It is now widely understood that societies must rapidly decarbonize to avoid the worst impacts of future climate change. To contribute to this urgent effort, academic libraries should develop an understanding of the carbon footprint resulting from their activities. This article shares the results of an effort at the Penn State University Libraries…

Sometimes students come up with crazy ideas. When this author first started teaching at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia five years ago, she had a sophomore share such an idea with her. He wanted to put solar panels on the school's roof as a way to reduce the school's carbon footprint and set a bright clean…

Most colleges and universities have taken great strides in recent years to embrace "being green." As part of this process, many institutions have established an Office of Sustainability or similar department to implement these practices and foster the image of environmental consciousness that the universities want to project. Institutions are…

Until recently, Australia had little installed wind capacity, although there had been many investigations into its potential during the preceding decades. Formerly, state-owned monopoly utilities showed only token interest in wind power and could dictate the terms of energy debates. This situation changed in the late 1990s: Installed wind capacity…

Addressing ongoing and costly deferred-maintenance needs is a challenge for any two- or four-year school. During an economically challenging time, many HBCUs have put energy efficiency and other green projects on the back burner. However, some are finding that deferred maintenance does not have to be a barrier to becoming green. Despite budget…

An insatiable appetite for energy, a burgeoning world population, and a heightened awareness of climate change are focusing global attention on sustainability, an issue that may very well determine the future course of civilization. The pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle today is of paramount importance for future generations. Achieving…

Education institutions that embrace green concepts in their construction projects are able to provide safe and healthful learning environments that are responsive to the community. Carrying out these strategies can enhance student learning, reduce health and operations costs, and enhance the quality of a school. Moreover, these high-performing…

This article attempts to clarify power plant performance to the non-specialists by presenting data on nuclear and coal power plants. (MR)

An energy audit is an effective method to determine how much energy a home uses each year, whether the energy is being used efficiently, and where a home wastes energy. This fact sheet describes tools and techniques used for home energy audits, as well as how to perform a do-it-yourself audit. It discusses professionals who conduct home energy…

Describes a model developed to forecast energy demands and determine trends in demand for primary fuels. The energy model essentially considers primary energy sources as competing commodities in a market. (MLH)

Concludes that coal will be the major U.S. energy source in the near future despite the significant problems associated with an increase in coal consumption. Provides advantages and disadvantages for the four major long-term energy sources: nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, geothermal sources, and solar energy. (MLH)

This article is a brief overview of the energy problems of today and of the future. Energy sources, factors contributing to fossil fuel shortage, energy conservation, energy demands and uses in the United States, and the advantages and disadvantages of alternative fuels are discussed. (TK)

A new building has been engineered by its engineer-owner tenants with provisions for two gas-oil hot water generators and for an electric boiler, so that operating personnel could switch to whatever fuel is available. (Author/MLF)

Documents previously announced in Resources in Education (RIE) concerning energy conservation discuss the current energy crisis and its implications for the public schools, offer practical suggestions for reducing energy consumption, and examine the efficiency of various energy systems. The index terms used to select the documents are…

This publication contains a series of papers which promote the concepts of energy conservation and offer safe and convenient ways of handling all aspects of our lives affected by energy without having to depend in any way on fossil fuels or nuclear power. These changes, which can be brought about in homes and in energy flows affected by the…