Lowe's jumps on the LED bulb bandwagon

I've already mentioned Home Depot's adoption of the LED light bulb. Now comes word that Home Depot wanna-be Lowe's is doing the same. Cnet's Green Tech reports that the number two home improvement giant will be carrying a new Osram Sylvania 60-watt LED bulb. That's 60-watt equivalent, of course. The whole point is that the light only draws 12 watts of energy to produce the same illumination as a traditional incandescent bulb.

Colin Powell says State Dept. is pushing LEED certification

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke at the recent Greenbuild conference in Chicago. He talked about the importance of green architecture as the State Dept. continues to renovate and build embassies:

"The United States government has done a lot of innovative things with respect to energy conservation, with respect to green building,” he said. “All of the services are now focusing on getting LEED certification for their existing buildings and for new buildings.”

Thanks to Home Channel News for the link.

In a down economy, fewer are willing to spend on green furnishings

Furniture shoppers are less willing to spend on eco-friendly furniture, says Furniture Today, reporting on the Sustainable Furnishings Council's 2010 Green Home Furnishings Consumer Study. Evidently, big ticket spenders are harder to find these days, and only 4 percent of consumers say they are looking to buy green home furnishings. The survey suggests that educating shoppers about green home furnishings should be a priority, given the current low levels of consumer knowledge.

While in the past about 10 percent of respondents have said they would be willing to spend more on eco-friendly products in general, now that's dropped to just 5 percent.

National Weatherization Day

A community activist in
Alabama helped weatherize
area homes.

At the White House blog, Energy Secretary Stephen Chu is celebrating National Weatherization Day. Money quote: “As a result of the Recovery Act weatherization program, more than 245,000 low-income families have had their homes upgraded, which means these families are paying lower energy bills every month.”

The Sierra Club is happy with the government’s efforts: “Across the country, federal recovery funds are helping people weatherize their homes for winter, creating jobs and reducing energy waste.”

Meanwhile, Rhode Island and Arkansas just got more stimulus money for weatherization efforts. And in Alabama, one charitable group visited local homes on Weatherization Day and made a range of energy-saving fixes.

Photo courtesy The Huntsville Times, with thanks.

A house with no furnace

An environmental lawyer and a partner at a design firm are building a house that will require no active energy inputs — no oil, gas, or electric heating. In chilly Massachusetts, it will rely exclusively on insulation and architectural design. Check out the details, with video and slide show, at the New York Times’ report.