Posts Tagged ‘UNC’

Being for or against coal may sound simple, until you understand how our energy choices affect the poorest, and richest, among us.

TweetI finished up UNC’s 2009 greenhouse gas inventory last month, and I’m pleased to say we had our first year of reduction since I started my job.  Better yet, it was a big reduction: 20% lower than 2008. Part of that reduction was due to some improved nitrous oxide emission factors for our coal boilers.  [...]

GE and the Environmental Defense Fund are offering free Lean energy efficiency consulting to a few select partners. How they approach the work could spell thrilling victory, or agonizing defeat.

Tune in on June 9th, 2010 to hear me present on how UNC is slashing up to 50% of a building’s yearly energy consumption.

TweetGreat news!  Carbon emissions in the US were down 3% in 2008, and are likely to trend even lower in 2009, according to a study published by the EPA. Of course, it’s a little like congratulating a sick person on losing weight – positive effect, but a decidedly negative cause. According to the LA Times, [...]

TweetI’ve talked about visualizing greenhouse gas emissions before, but Sam Savage’s book The Flaw of Averages made me wonder whether there were even more powerful ways to understand data than simple graphs and charts.  He calls them “Mindles.” The concept goes something like this: you don’t learn to ride a bike by studying the equations [...]

TweetI just returned from the Discovery 2009 and Innovator’s Summit in Chicago.  The conference is all about analytics, data mining, visualization and the people who make their living understanding numbers. One the speakers, Joel Best, really caught my attention.  He is the author of several books including Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data [...]

TweetCheck it – we’re finally done with the Climate Action Plan, and UNC is on the path to climate neutrality!  Hopefully, I can get back to my regularly scheduled blog… UNC News Release: http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2865/68/ For immediate use: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 UNC submits Climate Action Plan as part of commitment to carbon neutrality As the [...]