Topics
5 Comment
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Making Transit Options a Standard Part of Your Business Address
2008-07-26 06:30:45 UTC
I sent this message to the local coordinator (in Salem, Oregon) for the "Governor's Commute Challenge" (a summer campaign to reduce single-occupant car trips). PLEASE steal these ideas and implement in your community. Eventually we will overcome the "But we've never done that" and the "But what if the routes change" objections and it will take off and spread and we'll wonder why it was ever a big deal to do
1) As part of the Governor's Commute Challenge (and to help promote lower-impact transport choices always), shouldn't we have the Cherriots routes serving our building added to the web-map that we offer to the public for "how to get here" ? that map is here: http://oregon.gov/ENERGY/OFFICE/map.shtml
2) And, by extension, shouldn't we also suggest this to the Governor's Commute Challenge folks -- ask them to suggest that all state agencies should include transit options in their "how to get here" offerings.
3) And why not get all Oregon state government offices to always include their nearest transit routes on their business cards, stationery, and other publications (i.e., treat transit as a routine part of the address). Thus, the general rule would be that published materials (business cards, brochures, flyers, web pages, etc.) giving the agency physical address would also note the best mass transit options (not every possible route, but the closest ones for sure). So, for example, here at ODOE, it would be
Oregon Department of Energy
625 Marion St. NE
Salem OR 97301-3737
Cherriots: 2-4, 9, 17, 20, 25, 81
I think that, if the state made this a default standard for state agencies, it would quickly spread through local government agencies wherever there are transit options, and the public would soon start to understand what it's telling them (here's how to reach us on transit).
John Gear
Natural Resource Specialist
Nuclear Safety & Energy Siting
Oregon Department of Energy
503-378-5584
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Train up the Children in the Way They Should Go
2008-07-11 17:58:25 UTC
Now, green report cards for U.S. colleges
New rating systems help students choose environmentally friendly colleges. http://www.elabs5.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=o1l,2ms9,er,jm2d,6q1x,l49c,a20z
John Gear
Natural Resource Specialist
Nuclear Safety & Energy Siting
Oregon Department of Energy
503-378-5584
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Promoting Energy Conservation through Better Customer Feedback
2008-07-09 16:58:20 UTC
In my opinion, better feedback is the critical element for reducing energy consumption. We still live in a world where the dominant utility paradigm was to hide the meters in the back behind the bushes and under the wasps' nest so that customers continued consuming, blithely unaware until the bill came. Utilities ought to be charged with doing this sort of high-touch feedback (or even more, such as continuous real-time consumption data inside the house next to the thermostat and in the kitchen or utility room), but until that revolution occurs, someone is selling it as an aftermarket service option: http://www.weatherwiseusa.com/announcements/EnerCheckAnnouncement.htm
Looking for a way to identify and encourage your customers who are making conservation efforts? Searching for a means to direct marketing of energy savings technology to your customers? Needing to measure, analyze, and report the effects of DSM projects? Pursuing new methods of communicating the impact of your customers energy usage on the generation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses? EnerCheck is WeatherWises patented process of measuring energy efficiency changes and communicating the results to your consumers. The EnerCheck reports provide your customers the chance to view to the actual effects weatherization, appliance replacements, furnace upgrades or other energy efficiency efforts have had on the usage in their home or business. Personalized letters mailed to consumers inform them of their changes in efficiency from one year to the next. These reports are also available via email and web. The results presented to your customers can be customized to your companys specifications. For instance, they may be shown in usage change by units (therms, mcfs, kWhs etc.), dollars, or illustrate environmental impacts by showing the changes to the individual customers carbon footprint (usually measured in pounds) and other greenhouse gasses. EnerCheck for electricity providers will also take into account your companys generation mix conversion for the applicable time periods. The results can also be illustrated in a variety of charts and graphs. To view samples of personalized Enercheck print communications, click here. WeatherWise provides hosted web pages with your companys look and feel, or the information can be provided in tables to be displayed on your web pages. To view samples of personalized Enercheck web pages, click here. The Enercheck process utilizes comparative analysis to adjust for changes in weather and number of days in the billing cycles from consumer billing information to deliver a precise and pure comparison of energy consumption. These measurements may be performed company-wide, by rate or customer class, or at the individual consumer level. This customizable granularity is particularly effective for energy companies that would like to assess and report the results of demand side management programs. WeatherWise can manage the measurement, analysis and report composition. For more information on Enercheck or to discover the many ways that WeatherWise can assist you and your organization, please click on the link below: www.weatherwiseusa.com Or contact Joyce Homiak by phone at (412) 320-4026 or via email at jhomiak@weatherwiseusa.com.
John Gear
Natural Resource Specialist
Nuclear Safety & Energy Siting
Oregon Department of Energy
503-378-5584
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Very Cool on Mercury Concerns re: Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
2008-06-28 14:27:29 UTC
http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/new_mercury_absorbent_
packaging_may_let_you_use_cfl_bulbs_without_risking_your_health
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Proms
2008-06-13 08:21:32 UTC
My wife (a former teen pregnancy counselor) would say that the most sustainable practice for HS proms would be ensuring that all the attendees have ready access to birth control and are aware of the pregnancy/STD risks of sex under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
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