Pedaling to Work Gets Push
from USA Today via Daily Record
A growing number of companies across the nation are offering incentives to their employees to promote bike commuting. In October, Congress passed the Bikes Commuters Act, which was included in the bailout plan. It will give companies a tax credit of up to US$20 per month per cycling employee beginning in January, according to Lucia Graves, spokeswoman for Democratic congressman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, sponsor of the act. More

Obama Plans to ‘Green’ The White House
from Christian Science Monitor
President-elect Barack Obama says that he plans to make the White House more environmentally friendly to set an example for other Americans. Barbara Walters, who interviewed the president-elect and his wife, Michelle Obama, for an ABC special, asked if Americans should be expected to make any sacrifices in light of the financial crisis. More

Shanghai to Break Ground on New Tallest Building
from International Herald Tribune
Construction projects are grinding to a halt as financing runs dry elsewhere in the world, but in China's biggest city, they are still going strong. Shanghai officially began work on what will become its tallest skyscraper—a 2,073-foot (632-meter) tower in the city's Lujiazui financial center that will tower over the current highest building, the recently completed 1,614-foot (492-meter) Shanghai World Financial Center. More

Energy Efficiency Helps Consumers 'Weather' Heating Bills at Time of Economic Strain for Many
from Market Watch
Even though winter energy price projections have come down, consumers already facing a tough economic climate are likely to be paying more to heat their homes this winter than they spent a year or two ago, according to the Alliance to Save Energy. High home heating costs make energy efficiency as timely as ever, says the Alliance, which also highlights new federal income tax credits for homeowners who make energy efficiency home improvements in 2009. More

The World of Work in 2018
from Globe & Mail
How will corporate culture look in the next decade? A new study by the U.S. Institute for Corporate Productivity predicts several shifts in the workplace in the coming years. The study, based on findings from surveys and literature published this year, found factors such as globalization, technology, sustainability, ethnic diversification and economic uncertainty will be key influences on corporate culture. The American Management Association commissioned the study with the hope that executives will cultivate a culture that fosters “higher productivity and profitability in an organization.” More

Europe Backs Supergrids
from Technology Review Online
Last month, the European Commission (EC) called for construction of regional electric transmission connections across the North Sea, around the Baltic region, and around the Mediterranean Sea, to distribute solar and wind power to and across Europe. It's all part of a plan to boost renewable energy from 8.5 percent of European energy consumption to 20 percent by 2020—and even more thereafter. More

How Energy-efficient is Your Workplace?
from Canada News Service
Let us now praise Nova Scotia. At a meeting the province recently hosted Canada's Energy and Environment ministers, Premier Rodney MacDonald shared some of Nova Scotia's ambitions, notably to have one of the cleanest and most sustainable environments in the world by 2020. They plan to do this through the June 2007 Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act that set out 21 aggressive goals for the province, ranging from reduced air emissions to new energy-efficiency standards for buildings. These include reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to at least 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and adopting emissions standards for new vehicles by 2020. More

Government Needs to Concentrate on U.K. Property to Deliver Carbon Targets
from Choices
The government must concentrate on the U.K. property market if it is to deliver its new carbon budgets, according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). Welcoming the Committee on Climate Change's 'Building a low-carbon economy—the U.K.'s contribution to tackling climate change' report, Rics said the government should be congratulated for setting itself one of the toughest carbon targets anywhere in the world. More

LEED® 2009 to Take Effect Next Year
from Greener Buildings
Green building buffs, take note: the U.S. Green Building Council announced that LEED 2009 has been approved and will go into effect next year. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program provides a system to evaluate green building design and offers recognition for particularly environmental friendly buildings. More