New home energy standards pushed to combat climate change

From the Sierra Club:

Homes and other buildings are America’s largest consumers of energy and a major contributor of global warming. That's why the Sierra Club’s Cool Cities Campaign is joining with local governments, businesses, and energy efficiency advocates to support the most important opportunity in decades to adopt "green" building codes for new homes.

This September 17-23, building code officials from around the country will meet in Minneapolis to vote on a bold proposal to strengthen building code energy-efficiency standards in new homes by 30%. These federally-recognized residential building codes, developed by the International Code Council (ICC), establish the recommended health, safety and efficiency standards for new home construction in most cities and states in the U.S.

If the 30% Solution is approved by the ICC, then local and state governments will be able to enact these new building codes. Once adopted by communities nationwide, the 30% Solution would have a significant impact. By 2030, the 30% Solution would save an estimated 8 quadrillion BTUs of energy and $88 billion in energy costs; reduce CO2 by 464 million metric tons; and create new clean-energy construction and service jobs in the building trades and energy-efficiency product industries.

More information about joining the ICC is available at www.thirtypercentsolution.org . For activist resources, including a sample letter to your mayor, visit our 30% Solution forum at http://coolcities.us/forum/viewtopic.php?t=389 .

My neighborhood is the third most walkable in Phoenix

Who had the time to figure this out? Walkscore.com. Phoenix is the 28th most walkable city of the 40 largest in the country, while Tucson ranks 25th and Mesa 30th. My neighborhood is the third most walkable in Phoenix. What is yours? By far the most walkable area in Phoenix, as shown on this map, is the Central Corridor. Other areas? 44th Street and Thomas in East Central Phoenix (my general area), Sunnyslope, Metrocenter, parts of Alhambra and Maryvale, and the immediate vicinities of Paradise Valley Mall and 32nd Street and Bell Road.

You can also find maps for walkability in Mesa and Tucson.

Moving to the 'burbs to escape crime? Cops say it harder to patrol out there

The Arizona Republic today had an article about police returning to walk the beat in certain neighborhoods, and in some cases, using Segways. Segways are silent, allowing officers to come stealthly upon criminals in the act, and also let an officer cover more ground in less time than on foot. They also don't use costly gasoline like patrol cars do. However, it's harder to put cops on the beat in sprawling communities, and the need for an additional precinct further north was one of the reasons Phoenix went to city voters for an additional 0.2% sales tax last year. Perhaps there are some safety advantages to living in the city?