OK, I am the new guy.  So what can you expect? First, you will probably hear more from me than any previous executive director. I am big on communication–particularly electronic communication–so you’ll hear from me on twitter (@bobferris), in blogs, vlogs, podcasts, and other forms of media that we have not even thought of yet. (I urge you to interact directly with me and other staffers on twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.) After all, we are in the business of building the New Dream community as well as bringing economic, environmental and social change to America and neither can happen without massive amounts of communication, education and sharing.

In this blog and other communiques you are going to hear about how…

It is a rare bit of news that offers a positive development on the global warming front. And an even rarer article that can explain carbon dioxide capture in layperson’s terms. The NYT Green Inc. blog talked with Columbia geophysicist Klaus Lackner about just what these synthetic trees are, anyway, and how they might help tip the global carbon emission levels back towards healthier levels.

Unlike synthetic Christmas trees, these synthetic trees make no attempt to look like the real thing. They are also quite expensive…about $30,000 to build right now, though since they can potentially collect 1 ton of C02 a day, the long-term benefits to the environment seem pretty convincing.

ENERGY STAR, a partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, rates products based on energy use during operation. There are over fifty product categories included in ENERGY STAR, each with a unique rating methodology based on the amount of energy used for product functions. Imaging equipment covered by ENERGY STAR include: copiers, printers, fax machines, scanners, and MFDs. To date, the standards have focused on low-power and standby power modes.  Revised ENERGY STAR criteria for imaging equipment go into effect on July 1, 2009. The changes from the previous version include:

- All machine types are now required to meet the 1 Watt standby requirement

- Minor changes to energy consumption levels for the four TEC categories.

-…

As New Dream has been rethinking our social networking strategies, I’ve been revisiting what this internet thing is supposed to be for, anyway. It’s something many of us probably wonder while we rush from email to Facebook and now to Twitter…How do these extra responsibilities that we’ve added to our day actually add something to our days?

From its earliest days, the internet has whispered promises of linking together the whole World in a Web as Wide as the imagination. And to some extent it has delivered. I can go online and see videos of people living lives I couldn’t have imagined. Work from anywhere. Nurture friendships with people who live far away and perhaps have never met. Since I’m in…

Last night I was walking in my neighborhood in the cool evening, just as the air was thickening with darkness and the greenery was shifting towards black. Then I saw what for me is summer incarnate. I saw a firefly. Whether living in the mountains, where the lightning bugs descended in droves every night, or the city, where they were a rare and appreciated visitor, fireflies have always been a part of my warm months. Depending on who you ask, however, their population may be on the wane, or some species may be lucking out from the complex set of changes that will be global warming.

Paying attention to fireflies is not all about nostalgia. ABC reports scientists see lightning bugs as…

Two faces of the sun, by Le Corbusier

Last week I wrote about the poetry of the green movement, and today we’re going to have a little more poetry. In fact, don’t be surprised if you see poetry, thought-provoking quotations, and other posts from the heart in this space in coming weeks. After all, my academic background is checkered with creative writing, religious studies, psychology and more. My volunteer work has drawn me into the world of genetics advocacy, and I’m an avid reader on a variety of subjects. In short, I’m like most of you: interested in a lot of areas, expert in a few, and always trying to get better at the art of living. Since I’ve heard the…

I am new to independent living. I only recently departed my lovely college campus where I could easily hop into the dining hall when I wanted a meal. I also lived in on-campus housing, which meant I paid a flat rate for the semester no matter what utilities cost. Thus, I had no incentive to be super conscious of the energy consumption within my tiny apartment kitchen.

Currently, I live on my own (with the company of three housemates), pay my portion of the gas and electricity bills, and cook for myself. Not having done a great deal of cooking in my past, I am slowly learning the tricks of the trade. I stumbled upon an article this morning and thought…

No Impact Man had a great post today about the way the green movement moves. It may surprise you to realize that it moves much like the rest of modern life: in too many directions at once, and thus, perhaps, not where all those text messages and emails say it wants to go. It’s important to stand back and look at the feel of environmentalism, its sounds, textures, and yes, colors. This is the first post in a series that will step back a little from the movement itself, in an attempt to sense where we are and who we are, as we face environmental challenges. After all, quality of life is best not pursued but lived.

Some claim to have “green…

While in the long term any plan for carbon control hinges upon better public transportation networks, in the short term the many Americans reliant upon cars may find road conditions becoming more challenging with the changing climate. Many roads, especially in coastal areas like Louisiana and New York City, will be vulnerable to flooding as increasingly frequent heavy downpours challenge our road surfaces and drainage systems. The same is true for tunnels and railways, however. Higher temperatures can also lead to softening of asphalt. As emergencies happen more frequently, evacuation roads will become more and more important, but just as crucial might be the economic impacts when people can’t…

The next in our series of overviews from the Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States report is Ecosystems.

One of the most interesting points is made in the introduction to the section: while environmental processes like photosynthesis and decomposition do not have an assigned value within  our economy, our society depends upon them and the life they produce.  These ecosystem processes, which are affected by climate and carbon levels, are a good example of the types of factors left out of traditional economic models.

Key points:

• Ecosystem processes, such as those that control growth and decomposition, have been affected by climate change.
  There is more carbon in the atmosphere–and trees and…