Brian Keane

Rather than telling people how to be more energy efficient this Earth Day, SmartPower decided to test consumers' knowledge of energy efficiency with a 10-question quiz. Instead of receiving the varied results we expected, we noticed that there were some surprisingly common incorrect answers.

For example, we asked:...

Baseball is back and the outfield has never looked so green!

And I say this knowing that back in 2004, SmartPower created an award winning series of television ads that featured sports stadiums from across the nation using clean energy. The ad showed that even back then,...

As we begin Earth Month, it would seem that we're seeing conventional wisdom turned on its head. I'm talking, of course, about the widespread assumption that college students are spearheading the renewed green movement across our nation. Indeed, it's been thought that the so-called Millennials will help us not only...

Since we survived winter -- if you can call it that -- and have already begun the transition to spring, I wanted to share some of my favorite green, spring cleaning tips. And of course, with Saint Patrick's Day just behind us... what better time to be green?

1. Give...

Can a sporting event as massive as the Super Bowl be considered even remotely green?

Yes -- although we'll disregard the fact that Indianapolis's Lucas Oil Stadium is hosting this year's game.

The Super Bowl expends an enormous amount of energy. But that doesn't mean it should go to...

As the election season shifts into high gear, we're bracing ourselves for more stories about Solyndra and other so-called "scandals" of the Obama administration.

But let's not kid ourselves -- Solyndra is a sideshow to the real, incredibly exciting story of solar power over the course of this administration.

Here's...

Don't tell me the coal industry doesn't have a lock on the holidays! After all, what does Santa leave in the stockings of bad little boys and girls? (Hint: Not solar panels.)

Here are my top 10 tips for a happy and sustainable holiday season, from LED Christmas...

If there's one item on the energy agenda that's managed to remain free of controversy, it's energy efficiency. There's no doubt about it -- wasting energy is bad. And indeed, saving energy is not only good for the environment, and our national security. It's also good for our wallets. Remember...

The headlines recently on solar power seem to portend the end of the gravy train for the clean energy industry. From Solyndra to EverGreen, the conventional wisdom seems to be saying that the glory days of solar power are dwindling.

But the conventional wisdom couldn't be more wrong.

Americans overwhelmingly...

Juliet Eilperin's and Jon Cohen's Nov. 10 Washington Post story about the growing gulf between Democrats' and Republicans' views on renewable energy paints a grim picture of our country's stalled clean energy future. As it says, "support for putting federal funds into alternative energy sources such as wind,...

When I picked up my copy of this week's Time magazine, I was momentarily stopped in my tracks by Massimo Calabresi's cover story: "Hillary Clinton and the Rise of Smart Power."

It was a great read -- but I couldn't help but think that, in discussing the...

Last week I watched New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie turn his 15 minutes of fame into an hour-long press conference. As far as I'm concerned, Christie -- and the national media -- missed the real story coming out of New Jersey.

A new Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) report confirms...

Our SmartPower staff recently ventured across the National Mall to visit the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, a sustainable building competition among teams of college students from across the country. We went to the Decathlon expecting to see some pretty cool houses powered by rooftop solar...

Kudos to Scientific American for putting out a special issue on "Better, greener, smarter cities."

The issue is chock-full of interesting data, ranging from the technological to the anthropological. But what I liked most about the edition was its emphasis on green building as the future of urban...

Let's face it: Solyndra wasn't a winner. But it was the company's inability to keep up with rapidly declining solar panel costs -- not its focus on clean energy technology -- that led to its demise.

Nevertheless, the associated job losses and pique of political scandal have overshadowed the...

We're all reading some uncomfortable reports in the news today about Solyndra, the solar company that declared bankruptcy last month and is now the target of a House investigation. It's tough to see good people and good intentions dragged before a Congressional Committee all to score some political...

I recently wrote an op-ed in Politico about the remarkable work college students are doing across the country to drive clean energy and energy efficiency improvements on their campuses. As those students head back to school, it's time to showcase their efforts -- which is why I'm announcing...

Brian Keane is the President of SmartPower, a non-profit marketing organization funded by private foundations to help build the clean energy marketplace by helping the American public become smarter about their energy use.

It's hard to keep ahead of the he-said, she-said nature of the debt ceiling talks that transpired over the weekend. But one thing is clear: on Friday, House Speaker John Boehner once again walked away from the negotiating table.

All I could think when I heard the...

It's intern season here in Washington. The sweltering city is filled with dynamic, ready-to-impress young people working in the powerful halls of Congress and the humble offices of SmartPower.

Each year our intern team gets better than the last. This year, Chandler Clay, Mark Ellis and Sarah Kiner are raising...