Save Some Dough

Here is a great infographic (created by Infographic World) on how to save some money at home in a few simple steps. Most of them are good for the planet, too!





Personal Finances from Quicken

What I did on my summer vacation...

Well, it wasn't as much of a vacation as a really sweet internship. Two of my previous posts have talked about my work this summer, and this article from the Environmental Defense Fund summarizes the work that all of the fellows did. Collectively, it's a lot! $650 million in energy savings, 440,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent annually, and annual energy use savings equal to that of 38,000 typical American homes. Historically, the Climate Corps program has seen about 89% of its recommendations implemented, so we can expect most of these projects to actually happen. It's nice to get some good news once in a while...

Catalyzing Change: Sustainability In A Southern Town - Part II

Here's the second part of my 3-part series for the Environmental Defense Fund's Energy Exchange blog, based on my work this summer:

If there’s one thing I’ve learned while working in the environmental arena, it is that change does not happen in a vacuum. We need to actively involve as many people in the organization as possible. Generating buy-in for workplace sustainability can be challenging, but with a few key strategies, we can start winning people over.

In my last post, I outlined seven core steps to catalyzing change within an organization, and talked about how the Town of Cary has implemented the first step. Those seven steps are:

1. Make it official.
2. Identify the changers.
3. Change is not binary.
4. Operate in parallel.
5. The Rule of 7.
6. Market internally and externally.
7. Celebrate successes.

Steps two through four are about how to initiate change. Here’s what I’ve been up to over the past few weeks:

#2: Identify The Changers

The changers are the people who are excited about sustainability. They have ideas, enthusiasm, and momentum. If the organization has many departments, finding changers in various parts of the organization will promote sustainability in each department. Through these changers, you can develop relationships with different individuals and departments on their terms. The initial focus should be on why sustainability is important, and what the benefits of pursuing it are.

One project I am working on focuses on energy efficiency improvements for the Town’s fire stations. The Fire Chief gave me a list of changers from each of the seven Cary Fire Stations who were chosen based on an interest in energy and environmental issues. Having someone at each station who is excited by sustainability has been exceedingly helpful in building buy-in.

#3: Change Is Not Binary

Sustainability is not simply green or not. There are many facets of sustainability, all of which are steps in the right direction. It is important to tackle only as many projects as your organization can handle. Start small, minimize risk, and pick the low-hanging fruit. You don’t need to be generating all of your power from solar panels by tomorrow in order to be sustainable.

Energy efficiency is a great way to get started. Many projects involve low-to-no cost, such as turning down temperatures on hot water heaters and enforcing thermostat temperature set points. Other projects have short payback periods, like upgrading exit signs to LEDs. Still more projects, like preventative maintenance of HVAC systems, have co-benefits including improved occupant comfort and better indoor air quality.

#4: Operate in Parallel

Because the route to a sustainable organization is ongoing and ever-evolving, we should use many simultaneous tools to catalyze change. These include comprehensive strategic plans, various investment structures, capital projects, maintenance programs, and more.

One important consideration here is the impact of these projects on the facilities and maintenance staff. The Town chooses to operate in parallel not only in pursuing projects, but also with how to implement these projects so that their facilities team does not get overwhelmed. Namely, they choose their in-house projects wisely, and hire contractors for the rest.

These three steps are an important part of initiating change within an organization. The next three steps are all about how to communicate this change effectively and efficiently. Check back soon for more on the remaining three steps!

This post reflects the personal opinions of Kealy Devoy, and does not reflect the positions, strategies, or opinions of the Town of Cary.

EDF Climate Corps Public Sector (CCPS) trains graduate students to identify energy efficiency savings in colleges, universities, local governments and houses of worship. The program focuses on partnerships with minority serving institutions and diverse communities. Apply as a CCPS fellow, read our blog posts and follow us onTwitter to get regular updates about this program.

Catalyzing Change: Sustainability In A Southern Town

What did I do this summer? Fun stuff! Read on for more...this is all from the Environmental Defense Fund's Energy Exchange blog, through my work with the Climate Corps Public Sector Program.

This summer, I am working with the Town of Cary in North Carolina to identify energy efficiency improvements throughout its organization. My focus is on two projects: fire and emergency services sustainability, and energy planning. Cary’s commitment to saving energy deserves applause.

My goal is to see tangible energy efficiency improvements. Some of these changes are easily measurable: energy use reductions, dollars saved, and greenhouse gas emissions avoided. Others will be tougher to track, such as determining the number of Cary employees who are aware of sustainability initiatives.

Catalyzing change takes time, certainly more than 10 short weeks. However despite this limited time period that I have, there are many strategies that can be used to point organizations in the right direction. During the Climate Corps Public Sector training, Paula Thomas, the Sustainability Director for the City of Raleigh, gave the fellows a list of ways to become agents of change in the municipalities, churches, and universities that we are working with. Her seven core steps to catalyzing change are:

1. Make it official.
2. Identify the changers.
3. Change is not binary.
4. Operate in parallel.
5. The Rule of 7.
6. Market internally and externally.
7. Celebrate successes.

#1: Make it Official

The Town has already taken action on the first step: ‘Make it official’ with its mission statement, adopted by the Town Council in 2006. The statement upholds Cary’s sustainability goals and includes, “We will preserve and protect our environment. We will be good stewards of our finite resources.”

Making good on its word, Cary established the Environmental Advisory Board in 2008. Comprised of sustainability experts and community members, the board evaluates and recommends best practices to Cary to reduce its impact on the environment and use of natural resources.

Cary’s creation of a Sustainability Manager position last year came from the advice of the board. The Sustainability Manager, Emily Barrett, addresses energy efficiency for the entire town, not just departmentally. Emily’s work has led to the development of a comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions inventory. This type of investment is crucial to making energy efficiency improvements, since it establishes the baseline and helps identify low-hanging fruit.

The Town’s inventory is the basis for the Strategic Energy Plan that I am working on, which includes fire and emergency services sustainability and energy planning.

Paula Thomas’ seven steps are proving to be very helpful as I work with the Town to pursue sustainability in meaningful ways. Check back soon for more on the remaining six steps!

This post reflects the personal opinions of Kealy Devoy, and does not reflect the positions, strategies, or opinions of the Town of Cary.

EDF Climate Corps Public Sector (CCPS) trains graduate students to identify energy efficiency savings in colleges, universities, local governments and houses of worship.  The program focuses on partnerships with minority serving institutions and diverse communities.  Apply as a CCPS fellow, read our blog posts and follow us onTwitter to get regular updates about this program.

Google's Climate Neutrality Commitment

I have to start by apologizing to Google: I am sorry that I didn't know you had a climate neutrality commitment! I'm not surprised, of course, given their philosophy and general awesomeness. Anyway, this carbon neutrality agreement hits close to home given their recent partnership with the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative (DCOI) at Duke University. Not only am I a current graduate student at Duke, but also I was recently hired as an intern by the DCOI. Google's video and blog post explain two projects that Google has invested in, the second of which is Duke's. This is very exciting news not just for Google and Duke, but for hog farmers across the US. One project might seem small, but it's a major success. Way to go Google & Duke!

September already?

Summer flew by and suddenly it's September, and I have homework again. But what fun homework it is! The class I am most excited about (Sustainable Cities and Urban Design) has the following required texts:

Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities: Design Strategies for the Post-Carbon World
By Patrick M. Condon (find it here)

Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature
By Douglas Farr (find it here)

Why am I so excited about this? Because my focus in school thus far has been on high-performance buildings, energy efficiency, and business management. Now I get to wrap all of that up in sustainable urban design. How do we pull together new high-performing buildings with energy efficiency upgrades for the existing buildings in a way that creates a living, walkable, truly sustainable community? How do we encourage sustainable businesses to act sustainable by joining these communities and helping them thrive? How do we make significant changes in the way that Americans live, work, and play in the next 50 years to avoid a complete climate crisis?

I don't know, but I hope I'll have some ideas by the end of this course. Either way, I'll post the most interesting stuff here. Happy new school year everyone!

DIY Disaster: Why you should ALWAYS put long hair into a ponytail

Meet Rachel

Rachel with a goat at a local farm!

She is my outdoorsy, adventurous, kitchen-master of a roommate. For Chrismakuh (the holiday that gets celebrated when a former Catholic lives with an Atheist Jew), she gave me the COOLEST PRESENT EVER: mushroom plugs. These little nubs are filled with mushroom spawn. The basic idea is to drill holes in logs, insert the plugs, seal with wax, and wait for delicious mushrooms to grow.

Yesterday Rachel and I finally sat down to inoculate our mushroom logs. I got about 25 holes drilled while Rachel went behind me inserting the mushroom plugs. My arm needed a rest, so I handed the drill off to Rachel. Just a couple rows into it Rachel let out a little scream and the drilling stopped. Rachel's long hair, which had been hanging in her face as she leaned over the log to drill holes, was stuck in the drill. Not in the drill bit, mind you, but inside the motor of the drill.

I quickly unplugged the drill. We soon discovered that her hair was completely stuck:

Rachel with her hair in the drill

In the end I had to cut her hair. Luckily, it was a relatively small portion of her hair, so you can't even tell that she's missing any. We got the hair out of the drill by taking it apart, but I think the incident blew the motor, so I'll be procuring a new drill before the mushrooms can be fully inoculated.

The lesson? ALWAYS pull long hair into a ponytail before working with any kind of power tool. Rachel was very lucky that we were working with a relatively benign tool, and no permanent harm was done. Be safe!