March 29, 2023

Green Concrete: The Foundation for a Sustainable Home

New, green concrete options are emerging to help lower the embodied carbon of homes and buildings and achieve global climate goals.

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March 9, 2022

The Zero Carbon Renovation Revolution  Has Arrived

Over 75 million existing homes in the U.S. are dependent on fossil fuels for heating, hot water, and cooking. If we want to achieve carbon neutrality, renovating these homes on the path to zero is a significant and urgent challenge.

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April 9, 2021

With Electric Cars Rolling, Washington Should Now Turn to Electric Homes

Electric vehicles are rolling off assembly lines and onto American roadways in ever increasing numbers. This is not a random economic shift. Significant government support over the last decade has greased the skids. Now it’s time to apply the same financial incentives and regulatory support for zero energy homes.

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March 18, 2021

Bill Gates’ Path to Zero

He may no longer be the world’s richest man, but he still has some big ideas about reducing greenhouse gases. Gates’ latest book describes an ambitious, well-thought-out, set of climate actions needed to get to zero by 2050. Building efficiency and electric vehicles are just the “easy” part. Here are highlights from his plan for what must be done and how to make it happen. It's a must read for all who want to help avoid a climate disaster.

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December 9, 2020

How to Find Common Ground with Climate Skeptics 

Most people feel as if society is at a stalemate. Opinions are stuck and steadfast. Tempers flare. Finding common ground with others is more important — and more difficult — than ever. Try these techniques to move toward solutions.

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December 9, 2020

Give a Holiday Gift to the Environment

Tired of giving “stuff” as holiday gifts? Here’s an idea for holiday generosity that benefits the planet and your peeps.

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June 12, 2020

Does Your Insulation Have Low Embodied Carbon?

Zero energy homes need thick layers of insulation, but some materials have serious climate impacts. Identify the key factors that affect the carbon footprint of insulation materials and some good choices for future projects.

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April 13, 2020

A Zero Carbon Building Primer

Zero energy buildings are here and growing in the market. Now it’s time to set our sights on the next step in the evolution of building design and construction: zero carbon.

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January 17, 2020

Cities Take the Lead by Building Strong Climate Action Plans

The US government may be moving backward on climate action, but cities and other local governments are forging ahead. Zero Energy Project has assembled a list of more than 400 cities and their climate action plans from around the US and Canada. View the locations on our interactive map or sort the list to find cities by name or population.

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November 18, 2019

Energy Efficiency is Necessary but Not Nearly Sufficient!

Ask people how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and most will say “improve energy efficiency.” That may be a step in the right direction, but it’s time to adopt a better measure – a building’s total carbon emissions.

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June 18, 2019

Getting to Zero: Buildings, Transportation and Agriculture

Energizing the Green New Deal Part Three is the final installment of our three-part series on realistic, primarily market-based methods for creating a zero carbon economy. Buildings are responsible for about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions and transportation for another 29%, so there is a lot of work to do there. Agriculture and forestry are two more fields that must be addressed.

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June 18, 2019

Getting to Zero: Utilities and Industry

The future is electric and the power will come mostly, if not entirely, from renewable sources. In Part Two of Energizing the Green New Deal, we get specific about strategies that utilities and heavy industry can utiliz e to address climate change and make a profit at the same time. Utilities will play a central role in guiding development of renewable resources and efficient ways to deploy them. Industry may present the greatest challenges, but there are existing technologies to smooth the transition, plus smart incentives and new technologies in the pipeline.

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