Vending Machines Get a Makeover

I just read this release from Laurie David:

“Innovative individuals are doing some creative problem solving by re-thinking things we take for granted. Noah Horowitz, an NRDC engineer, took a look at the energy hogging vending machine.
There is now one soda machine for every 100 Americans! Some 3 million machines are humming away 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, using 10 times more energy than the average refrigerator (the biggest energy user in your home). Noah started looking at solutions like more efficient compressors, fans and lighting. He also rethought some of the simplest things like not having outdoor machines running all night in the middle of winter. The result is new machines that use half the energy of old ones. And when Coke and Pepsi finish phasing in the new designs, the savings will be 5 billion kilowatt hours per year!”

LCV Staff Retreats to Chesapeake Bay

LCV staff members were lucky to have the chance to take a full-day retreat to the ultra-hip and super-eco-friendly Merrill Environmental Center at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. We discussed our 2007 highs and lows, set goals for 2008 and beyond and enjoyed a day away from the bustle of downtown D.C.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation Headquarters building is recognized as one of the "greenest" buildings ever constructed. Sustainability issues ranging from energy use to material selection were given serious consideration throughout design and construction of this facility. It was the first building to receive a Platinum rating through the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Rating System, version 1.0.

Covered in recycled cans and cars and heated by solar panels, the building is capable of using 70 percent less energy than a typical office building.

While we were there, Kerry snapped some great photos of the building itself, and of the beautiful waters which the Foundation works to protect.