The Union of Concerned Scientists - Cooler Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Any book with seven authors that covers so much technical information is going to have a lot of moving parts. We certainly have many people to thank for helping it all fit together. First of all, this book was made possible in part by the generous support of The 11th Hour Project and the Ayrshire Foundation. We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Warren Leon and Michael Brower, who conceived of and wrote The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists more than a decade ago, laying the groundwork for this effort.

In addition to the wealth of specialized knowledge and inspiration on the author team, we drew heavily upon the research and expertise of our colleagues at the Union of Concerned Scientists, including Doug Boucher, Rachel Cleetus, Steve Clemmer, Nancy Cole, Peter Frumhoff, Doug Gurian-Sherman, Noel Gurwick, Jim Kliesch, Jeremy Martin, Alden Meyer, Alan Nogee, Karen Perry Stillerman, Heather Tuttle, Laura Wisland, and Katy Zoot. We also deeply appreciate the advice and counsel we received from Kevin Knobloch, Kathy Rest, and David Whalen. A special thank-you also to Rich Hayes, who lent his sound judgment throughout the project.

We deeply appreciate the thoughtful reviews provided by a number of leading experts, including Michael Brower (AWS Truepower), Karen Ehrhardt-Martinez (University of Colorado), Peter Frumhoff (Union of Concerned Scientists), Deborah Gordon (independent transportation policy consultant), Chuck Kutscher (National Renewables Energy Laboratory), Warren Leon (Clean Energy States Alliance), James J. McCarthy (Harvard University), Roni Neff (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), Richard Pirog (Michigan State University), Daniel Sperling (University of California, Davis), and Helene York (Bon Apptit Management Company Foundation). Of course, any errors remaining in this book are the sole responsibility of the authors.

We were ably aided in our research by our intrepid research assistants Brady and Walker Powell. Special thanks to both of them and to Laura Reed for valuable feedback and invaluable encouragement.

We are grateful to the Stockholm Environment Institute research team (Frank Ackerman, Ramn Bueno, and Elizabeth A. Stanton) for conducting the modeling research, and we offer a special thank-you to Frank Ackerman for a wealth of ideas that appear in this book.

We'd also like to thank Marshall Goldberg of MRG bsp;amp; Associates for additional modeling assistance.

Our agent, Faith Hamlin of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, deserves special recognition for her steadfast support and assistance in developing this project, as does Peg Anderson for her meticulous editing on a tight timeline despite the very real and charming distraction of her brand-new granddaughter. We'd also like to thank our longtime partners in design, David Gerratt and Amanda Wait of DG Communications, for producing the graphics for this book. And finally, we are grateful to Emily Davis and the entire team at Island Press for ably guiding the book through the publication process.

APPENDIX A

Resources

Global Warming Science and Impacts

UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS

www.ucsusa.org

The website of the Union of Concerned Scientists has extensive information about climate science and impacts. The organization also offers an individualized online tool to help you reduce your emissions at www.coolersmarter.org.

NOAA CLIMATE SERVICES

www.climate.gov

This website by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides many government resources on climate change and the impact it is having across the country (and around the world).

REALCLIMATE

www.realclimate.org

RealClimate provides information about climate science by well-respected climate scientists currently working in the field. It was developed as a resource for the interested public and journalists to provide scientific context often missing from mainstream commentary on climate science.

SKEPTICAL SCIENCE

www.skepticalscience.com

This website provides a helpful iPhone app to debunk common contrarian claims about climate change. It draws its material from the peer-reviewed scientific literature.

Carbon Calculators

COOLCLIMATE NETWORK'S CARBON FOOTPRINT CALCULATOR

http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu

This tool, developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, calculates household emissions accounting for car, air, and public transportation, household energy use, and shopping habits, and enables you to compare your emissions with the emissions of those with similar incomes. For greatest accuracy, you'll need energy bills, car mileage, and your checkbook to use this tool.

HOUSEHOLD EMISSIONS CALCULATOR

www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html

This tool from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calculates household emissions based on your energy bills, car travel, and recycling habits.

Car choices

HYBRID SCORECARD

www.hybridcenter.org

All hybrid cars are not created equal. This scorecard looks at the environmental value provided by U.S. hybrid makes and models.

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE

www.epa.gov/greenvehicles

This tool from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows users to compare the emissions and gas mileage of cars by make, model, and year.

FUELECONOMY.GOV

www.fueleconomy.gov

This website, run jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, provides a range of information to help consumers improve the gas mileage of current vehicles. It also provides a tool similar to the Green Vehicle Guide that allows users to compare mileage per gallon, annual fuel costs, global warming emissions, and air pollutants by make, model, and year.

ACEEE'S GREEN BOOK

www.greenercars.org

This online database, offered by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy for a small subscription fee, scores the environmental impacts of cars and trucks.

Other Travel Choices

THE CAR SHARING NETWORK

www.carsharing.net

This nonprofit website lists car-sharing programs in the United States.

AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION

www.publictransportation.org

This website provides a comprehensive database of public transportation options in communities across the United States.

ERIDESHARE.COM

http://erideshare.com

This free online resource connects people for ride sharing, from commuters to cross-country travelers.

Energy Audits

EFFICIENCY VERMONT

www.efficiencyvermont.com/stella/filelib/HowEnergyEfficientIsYourHome_Final.pdf

Efficiency Vermont offers a simple printable form for calculating your home energy use.

HOME ENERGY SAVER

www.hes.lbl.gov/consumer

Developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, this online tool allows you to input precise information about your home, from energy prices and insulation R-value to window sizes and appliance year, to determine where you can find the largest energy savings.

Home Energy

ENERGY STAR PROGRAM

www.energystar.gov

This voluntary labeling program is designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Run jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, it provides energy use information and ratings on more than sixty product categories (and thousands of models) of common household and business appliances and equipment.

AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR AN ENERGY-EFFICIENT ECONOMY

www.aceee.org/consumer

The ACEEE's Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings