Saturday, April 28, 2007

Jump over to Apartment Therapy and read about Sundance's "The Green"


Apt Therapy

They've got a mini review of a book I read a few years ago that was given to me by a dear friend at UNR called "Cradle to Cradle." If you haven't read it yet, it's still timely. Cradle to Cradle

Nevada Legislators cry about green upgrades

This is an interesting predicament to be in that obviously needs more information:

Nevada lawmakers were told Thursday the state's capital improvements will cost millions more in the coming years because of continued high inflation in the construction industry and costs related to making buildings more energy-and water-efficient.

Gus Nunez, deputy manager of the state Public Works Board, outlined $300 million worth of capital improvements, about a third of projects planned by the state, to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

Nunez said the costs reflect projected inflation for construction materials and increased costs of meeting the U.S. Green Building Council's rating system, called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED. In 2005, the Legislature required all new state buildings to be built to LEED requirements. NVAppeal

The LEEDs green buidling design standards are supposed to improve energy costs over the long run. LEEDS

Over at Wikipedia, the following is stated:
LEED is a leading guide for green building in the United States and it is developed and continuously modified by experienced professionals in the green building industry to best meet its goals. Some criticism suggests that while the LEED rating system is sensitive to local environmental conditions, its checklist system does not vary by the local environmental conditions enough (for instance, a building in Maine would receive the same credit as a building in Arizona for water conservation, though the principle is more important in the latter case). Another complaint is that its certification costs require money that could be used to make the building in question even more sustainable. On the other hand, costs of registration and certification vary according to the size of the project in such a way that they are always a minimal financial commitment relative to the entire project costs. WIKI: LEEDS
No one ever said it wasn't going to hurt to bite the bullet on green energy or green building standards. The Nevada legislature shouldn't give up on this yet.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Dina Titus: SB 422 passes to make Nevada's first step in climate control

From Dina Titus:
Nevada can join its neighbors in this anti-global warming effort with the passage of SB 422. Specifically, my bill requires the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection to develop a statewide greenhouse gas inventory that will identify and evaluate the sources, types, and amounts of greenhouse gases released in the State. It also establishes requirements for participation in a verifiable greenhouse gas registry and mandates annual reporting of all greenhouse gases emitted from certain sources, beginning with power plants.
Dina Titus Blog

Friday, April 6, 2007

Sparks company pleads guilty for 2003 pollution to Truckee sewer treatment facility

Sometimes, people get caught. This company, no longer operating, just got a $30,000. penalty for violating the Clean Water Act.

PR Link

Pelosi on recent report: "Global warming is already underway"

"The new scientific report on global warming warns
that global warming is already affecting the earth
and that the effects are likely to be significant and
widespread in this century, causing increased drought,
drinking water shortages, and widespread extinction
of species. Poor people around the world are especially
vulnerable to the hazards of climate change.
"Global warming is already underway, but it is not
too late to slow it down and reduce its harmful effects.
We must base our actions on the moral imperative and
the scientific record, free of political interference in
scientists' assessments of the effects of climate change
on society and the environment.

Story

A summary of the report can be read at this link: IPCC website

Jump over the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change website: IPCC website

Welcome to this Green Nevada blog!

I will be covering green energy and lots of other issues related to the environment in this great state and the planet. Join in and let me know if you have any suggestions to add to the content here.