Maryland county draws a "car-free blueprint for growth".—reliability medium.
Montgomery County, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C., has passed a growth plan that emphasizes development near transit stations, bike paths and walkways, shops and other amenities nearby, and use of environmentally friendly construction methods. This post comments on and quotes from story in The Washington Post. See Climate Progress blog. Original Washington Post story here (registration required). [Not "car free", but may be a step in the right direction.]
Related:
Major real estate report: shift to urban
living is "fundamental," outer suburbs may "lack staying power".—reliability
medium.
"Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2010" from Urban Land Institute and PriceWaterhouseCoopers says that in a tough real estate market, "Next-generation projects will orient to infill, urbanizing suburbs, and transit-oriented development. Smaller housing units-close to mass transit, work, and 24-hour amenities-gain favor over large houses on big lots at the suburban edge. People will continue to seek greater convenience and want to reduce energy expenses. Shorter commutes and smaller heating bills make up for higher infill real estate costs." Also, "Citing one interviewee's straightforward admonition that 'You'll be stupid not to build green,' the report concludes that operating efficiencies and competitive advantage will be more than worth 'the minimal extra cost.'" See NRDC blog. Highlights of report here.
"Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2010" from Urban Land Institute and PriceWaterhouseCoopers says that in a tough real estate market, "Next-generation projects will orient to infill, urbanizing suburbs, and transit-oriented development. Smaller housing units-close to mass transit, work, and 24-hour amenities-gain favor over large houses on big lots at the suburban edge. People will continue to seek greater convenience and want to reduce energy expenses. Shorter commutes and smaller heating bills make up for higher infill real estate costs." Also, "Citing one interviewee's straightforward admonition that 'You'll be stupid not to build green,' the report concludes that operating efficiencies and competitive advantage will be more than worth 'the minimal extra cost.'" See NRDC blog. Highlights of report here.
'Green' Building Sector to Contribute $554B to GDP from 2009-13.—reliability high.
"While the green building industry added $173 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from 2000-08, that’s just the beginning. From 2009 to 2013, that amount will more than triple to $554 billion, according to a new report from the U.S. Green Building Council and Booz Allen Hamilton." From Environmental Leader. Access slideshow or PDF of full report here.
Companies, Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Renault launches sustainable mobility website.—reliability high.
To promote environmentally friendly transportation and electric vehicles Renault/Nissan has launched the sustainable-mobility.org web-site. From Autoblog Green, includes press release with more details. Site is here.
Citroën C-Zero ready to be tested by consumers.—reliability medium.
The Citroën C-Zero, based on the Mitsubishi iMiEV with a standard European 220v hookup, will be available to British and French drivers to try, according to a Citroën website. (Video) See Autoblog Green. Site here.
G.E. Markets First 'Smart Appliance'.—reliability medium.
"This month, General Electric began distributing a type of hot water heater that can link into the smart electric meters being doled out around the country — the first such “smart appliance” sold commercially in the United States, industry experts believe." More about smart metering and demand management. From New York Times Green Inc. blog.
US bioplastics reached $1bn in sales.—reliability medium.
"The U.S. bio-plastics market accounted for approximately $1 billion in sales in 2007 and is expected to reach $10 billion by 2020, according to bioplastic producer Cereplast." "Consulting firm Freedonia, meanwhile, estimated that global demand for bioplastics in 2008 was 200,000 metric tons and is expected to increase to 900,000 metric tons in 2013, valued at $2.6bn." From Green Chemicals blog.
Perkins+Will Launches First Chemical Blacklist for Building Designers.—reliability high.
"Architectural design firm Perkins+Will has created a list of 25 chemicals that are commonly used in the building industry but also pose a number of health threats to humans and the environment." "Our goal is a simple one, that we should not specify products that are harmful to humans, animals and the environment." See GreenBiz. Visit the site here.
Siemens Energy Win Orders for 70 Wind Turbines in Mexico.—reliability medium.
"Siemens Energy has been awarded an order for 70 wind turbines for the Los Vergeles wind farm in Tamaulipas, Mexico. This is the first order received by Siemens for wind turbines in the Latin America region. Purchaser is Grupo Soluciones en Energias Renovables." From AZoM.
TV Recycling Picks Up Speed with LG, Waste Management Partnership.—reliability high.
"LG Electronics yesterday announced a new partnership with Waste Management that aims to keep thousands of now-outdated displays out of landfills. The two firms are teaming up to recycle televisions and computer monitors from hundreds of hotels around the country, as the lodging industry embraces flat-panel and high-definition televisions for guestrooms." More on e-waste. From GreenBiz. [Plus with hotels going green they want to be assured that the old sets are being properly recycled if LG is to get the sale.]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2009 HaraBara, Inc.]
