ReCircle: How to Be a Man, Cookie Monster on Conservation, Saving our Economy, Building Envelopes, and more!

From Energy Circle:

Want to Be a Man? Insulate Your House, Plant Some Trees.

A recent article in Esquire Magazine highlights insulation and strategic landscaping as good ways to "save money like a man." We couldn't agree more. (Ladies, don't be alarmed, insulation will not make you a man; we're just having some fun.)

Energy Conservation with Cookie Monster.

It turns out that Sesame Street still has some things to teach us all. In this classic video, the famed Cookie Monster explains why it's important to save water and energy.

Curated Links from the Web:

How Energy Efficiency Can Save Our Climate, and Our Economy.

Upgrading 40% of our country’s residential and commercial buildings would create 625,000 jobs, spark $500 billion in new investments, and generate savings of up to $64 billion a year. (From Grist)

A Payback Calculator for Insulation Retrofits.

A new tool at Green Building Advisor calculates estimated savings of planned insulation upgrades. (From Green Building Advisor)

The History of Insulation.

Green Building Advisor looks at the history of insulation, from adobe and logs to space-age foam products, and discusses everything from R-value to how insulation affects our fashion choices. (From Green Building Advisor)

Why an Incomplete Building Envelope Doesn’t Work.

It’s an often overlooked, but immeasurably important, principle of building science that insulation doesn’t work (as well as it’s supposed to) if it isn’t paired with an adequate air barrier. (From Energy Vanguard)

Energy Efficiency: More Important than we Think?

A new book by NRDC’s David Goldstein suggests that America could reduce our projected energy use by 80% over the next 40 years. That may sound like a bold claim, but Goldstein has done his homework (and he has a MacArthur Genius grant). He’s worth listening to. (From The Energy Collective)

New Filter Could Make LCD’s 400% More Efficient.

A new filter could make the immensely popular LCDs that we see everywhere from computer screens to TVs both more efficient, and more affordable. (From Treehugger)

An Energy Related Blog We Love:

ClimateInc.org

Climate Inc. is a blog dedicated to the business of climate change, and how climate change affects business. Edited by David Levy, the blog is associated with the Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness (SERC) at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, College of Management. It’s both sophisticated and accessible, and covers a good, broad range of subject matter.