Dressed to impress

President Obama Orders Federal Agencies

President Obama Orders Federal Agencies to Trim Greenhouse Gases
President Obama signed an executive order on October 5 that sets sustainability goals for federal agencies and focuses on improvements in their environmental, energy, and economic performance.
The Executive Order requires federal agencies to set a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target for 2020 within 90 days. It also requires federal agencies to increase energy efficiency, reduce the petroleum consumption of their fleets, conserve water, reduce waste, support sustainable communities, and leverage their federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies. The new Executive Order makes reducing GHG emissions a priority for the federal government, which occupies nearly 500,000 buildings, operates more than 600,000 vehicles, employs more than 1.8 million civilians, and »

DOE Announces $87 Million in Funding to Support Solar Energy Technologies

October 8, 2009 »

Projects Aim to Accelerate Adoption of Solar Energy and Develop Solar Workforce
WASHINGTON, DC – At the opening of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon on the National Mall, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced up to $87 million will be made available to support the development of new solar energy technologies and the rapid deployment of available carbon-free solar energy systems.  Of this funding, $50 million comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The 47 projects with universities, electric power utilities, DOE’s National Laboratories, and local governments have been selected to support use of solar technologies in U.S. cities, help address technical challenges, ensure reliable »