Important: 3 Key Climate Change Priorities
We should probably simplify and focus on the highest priority solutions…
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How a government program created global smart grid players
Please see the story below, first published in The Ontario Technologist Magazine. The feature photo is Jessie Ma, PhD., a former hydro engineer and a Senior Research Fellow for the Centre for Urban Energy (CUE) at Ryerson University. You can also download the PDF below. The reinvention of electricity By BF Nagy ‘SMART GRID’ IS TURNING OUT TO BE MORE
Read moreStart a new year with a plan
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Read moreCarbon tax fairness in Canada
1. Polluters should pay. It’s not fair that some individuals and organizations pollute our world more than others. They may intend to change their ways but the government uses a carbon price to discourage procrastination. 2. On the other hand it may not be fair for the government to apply a big carbon price ‘overnight.’ Instead it is phased in gradually over time, allowing
Read more4 Business benefits of clean energy
SUCCESSFUL POWER PLAYS IN THE 21ST CENTURY This article appeared originally in the International Business Times. By BF Nagy At one time you could offshore something, realize a big cost saving, get promoted to the executive suite, score more stock options, and buy a new swimming pool. That’s not working so well anymore, so what else is trending? How about
Read moreFive ways businesses benefit from clean energy
It’s time to advance your business or career by recognizing what is misinformation and what is reality. 1. Operating cost: Save on lighting, cooling, heating, equipment operation, motors, and fleet operation. Lighting upgrades pay for themselves in one year. HVAC and process upgrades pay out in three years. Each electric fleet vehicle going 200,000 miles saves about $100,000. Just modernize existing
Read moreMedia & climate change – a new approach
We environmentalists have to evolve our storytelling if we want the media to help. Their audience wants: What’s in it for me or my family? 1. Save money at home or work 2. Start something exciting or a new business (3. Help the planet) Tell me something I don’t know Examples: Texas is the wind power capital of the
Read moreNow is the time to fix our sick planet
BF NAGY RANT – OUR HOME IS SICK BUT IT CAN BE FIXED. No matter who you are, what god you believe in or who you have voted for in the past, you know what’s happening in our world. And you know what that little voice inside of you is saying. Whatever rhetoric or so called clever arguments you may
Read moreThe definitive modern climate change conversation
HOW CAN I MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE? In my day-to-day professional work I write for engineers and architects and government planners and fleet managers. I talk about success stories involving electric vehicle fleets and conversions, energy positive buildings and passive houses, new models for governments, utilities and banks to fund and accommodate the transition to cleaner technology, improvements in storage
Read moreSharpening our storytelling skills
You can always learn new things and get better. I’ve been a professional writer for a long time and thought I was pretty good at storytelling, but I recently began reading a book released a couple of years ago called The Storyteller’s Secret by Carmine Gallo. Gallo has some impressive credentials, as a storytelling coach to some people who you
Read moreOntario has a new Minister
I sometimes meet people who are not interested in politics and have few opinions in that area, but more often I meet people who have political opinions. I certainly fall into the latter category, but I truly believe that climate change solutions and priorities should not be a partisan discussion. Because of the way the issue has evolved in the
Read moreI love my bike
BIKES I love my bike. I love the chill morning air as I slip through damp city streets at daybreak. I love flitting through the leafshadows on the lakefront bike path, miles from home on a breezy-haired warm summer evening with an utterly unplanned plan. I love the quiet among the grasses; the honking and colour in the city. I
Read moreFour Key Victories for Clean Energy in North America
My thing is to be positive. I try to focus on solutions and priorities and not get too mired in dwelling on the negative effects of climate change, or the climate change fight, which always seem to receive enough exposure without my help. But there is one positive story that must be told even if it is based on the
Read moreBP & Shell have bought electric car charging companies
I’m tempted to laugh. I’m tempted to wonder cynically if they’re just appeasing progressive shareholders, or will they try to buy all the electric car charging companies and close them. But none of that is possible anymore. In fact it’s their own analysts who are predicting the massive transportation disruption. A Bloomberg article reports that BP Plc says electric vehicle
Read moreBishop to Queen 3
It was 70% more energy efficient than older models, was relatively expensive, and the home owners who bought them recovered the difference in about three years…
Read moreElon Musk is the leading visionary of our time
He has the pitching skills of Al Gore, the instincts of Thomas Edison, the vision of Steve Jobs, and the heart of Nicola Tesla…
Read more5 Ways Environmentalism is Changing
We’re ending confusion. We’re talking about solutions. Less climate debate. Less talk about the problem. Solutions. Measured results…
Read moreClimate Reality Project
I’m always amazed by the amount of talent in the room when I meet with my friends in the Climate Reality group, in this case, in Toronto (organized by Matthew Chapman). We had some fun, talked about projects, played billiards and ate some awesome food at The Rivoli, a long-time favourite place on Queen West. We all deliver the famous
Read moreUSA solar & wind cost less than coal, gas & nuclear
When something is less expensive and also a better technology like a digital camera, it becomes a no-brainer. Everyone on every side of the partisan divide should now be able to agree that we can both save money and clean up our world using renewable power generation…
Read moreThese 5 home improvements pay for themselves fast!
Some people in North America are building net-zero for the same cost as a conventional building, but these are the determined construction veterans. Still it indicates what’s possible…
Read moreIt’s not all bad news all the time
We’re having our worldview coloured by either numerous sources or not enough sources; and of course, the quality of those information sources can vary significantly too. We really do need a training course or set of guidelines…
Read moreMontreal Olympic Stadium: From notorius white elephant to $30M in clean energy savings
Montreal’s Olympic Stadium has a special place in history as the most over-budget white elephant project in the world of architecture…
Read moreTry the green celebrity quiz
If we’re going to revere them and make them wealthy because they’re the darlings on our screens, they should be setting the example for how to create a better world…
Read moreWhy is Einstein letting them pour liquid all over computer electronics?
With the rise of cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence and exascale super-computers for science, global data traffic could zoom to 15.3 zettabytes per year by 2020. A zettabyte equals 1000 gigabytes x 1000 x 1000 x 1000…
Read moreCast aside these 6 electric vehicle myths
During the life of the car you will save about $20,000 on fuel and a few thousand on maintenance, when compared to a gas car. Fleet vans travelling 300,000 miles save about $97,000 in fuel costs…
Read moreHomeowner priorities short video
Watch the one-minute video for inspiration, then with a bit of Googling you can save yourself some money on the purchase of or financing for these important initiatives, then keep saving money while reducing greenhouse gas…
Read more73% want wind & solar
Lawmakers in Washington and state capitals would be unwise to ignore this growing attitude shift, particularly given that the clean energy economy is now doing far more to add to GDP and jobs than gas and coal are doing…
Read moreWhy is this box smiling?
As with most green building technology, HRVs pay for themselves in a few years and there’s probably a grant available from your local government or utility…
Read moreWe need more split personalities
That new gas furnace will be outlawed in about 10 years. A lot of contractors will recommend gas anyway because that’s what they know how to install…
Read moreBuild affordable passive house walls in 1 day with prefab modules
A passive house is a very high standard super-insulated building that reduces the heating or cooling load by an incredible 80% – 90%…
Read moreGet off the crack
Experts say that many of our buildings are so leaky they might as well have a hole in the wall as big as a beach ball, or bigger…
Read moreGreen airplanes? Really?
Congratulations to Alaska Airlines and others who have been taking steps to green their operations…
Read moreGet the windows right
Rather than paying big energy bills every month, like a lifetime sentence, invest in high quality modern windows and good insulation…
Read moreDrain Heat Recovery
It reduces your carbon footprint and cuts water heating costs by about half, by re-using your water heat energy to preheat the incoming cold water…
Read moreLaneway housing – Small is beautiful
Stunningly beautiful laneway homes. Some are net-zero and most include super-insulation…
Read moreCompact geothermal in Detroit
Geothermal in the city? Scott Roberts of Niles, Michigan says everything is getting smaller, less expensive and smarter, including…
Read moreGeothermal replaces oil in upper state New York
Once we put the return on investment on paper, people get it immediately. With new construction of a big house, if you’re not installing geo, you haven’t done your homework…
Read moreRetired hydro researcher installs geothermal
Stewart Brown spent 29 years as a researcher at Ontario Hydro, so he knew…
Read moreMore than $100 Billion in green bonds
Ethical opportunities for progressive investors to earn competitive returns, while providing funding for clean energy projects…
Read moreGreen building retrofits in Ontario
For homeowners, there has never been a better time to save money while fighting climate change…
Read moreThis home is net-zero energy
In North America it will soon be illegal to build a new home that uses more energy than it generates…
Read moreOntario, Quebec and California
Many people are unaware of the fact that cap-and-trade programs mean that the biggest polluters pay the most for pollution, rather than all taxpayers paying more than our fair share…
Read moreFully electric Ford F-150 & Chevy Silverado pickup trucks
“The F-150 is America,” says Mitchell Yow, who has done something a lot of people will be very interested in. He has developed a true bolt-on fully electric package for the Ford F-150…
Read moreGM is now clean energy player
The Chevy Bolt had a terrific first year, selling 23,242 vehicles in the US and increasing sales in virtually every month of the year. It was the best selling fully electric car…
Read moreEnergy-positive homes in Massachusetts
A few homes came with enough panels to power the house and an electric car for 30,000 miles. He’s working on more than 100 net-zero or better homes that cost just…
Read moreWalmart solar, geothermal & more
Solar panels on the roofs of more than 300 stores, LED lighting and geothermal under parking lots, electric vehicle charging stations, and state-of-the-art…
Read moreNew York City has 389 fully electric vehicles
“We’re saving more than 80% on fuel compared to gas vehicles and 50% on maintenance. New York has also reduced fatalities and liability costs with modern…
Read moreHyatt Sacramento Hotel installs chargers
An intelligent billing and data system allows the hotel to choose to provide charging for free, for a nominal fee, or at market rates, depending on whether the user is a guest, an employee,…
Read moreTop banks take clean tech mainstream
Curt Radkin at Wells Fargo says.“Sustainability is good business.” The bank has provided $70 billion+ in financing for green projects, is involved in 8% of all wind and solar…
Read moreNew green project certification accelerates investment
Using the IREE designation to certify clean energy projects as investor-ready, this well-structured new program is popular with investment firms and banks, and is contributing to unprecedented…
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