What is Sustainability?
Human sustainably is consuming the Earth’s resources at a rate at which is no faster than they can be replenished. However, there is now clear scientific evidence that humanity is living unsustainably, and that an unprecedented collective effort is needed to return human use of natural resources to within sustainable limits.
- Three principles: can’t use renewable resources faster than they are regenerated; can’t produce wastes faster than they are rendered harmless; can’t use nonrenewables over the long haul at all.
- Sustainability not just about ecological issues but economic issues, social issues, political issues, and personal issues as well.
What areas of Green Technology have you identified?
What is a carbon footprint?
Carbon footprint the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product. It is measured by undertaking a GHG emissions assessment. Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be devised to reduce it.
Calculate YOUR carbon footprint
How can I help?
The easiest way to help is by recycling. Learn More
What obstacles keep organizations from acting on sustainability problems/opportunities?
- Deeply embedded myths about costs and disadvantages of taking action
- Misconception despite all conclusive research that happiness/fulfillment achieved by having “more” and material success
How do we make Sustainablity stick?
Sustainability must make economic sense to the individual, family or business. Otherwise, the changes will not become permanent.
Those of you attempting to initiate Sustainability projects in the workplace need to sell the initiatives with ROI. Green for Green works. Green to save the planet won’t get the project off the ground.
I am not a Treehugger, why should I care?
The US is borrowing money to buy oil from regimes that are not friendly to the United States. There is a theory called Peak Oil that predicts a permanent uptrend in oil prices.
What is a thermal resevoir?
A thermal resevoir is any one of a number of technologies that store energy for later reuse. They can be employed to balance energy demand between day time and night time. The thermal reservoir may be maintained at a temperature above (hotter) or below (colder) than that of the ambient environment.
The principal application today is the production of ice, chilled water, or a eutectic solution at night, which is then used to cool environments during the day.
What is R-Value?
An R-value indicates an insulation’s resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness.
The R-value depends on the type of insulation and includes its material, thickness, and density. When calculating the R-value of a multilayered installation, add the R-values of the individual layers. Installing more insulation in your home increases the R-value and the resistance to heat flow.
The effectiveness of an insulation’s resistance to heat flow also depends on how and where the insulation is installed. For example, insulation that is compressed will not provide its full rated R-value. The overall R-value of a wall or ceiling will be somewhat different from the R-value of the insulation itself because some heat flows around the insulation through the studs and joists. Therefore, it’s important to properly install your insulation to achieve the maximum R-value.
The amount of insulation or R-value you’ll need depends on your climate, type of heating and cooling system, and the section of the house you plan to insulate. For more information, see adding insulation to an existing house by the Department of Energy.
How do I caulk?
What is a vapor barrier?
Vapor Barriers 101 by ask the builder
What is Grid Parity?
Consumers of photovoltaic solar panels must weigh the upfront cost of purchasing them vs. the ongoing cost of just buying electricity from the power grid. If you divide the cost of a PV system over a 3-5 year period and it equals the cost of buying electricity, then you have Grid parity.
How is Photovoltaic efficiency measured?
Photovoltaic efficiency is the percentage of sunlight hitting the panels that is converted into useful energy.
What Risk Management rules does NSE employ?
In Finance, there are lots of ways to be wrong and only a few ways to be right. Tactics should constangly be re-evaluated by asking the question “What if I am wrong?” Trailing stops are the best automatic answer to that question that I know of The second most important tactic (IMO) is adjusting your cash level based on the amount of percieved risk in the general market. When you are right, you leave money on the table. You also sleep better at night knowing that you limit the damage caused by being wrong.