Weekend Reads: - Diversified Communications

Distributed Energy Resources, Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  January 28, 2023

Weekend Reads: Evolution of Green Building Policy; Fields of Corn vs. Solar

It's the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web:

How green building policy could evolve in 2023 (Utility Dive)  For much of its recent history in mitigating climate change, Denver has concentrated on buildings’ operational energy — the energy needed to run basics like heating, air conditioning, lighting and hot water. That will shift in May, when Denver’s newly adopted green code takes effect, said Christy Collins, green communities specialist with the local government. The code will also consider the greenhouse gas emissions created during construction of a building and the manufacturing of its materials. 

Agenda Of International Road Freight Conference Makes It Clear Battery-Electric Will Dominate (Clean Technica)  In December of 2022, the UK-based Centre for Sustainable Road Freight (SRF) had its ninth-annual international conference. Reading that, it doesn’t sound like a promising start to an engaging article. But it actually is because of what it clearly shows, I promise. What’s the provenance of the SRF? It was founded a decade or so ago as a multi-institute research organization with funding from across Europe, and a mandate to bring insights from the world to the UK to help clean up the sector. 

Webinar: The 2023 State of Sustainability (Atrius)  Now in its 4th year, the State of Corporate Sustainability Report has a history of taking a deep dive into understanding the biggest drivers, motivators, and challenges facing professionals within the energy and building management space. This year is no different; built from the perspective of over 300 industry professionals, this year’s findings showed that both energy and sustainability professionals have critical roles to play in meeting corporate ESG goals. In this webinar, we’ll be reviewing key findings from the report with an expert panel. REGISTER HERE

Report forecasts clean-energy boost from turning cornfields into solar power fields (Wisconsin Examiner)  About 1 million acres of Wisconsin farmland produces corn for ethanol fuel, but an environmental group says the land could produce 100 times as much energy if planted with solar farms instead. In addition, it would take less than one-third of the land currently used for ethanol corn to house enough solar generation to eliminate carbon-based energy in the state by 2050, according to Clean Wisconsin. The organization released a report Tuesday comparing the efficiency of using farmland to grow corn for ethanol with using it for solar power.

How Pittsburgh found a secret climate weapon in ‘the thrilling world of municipal budgeting’ (Grist)  Governments the world over have made a lot of great-sounding climate commitments. In Pittsburgh, for example, an ambitious plan adopted in 2018 outlines objectives like 100 percent renewable energy in municipal facilities by 2030, a fossil-free fleet, and zero-waste operations. But setting goals is one thing. Implementing the programs and infrastructure needed to reach them is another — and that work costs money.  

Climatarian? Regenivore? New diets take aim at climate change (Axios)  Move over, locavores: A slew of new labels — from "climavore" to "reducetarian" — reflect the trend of people eating with sustainability in mind to reduce their climate "foodprint." Why it matters: Food manufacturers, restaurants, and supermarkets are racing to cater to the zeal for lower-carbon eating choices, which has people eschewing plastic packaging, ingredients flown in from afar, and foods that are environmentally damaging to produce.

 


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