Energy Conservation Comes Home

Executive order requires federal agencies to reduce waste, conserve energy

(NEWSER) - Federal agencies have until 2020 to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 28% under an executive order President Obama signed today. The order also calls for improvements in energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste reduction. "As the largest energy consumer in the United States, we have a responsibility to American citizens to reduce our energy use and become more efficient," Obama said before signing the order. More»

(NEWSER) - Scientists have developed electricity-generating fibers that can be embedded in clothing and other materials and draw power from the smallest of movements, LiveScience reports. The zinc oxide nanowires are as small as 1/5,000th the width of a human hair and produce energy when they vibrate, even from blood flowing through veins. Cell phones and other personal electronics, not to mention military applications, could be powered. More»

Big city's bright lights must dim, many say

(NEWSER) - A dimmer switch looms over Manhattan's bright nighttime skyline, as concerns over conservation and energy costs have prompted skyscraper owners to abandon the practice of blazing all lights at all hours. New York scores a 9 out of 9 on a light pollution scale, and legislators are considering official incentives to install motion detectors and efficient bulbs, the Times reports. More»

After avalanche, Juneau is forced to find ways to use less energy

(NEWSER) - An energy conservation effort born out of necessity has turned the residents of Juneau, Alaska, into poster children for the green movement, the New York Times reports. Electricity rates skyrocketed 400% after an avalanche knocked out several major transmission towers last month; the state capital has since lowered its electricity usage by more than 30%, a figure that makes conservationists swoon. More»

Conservationists thwarted developers' plans for Islandia

(NEWSER) - Florida's smallest city, which spans 33 islands at the north end of the Florida Keys and is home to many more manatees than people, is about to be wiped off the map. The city of Islandia only ever really existed in the minds of developers, who declared it a municipality in 1961 amid plans to blanket the pristine islands in beachfront homes, luxury hotels, and shopping centers, the New York Times finds in a look at the sham city's colorful past. Florida discovered years ago that the town's government had long been illegal and all of its municipal officials—including its first mayor, a former bootlegger—were landowners who lived off the islands and elected themselves in votes held in Miami. County commissioners are expected to abolish the city in a vote next month. More»