Concentration of CO2 in the Atmosphere

NH Legislative Update

New Hampshire Statehouse. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The spring has been very busy in the legislative and regulatory offices. As part of the New Hampshire Public Utility Commission’s (PUC) process to determine the state’s future around net- metered renewable energy across the Granite State, the Energy Future Coalition submitted a settlement proposal with the […]

Can a Passive House be Beautiful, Functional, and Organic?

An Interview with Hank Keating

Stone Fruit Farm in Westport, MA.

By Barbara Whitchurch

Stone Fruit Farm, completed in 2016, is a complex of buildings in the small town of Westport, Massachusetts, built to the Passive House (PH) standard. It calls to mind the design of the classic New England […]

Retrofits vs. Reductions

R-60 insulation for the standing seam roof. Photos: Janice and Steve Kurkoski

By Marc Rosenbaum

I’m excited because I’ve been putting together a new online course on Deep Energy Retrofits (DER). More so than the course I teach on Zero Net Energy Homes, it’s focused on the multiple approaches and techniques for […]

Halfmoon Construction Wins International Award:

Best in Show for Large Residential Project

Andy Ellis receives ICF Builder Award for Best in Show in the Large Residential division at the World of Concrete Trade Show in Las Vegas on January 19, 2017. Photo courtesy Peter Ellis.

By George Harvey

Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF) have been around […]

Tackling Transport this Spring

Alan Betts in his all-electric car that is charged with the electricity from his own solar array. Courtesy photo.

By Dr. Alan K. Betts

It has been a warm winter in New England. Burlington had no nights in January below 0 ºF, and the temperature reached a remarkable 70ºF on February 26th. […]

Vermont Climate Change Perceptions

Tapped maple trees. Photo credit: https://botanistinthekitchen.wordpress.com

By Kirsti Blow, Center for Research on Vermont

The threat of climate change has proven to be one of the nation’s most momentous issues—just not in the concerns of the individual.

A majority of Americans believe in the existence of global warming, and as many as 69 […]

Bernie Sanders’ “Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In”

St. Martin’s Press, November 2016, 464 pages, $13.50

Book Review by Roger Lohr

During the Bernie Sanders run for president, the book “Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In” provides perspectives of the progressive movement in the USA. Sanders gives us a brief biography, how his campaign for president was initiated, and an outline of […]

The River House – Orford, New Hampshire

Beautiful, Efficient Home Earns Architecture Award

The River House. Exterior view shows solar photovoltaic system on the barn roof

By Barbara Whitchurch

The River House in Orford, NH captures the character of New England farmhouses and was sited to preserve as much farmland as possible, while providing views up and down the river. […]

Sustainability in the Upper Valley

The Upper Valley (UV) region in New Hampshire and Vermont has many impressive sustainable programs and projects. We wanted to share with you some of the sustainable highlights in the region from what we know. Many towns, businesses, and residents may learn from the happenings in the UV. There are likely more things going on […]

Vermont Leads Nation in Solar Jobs Per Capita, Again

A new report by The Solar Foundation cites Vermont as a national leader in the solar industry, ranking third for the number of solar jobs per capita. Between 2015 to 2016, solar jobs in Vermont grew by 29 percent, with an additional 400 solar jobs created in the state last year.

“Each solar job means […]