April 22nd, 2013
Are you looking for an entertaining and engaging way to make a difference this Earth Day? Consider hosting a Cooler Smarter trivia event! It will put you on the path of being a low-carbon leader, and help challenge, inform, and inspire your family and friends to lower their carbon footprint. Read More
August 15th, 2012
As an analyst and communicator at UCS, I know how difficult it can be to tell a complicated, nuanced story in our sound-bite-oriented media culture. So even though it was not totally surprising, it was still frustrating to find UCS’s position on the benefits of local foods mischaracterized last week in a USA Today article that called local food “trendy,” but asked whether it is “really more eco-friendly.” Read More
May 9th, 2012
Cincinnati, Ohio recently became the first major city in America to offer residents the chance to purchase a 100 percent renewable electricity supply. The effort showcases a central theme of our new book, Cooler, Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living: how citizen action and community leadership can promote innovative energy policies to lead us toward a low-carbon future. Read More
May 8th, 2012
You know, I get it. People have been understandably frustrated about high gas prices, the slow pace of the economic recovery, and gridlock in Washington. Approval of Congress is in the cellar and there are doubts about the ability of our government to put us on the right track. But our government can still work, even when it comes to climate change. We’ve got to put in effort to get there, but we can deliver. Don’t believe me? Well, let me give you an example from our new book, Cooler Smarter. Read More
May 3rd, 2012
All of the authors on the team are blogging about the findings in our new book, Cooler Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living. So today I’m turning this space over to my colleague and one of the book’s authors, Suzanne Shaw.
Suzanne Shaw, Director of Communications, Union of Concerned Scientists – When you suggest changes that can help your workplace save money, people are likely to listen. And as we demonstrate in our new book, reducing global warming emissions can produce big savings. Here’s what you need to know to encourage your employer along an energy-efficient, low-carbon path. Read More
May 1st, 2012
It began at the baby shower of our firstborn-to-be and ended at, er, the appliance store. Sometimes the journey to cut the carbon emissions from the stuff we buy leads to strange places. But as I learned from our research for the new UCS book Cooler Smarter, the secret to climate-friendly shopping comes down to a simple strategy: Make smart decisions about what you buy—or don’t buy in the first place. Read More
April 26th, 2012
What’s the biggest dietary change you can make to reduce global warming emissions? Eat less meat, especially beef. “But I love steak, chicken, and pork,” you say. “There must be another way to fight global warming!” Actually, there is. According to UCS’ new book, Cooler Smarter: A Practical Guide to Low-Carbon Living, eating less meat is just one of the many choices you can make to reduce your personal global warming emissions. Read More
April 24th, 2012
My boys (ages 8 and 9) and I hunt hogs. Not the wild, porcine kind — the kind that hangs around the house while you eat, sleep, and work: Energy hogs. Electricity-using things that drive up your kilowatt-hours (and suck up the cash in your wallet) much more than they need to. A subset of those is energy vampires, things that use electricity even when they’re off. Read More
April 19th, 2012
One of the many reasons I love the arrival of spring is that it allows me to turn down the home furnace, open up the windows, and soak in the fresh air. As a self-professed energy geek, springtime also puts a smile on my face because it is the time of year when I crunch the numbers on dollars saved and carbon emissions avoided from our investments in home energy efficiency. This year, with the release of our new book Cooler Smarter: Practical Steps to Low-Carbon Living, I’m sharing all the number crunching I do on household energy with you. Read More
April 18th, 2012
As someone who studies the risks of human consequences for each level of warming our planet may endure, this guide – full of practical tips for low-carbon living – brings me hope.
© 2013
