At this years TED talks, Bill Gates unveiled his vision for the world's energy future, describing the need for "miracles" to avoid planetary catastrophe and explaining why he's backing a dramatically different type of nuclear reactor. The necessary goal? Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050. You can watch his whole talk below or visit the TED site to view other interesting talks. TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. The conf … Continue reading

On February 12th, the Obama Administration announced a multi-agency initiative to spur regional economic growth while making buildings more energy efficient.  Seven federal agencies, including the Dept. of Energy, Dept. of Labor and the Small Business Administration, issued a combined Funding Opportunity Announcement of nearly $130 million over five years to create a regional research center that will develop new building efficiency technologies and work with local partners to implement the technologies in area buildings. Since buildings account for nearly 40 percent … Continue reading

For many that keep track of the global climate debate, the next 12 days is about as exciting as it gets.  That’s because from December 7th through the 18th,  193 of the world’s nations will have their top climate and environmental ministers in Copenhagen for the 15th annual Conference of the Parties (or COP15) of the United Nations Climate Change Convention.  The goal for this year’s conference is to establish an ambitious global climate agreement that can take the place of the expiring Kyoto Protocol. … Continue reading