ICYMI: Energy efficiency gets shoved into the spotlight in U.S., U.K.

Greetings, readers! It has been a busy couple of weeks — so much so that it’s hard to know where to begin in recapping the happenings in sustainability news. Fortunately, the most interesting stories seemed to fall into just a couple of categories: Developments for smart cities and attempts to improve — or inhibit — energy efficiency in buildings. And of course, don’t forget the must-read odds ‘n’ sods, which this week includes news about Google’s ill-advised fundraiser for a climate change denier and Costa Rica‘s low-carbon farming successes.

Energy efficiency in the crosshairs

Over the past week or so, energy efficiency legislation has been targeted — for good and bad — in both the U.S. and the U.K. Most recently:

• Construction firm Skanska yesterday announced that it would be the latest company to quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, this time over the trade association’s lobbying to repeal the U.S. government‘s requirement to build to LEED certification. Skanska objects to the Chamber’s position, noting that it would “effectively ban the future use of LEED for government buildings [and] threatens to halt years of progress in energy-efficient and environmentally responsible construction.”

• At the same time, the American Gas Association is pushing hard for a bill that would repeal the requirement for federal buildings to be carbon neutral by 2030.Inside Climate News has much more, including details of the green groups that are surprising supporters of the AGA-supported legislation.

• Meanwhile, even as backward-looking elements of society push back against energy efficiency, a newreport from the Department of Energy warns that climate change will more regularly, and more severely, disrupt energy supplies in the U.S. It’s going to be even more important to make every watt count in the coming, warmer world.

• In the U.K., the government this week published an energy-efficiency proposal that would require large companies to conduct energy audits. If enacted — the proposal was put forth by the Labour Party, which is hoping to take the reins of the government in the U.K.’s next election — the plan could lead to as much as £1.9 billion (US $2.7 billion) in savings from energy efficiency.

About ecodistribution

Eco Distribution, Inc. is a California based Distributor and Representative Firm dealing in environmentally friendly and Green solutions. We have leveraged 30 years experience in responsible construction management to provide solutions for some of the most impactful challenges facing our air, water, and land. Our flagship product is a paint that has been proven to actually clean the NOx pollution from the air. The next product we were blessed with is an oil/hydrocarbon remediation system that is effective on everything from simple oil stains on a driveway, to complex oil disasters in the ocean. We are a supplier of BioClean Technologies products which are 100% eco-friendly cleaners, disinfectants, and degreasers with perfect ratings of zero for the MSDS Hazard Rating categories of Health, Fire, Reactivity, and Special. We continue to be diligent in our search for other bell cow products and services which are compatible with our mission statement, and have several on the horizon that we feel will be of significant impact to our environment, and our bottom line. We have a business infrastructure in place which we feel to be both effective and scalable, and are eager to grow the business into a legacy we can leave for our children, and theirs. For more information please visit http://ecodistributioninc.com/

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