Everyone Else is Doing It...

In today's news there are some good examples of people taking energy and global warming issues into their own hands. First, in Los Angeles, residents have taken enough measures to reduce energy usage by the amount it would take to power 53,000 homes. That decreased power usage also equates to more than 178,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases not being pumped into our atmosphere. You can read more stats on these savings in the press release. Nice job, Los Angelinos!

Meanwhile, green building continues to expand as people see the benefits for their wallets and the planet. The Green Building Certification Institute just reported that its new credentialing program is extremely popular. From the news release:

More than 1600 green building professionals have already signed up to participate in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Credentialing Maintenance Program since it was launched just three weeks ago, according to The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). The maintenance program, which supports the LEED AP and LEED Green Associate credentials, ensures that LEED professionals in the field are up to date with the most relevant and useful information by requiring a commitment to ongoing participation in green building project, learning and service activities.

Not bad at all!

And finally, as we sit here in the U.S. and twiddle our thumbs over passing final clean energy and climate legislation, China's lawmakers are calling for emissions reductions legislation of their own. So much for that argument of China not taking action on their own. Yes, we hope this isn't lip service, but you have to start somewhere.