As the election season heats up, we're seeing an avalanche of ads from the fossil-fuel industry. But it was only four years ago that companies like Chevron, BP and others were touting their commitment to renewables, and even Republicans were paying lip service to addressing climate change, instead...

One of my heroes, evolutionary microbiologist Lynn Margulis, died this past Thanksgiving. She was an amazing lady who was married to Carl Sagan for many years, and partnered with James Lovelock in discovering that the earth is an interconnected living global ecosystem run largely by microbes. She pioneered the theory...

Nuclear energy has always been a controversial issue. With the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant this spring, increased concerns about climate change, and a global debate over the future of energy, this year is no exception.

Nuclear advocates argue that it is a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels that...

A few years ago at Greenbuild, USGBC President Rick Fedrizzi held up a box of animal crackers, showed the audience the list of ingredients, and pointed out that nothing like that exists for buildings -- despite the fact that they're full of toxic chemicals, and we spend most of our...

Consider the following recent news from Ernst & Young about investment in cleantech companies this quarter:

• US Department of Energy announced loans and guarantees of $32 billion, including over $10 billion for solar projects.
• First Solar secured $4.5 billion in loan guarantees.
• A group of 11 wealthy US...

Newt Gingrich is an ideas man. He's all about solutions. He runs a website called American Solutions, founded "to help develop and implement a new generation of solutions to our country's most pressing challenges." Unfortunately, the first solution on his website is "Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less."...

There's one big reason why making your home more efficient should be at the top of your spring cleaning list: your home is addicted to coal. Did you know the average home produces twice as many emissions as the average car?

Just because your home doesn't have a...

With all the talk in Washington about being fiscally conservative, it's time to remember that true fiscal responsibility begins with solar income. Everything we do depends on energy -- markets, communication, industry, agriculture -- all of it. Aside from nuclear power, the only energy we get is from the sun....

Over the next ten years the green economy is going to change virtually every major aspect of our lives for the better. These changes are as sexy and irresistible as new technology. In fact, when we talk about designing scalable solutions for sustainable communities much of it IS new technology....

Home Energy -- There's an App for That!

I have a confession to make: I'm burning coal right now. And in all likelihood you are too. Half the electricity in the US is generated by burning coal. And with more of us charging laptops, smartphones, iPads and xBoxes every day,...