The case for Net-Zero neighborhoods
Posted onA thoughtful, updated article “The Problem with Net-Zero Buildings (and the Case for Net-Zero Neighborhoods)” from Building Green on the benefits of community-scale systems.Read the full article.
Let’s flatten the curve on climate
Posted onSF Chronicle: EcoBlock co-PI Dan Kammen describes the relationship between combatting COVID-19 and climate change in a San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece published April 22, 2020. “Globally, scientists are coming to many of the same conclusions for how we can stave off the worst of the climate crisis: Cut off the source of the problem […]
Project Announcement: Pilot Block Selection
Posted onThe EcoBlock Team is pleased to announce the selection of the Pilot EcoBlock site in Oakland’s Fruitvale District. This will be the first-of-its-kind block to demonstrate neighborhood-scale solutions to urban resilience, including energy and water efficiency, a communal solar-powered microgrid, and shared electric transportation. The Fruitvale EcoBlock is home to a diverse community of residents in […]
Article: “The Energy 202: This California mayor wants to decrease dependence on PG&E amid planned blackouts”
Posted onWashington Post: EcoBlock PI Sascha von Meier talks briefly about the need for microgrid solutions to solve the energy problem California faces. Read the story
City of Oakland combines climate action with equity
Posted onEast Bay Express: This article describes the development of Oakland’s 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan, led by Shayna Hirshfield-Gold, that aims to incorporate clean and green greenhouse gas reduction with social justice. Read the story.
Article: “Our energy grid is vulnerable. Locally sourced power may be the answer.”
Posted onBerkeley News: EcoBlock Principal Investigator and CIEE Electrical Grid Director Sascha von Meier speaks to Berkeley News about the risks posed by the current energy grid and the EcoBlock project, a possible solution moving forward. Read the story
Broadcast: “The PG&E Power Shut-Offs and the Way California Is Powered”
Posted onNPR: EcoBlock was discussed on KQED’s Forum program, “The PG&E Power Shut-Offs and the Way California Is Powered” on October 11, 2019. EcoBlock PI Sascha von Meier talks with Mina Kim about the necessity for microgrids in California, and responds to listener questions about the electrical grid. Listen to the full broadcast
Article: “Oakland’s Clean Energy Economy Strategy”
Posted onRead a recent article by Daniel Hamilton, Manager of the Sustainability Program at the City of Oakland: full article here.
EcoBlock Featured at American Planning Association Conference in San Francisco
Posted onThe EcoBlock team presented at the National Planning Conference 2019 as an example of a net-zero community. https://www.planning.org/events/activity/9165416/
Article: “Sustainable Design of Communities Dramatically Reduces Waste”
Posted onIn an article for Scientific American magazine, Professor Daniel Kammen talks about the motivations and potential impacts of the Oakland Ecoblock.