The Week in Green is a series that highlights green technology, building science and sustainability in the news.
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ComputerWorld: The Voice of IT Management published the article “Green Storage Solutions for SMBs, Part 1.” The author, Sandra Van Dijk, discusses why the small-to-medium business sector is in a prime place to lead in data storage. “With ever-increasing storage capacity and escalating energy costs,” writes Dijk, “the small to medium business (SMB) sector is looking for solutions to address both the capital and operational costs of storage. “ The solution centers on cutting storage management costs, including energy use costs.
“Part one [of the article] looks at the latest technologies to address this growing problem while Part two compares Green messaging and strategies by the major storage vendors including Dell, EMC, Fujitsu, Hitachi Data Systems, HP, IBM, NetApp and Oracle-Sun.”
The Department of Energy on Wednesday released the first report on its Quadrennial Technology Review. The DOE asserts there are six areas that will modernize and support growth in the United States’ energy portfolio: 1) Deploy Clean Electricity, 2) Modernize the Grid, 3) Increase Building and Industrial Efficiency, 4) Deploy Alternative Hydrocarbon Fuels, 5) Electrify the Vehicle Fleet, and 6) Increase Vehicle Efficiency. As The Energy Collective states, “These are all sound strategies to address the three broad challenges imposed by our current energy systems: energy insecurity, environmental threats, and international competitiveness.” A video introduction may be found here and the full report may be found here.
Green Building hosts articles this week including “Green Building Insulation,” addressing the appropriate type and amount of insulation and how to conduct a home energy audit. In the same article, there is a section on Federal Tax Credits for insulation. Additionally, “Green Building Windows and Doors” discusses window energy performance and window ratings, and provides an installation guide.
On Thursday, the USDA issued the news release “Forest Service Report Documents Environmental Benefits of Wood as a Green Building Material.” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that “this study confirms what many environmental scientists have been saying for years. Wood should be a major component of American building and energy design.”
The U.S. Forest Service also supported the increased use of life cycle analysis in building codes and standards and its subsequent combination with new technologies for improved wood use. According to the USDA, “The use of forest products in the United States currently supports more than one million direct jobs, particularly in rural areas, and contributes more than $100 billion to the country’s gross domestic product.” The full text of the news release may be found here.
– Jean Danielson is director of operations for Indigo Dawn. She enjoys watching independent films whose titles are made up of complete phrases.
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