Archive for February, 2010

Note: Italicized words refer to sustainability policy nomenclature described by Professor John Ehrenfeld in “Sustainability by Design.”

So many realists and environmental activists who truly care about where our precious and uniquely supportive planet appears to be heading feel enormous disappointment at what was achieved in Copenhagen in December 2009, especially since this was a seemingly logical follow-up to the early 1990’s Kyoto agreements. Within an estimated plus or minus 5-10 years, it is reliably and geologically estimated that Peak Oil Production may have already passed the world by. Disturbingly, the Copenhagen Conference followed less than 18 months More >

New Mexico has been moving on a deliberate path to become the Clean Energy State since “net metering” – the right to spin your electricity meter backward and be credited for the energy – became law in 1999. Our state is now considered to be among the top states in the country for renewable energy and is poised to grow rapidly in photovoltaic (PV) and renewable energy. Here is an overview of recent developments and an outlook for the near future.

Last month Governor Richardson signed an executive order that outlines the state’s course to building a More >

In last month’s article I reviewed our growing population and the declining precipitation rates that Northern New Mexico has experienced over the past several decades. This paints a very arid picture indeed for this part of the country. Pumping more water or increasing water transfer from other areas is not going to solve this problem; it just increases the need for more power generation, and this directly translates into more power plants. For those of us who love our amazing vistas and crystal clear blue skies, the solution to our water needs can’t involve polluting our skies. Clearly, More >

Existing commercial and residential buildings are responsible for almost half of all energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the US. But while fancy, big-windowed, eco-friendly new buildings get all the press, what people often forget about is the huge number of energy-inefficient buildings in existence that will not be torn down anytime soon. To make a significant dent in CO2 emissions nationwide, it will be necessary to make those buildings efficient by implementing energy retrofits. And, building owners can save money in the process.

Energy retrofits are also necessary because of changes in use and More >

Congrats on stirring up discussion about LEED.

I was invited to be on the expert panel to revise LEED v 1, because I’d written a book, Sustainable Landscape Construction. We met on an opulent Rockefeller estate, a schizoid experience – but that’s another story.

Prior to this, LEED had little landscape architectural representation; we added many outdoor-tactic points. But one fundamental issue was unresolvable: a perfectly green structure, placed badly within an ecosystem, can still do more damage than good. At that time, for example, you could not get LEED certification if smoking was permitted, but you could if you built in More >

Good policy attempts to fairly weigh the legitimate concerns of various stakeholders. Such are the challenges of setting the environmental goals of New Mexico’s electrical infrastructure. How do you balance the growth of the budding renewable energy industry with the need for utilities to stay financially healthy, while keeping energy affordable and reducing carbon emissions? This was the basic question asked throughout recent policy talks regarding PNM’s renewable portfolio and new solar incentive structure.

The talks resulted in a stipulated agreement that will be examined by the NM Public Regulation Commission over the coming months. The plan maintains heavy More >

There is definitely not a shortage of discussion about energy, the economy and climate change these days. Recurring challenges remain, equally on the global, national and local levels, with how we will find sustainable solutions to integrate this nexus and its inherent interconnections. To a large extent, economics play a pivotal role in both the systemic problem and solution. Many of us want to better address energy and climate change issues, and there are relevant initiatives on the local community level that support these efforts. However, resources, especially financial, remain very limited, and beyond energy efficiency measures, which have More >