Government workers at federal buildings who want a cigarette break will have to take a stroll before they light up, according to a new federal policy. A regulation published in the Federal Register by the General Services Administration prohibits smoking in the courtyards of federal buildings, or within 25 feet of doorways and air intake ducts. It also bans designated smoking rooms in federal buildings. The policy is to be implemented within six months. More
Renewable Power Projects Face Limited Capacity in U.S., Europe
from Technology Review Online
Push through a bulletproof revolving door in a nondescript building in a dreary patch of the former East Berlin and you enter the control center for Vattenfall Europe Transmission, the company that controls northeastern Germany's electrical grid. A monitor displaying a diagram of that grid takes up most of one wall. A series of smaller screens show the real-time output of regional wind turbines and the output that had been predicted the previous day. Germany is the world's largest user of wind energy, with enough turbines to produce 22,250 megawatts of electricity. That's roughly the equivalent of the output from 22 coal plants—enough to meet about 6 percent of Germany's needs. And because Vattenfall's service area produces 41 percent of German wind energy, the control room is a critical proving ground for the grid's ability to handle renewable power. More
Workplace Program Ups Employees' Exercise Levels
from Reuters
A workplace program that encourages employees to set exercise goals appears to boost regular activity substantially, according to a new study. After 12 weeks with the program, offered to workers at eight Home Depot sites, 51 percent of workers were meeting experts' general recommendations for exercise -- at least 30 minutes of moderately intense activity five times a week, or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three or more times per week.
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Seven Ways to Recession-Proof Your Career
from Smart Money
The number one concern for more than two-thirds (69 percent) of American workers is how to keep their jobs, according to a survey by human resources and placement consulting firm Adecco. What's surprising is how little, if anything, employees are doing to improve their chances of staying employed. Only 27 percent of respondents said they are working harder than they were a year ago, a mere 13 percent said they're looking into other opportunities and just 17 percent said they'd be willing to take a pay cut to keep their job. No matter how intimidating, that's exactly what employees should be doing. Here are seven ways to recession-proof your career.
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Product Showcase: LogiSon Acoustic Network
 More than 70 percent of employees say they would be more productive if their workplace was quieter. The LogiSon Acoustic Network increases speech privacy and reduces disruptions by introducing a masking sound that makes conversations and noises more difficult, or impossible, to hear. It’s a cost-effective method of improving overall acoustic comfort. More info
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Milan’s Stunning Green Super City
from Inhabitat
Milano Santa Monica is a lush green super city that is scheduled to sprout up just outside of Milan. Envisioned as a stacked series of high-rises overflowing with flowering terraces, the self-contained development will employ principles of bio-architectures in addition to photovoltaic panels and solar-thermal water heaters to cut down on energy use. More
Workplace Socializing is Productive
from Financial Post
Every March, we hear dire warnings about workplace productivity lost to water cooler chats. In 2008, Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimated that the productivity lost to NCAA March Madness in the U.S. would cost the economy as much as US$1.7-billion. Idle chatter, it seems, is an expensive waste of workplace time.
Well, Alex Pentland, PhD., of MIT would beg to differ. In fact, Dr. Pentland, the Toshiba Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT and the faculty director of MIT's Digital Life consortium, and Benjamin Waber, a doctoral candidate at the MIT Media Lab, have found that workplace chatter, even the idle kind, increases productivity.
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 MANAGE YOUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND REDUCE COSTS, NOW EnerGXpert, an IFMA CSP, has been helping over 500 organizations such as Coors, Pepsi Center and Children’s Hospital’s for over 7 years. Learn how you can manage your energy consumption and identify cost savings opportunities through our simple web based tools. TO RECEIVE A FREE SAMPLE INTERACTIVE REPORT or for a product demo, e-mail gene@energxpert.com or call (800)303-9890 x710. Visit our Web site at www.energxpert.com
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The Nature Conservancy Rings in a Solar New Year
from The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii will ring in the New Year equipped with a state-of-the-art photovoltaic (PV) system that allows the non-profit to generate clean energy and reduce its carbon emissions. The new 72-panel PV system was just installed atop the rooftop of the Conservancy’s downtown Honolulu office. Hawaii Energy Connection engineered and supervised the project in collaboration with Siu’s Electric, the firm’s commercial installation partner. More
Downtown Miami Skyscrapers Going Green
from Miami Herald
The greening of South Miami-Dade is spreading to the top: Three high-rises in downtown Miami, including the largest tower in the state. The Wachovia Financial Center, the Bank of America tower and the future 1450 Brickell are adding and modifying green features in order to be certified at the highest standard. The three are part of a trend of buildings going green to save money and energy while promoting the environment. More
New York's First LEED®-Certified Renovated Hotel, The NoMaD, Prepares For Opening
from Hotels Magazine
New York City-based GFI Development Company has announced that their luxury flagship hotel, The NoMad Hotel, will be the first New York City LEED-certified renovated hotel, slated to open in Fall 2009 in the NoMad District located in the Madison Square North Historic District. Standing for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”, a green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED certification is a checklist for eco-friendly design and practices, indicating environmentally sustainable construction divided into six basic categories: sustainable site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design process. More
 Bradley’s NEW AerixTM hand dryers are the only adjustable speed hand dryer in the USA. Turn the speed up for fast drying at the sports center, school or water park. Turn down for quiet operation at the library or museum. Aerix hand dryers suit all applications. Call 800.BRADLEY for information or visit – www.bradleycorp.com/aerix
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Report: Smart Meters Now 4.7 Percent of Meters in U.S.
from Sustainable Business
Smart meters now represent 4.7 percent of installed meters in the U.S., up from 1 percent in 2006, according to a new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) report on demand response and advanced metering programs. The report charts the expansion of these energy-saving programs and progress on overcoming regulatory and financial hurdles. More
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Development, Architectural-planning, budgeting, General Contracting. Even lease negotiations. From start to finish, a little or a lot. When we plan a job we're in it for the long haul. More |
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Government workers at federal buildings who want a cigarette break will have to take a stroll before they light up, according to a new federal policy. A regulation published in the Federal Register by the General Services Administration prohibits smoking in the courtyards of federal buildings, or within 25 feet of doorways and air intake ducts. It also bans designated smoking rooms in federal buildings. The policy is to be implemented within six months. More
