Wireless Lighting Retrofits Offer Quick Payback
A new study shows significant first-cost savings with wireless lighting control systems, with higher equipment costs offset by the reduced labor for running wires. (Environmental Building News)
Alcoa Unveils Building Panels That Eat Smog
The company has launched a coil-coated architectural panel that helps clean itself and the air around it. (Smart Planet)
Madison, Wis., Expands Green Initiatives
The city is considering an ambitious blueprint to spread the green movement deeper into the community and broaden its goals, which include tapping solar and wind power, retrofitting buildings, buying hybrid buses, and cutting pollution. (Madison.com)
Phoenix's Green Building Funds Depleted
A financial incentive to encourage more green building in the city soon will disappear because nearly all of the available grant funding has been allocated. (The Arizona Republic)
Oregon Developer Bets on Green for Resort Community
The owners of the Audubon-certified Tetherow Golf Course are betting that eco-friendly homes can revitalize stalled plans for residential neighborhoods to surround the 18-hole course outside Bend. (Sustainable Business Oregon)
Bipartisan Act Would Cut Energy Bills, Says Natural Resources Defense Council
The recently introduced Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2011 is a comprehensive energy efficiency bill that if enacted will reduce the nation’s energy bills, while creating jobs and reducing dangerous pollution. (The NRDC Switchboard)
Seattle Launches Building Energy Disclosure Program
Under a new initiative, the city’s commercial buildings will have their energy performance benchmarked and energy ratings available to prospective buyers, tenants, and lenders. (Environmental Leader)
Sunny Days Ahead for Solar Industry
The U.S. solar industry grew 67% from 2009 to 2010, making it the fastest-growing energy sector and one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. (Property Casualty 360)
Pardee Unveils Community of National Green Building Standard-Certified Homes
Set to achieve Gold-level status, LivingSmart Homes at Fair Oaks Ranch will include standard solar along with a range of energy-, water-, and resource-efficient products and details. (EcoHome)
