Some interesting green news from the EPA and SmartPlanet.com:
Sure, having a green home makes a difference, but what really matters when it comes to saving energy is where the home is located. The closer to transit the better, no matter how green the dwelling. This graph tells it all:
Even if people aren’t going out of their way to save energy, the transit-oriented location inherently leads to more efficiency, even compared to housing in suburbs where energy efficiency is a priority.
The takeaway: The US cannot fix our energy use and global warming emissions problems by looking only at building and vehicle technology; we also have to look at land use and transit.