Energy + Environment

New York City’s efforts to promote greener buildings are yielding significant results, particularly among large buildings over 25,000 square feet. According to recent research by the Urban Green Council, these buildings have shown consistent decreases in energy use for five consecutive years. The analysis of the city’s 2023 water and energy use data reveals impressive [...]

The Smart Surfaces Coalition has launched a peer learning network to help cities increase climate resilience through “smart surfaces” infrastructure. This initiative, announced on Monday, aims to connect city staff and provide them with valuable resources to implement climate-resilient solutions. Smart surfaces, as defined by the coalition, include reflective, porous, and green urban surfaces, as [...]

  A recent discovery about the heart cockle shell’s light transmission properties could have far-reaching implications for various fields of technology and environmental conservation. The mollusk’s special shell channels light to algae living inside it. The heart cockle shell, found to transmit light in a manner similar to fiber optic cables, has caught the attention [...]

The DLC is planning updates to the SSL Technical Requirements. Originally planned for two-phased updates, feedback received has convinced DLC that a single update as V6.0 would be less disruptive and provide greater value. SSL V6.0 represents a major update with an efficacy increase and associated product delistings. It also includes proposed updates that support [...]

  In September 2024, McCormick Place completed the installation of bird-safe window film on its Lakeside Center, a crucial step in preventing future mass bird casualties. This initiative comes in response to a tragic incident in October 2023, when approximately 1,000 birds died in a single night after colliding with the building’s glass facade. The [...]

  Most of the world’s electricity is still generated using fossil fuels, however, the new capacity being built globally was generated by more than 85% renewable sources. The data is from the International Renewable Energy Agency. 473 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy capacity was installed in 2023, primarily solar and wind power. In 2022, it was 308 [...]

CORRECTION: The study cited below focussed on trees that were all exposed to High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps. Therefore, the findings can not be generalized to LED streetlights. Special thanks to Jim Levecchi at AECOM for sharing this detail of the study. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have published research showing exposure to [...]

  Streetleaf is a Tampa Bay, FL-based startup producing solar streetlights. Earlier this month, they formalized a nationwide partnership with the largest home builder in North America, D.R. Horton. The sustainability story for solar streetlights is pretty well known; like most solar streetlights, Streetleaf operates off the grid using solar power and a battery. Streetleaf [...]

Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) is the first utility in the country using EV batteries to help power homes. The utility is paying Ford F-150 Lightning owners to run their homes using their truck batteries during peak periods to help balance grid supply and demand. Other electric utilities around the country are talking about creating [...]