From the category archives:

politics

Green Neighborhoods: Culture Clash?

January 11, 2010

In thinking about a large scale refurbishment of an entire neighborhood, or even in ones that are planned from scratch, I wonder too about this culture clash phenomenon that I have noticed in traveling from my neighborhood (which more easily enables the car-less lifestyle on a number of fronts) to the one where my daughter lives.

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Canada’s Budget 2009: Housing and Energy Efficiency

January 27, 2009

 I was  happy to see Canada’s federal government followed my advice in their new budget today.  What’s the point of having a blog if you can’t influence world events, eh?
As part of the stimulus spending of $64-billion to be spent over the next two years, ($34-billion in 2009-10; $30-billion in 2010-11), there are some sizable [...]

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Canada Budget: Have your say on Green Spending

January 16, 2009

 
With the approaching inauguration (January 20) of President-elect Barack Obama holding the attention of world political watchers, I thought I might remind Canadians that their own federal government is planning to introduce its new budget on January 27.
 
This may be minor news next to the USA – note how many news commentators use the style I’ve adopted [...]

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Green Built Environment: Political Will Needed

December 2, 2008

 
The Pew Center report on a Climate Friendly Built Environment – to which I referred in my previous posting – makes an emphatic assertion for the needed political will to act now in three policy areas. It correctly observes that the building industry’s fragmentation makes decision making almost impossible for comprehensive solutions to environmental problems.   [...]

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Built Environment: GHG Infrastructure

November 26, 2008

 
Keynesian economic theory appears to be alive and well – or least recently revitalized if not completely resuscitated, thank goodness! Too bad it couldn’t be rationally adhered to in better times, but c’est la guerre! (That’s a figure of speech for you literalists.)
 
Economic Stimulus: Public Funds
 
Now it’s up to politicians to make prudent decisions [...]

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Carbon Offsets for U.S. Green Affordable Housing

November 25, 2008

 Duh! This news release looks like an afterthought by the organizers of recent USGBC Greenbuild International Conference and Expo held in Boston November 19 – 21.

The release, dated November 24, 2008, looks forward to the Conference which ended three days earlier. Too bad, because the news content is interesting.
 
Attendees at this year’s Greenbuild can assuage [...]

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The Value of Energy Efficient Building

November 11, 2008

Green building will be driven by the need for energy efficiency, whether its motivation is the political will to combat global warming or individual self-interest to save money.  In either case, it’s a safe bet  that the pace of environmental issues in residential, industrial, or commercial building will continue to accelerate. 
It makes sense then to look at the underlying energy demands that will drive [...]

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Green Remodelling: Key To Economic Recovery?

November 10, 2008

Here’s a link to a video on Green Remodelling.  It has several good ideas in it for the Do-It-Yourselfer or building contractor who wants to “go green” in a home renovation project.
There are two approaches mentioned in the video.  One is energy efficiency which focuses on things like good insulation and windows that fit tightly.  The [...]

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Canada’s Harper Proposes Environmental Pact to Obama

November 6, 2008

 
A brief note following my advice yesterday for US President-elect Barack Obama.
 
From the Canadian environmental perspective, the headline in today’s Globe and Mail (Toronto’s National Newspaper) reflects a major political statement by Prime Minster Stephen Harper to US President-elect Obama.
 
“Ottawa swoops in with climate-change offer.” 
 
Canada’s Prime Minister Harper has been viewed as closely aligned [...]

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President Obama and a Global Green New Deal

November 5, 2008

Congratulations Mr. Obama!
You’ve been elected on the promise to change … uh … something about the way the United States is governed.
Pardon me. I must have missed exactly what that change is going to be. I guess it got downed out in the all the cheering every time you mentioned it.
Whatever… Here’s something for you [...]

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