Archive - Sep 2013

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How Energy Efficient Is Your City?
A new report ranks 34 major US cities by their energy-use policies.
Does your city have a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions dramatically? Is it seeking to reduce car use through bike share programs and public transit subsidies? Does it partner with utility companies to help small businesses and homeowners save energy? And does it lobby for statewide energy-efficiency legislation?

Those are just a few of the policies that have made Boston the top-ranked city for energy efficiency, according to a new report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Portland, Ore., placed second, followed by New York, San Francisco, and Seattle.

ACEEE ranked 34 major American cities—the 25 most populous incorporated ones, plus the central cities of nine other major metropolitan areas—according to their efforts to promote energy savings. The report looked at building codes, community-wide energy initiatives, transportation policies, energy-saving programs involving public utilities, and efforts to improve the efficiency of government building. You can see where each city ranked on the map above.

The 10 Most Energy-Efficient Cities In The U.S.  read more »

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[Daily Infographic] - The first time I ate a fresh pear, I was roughly twelve years old. The flavor concerned me, and I asked my mom if there was something wrong with it. You see, I grew up on Hamburger Helper, Kraft macaroni and cheese, and Dole fruit cocktail in heavy syrup (still a favorite of mine–the maraschino cherries!). It wasn’t till my twelfth year that my parents finished grad school and finally had the time and money to introduce fresh foods into mine and my sister’s diet. It was a bit of an adjustment. Even at school we were used to eating processed foods.

My sister and I still give our younger brother and sister a hard time for being born a decade after us and getting to take advantage of dad’s newfound love for cooking. This is something that I talk to my dad about a lot, and he says that not finding ways for us to eat healthier earlier is one of his biggest regrets. It has taken me a while, but I have slowly but surely introduced every variety of food into my diet and learned how to cook along the way. Eating and preparing fresh foods brings me so much joy and keeps me healthy. The infographic above discusses the importance of educating children on food, and not just any food, real, healthy food.
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Image courtesy dailyinfographic.com