Category Archives for "Energy"

0 Earth Day: Past, Present and Future – A Comprehensive Overview

Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22nd, has come a long way since its inception in 1970. The first Earth Day successfully launched a wave of groundbreaking environmental laws in the United States, such as The Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts, as well as the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (source). Today, it has grown to become the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people taking action to change human behavior and create global, national, and local policy changes (source).

From its humble beginnings, Earth Day has evolved into a global movement that inspires individuals, communities, and nations to prioritize environmental conservation and sustainable practices. As we continue to face pressing environmental challenges such as…

0 Retro-Commissioning: Optimizing Building Performance and Energy Efficiency

As a built environment expert a question I get often from building owners/operators is what exactly is retro-commissioning and is it necessary for them to implement. In this post I’ll answer these questions and dive a little deeper.

Lets get into this.

Retro-commissioning is a process that helps building owners identify and correct operational inefficiencies in their existing buildings. This process involves a thorough evaluation of a building’s systems and components to ensure they are working as intended and operating at peak efficiency.

Retro-commissioning can be applied to a wide range of buildings, from small commercial structures to large industrial facilities.

Retro-commissioning typically begins with a detailed energy audit that identifies areas of inefficiency and waste. This audit may include a review…

0 Minimalism and Sustainability

Kind of Obvious

I have been a committed minimalist for many years, not the bare wall type minimalist but one that battels to eliminate clutter. I’m currently doing a huge purge of my home and I keep thinking about all the connections between sustainability and minimalism.

The relationship between the two is kind of obvious but envisioning it, thinking about it, and discussing it, can encourage us to adopt a simpler more elegant lifestyle.

Interconnected

Minimalism and sustainability are two concepts that, at first glance, may not seem directly related. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that these two lifestyles are deeply interconnected and that embracing one can greatly enhance the benefits of the other.

Sustainable living, also known as green living, is the practice of living in a way that is friendly to the environment and reduces one’s ecological footprint. This can take many forms, such as reducing power and water consumption, reducing waste, and choosing environmentally friendly products. Minimalism, on the other hand, is the practice of simplifying one’s life by getting rid of unnecessary possessions and focusing on what truly matters.

0 How to Reduce Water Usage in Your Home

Water is a Renewable but…
You have probably heard the question; if the amount of water on earth stays the same forever, why should we bother conserving it, and why are some places experiencing such a lack of it?

No one disagrees as to the supreme importance that water holds. The increased occurrence and intensity of severe environmental events, such as forest fires, hurricanes, record temperatures, heat waves, and droughts have water conservation at the forefront of countless people’s minds.

This issue also turns out to be a double-edged sword because not only are people concerned about how to save water they are also struggling to deal with the rising cost of their water bill. More than ever before…

0 Help My Electric Bill is Too High – Programs to Assist

You are not alone.
Households across the nation feeling the effect of soaring energy prices. Specifically, it is particularly hard on people living on a fixed or limited budget. It is unthinkable that anyone should suffer because they lack access to the essential energy needed for heating, cooking, and warm water -Dignity.

There Are Options
Fortunately, options exist to help those in need lower their energy bills. That help comes in the form of a growing number of programs and incentives to alleviate…