It’s hard to get people to change their habits, even when doing so could have lasting benefits for the environment. But a team of scientists may have just found a way to hack it when it comes to helping families develop better energy-saving practices at home. The trick, according to them, is to have children help deliver the message.

In a new study involving 30 California Girl Scout troops, researchers demonstrated that interventions targeting youth can help promote energy-saving actions in both children and their parents, with concrete behavioral changes lasting for months after an intervention takes place. The research highlights the idea that youth-oriented environmental programs can have a tangible impact on entire families.

Read the full story. (Washington Post)

Energy managers, facilities managers and everyone else in the sector should take a moment to congratulate themselves. A number of recently released studies and surveys show that investment in energy efficiency in general — and commercial buildings in particular — is growing steadily.

Of course, the good news is not all the result of the work of those in building services. It involves a recognition by the public and corporate management that energy efficiency is a good thing. On the part of management, it also is clear that saving energy ultimately saves money and burnishes the company’s image. The federal government – as well as many state and local governments – is pushing efficiency. On top of all that, exploding technology, from the Internet of Things to renewables, is enabling the great strides.

Read the full story. (Energy Manager Today)

Cities have more potential than ever to implement significant enhancements in energy efficiency, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a time when climate change risk tops global agendas. However, urban areas in the United States face major impediments to some of the most effective energy-saving strategies. Overcoming these will require a coordinated effort between government, industry and civil society.

Johnson Controls convened dozens of mayors, city planners and NGO representatives Thursday for an urban efficiency roundtable at the National Press Club. The purpose was to bring together people who are intimately involved in urban efficiency programs, and to provide a space for them to discuss the challenges and solutions they encounter in their work. Three major themes emerged:

Read the full story. (GreenBiz)

RICHMOND – Gov. Terry McAuliffe promised a close look Tuesday at energy regulations to cut carbon production and increase clean energy use that he can promulgate without legislative approval.

The governor convened a working group under Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward, giving her 10 months to recommend options for “a regulatory strategy to reduce carbon pollution.” A number of environmental groups applauded the move, though some said McAuliffe has not pushed near far enough on clean energy issues.

Republicans, through Speaker of the House William Howell’s office, criticized the move as “another deliberate attempt to circumvent the legislature and the will of Virginia voters.”

Read the full story. (Daily Press)

A new analysis released today by Ceres shows that many of the nation’s largest electric utilities and their local subsidiaries are moving toward lower carbon fuel sources and that ambitious state policies and strong corporate demand for renewable energy are key drivers of this trend.

The 2016 Benchmarking Utility Clean Energy analysis ranks the 30 largest electric utility holding companies and their 119 subsidiary companies, which collectively account for about 60 percent of U.S. retail electricity sales. The results show overall advances on renewable energy and energy efficiency in 2014, the latest year for which data is available, with some utilities producing 25 to 35 percent of their electricity from wind, solar and other renewables.

Wide disparities in the utilities’ clean energy performance remain, however, underscoring the need for swift implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. The plan reduces carbon emissions from electric power plants by 32 percent by 2030.

“Renewable energy and energy efficiency, key building blocks of the Clean Power Plan, are increasingly cost-effective options for electric utilities looking to lower their carbon emissions,” said Dan Bakal, director of electric power programs at Ceres, a nonprofit sustainability advocacy organization. “Our analysis shows that the U.S. electric sector is in the midst of an unprecedented shift toward clean energy resources and that state policies are critical for continued progress in achieving national and international climate goals.”

– See more at: http://3blmedia.com/News/Ceres-Ranks-US-Electric-Utility-Companies-Renewable-Energy-Energy-Efficiency-Performance#sthash.2TRVl6Td.dpuf

Read the press release. 

The U.S. and Mexico will commit to joining Canada in boosting their use of wind, solar and other carbon-free sources of electricity, helping North America meet an ambitious goal of generating at least 50 percent of its energy from “clean” sources by 2025.
The pledge is set to be made as part of a trilateral summit of North American leaders Wednesday in Ottawa, where the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union is likely to consume much of the agenda. The meeting will also focus on trade and regional security issues.
“We believe this is an aggressive goal but one that is achievable by all three countries,” Brian Deese, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama on environmental and energy matters, said Monday on a conference call with reporters.

Read the full story. (Bloomberg)

Richmond won a first-place award among large cities for its sustainability plan, the U.S. Conference of Mayors announced Friday.
The city’s “RVAgreen” program took home the honor in the 2016 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards, announced in Indianapolis during the annual meeting of the mayors conference, with Mayor Dwight C. Jones on hand to accept the award.
The awards recognize mayors for their climate protection efforts, and Richmond competed in the category for cities with populations greater than 100,000.

Read the full story. (Richmond Times Dispatch)

While LEED and other certifications are well-known indicators of commercial buildings’ energy efficiency, there is no such system for homes that have already been built.

That could be about to change.

A Virginia startup aspires to provide a guide of sorts for homeowners to focus improvements on energy features that can boost market values along with updated kitchens and bathrooms.

“The big hole in the certification donut has been on the existing homes side,” said Cynthia Adams, CEO of Pearl Certification in McLean, Virginia.

“If you’ve ever bought an existing home, you know it doesn’t come with a user manual. First-time buyers in particular may find themselves asking, ‘How the heck do I take care of this’?“ said Adams, who is credentialed in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and is Chair of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council.

Read the full story. (Southeast Energy News)

WASHINGTON, DC–(Marketwired – June 21, 2016) – The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) today announced a new alliance to spur public-private cooperation on climate action and sustainable development in cities.

The USCM-C2ES Alliance for a Sustainable Future will create a framework for mayors and business leaders to develop concrete approaches to reduce carbon emissions, speed deployment of new technology, and implement sustainable development strategies as a part of implementing the Clean Power Plan and responding to the growing impacts of climate change.

City and business leaders will identify barriers to action and share research and analysis on climate and sustainable development solutions. By building crucial links between cities and companies, the alliance aims to spur innovative partnerships and increase participation in state and national climate efforts.

“Since 2005, USCM has been leaders on climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Mayors and businesses must work together to develop sustainable solutions,” said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, The U.S. Conference of Mayors President. “The Clean Power Plan is the cornerstone of the nation’s strategy to achieve these reductions, which are becoming more and more important as the effects of climate change are upon us.”

Read the press release.