By: Ben Block
Published March 4, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In regions where pumping and distributing water requires significant electricity use, policies that lead to reduced water consumption could address climate change more efficiently than requiring businesses and households to use less energy, according to water expert Peter Gleick.

"Some of the cheapest greenhouse gas emission reductions available seem to be not energy-efficiency programs, but water-efficiency programs," said Gleick, president of the California-based Pacific Institute, a global water research center.

Gleick notes, for example, that it may be cheaper for consumers to reduce the overall hot water usage in their homes than to replace their incandescent light bulbs with more energy-efficient alternatives.

The virtues of water efficiency can be found in California and China -- regions where water shortages have become emergencies and droughts may worsen with climate change. Conditions may become more severe in the future as consumers turn to water solutions that often require even greater energy supplies. Read more.

By GreenBiz Staff
Published February 9, 2009

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Most consumers have not cut back their spending on green products, according to a new survey.

The 2009 National Green Buying survey by Green Seal and EnviroMedia Social Marketing found that half of consumers are buying just as many green products now as they did before the economic downturn began. An additional 19 percent are buying more products than before, and 14 percent are buying fewer green products.

When asked what the main factor is when making purchasing decisions, the amount of consumers that said a product's reputation mattered most (21 percent) was followed closely by word of mouth (19 percent) and brand loyalty (15 percent).

Only 9 percent said that green advertising is the primary influence on their purchase choices. Read more

Microsoft crunches numbers on energy, carbon

From: CNet Green Tech News: Posted by Martin LaMonica
Published February 9, 2009 4:00 AM PST

The first step for a businesses and household to reduce energy use is getting a handle on the data.

Microsoft on Monday will make available an add-on to its Dynamics AX business applications that allows mid-size companies to collect and analyze their energy usage and translate that into the environmental impact.

It's part of a broader effort around environmental sustainability at the company, headed by Robert Bernard, Microsoft's chief environmental strategist, who started at that position about a year ago.

With the Environmental Dashboard, people input utility bill information and the software generates a read-out of historical trends and a calculation of how much greenhouse gases a company produces.

"The impetus behind this is that we continue to see a greater intersection between energy efficiency and environmental stewardship," said Bernard. "We're creating software tools and services that help customers save resources--energy, money--and to reduce their greenhouse gases." Read more

Demand for solar and wind power drops as banks stop financing related projects

From: World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Published February 6, 2009 09:19 AM

Thursday - Wind and solar power grew at a blistering pace in recent years, and that growth seemed likely to accelerate, especially in the United States under the green-minded administration of the new president, Barack Obama.

But because of the credit crisis and the broader economic downturn, the opposite is happening: Except in isolated markets, like China, installation of wind and solar power is slowing, and in some cases plummeting.

Factories building parts for these industries in the United States have announced a wave of layoffs in recent weeks, and trade groups are projecting 30 percent to 50 percent declines this year in the installation of new equipment, a decrease that bars more help from the government.
Read more

Obama's newest energy focus: appliances

President orders higher efficiency standards for everyday products

WASHINGTON - Eager to show action on energy savings for consumers and reduced warming emissions for the planet, President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered quicker, and in some cases new, efforts to make many appliances much more energy efficient.

"This will save consumers money, this will spur innovation and this will conserve tremendous amounts of energy," Obama said in remarks at the Energy Department, where he briefed staff on his plan for a new energy economy.

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