Topic: Education (5)
Sept. 25: NC Coastal Resources Commission to Discuss Off-Shore Wind
The North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission plans to spend significant time discussing offshore wind energy at its next meeting on September 25 at 10 am at the Sea Trail Resort & Convention Center in Sunset Beach. Representatives from several organizations will present information relating to the development of offshore wind energy in North Carolina. The speakers will also participate in a wind energy panel, which will begin at 1:15 pm and include representatives from NCSEA, Environmental Management Commission, Audubon Society, Division of Marine Fisheries, Department of Administration, Wildlife Resources Commission, State Energy Office, U.S. Marine Corps, Carteret County and N.C. Sea Grant.
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Asheville Sustainability Center Launches Green Mondays
The Asheville Sustainability Center will launch its monthly Green Mondays series on Monday, September 29, at the Chamber of Commerce’s second floor conference room, from 3-5 pm. Green Mondays will provide experts, regional leaders, citizens and students with an open forum for understanding and advancing possible pathways to sustainability. Speakers will be followed by the main event, a community conversation on the given topic for each particular month.
The session on September 29 will focus on how to communicate sustainability options to decision-makers and the general public. Speakers will include Ian Booth of Sustainable Now and the producer and co-host of URTV’s Green Radio Bistro; journalist Rebecca Bowe, a staff writer and contributing editor at Mountain Xpress who has been writing the “Green Scene” environmental news column since 2006; Andrew (Drew) Jones, program director of the Sustainability Institute, who creates system dynamics simulations to help organizations develop strategies to address complex problems such as climate change; and Joseph Malki, co-founder and vice president of Seven-Star, the nation’s leading green event planning and production company that is based in Asheville.
For more information, contact Steven Samuels at (828) 505-3547.
Raleigh Garage Outfitting Priuses for Once-Unimaginable Mileage: 100 Miles Per Gallon
The Advanced Vehicle Research Center garage in Raleigh is one of a handful of companies that converts the Prius or other hybrids into plug-in hybrids, doubling their gas mileage. The result: A car that breaks a once-unimaginable fuel efficiency and delivers 100 miles per gallon, on average, with some drivers reaching 150 to 200 mpg under optimal conditions. The spare battery costs less than 75 cents to charge and gives the plug-in Prius about a 35-mile range solely on electric power, making gas optional on short commutes.
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/technology/story/1213178.html
Pennsylvania Governor Signs Bill Establishing US $650 Million Energy Fund
The New Math: School systems eye economics of sustainable design
"As a pioneer in green school construction, Guilford County has seen some lightbulbs come on -- or off, actually.
"Last year the N.C. Senate approved a bill that would require any school built with state funding to exceed the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air conditioning Engineers Inc. (Ashrae) energy use-standards by 30 percent. The bill is still being considered in the state House.
And earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives approved more than $20 billion to be spent during the next five years to help school districts build and renovate schools to be more energy efficient. Under the bill, schools receiving the funding would have to meet the requirements of one of three different green construction programs. Requirements for meeting the standards would be phased in, but by 2013, schools receiving any of the construction funding would need to use 90 percent of the money for green elements. The legislation still needs to be voted on by the Senate, and President Bush has threatened a veto...."
