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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

One of the most costly aspects of beautiful flooring can be found in an unexpected place: Cleaning products. Not only do they put a squeeze on your wallet (some cleaners are upwards of $5 per bottle – and you ‘need’ a special bottle for each different type of flooring, so you can never just buy one all-purpose cleaner…), but they also put a squeeze on the environment with their harsh chemicals and oftentimes heavy-duty manufacturing processes. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

It is becoming increasingly clear to many people that fossil energy cannot meet the demands of current global needs, let alone future sustainability. Fossil fuels are not renewable, and their reserves are getting depleted every day. In addition, the processes involved in extracting and using them pose both health and environmental hazards.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Survey

Look at your current neighborhood.  The occupation or omission of power lines may show its age.  Usually, older neighborhoods, built in a time of limited urban planning, host aboveground lines, while newer neighborhoods enjoy the benefit of underground utility wires.

It would seem most homeowners would want to wish away aboveground lines, those susceptible to outages as well as possibly lowering the overall pricing of houses.  In 2012, a DC neighborhood, met with severe weather and ongoing power outage, desired modification to its power lines. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Here’s an infographic from the Union of Concerned Scientists on electric transportation, whose point is that, where only 1% of the cars on roads currently are EVS, 42% “could be” – meaning that their drivers meet all the criteria: dedicated parking, limited range, no towing, no need to transport full soccer teams, etc.  The piece goes on to lay out the environmental benefits that would accrue if these other 41% were to make the switch. 

There is a problem with the logic, however, that is revealed in the 20-page PDF linked at the bottom. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Solar Thermal

If I had to name the single most important aspect I stress in writing marketing pieces, it would be engage the reader. 

“It’s not about us, it’s about them,” as I like to explain.  Sure we need to explain the product: its materials, its functionality, its price, etc.  But first we need a reader who cares about the subject under discussion – in this case, finding a manufacturing partner to take on a new approach to solar thermal hot water heating.  Here, I’m recommending we start with something like the following:  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

The concept of eco homes is gaining more popularity and momentum as the days go by. People are growing increasingly conscious about their carbon footprints and are looking at ways to reduce it. Homeowners are building houses using environmentally friendly techniques and materials as well.

There are different kinds of eco homes that are available, depending on what materials and techniques that are used. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Efficiency

Now a days, we hear a lot of chatter about the benefits of going green. But even though this is a hot topic these days and many people want to adopt a green lifestyle, they don’t know what actions can help them in their quest of going green!

Well, one of the most effective step in this regard would be to replace your older light with advanced LED light, which have been proven to be ‘Green’. Are you wondering why? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Here’s a podcast of the 30-minute talk I had this morning with Beth Bond on her wonderful radio show: “Talk Solar.”  I’m always pleased when interviewers lavish me with time throughout the show to mention my books, and even go out of their way to encourage listeners with words like: “Oh, that sounds good Craig; where can I get a copy?”  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Here’s an article that points out why geo-engineering, i.e., attempts to control the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere by injecting chemicals into it, is a challenge fraught with problems. 

Tell me about it. If there were unintended consequences associated with filling our air with greenhouse gases, isn’t it at least conceivable that there will be more unintended consequences from manipulating with it further?  And the science is only part of it; what about the politics?  Humankind in its current form has nowhere near a sufficient level of sanity to be deliberately messing with the global thermostat.

Perhaps the simplest and best answer all around is the most obvious:  let’s make a concerted effort on a planetary scale to migrate to renewable energy, while employing efficiency solutions and making sincere commitments to conservation.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Here’s an interview I did the other day for AltEnergyMag.com; I hope readers will be interested in the discussion; it was fairly  wide-ranging.

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