Got plans!

Sustainability: it's not just about farming anymore.

Talk about your BOLD urban planning projects. This page from WWF highlights a proposal for the world's first sustainable living project, slated for Mata de Sesimbra, Portugal. If approved, this project will result in an entire community--from conception to executed-- being planned under the first "sustainable building, tourism, nature conservation and reforestation programme" of its kind.

How cool would this be if it works? To build communities with ALL relevant interests in mind-including preserving the enviroment and conserving local species with an eye toward the future, not just making a quick buck. Incredible.

won't you be my neighbor?
Meet Monique and Doug. They live in the dc suburbs and have 3 kids. They aren't tree hugging-enviro-commandos, but this Arlington couple recently fitted their suburban home with solar panels and solar powered hot water heaters at a cost upwards of $20,000. Why?? Obviously, they hope to recoup some of the expenditures through the solar power they will be generating and consuming, and through "net metering," a program whereby unused energy produced by them gets sold to the utility company at retail prices. But beyond just the economic factors, Monique and Doug felt that this was what they as a family could do to contribute to the global energy conservation effort. Yay, for alternative energy and outside the box people like Monique and Doug!

Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, you could get up to $2000 in federal tax credit for a residential solar power system. Considering the cost of a residential solar power system, I think the tax credit incentive is too low to truly incentivize the consumer. Let's press our legislators to make alternative energy incentives better!

write your congressman!
write your senator!
write the President!

Interestingly, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 as passed also includes "tranistional cost" subsidies to oil and nuclear power companies, a lot of which happen to be in ... TEXAS.