institute found in a report it said was the first rigorous assessment of green office buildings in the nation. Buildings with low energy ratings lost value.

The study said office buildings with a five-star NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating Scheme) energy rating created a premium of 9 per cent, while three to 4½ stars delivered a 2 to 3 per cent premium in value. The Green Star rating showed a premium of 12 per cent.

NABERS measures energy and water use in existing buildings, while Green Star evaluates the environmental design and construction of buildings.

The API was the lead group for the study, which was led by Richard Bowman, senior API committee member and a partner in real estate services with Ernst & Young. He headed a panel of experts representing the big estate agents and valuation firms.

The study evaluated 206 NABERS-rated office buildings and 160 non-NABERS buildings in Sydney and Canberra. Of the NABERS-rated buildings, Sydney's central business district accounted for 90, suburban Sydney 91 and Canberra 25. They included premium, A, B and C grade and 97 per cent had an area greater than 2000 square metres.

The analysis used 23 four to six-star Green Star buildings for the ''office design'' and ''office as built'' categories.

The portfolio comprised Sydney CBD (22 per cent), Sydney suburban (39 per cent) and Canberra (39 per cent) and Green Star ratings of four stars (43 per cent), five stars (48 per cent) and six stars (9 per cent).
The study was prompted by concerns about the environmental impact of the property industry. It said buildings contributed up to 23 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions, 40 per cent of energy requirements, 16 per cent of water use, 30 per cent of solid landfill waste, 40 per cent of raw materials and 71 per cent of electricity consumption.

click here for full story

Denver Water Rules

Did you know more than 50 percent of summer water use is on landscapes? Follow Denver Water’s summer watering rules to reduce waste and save money.

In 2011 Denver Water will continue to enforce watering rules*, so please use water wisely.

• Lawn watering is NOT allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. — water during cooler times of the day.
• Water no more than three days per week.
• Do not allow water to pool in gutters, streets and alleys.
• Do not waste water by letting it spray on concrete and asphalt.
• Repair leaking sprinkler systems within 10 days.
• Do not irrigate while it is raining or during high winds.
• Use a hose nozzle with a shut-off valve when washing your car.

*Please note, there are some exceptions to watering rules and how the rules apply to gardening.

Check out the Denver Water Website for more information

Denver Ranks in at #5 for Latest Major Green City Study!

A new study commissioned by the Siemens Corp is putting smiles on the faces of Denver’s clean energy aficionados. The Mile High city is ranked the fifth “greenest” major city in the U.S. and Canada Green City Index, which looks at the environmental performance and policies of 27 cities.

“Our goal with the Green City Index is to identify best practices, advance good ideas and provide a baseline for cities to help them set targets for themselves so that they can serve as role models for others with their innovative policies,” said Alison Taylor, Siemens’ chief sustainability officer for the Americas.

Not surprisingly, San Francisco finished first with an index score of 83.8, followed by Vancouver, New York, Seattle and Denver. Denver scored 73.5 points in the index. We are still not sure how the Big Apple scored ahead of Denver, but we’ll leave that discussion for another time.

The index examined environmental performance and policies in nine areas: CO2 emissions, energy, land use, buildings, transport, water, waste, air quality and environmental governance.

Here is what the report said about Denver: “The city’s strongest categories are energy and environmental governance, where it places first. Its clean and efficient energy policies are among the most robust in the Index, and its environmental governance performance is supported by its green action plan, green management and strong public participation.”

The results of the report also speak to the value of the clean energy and sustainable public policies enacted by Denver officials over the last several years. These folks deserve a pat on the back.

Click here to download a PDF of the report.

Posted by Ann Rascalli

Click here to see the full article at Coloradoenergynews.com

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint and Help Save Our Planet

With temperatures going up across the globe, glaciers disappearing, and ocean levels rising scientist have developed a measure that shows how much of an impact each person has on the environment. You’ve probably heard the term “carbon footprint”, this is a measure of how much carbon is pumped into the environment based on the amount of energy an individual use.

In well established industrial societies the carbon footprint is much higher than it is in developing countries because industrial societies consume more coal, gas and oil; as an example data shows the United States consume 25% of the worlds energy. This means that our society has a massive carbon footprint.

For every electrical or gas powered device you use or ride in, you contribute to the worlds carbon footprint, this means taking a train, bus, car, boat, your lawnmower, hedge trimmer, leaf blower, refrigerator, range top, microwave oven, your home entertainment center, computer… Well you get the picture, all these systems and devices use energy that is derived mostly from carbon based fossil fuels and as such these energy source when burned produce CO2 and other pollutants that have a negative impact on the environment and our health.

We each also have a carbon footprint impact when we import goods from abroad, due to the fact that an entire infrastructure that consumes massive amounts of energy needs to be created to transport those goods. That’s why it’s always best to buy locally, especially the foods you eat., besides it’s fresher and helps the local economy.

So Here Are A Few Tips To Help You Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Turn off unused electrical devices like home entertainment systems, computers and peripherals using smart power saving power strips.

Determine which appliances like your refrigerator, washer, air conditioner… are energy consuming monsters using an Home Energy Monitor and follow recommended manufactures instructions to help these devices operate more efficiently or replace them with higher efficiency models.

Insulate your home and caulk cracks and crevices, this well save you energy in the winter months by keeping the heat in as well as during the summer by keeping the heat out and preventing your cool air from leaking out of your home. Change your windows or use a high R rated film to minimize infrared infiltration during the summer which causes you air conditioner to work harder.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle! It takes far less energy recycle used products than it does to excavate the raw materials to build new ones. Stop buying bottle water, plastic bottles are made from oil and consume large amounts of energy to produce; on top of that they are harmful to the environment as they do not breakdown over time like organic materials do.

It has also been found the water bottled in plastic containers for an extended period can leach chemicals from the plastic into the water. So while you think you’re drinking healthy fresh water you’re not, buy a quality water filter instead and use a glass or stainless steel vessel to store and consume your water from.

Check out this blog to see the whole article and learn more about our carbon footprint and what we can do to make a difference.

Energy Saving Tip

Wash clothes in cold water. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.