When energy experts periodically promote combined heat and power (CHP) (sometimes referred to as "cogeneration" or "district heating," generally speaking, it 'don't get no respect.' This oversight needs to change, as CHP's potential to cost-effectively increase energy efficiency is very high, and the technology offers returns for investors and municipal taxpayers.

What is the best selling vehicle in America this month? The Ford F-150. Edmunds says:

"Despite all the public discussion of fuel efficiency, SUVs and trucks are the industry's biggest sellers right now as a remarkable number of buyers seem to be compelled by three factors: great deals, low gas prices and winter weather"

George Santayana said:

Photo: Robert Stolarik for The New York Times

Solar-powered air conditioning just makes so much sense; it is usually hottest when the sun shines brightest. Now piano maker Steinway has installed an 80 ton absorption chiller that is powered by hot water from tracking solar panels. In the winter, the solar collectors provide water for heating.
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Oil Shale Specimen. Image credit: Los Angeles Times, Michael Brands

Roasted Cinderella Pumpkin

Using 2008 as a reference point, 2009 promises a blizzard of political debris, lofted by an un-closeting of science. And, if history be any guide, the chatterboxes of US radio and TV will try to bury the ideas of a barely-formed green sub-culture in drifts of insensible talking points.

Filling the coal-fired stove in Sugarloaf, PA; Laura Pedrick for the NYT

The New York Times covers the return of coal as a heating source in American houses.

Image credit:AdventureBlog, Pop Quiz, animation excerpt

The slowing of construction in the USA has created a once-in-a-generation opportunity for driving significant, positive environmental change. Although I hesitate to even use the word because it has so little currency in the USA, an opening exists for a nation-wide consideration of sustainable development.

The construction slow-down reduces pressure on endangered species and prime farmland surrounding urban areas.

Sequoiadendron giganteum seedling

By: Jeanine Pfeiffer