Green Country Profile: Iceland

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There’s a country we could all take cues from. It’s a land where 72% of its total energy consumption is from hydro- and geothermal sources, and has no fossil fuels as a natural resource. This country offers eco-friendly vehicles free parking and exports its sustainability expertise all over the world.

Right at the top of the greenest countries list is Iceland with some impressive environmental accomplishments to boast about. Very few countries out there than can match Iceland’s sustainability; it is deeply ingrained in the people, not just the government or corporations. The pervasiveness of the country’s green movement is part of the culture and tourism, with its most popular tourist attractions being the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa in Reykjavik and the many natural wonders tourists can discover while driving through the Golden Circle. This eco-tourism is widespread, and The Icelandic Tourist Board holds yearly Environmental Awards to recognize attraction/accommodation/tour organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to environmentalism (not surprisingly, the Blue Lagoon is a recent recipient).

Icelandic politics were instrumental in laying down the foundation for this green country, with two major organizations that dictate its environmental projects: The Ministry for the Environment, and the Environment Agency of Iceland. It’s green policies have been laid down for years, including it’s most effective Emissions of Greenhouse Gases Act, 2007 and the Nature Conservation Act, 1999.

Via PR Newswire and Mynatour

Photo courtesy of poptech

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Green Tech: HeatWave™

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A new product from DynaCurrent Technologies Inc. may change the way we heat homes while bumping up energy efficiency and saving costs. HeatWave™ is a way of heating your home the greener way. It can replace the typical heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems that use non-renewable resources like natural gas, propane, or coal.

With easy installation and maintenance, HeatWave™ has convenience factors attached to its benefits as well. It’s versatility allows it to be incorporated into new home builds or installed into existing “forced air ductwork or radiator-based heating systems.” And with a product called CoolWave in the works, this sustainable option can potentially be used all year round.

This zero emission option solely uses slight amounts of electricity without the use of other traditional HVAC sources of energy, which are common greenhouse gas producers. This keeps the potential big and the footprint small.

To learn more about DynaCurrent Technologies Inc. and HeatWave™, visit their website.

via Canada Newswire

photo courtesy of ChristmasStockImages.com

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Has The Future Come Early?

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Climate change and global warming have been hot topics on the radar for several years now; movements that have finally started to see some results in the huge shift towards electric vehicles this year…but are these efforts too little too late? Rising sea levels have been a “debatable” issue in the environmental realm for quite some time, as one of the main concerns of the impacts of global warming. Sadly, these warnings were not heeded, and we officially a country that is drowning, and this won’t be the last.

The Republic of Kiribati, located North of Fiji, is currently being drowned out by rising sea levels, as a result of global warming. The Republic of Kiribati is consisted of 32 atolls (coral island either partially or fully surrounding lagoons) and one main island. Residents are already seeing that several atolls are being swallowed up by the waves, leading Kiribati government officials to find a migration solution for the 100,000 inhabitants of the Republic. They are currently negotiating terms with Fiji to inhabit a 6,000 acre area as an area of migration for their citizens.

Should we consider this our first warning? What are your thoughts on the future of climate change, and how to stop it from drowning out the rest of the world? Join the conversation with us on Twitter.

photo couretsy of Midge64

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Green Country Profile: Canada

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It seems like it should have been the very first country to profile in this segment, but with a lot of criticisms directed at Canada for not reaching it’s full climate change potential, our homeland slipped through the radar. However, this wonderful country of ours does stand out as a leader in the environmental game, and the World Wildlife Fund and Cleantech Group LLC have taken notice. This week, Canada was ranked the seventh greenest among 38 countries in the world, following six standout countries, among them Denmark, Israel, and the USA.

Our high standing is due to “an entrepreneurial culture, relatively high patent activity and existing corporate activity in the green-tech sector.” These factors rank in our favour, unlike the federal government’s lack of support in environmental initiatives, as displayed in the cutbacks within Environment Canada. However, on a provincial level, many areas of Canada are doing quite well in the rally for climate change including Ontario’s Green Energy Act, Nova Scotia’s subsidizing of local renewable projects, and Quebec’s goal of fostering a strong electric vehicle industry. Organizations such as The University of Waterloo’s Institute for Sustainable Energy also keep Canada on the grid when it comes to slowing environmental damage. In addition, Canada’s bounty of natural wonders allow great potential for widespread use of renewable energy sources like hydroelectric and wind powered energy. Hopefully these positive factors only continue to snowball and place this country higher in the rankings as an environmental leader.

Via The Globe and Mail

Photo courtesy of Mike Kirby

 

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The Green(wash) Movement

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When it comes to the green movement, companies are tripping over each other to jump on the bandwagon; considering that this wagon has already been moving for years now, those who haven’t already hopped on will be left behind.

What has come up (and recently) is the concept of greenwashing: the use of falsified or exaggerated environmentally-friendly claims to boost a company’s reputation. This practice has put a black smudge on what is supposed to be a very positive trend. Many companies have gone a far as covering up the harm they cause the environment by putting a positive ‘green’ spin on it. Such things are making consumers wary,  and asking questions about whether corporations are portraying any small improvement as a drastic change. The onus is on the consumer to be a smart shopper but when every industry under the sun is bombarding the average person with ‘green this’ and ‘green that’ it becomes hard to distinguish who’s telling the truth.

Let’s spotlight the real estate industry. Energy efficiency standards are exactly what they sound like- standards. Most of them are not optional now, and to be truly sustainable, homeowners are going to need to above and beyond the minimum anyway. This not only boosts environmental friendliness but saves costs, which is exactly why a home with high energy performance is candy to a realtor. However, Mike Holmes cites the issues with the greenwashing in the home-building and reno industry. Meeting environmental standards involves finding professionals that not only know what they are doing, but will not make efficiency claims that they are not living up to. Unfortunately, along with most industries, real estate and construction are not immune to greenwashing, which is why organizations like Greenpeace are trying to get to the bottom (or should we say the end) of it.

Visit stopgreenwash.org to find out more.

Photo courtesy of woodleywonderworks

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Green-tech: Pocket Computer

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Ever wondered when the post-modern micro technology everybody theorizes about, or that we see in the movies, would finally break into the real world consumer market? Well, no more waiting required. Introducing the Raspberry Pi, a credit card sized computer.

The Raspberry Pi is a PC that is slightly too large to fit into an Altoids container, that can complete many of the functions of a regular computer such as creating text documents, spreadsheets, and even playing HD/Blu-Ray quality video. The most astounding thing about this device, is actually it’s affordability.

As a charity based company, Raspberry Pi are offering two price points (based on memory size) for their product at $25 and $35 plus applicable taxes. Somehow, this brilliant little invention has been created at a very affordable price, all with the company’s vision of allowing accessible technology to young people to learn programming. To learn more about this innovative development, visit http://www.raspberrypi.org/.

photo courtesy of http://www.freefoto.com/preview/09-08-2/Fruit-Raspberries

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Living in a Shoebox – RE Story of the Week

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Ever thought your place was way too small? Can’t ever seem to find room for your things? An interesting article found on TreeHugger.com exposed us to a brilliant young man with an very unique style of living that is bound to make you more appreciative of your current living situation.

Cornell University Graduate, Luke Clark Tyler, is currently living in a Manhattan apartment that’s only (get ready for it) 78 square feet in size! Architect by trade, Tyler has adapted to the space (after downsizing from a 96 sq. ft. apartment) by building his own versatile furniture, and for a total cost of about $170. This space does however come with many lifestyle adjustments, those of which Tyler is happy to make.

Tyler shares a bathroom across the hall with 3 other tenants, while having no kitchen, as well as having little to no storage space. How does he do this? By simply making changes that can fit this lifestyle.  Tyler is not bothered by the fact that he has no useable kitchen, as he is vegetarian, and can make due just fine with the mini-fridge in his apartment. Since he works mainly from home, Tyler does not require much closet space for “work clothes” and keeps his selection of clothing minimal. He also cooks eggs in the microwave.

Because there’s so much going on in this very little space, we’ve provided a video interview with Tyler, which is done as a walk-through of his apartment.

 

photo courtesy of Blog Nueva York

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Green Country Profile: Ireland

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Ironically, green is probably the first colour you think of when Ireland comes to mind. But their four leaf clovers and St. Patrick’s day regalia aren’t the only reason Ireland is synonymous with with this colour.

This year, the world is poised to make some environmental leaps, under the guidance of the United Nations. The UN has declared 2012 to be the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, and set a three pronged goal: universal access to modern energy services, better rates of energy efficiency, and expanded use of renewable energy sources by 2030.

So how is Ireland keeping up?

-Green investment fund assets managed out of Ireland have increased more than 200% in the past couple years to €2.3billion.

-There are asset managers working out of Dublin alone working on 30+ international green funds.

-Ireland became one of the first countries to recognize forest carbon credits in tax legislation (Finance Bill 2012).

-The International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Dublin has added a wing called the Green IFSC Initiative which aims to thrust Ireland into green economy stardom. This initiative has three pillars: green finance, carbon management, and education/talent. They have set aside €600,000 for an investment in sustainable finance education.

-Education: Dublin City University announced in Fall 2011 that they are offering Ireland’s first post-graduate course in sustainable finance; the University College Dublin announced last month that it will be offering a master’s degree in energy and environmental finance; and The Institute of Bankers is now offering a diploma in green energy management and finance.

-Out of the 80-100 new start-ups that Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start Up unit supports, approximately ⅓ are clean-tech start-ups.

Via SiliconRepublic

Follow us on Twitter to find out when we spotlight another country making the right moves for our environmental future.

Photo courtesy of IrishFireside

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The Heat is Put on Canada’s Atmosphere

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The rest of the world has got some searing criticism for Canada in response it’s shift in environmental priority. Environment Canada has made the decision to decrease its observation of air pollution (that is linked to health concerns). Instead, it has reallocated these scientists to other tasks, and they have been vague to specify what these tasks exactly entail.

Critics have been quick to verbally slay Environment Canada, claiming these cuts will “jeopardize” the world’s ability to monitor holes in the ozone layer and high pollutants in the atmosphere.  Environment Canada’s response says that none of the staff involved in this monitoring have lost their jobs or changed tasks, but instead have started working on ‘other priorities’ as well. This is coming in the wake of the announcement last fall that 700 scientific and research jobs would be influenced by budget cuts, and last month’s layoff of sixty scientists.

Canada’s role in atmospheric monitoring has been monumental, keeping track of the level of dropping ozone, which can cause cancer, and tropospheric pollution (pollution particles caused from emissions by sources of ‘burning’ i.e. cars, forest fires, volcanoes), which is accountable for many heart or lung issues. Now 5 out of 6 LIDAR* stations set up to monitor particulate pollution, lay unused.

Yes of course we can all see the impact on a big scale, but how does this affect us directly? Canada’s ozone monitoring led to us knowing the daily UV indexes, and the LIDAR stations kept track of ash from volcanic eruptions which can have an effect on aircraft. So although we know the long term health repercussions that these atmospheric threats pose, this shift to other “priorities” will leave many in the dark about what can affect us day-to-day. We’ll notice the change when we don’t have the UV index to dictate when to ramp up the sunscreen, or perhaps when a flight gets delayed from the latest volcanic ash cloud that hits the air.

*LIDAR stands for light detection and ranging, and in this context, is a method that shoots a form of radar into the atmosphere and measures the light that reflects off pollution.

via CBCNews

photo courtesy of Ju-x

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Make It or Break It

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Our friends at EstateVue blogged about a milestone in the future of real estate agents earlier this week: the new offering of a Master of Real Estate Degree Program by NAR University. We would like to actually elaborate on this topic based on new information released today by the Boston Business Journal, stating that in the past year more people have become listed real estate agents within the past year than in the past decade.

These pieces of information are more important than you would assume. From where we’re sitting, it seems as though there could very well be a divide in the agent world based on these two articles. The saturation of the real estate market will undoubtedly increase market competition and will lead all participants to look for ways to set themselves apart from the competition through many routes, whether they be through print advertising, digital marketing, re-branding, flyering mailboxes, etc. However, one of the most prominent methods to creating personal advantages over the competition is through higher education, and by getting those tasty little letters to legally sign after your name.

Our predictions are simple. There are clearly a lot of real estate agents who are currently entering or who are already engaged in the real estate market. So what’s the next step for these agents to get the upper hand on one another? The most obvious choice would be that of the new Degree Program. Why? Well, let’s put it this way. Who would you trust more with your finances: somebody who successfully completed their course/certification, or somebody who went to school and got a degree in their field? We are definitely leaning more towards the candidate with the higher education, as would most people. This leaves us with a predictable divide between agents who do or don’t have degrees for the simple reason that to a lot of people degrees present more education and knowledge during introductions, which could start to be a deal-maker or a deal-breaker, depending on which piece of paper you have framed in your office.

Do you think we’re crazy? Will this new Degree Program fail, or prevail? Will this higher education become an industry standard, or an unnecessary additive? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter.

 

photo courtesy of http://polandian.home.pl/index.php/2011/01/23/handshake-habits-and-headaches/

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