Thank you, Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy was a vigorous defender of “people, profit and planet” before any of us ever used the phrase “triple bottom line”.
Treehugger has compiled a series of tributes to this “progessive green champion” that is a worthwhile read and great history lesson for those who are new to the green finance and investment world.
Green real estate professionals owe Ted Kennedy a great debt of gratitude.
Our entire business would not even be imaginable, if he had not so persistently pushed for social and environmental justice over the many decades of his political career — long before the idea of a green economy existed.
If you are reading this post on the website (as opposed to by email), you can check out what might possibly be Ted Kennedy’s last great act for the sustainability movement — his endorsement of Barack Obama for president.
Photo credit: Flickr - diggersf
Friday Photo: ASU is one of Nation’s ‘Greenest’ Universities
Do you know which universities are recognized as the ‘greenest’?
Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability is featured here.
It was founded in 2007 and the photo details both wind turbines, with the photographer noting that solar panels are soon to be installed.
It also scored 99 out of 99 points, earning it a spot on Princeton Review’s “2010 Green Rating Honor Roll”, which ranks universities based upon their environmentally related policies, practices and academic offerings.
There’s a huge need in commercial real estate finance and investment for professionals well-versed in sustainability issues impacting real estate and finance.
It will be interesting to see where that talent starts to emerge.
Have a great weekend!
Photo credit: Flickr-Kevin Dooley
Friday Quiz: Is the tough real estate market affecting solar PV installations?
You already know all the bad news from the real estate sector, but what about the solar power flowing through the real estate?
Quiz yourself (or an unsuspecting colleague…) on this factoid, reported in the latest issue of SolarToday magazine.
Question 1: Solar photovoltaic installations across the US grew 65% last year. But, which real estate sector has more installed solar PV systems?
a. Residential?
b. Or, commercial?
Question 2: Why?
(Don’t cheat)
Answer:
Nearly 19,000 homes and businesses connected to the grid in 2008. But, while residential installations grew by 34 percent, non-residential installations more than doubled.
Why?
Incentives shaped market growth.
2008 US P.V. installations grew 65 percent over 2007 to nearly 340 megawatts (!). Since 2005, the installed capacity of solar PV has more than tripled.
During 2008, the federal ITC was capped at $2,000 for residential installations, but uncapped for commercial. So the overall incentives for commercial PV systems was significantly higher than residential. The average size of a residential PV system increased 7 percent to 4,9 kilowatts (kW) while the average size of a commercial system increased by 67 percent to 114 kW.
Have a good Friday!
Source credit: Can Incentives Sustain the Solar Boom? Article by Larry Sherwood, appearing in July/August SolarToday Magazine
Photocredit: Flickr/photonenergy picture of Saint Christopher Solar Installation
Frohe Weihnachten! | Happy Holidays from Our Green Journey!
It’s 2.30 in the afternoon and we’re off to Berlin for the annual family holiday! We have survived the obstacle course to the gate and are now relaxing, waiting to board a long flight to see loved ones and friends that we don’t see quite as often as we like.
But I couldn’t leave sunny SFO today without letting you know that I’ve appreciated your taking the time over the past few months to read Our Green Journey and share your perspectives and occasionally even, pass it along to other friends and colleagues.
I hope that you and your loved ones enjoy your holiday together and wish you all einen Guten Rutsch ins Neue Jahr! (That’s German for ‘have a good slide into the New Year’)
Photocredit: Flickr: “Christmas in Berlin” / Eirik Newth
