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Encode Artificial Intelligence into Sustainability
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already more real than people realize. A whopping 70 percent of the companies surveyed this year by Forrester Research plan to use some form of AI by the end of 2018 (F
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Studies: High Ventilation Rates are Associated with Lower Rate of Illness and Absences
Have you thought about how ventilation* rates influence human health and performance? Studies have shown high ventilation rates are associated with lower respiratory illness, lower rates of sick build
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Studies: We Are Consuming Plastics from Drinking Water
A colorful plastic microfiber in bottled water. Photograph: Abigail Barrows Globally, we generated 275 million metric tons of plastic waste in 2010 alone (Jenna R. Jambeck et al). But we only recycle
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Eco Neighborhoods: Milwaukee Wisconsin’s Sustainability Toolkit
Milwaukee Wisconsin has brought teamwork to their sustainability campaign. Milwaukee’s Environmental Collaboration Office has developed an Eco-Neighborhoods Toolkit to help make the process of b
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An Alternative to Plastic Food Packaging: Laser Marks on Food Items
Ironically, organic fruits and vegetables are often packaged and labeled with plastic. The packaging plastics are usually unrecyclable and become plastic waste. Plastic waste is a huge worldwide issue…
Harvard Study: Students Can't Think Straight During a Heat Wave
Heat waves have devastating consequences for public health globally. Buildings can heighten temperature exposures during heat waves by maintaining high indoor temperatures overnight even when high sur
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As part of its mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy through increasingly affordable electric vehicles and energy products, Tesla is working on its Gigafactory. With a p…
Wind Turbines With No Blades, Less noise and Even More Efficient
More efficient, less noise, harmless to birds-- This is the new wind energy technology that is transforming Spain: Vortex Bladeless. David Yañez, David Suriol, and Raúl Martín reinvent the aerog…
Companies and Cities Joining the Movement Away from Plastic Straws
The first time I was exposed to the dangers of plastic waste negatively affecting my environment was when I was 14 years old. I watched a video of a turtle, rescued from our oceans, with a plastic str
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Research: Electric Heating for Space and Water Heating is Already Cost-Effective
The report by Rocky Mountain Institute* found that costs were lower over the life cycle for electrification of space and water heating over fossil-fueled space and water heating, particularly notable
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Greenwashing: A Deceptive Marketing Strategy to Promote a Positive Environment Impact Perception
You might have heard of whitewashing, which is a metaphor for covering up crimes or scandals by a biased presentation of facts. But you probably have not heard of greenwashing or green sheen, a compou…
A Brief History of How Drinking Straws Took Over the World
Even though the plastic straw is a modern invention, humans have been using small pipes to drink liquids through a combination of muscular actions with help from atmospheric pressure for centuries. Ac…
Studies: High-Performance Buildings Do Not Have to Be More Expensive
Despite the rapidly growing recognition and expansion of sustainable initiatives and green buildings, concerns regarding the high upfront cost of green facilities continue due to the lack of quantifia
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How Developers Can Build Smarter: A Closer Look at Budgeting with Incentives
Previously, we've talked about how steel can be a great candidate for green material (Surprise! Steel Can Be a Great Green Building Material). However, due to a recent implementation 25% tariff on
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Study: Renters Expect a Green Living Environment and They Are Willing to Pay Extra For It
Nowadays, renters are expecting sustainable features such as energy efficiency and good indoor air quality in their apartments. It is a trend that is supported by the government. The entire multifamil
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No More Plastic Straw Please: We Throw Away 500 Million Plastic Straws Every Day
An accrual 8.3 billion plastic straws are polluting the world's beaches, stated by Roland Geyer et al.’s 2018 paper "Production, Use, and Fate of All Plastics Ever Made." Americans alone use 500 mil…
Are You Confused by the Food Label: "Best-by," "Use-by," and "Sell-by?"
Have you tossed away food because you aren't sure what the label means? You’re not the only one. Nine out of 10 buyers are confused by the USDA food label and the average family is throwing away $1,…
You are in the middle of a global green movement. Have you ever asked yourself why is green building necessary? Maybe you have heard of one expert says one good aspect of green building and the other
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A Brief History of Green Building
Today, green building is defined by the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive as “the practice of 1) increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water, and
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A quantum leap in Energy Efficiency
REVOLUTIONARY ENERGY SAVINGS FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT #Smardt is the pioneer and world leader in manufacturing high efficiency #oil-free #chillers.These high-efficiency chillers typically can save…
Transforming Sewage Sludge Into Green Energy
When people told me that sewage sludge can be transformed into green energy, I thought, “What are you talking about?” Yes, I get that they are both green and environmentally friendly. But
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Bloomberg publishes a long-term economic analysis of the world’s power sector up to 2050 each year, called New Energy Outlook (NEO). NEO* 2018 sees $11.5 trillion to be invested internationally…
The Next Generation of Housing – Prefabricated Homes
Traditionally, the process of constructing a house takes place on the same piece of land where the house will stay when completed. Construction teams travel to the same outdoor site for months and are
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For more than a decade now, Philadelphia has been spreading its famous city love through the community in a different, and very important, way. The city acts as an inspiration for other towns througho
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The World’s First Floating Wind Farm - Hywind's Promising Start in Scotland
Off the coast of Scotland, five turbines are stationed sporadically creating the world’s first offshore wind farm known as Hywind. Each tower stretches 575 ft. high and is anchored to the seabed and…
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