APEC Leaders Fail to Commit to Binding Targets on Emissions

APEC leaders signed the Sydney Declaration on Climate Change this weekend in Australia, but green activists dismissed it as too timid and were highly critical of its lack of binding targets for emissions reductions. Read more here

U.S. Comptroller General Warns of Severe Economic Crisis

David Walker, head of the US Government Accountability Office say the US government is on a "burning platform" of unsustainable policies and practices and that deficits, healthcare underfunding, immigration and military overspending will precipitate a crisis if action is not taken soon. In this report the country's top government inspector compares America's current situation with the last days of the Roman Empire.

For a contrasting look at how to create a sustainable economy of well-being that puts people before profits read Mark Anielski's Economics of Happiness.

Solar Power Dish

Israel's Professor David Faiman is leading a research project that uses a mirrored "dish" to concentrate the sun's rays and produce 1,500 watts from a cell that normally gives only one watt. Read the full story here.

For more information on solar power and a look at the dreamers and doers who have been responsible for much of the innovation in the field of solar energy, pick up Neville Williams' Chasing the Sun.

Polar Bears Threatened with Extinction

The US Geological Survey warns that the Artic icecap has reached the tipping point and is expected to lose all its ice during the summer months by 2030 with massive global consequences predicted. As well as the plight of the polar bear, this radical change will raise world sea levels, disrupt climate patterns and impact world food production. Read more here

Learn more about deep ecology and environmental defense in John Seed's Thinking Like a Mountain.

PARTNERS

Earth Talk

How do you learn to build an all-around state-of-the-art "eco-home?"

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For follow up on this piece on Green Building, check out Green Building Products and Your Green Home by Alex Wilson and some of the other great titles in our Green Building and Natural Building sections.

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There are many ideas as to what constitutes an "eco-home," depending upon how pure one wants to be. But certain common elements—such as energy efficiency, responsible materials sourcing and minimal landscape disruption—must be in place to meet most environmentalists' criteria. And with technologies improving and prices coming down, eco-homes are no longer the domain of the wealthy, as even a modest building can incorporate green features.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit network of practitioners of environmentally friendly construction, a green home "uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants." The organization is continuously updating its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines, which help realtors, developers, architects and builders create high performance green buildings of every stripe.

USGBC recently launched a special set of benchmarks—LEED for Homes—devoted specifically to the design and construction of residential buildings. Builders or owners can evaluate every step of the home design and construction process according to standards set forth under these guidelines, which aim for sustainably sourced materials, lower energy and water usage, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and less exposure to mold and other indoor toxins. USGBC research indicates that the net cost of owning a LEED home is comparable to that of owning a conventional home. Since LEED for Homes was launched in 2005, more than 375 builders representing 6,000 homes across the U.S. have built according to its standards.

Other organizations also weigh-in on what constitutes an "eco-home." Juliet Cuming, of the Vermont-based nonprofit Earth Sweet Home Institute, lays out several criteria that anyone can use when planning the design and construction of an environmentally-friendly home: Does the home plan reduce energy and resources? Does it re-use existing resources? Are materials used recyclable or biodegradable once no longer usable? Is the home healthy to producers and occupants and also to the installers of the materials? Is the plan affordable and available? Will the resulting home be durable?

"The ideal eco-home would be built in a place where it will have as little negative impact as possible on the plants, wildlife and humans in the area," says Cuming. "The home will be sited and designed to take advantage of shade in the summer and sun in the winter." She adds that a true eco-home should be crafted out of materials derived from local sources.

Those looking to learn more about eco-homes have lots of information to wade through online and in print. A good place to start is Environmental Building News, a monthly newsletter on green design and construction published by Building Green, Inc. It features comprehensive, practical information on a wide range of topics—from renewable energy and recycled materials to land-use planning and indoor air quality.

CONTACTS: LEED for Homes, www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=147; Earth Sweet Home Institute, www.earthsweethome.com; Environmental Building News; www.buildinggreen.com.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.

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