This story is part of a series called How Green Is It? that is airing throughout August on All Things Considered. The series examines some of the things Americans are doing — and buying — to help the environment and whether those steps really are as "green" as they seem.
When David Bell turned a dilapidated 1880s townhouse into an office for his architectural firm, he took the opportunity to display environmentally friendly technologies, like a touchless faucet.

Green For All is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through a clean energy economy.  We work in collaboration with the business, government, labor, and grassroots communities to create and implement programs that increase quality jobs and opportunities in green industry – all while holding the most vulnerable people at the center of our agenda.

Why We Need a Clean-Energy Economy

A clean-energy economy will move America past some of its most pressing challenges.
By making us energy independent, it will improve our national and economic security.  By radically reducing the pollution that causes global warming, it will improve the health of our families and neighborhoods.  And by creating millions of quality jobs and careers, it will pull America out of the current recession, strengthen our middle class, and better protect us from future economic turmoil.

More than that, building a clean-energy economy is a chance to reinvigorate and reinvest in the best part of the American dream:  the idea that everyone gets a chance to succeed.  By ensuring that every community has equal access to the new opportunities of the green economy, we can lift millions of people out of poverty.

The first issue of the weekly Energies newsletter was published in 1996. Green Energy News incorporated the following year. The publication was developed to offer news and commentary in regards to clean, efficient and/or renewable energy in relation to business, technology, issues and policy. Green Energy News is geared to a wide audience ranging from consumers to industry professionals to the educational community to government officials.

The topics covered include, but are not limited to:

* Buildings - green buildings, ground source/geothermal heating, lighting and solar thermal heating, conventional efficient HVAC.
* Fuels - biodiesel, biomass, ethanol, hydrogen, methane, methanol, natural gas, propane, proprietary fuels and waste-to-energy.
* Issues - global warming/climate change, energy dependence and pollution.
* Government and Non-Government - grants, initiatives, mandates, planning, policy, programs, research studies and tax incentives.
* Power Generation - cogeneration, fuel cell, geothermal, renewable energy, programs, small hydro, solar photovoltaic, solar  thermal  and wind energy as well as energy   storage devices such as batteries, flywheels, and pumped storage.
* Transportation - air transport, bus, rail, intelligent transportation systems
* Vehicles - electric, fuel cell, hybrid, and associated power-train and materials technologies for cars, trucks, buses, scooters and marine vessels.

Legal stuff and business practices:

* Green Energy News and the stories within are written, edited and published by Bruce C. Mulliken, President, Green Energy News  Inc.
* Stories authored and published by Green Energy News Inc. and Bruce C. Mulliken are copyrighted material. Readers should not copy, rewrite or distribute content          without the permission of Green Energy News Inc.
* Green Energy News Inc. does not participate in joint, partnership marketing efforts.
* Green Energy News Inc. does not lend, rent or sell its mailing list.
* Green Energy News Inc. is not responsible for content on external websites.
* Green Energy News Inc. and Bruce C. Mulliken does not have, nor has ever had, any financial or vested interest in any of the companies or organizations mentioned  in this publication.

The Greenhouse Effect
The ‘greenhouse effect’ describes how gases reduce the amount of heat escaping from the atmosphere, acting like a blanket around the Earth. It is a natural phenomenon. The 'enhanced greenhouse effect' refers to the additional unnatural (global) warming caused by extra quantities of 'greenhouse gases' including carbon dioxide and methane, generated by human activities. Principal sources of emissions include energy production, transport, organic waste decomposition and land clearing.

Global Warming
Global warming refers to the warming of the Earth due to the enhanced greenhouse effect. The reason why everyone is so worried about this increase in temperature is that it is happening so rapidly and has the potential to cause widespread economic, social and environmental changes.

Scientists have predicted that if global warming is not controlled by the year 2100, the Earth’s temperature may rise by up to 6 0C, and local sea levels may rise by 0.91 metres. There will also be complex changes in weather patterns, including more severe droughts, storms, and floods.

Born on Earth Day 2007, The Daily Green earned a min Best of the Web award for Best New Site, and has since grown into one of the most trusted sources on the Web for news and information about going green. Our mission is to broaden the audience for earth-friendly living by showing how going green is relevant to everyone.

The Daily Green features daily news, tips, seasonal recipes and community photos. We have a host of bloggers and contributors, and our features cover a variety of topics, including gardening, nutrition and food safety; saving money and energy at home, in the car and everywhere else; the latest research about global warming and the health risks of chemicals and toxic toys; as well as unique topics you'll find nowhere else (like that architectural marvel, the shipping container home). We are happy to publish the work of many talented writers, and we're proud to partner with some of the most effective nonprofit organizations in the U.S., including the NRDC, the National Audubon Society and the American Lung Association.

The Christian Science Monitor is an international news organization that delivers thoughtful, global coverage via its website, weekly magazine, daily news briefing, email newsletters, and mobile site.

The Monitor is global, both in practice and in spirit.
In an era when the mainstream media has narrowed its lens, we're convinced readers yearn for the opposite. This global perspective comes naturally; the Monitor's founder, Mary Baker Eddy, explained our mission this way: "To injure no man, but to bless all mankind."

While we may not land on the doorstep or in the inbox of all mankind (though we’d like to), our aim is to embrace the human family, shedding light and understanding with the conviction that truth is the beginning of solutions. This conviction has served our readers and story subjects well over the years, winning us seven Pulitzer Prizes and more than a dozen Overseas Press Club awards.

Mrs. Eddy's statement contains another distinguishing feature. The purpose of our journalism is to "bless" not "injure." That is central to how we cover the news:

* We're unrelenting but fair.
* We're excited by what’s new and developing - yet always mindful of the history behind us.
* We're broad in scope but written for the individual.
* And we make a point of resisting the sensational in favor of the meaningful.

We're also free to be an independent voice, devoid of the corporate allegiances and pressures that critics say too often skew today's media.
Join us for a daily distillation of a changing world - your world. We'd love to have you come along. And please let us know what you think.

GreenPower Update: In October 2003, Blue Ridge Electric began partnering with NC GreenPower. Since then, more than 300 of our members have signed up to make monthly contributions to the program. Our members, combined with approximately 8,000 other consumers across the state, are working to protect our environment through their tax deductible contributions.

What is NC GreenPower?
NC GreenPower is a landmark initiative promoting renewable energy and clean air in North Carolina. Created by the NC Utilities Commission and administered by the nonprofit corporation, Advanced Energy, NC GreenPower is an independent nonprofit program designed to improve the quality of the environment through voluntary contributions to encourage the development and use of more renewable energy sources.

How was it formed?
NC GreenPower is designed as a way to provide North Carolinians with greater and “greener” options for their
energy sources. The program was formed with input and repre-sentation from utility companies, environmental groups, renewable energy providers, and others across the state.
Why is NC GreenPower a landmark program?

NC GreenPower is the nation’s first statewide-regulated initiative to encourage development of more renewable energy resources. Unlike other programs that are primarily run by individual utility companies, North Carolina’s program involves utility companies across the state and is run by a separate, nonprofit entity.

How does NC GreenPower work to protect the environment?
Voluntary consumer contributions to NC GreenPower will add more renewable energy to North Carolina's power supply. NC GreenPower is designed to boost the production of "green power" - electric power generated from renewable sources of electricity, such as wind, solar energy, water, methane and organic material - by creating a market and an incentive for companies to develop and sell it.

How Do I Contribute to NC GreenPower?
For as little as $4 a month, you can help NC GreenPower build up the supply of green energy produced for the NC electric grid. Every $4 contribution offsets the higher costs of producing one (1) block or 100 kilowatt hours of power from renewable energy sources. Each block of energy purchased will authorize NC GreenPower to pay a premium to a qualifying generator for a corresponding block of renewable energy supplied to the North Carolina electric grid.