SanJoseGreenHome.com

Use Less Energy and Earn 70% OFF Coupons

Once in a while there comes a program that sucks creative juices out of its designers dry and delivers something we can all be proud of.  Green Energy Match (GEM) is one of those programs.  It is brought to you by the City of San Jose and is a cutting-edge energy-efficiency program to assist home owners and renters in San Jose reduce their energy consumption and save money at the same time. It provides a free online software that helps residents use energy more efficiently and presents customized energy-saving recommendations.

This online platform is San Jose’s approach to competing with nine more cities to be named the Coolest City in California. When a resident signs up for GEM this also enrolls them in the Cool California Challenge, a UC Berkeley sponsored contest between ten cities to see which one can sign up the most people and save the most energy. Other cities competing in the contest include Santa Cruz, Davis, and Sacramento. You can help San Jose win — sign up now and spread the word!

But the best part is as participants save, they earn 70% off coupons for San Jose stores and restaurants. This truly (more…)

Guests: Paul Hawken, Author, Blessed Unrest and Bill McKibben, Founder, 350.org.  Both these authors are well-established environmental activists. The presentation was conducted as a panel discussion with the moderator posing questions to the two. At the end there was audience participation. I thought it was a very interesting discussion on climate issues – both the politics and the science. Here is what I captured. In parenthesis I have introduced some of my own thinking:

• “Problem is that government policy has artificially increased consumption. There have been tax incentives for home ownership and government subsidies for freeways to get to all the homes. Thus, we have created a housing/work transportation design, which is very carbon-intensive (driving long distances) and now that carbon based fuels are expensive, it is an expensive design. Nevertheless, studies show people in cities have twice as many close friends as those in suburbia.
• Financial meltdown will take 10-12 years. (I have heard this before. It is not clear to me that without substantial changes to our economy that simply waiting will relieve our problems. The Great Depression was not relieved for 12 years until (more…)

Though 70% of Earth’s surface is water, only 1% is available for human consumption. Between  faucets, washing machines, showers and toilets, an average family in the United States uses 127,000 gallons of water per year. However, we have the power to change that. By making small adjustments to your appliances with low-flow fixtures, you can dramatically decrease the amount of water you waste and money you spend.  Together, we have the power to save 2 trillion gallons of water and more than 4 billion dollars.

Source: http://www.elocal.com/