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The Competition Begins: Appalachian State University vs. Western Carolina University in CCN 2012

The Campus Conservation Nationals kicks off next week, and the competition is going to be fierce. Campus Conservation Nationals is a national residence hall electricity and water reduction competition that encourages colleges and universities to save e…

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While Pundits Debate Green Jobs, We’re Busy Putting America Back to Work

Even though I live in D.C., I often wonder, “What is Congress even fighting over?” It seems like everyone else in the country is asking the same question. This is especially true when our elected officials endlessly debate “jobs.” Aren’t jobs universally supported? Why would anyone be against putting Americans back to work, especially in the industries we know we need to remain competitive? How can everything simultaneously “create millions of jobs” and still be a “job killer?”

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At Treasury, Green is Our Favorite Color – But We’ll Take (LEED) Gold!

When you think about a “green” building, you probably don’t picture a centuries-old National Historic Landmark that’s lined with columns and made of thousands of tons of granite.

Well, maybe that’s about to change. I’m pleased to announce that the Treasury Building – which dates back to the 19th century and is located right next door to the White House – received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) at a ceremony today in our historic Grant Room.

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An America Built to Last: The Five Wins for Green Buildings in the SOTU

This week I watched the President’s State of the Union address with a notepad of buzzwords ready to take down some tallies. I’m certainly not the only person who keeps track keywords mentioned by the President in his annual speech. Not surprisingly, the President mentioned “jobs” more than 40 times in the 90 minute speech. I was also pleased that he referenced “energy” 20 times. Keeping track of my favorite hot topics became overwhelming only 30 minutes in, but in this case, too much of a good thing is a good thing.

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