December 13th, 2011 by TRT Blog

During this year’s 11^th annual Green Power Leadership Awards, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave out awards to 19 EPA Green Power Partners. The partners, located all across the country, were chosen based on their use of clean, renewable energy sources, energy security and reducing pollution.

The awards recognize everything from green buildings to green communities, across four different categories, including ‘Green Power Partner of the Year’, ‘Green Power Community of the Year’, ‘On-site Generation’ and ‘Green Power Purchase’. Among the winners were: the Empire State Building, Google, Portland Oregon, Santa Clara University, State Street Corporation and many others.  For the full list, please check here.

The EPA, through its work with the Green Power Partnership and other opportunities, helps 1,300 organizations to achieve their goals in reducing environmental stresses and reliance on conventional electricity use.

Through the goals of the EPA, its Green Power Partners, companies and individuals across the country, America can begin to understand the importance of long-term environmental sustainability commitments as well as turn it into a reality.  That’s something we can all support, and here at The Refinishing Touch we’d like to congratulate all the Power Partners, as well as the organizations across the globe that are working to reduce their environmental impact, and, of course, the EPA for hosting the awards.

electricity, energy security, EPA Green Power Partners, green, Green Power Leadership Awards, Green Power Partnership, renewable energy sources, Sustainability, US Environmental Protection Agency

November 24th, 2011 by TRT Blog

As another year is quickly coming to a close, it’s nice to be able to look at all of the things we have to be thankful for. At The Refinishing Touch, we are thankful to our customers for their continued support and the wonderful experiences we’ve had with them at job sites across the country. It’s been great to see the continued commitment to sustainability and environmental efficiency from the education, hospitality and government industries.

Thanksgiving is a time for individuals, families, and companies alike to reflect on everything good that has happened in the past year, and although the difficult economy continues to weigh heavily on so many people, it’s still important to momentarily step away from that to enjoy good food and good company.

So, from The Refinishing Touch family to yours, we would like to wish you and your loved ones a safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving.

environment, holiday, Sustainability, thanks, thanksgiving, The Refinishing Touch

November 11th, 2011 by TRT Blog

As a company that has been working with government since our founding in 1977, we hold all of the armed forces near-and-dear to our hearts. After having worked on army forts, naval bases, air force bases and marine stations, we have seen first-hand the sacrifices these men and women make for our country.

In honor of Veterans Day, we would like to thank everyone who has served and is currently serving our country. Your dedication and service is honored, remembered and appreciated every day back at home. As the holiday season rolls around, we wish everyone fighting overseas health, safety and happiness. We wish all of the veterans back at home, peace, joy and time spent with loved ones.

Thank you for all of your bravery and courage; one day is not enough to express our gratitude for all you’ve done for our country.

air force, armed forced, army, marine, navy, service men, service women, Veterans Day

October 25th, 2011 by TRT Blog

R&D is never a bad thing, especially when it has the potential to create new jobs for Americans. Recently, a federal-funded program distributed $156 million to 60 different projects focused on developing new green technology and energy efficient solutions.

The US Department of Energy branch, established in 2009, called the Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), is providing the funding. Sound familiar? The agency was modeled after the Department of Defense program that funds new technology research, most of which eventually becomes widely used by the public.

In the announcement released Thursday September 29, ARPA-E director, Arun Majumdar, equated the green tech race to the Sputnik space race of the 50s, explaining that to compete in the global marketplace, America must create new jobs and sellable products instead of outsourcing from abroad.

The funding will primarily be going to educational institutions and national research labs, although some will be going to private companies such as General Electric.

The funding will benefit projects involving research into plant engineering and oil alternatives, rare-earth independence, advanced thermal storage, green electricity and solar electrical power. For example, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) is working on re-engineering plants so that they use energy more efficiently. University of Houston is developing high-performance, low-cost superconductors for wind generators. And the Massachusetts Institution of Technology (MIT) is creating high-energy density thermal fuel.

To learn more about the projects and the institutions that are developing them, please visit http://arpa-e.energy.gov and click on its ‘news’ section. Without high-risk investments in cutting-edge research, there can be no high reward.

ARPA-e, energy, funding, Government

October 21st, 2011 by TRT Blog

It’s no secret that we take great pride in the work that we do. Through our visual blog post we were able to show the before and after images of the work we’ve done, which we hope gives a much better representation the dramatic changes that take place when we’re able to preserve a piece of furniture. It’s with the same dedication that we’re pleased to announce our newest initiative to better share the work we’re doing around the country, The Refinishing Touch’s Green Connect customer communication program.

Our new program aims to connect our clients across education, government and hospitality with peers across all industries and cross-industries. We’ll be utilizing aspects of social media such as onsite photos and videos of the projects, along with more traditional methods to highlight our clients’ experiences while working with The Refinishing Touch, such as case studies.

While the traditional press release serves a particular purpose, we knew there are more powerful ways to relay a message and display the cost savings and asset management of our services. It’ll be exciting to take advantage of this blog, our Twitter and other mediums to let our clients speak for themselves.

One of the more exciting aspects of this program will be our visual case study. Much like our visual blog post, our reformatted case studies will take a decidedly visual look at the work we do, since pictures more adequately express the renovations we do then words.. You could read about an armoire conversion, but would it be the same as actually seeing it? We don’t think so, which is why we’re thrilled to start this program.

Be sure to keep following our blog and checking our website for more information on the program. If you’d like to view the full press release announcing the program, click here.

clients, customer communications program, customers, green connect

October 14th, 2011 by TRT Blog

In early August, John M. McHugh, Secretary of the Army, announced the creation of the Energy Initiatives Office (EIO) Task Force, formed to help the Army with renewable energy and energy efficient projects. In a statement that accompanied the announcement he said, “Addressing our energy security needs is operationally necessary, fiscally prudent and vital to mission accomplishment.”

Seeing as the Department of Defense accounts for more than 90 percent of the total Federal Government energy consumption and is the single largest energy consumer in the U.S., we’d say Secretary McHugh is right.

Via EarthTechling

In light of rising fuel costs, the Army has agreed to meet a quarter of its energy needs with renewable energy sources by 2025, and achieve net-zero energy use by 2030.  To accomplish this, the Army will need to generate 2.1 megawatts of renewable energy a year, and is expecting to spend $7.1 billion over the next decade.

Assuming all goes as planned, the Army money being pumped into renewable energy has the potential to really kick-start the renewable energy / sustainability industry. The investment should encourage innovation, and create more jobs—which is good for both the country and the environment.

October 11th, 2011 by TRT Blog

As we all know, legislation moves at a snail’s pace. So it’s unsurprising that legislation regarding energy efficiency and green building, two topics that Republicans and Democrats don’t exactly see eye to eye on, moves even slower. Regardless (and luckily), the United States has continued to make bounds of progress to advance and implement green policy.

The U.S. Green Building Council recently announced its “30 wins”, a mid-year review of hundreds of state bills trying to make their way into law this year. Although the wins include some legislation that did not pass, USGBC knows that any type of approved legislation can help get green going.

Wide-spread support for green measures has been the driving force behind the passing of landmark state legislation recently. Connecticut, for example, just passed a bill that created the country’s first green bank, which will provide loans for green projects. But Connecticut isn’t the only state in the race. Florida, Montana, Texas, Oregon and New Mexico have also begun to pass legislation to create state energy codes and standards, as well as tax credits for green projects.

Although few of us have seats in Congress, we all have the ability to influence the political agenda. Visit your local or state government website to view the current legislation, and participate in anything from green energy political meetings to a local neighborhood clean-up initiative. Trust us, you and the environment will be happy you did.

buildings, LEED, politics, USGBC

September 13th, 2011 by TRT Blog

As you may have seen, we’ve opened a west coast office in Los Angeles. It’s a great locale for not only the scenery but for the opportunities it presents and the mindset of Californians. You get the sense from being out here that most understand the necessity of promoting climate change and improving the use of our resources for the betterment of our society and planet.

Now, thanks to a survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California, we have hard numbers to back up the feeling we have. More residents favor climate change policy, want to cut greenhouse gas emissions and believe they are already experiencing the effects of global warming.

Over 2500 Californians were polled and what was found was an educated population who saw what needed to be done and had varying ways of achieving it. Nearly 80% favored government regulation on the release of greenhouse gases from power plants, cars and factories. That 80% were split between a cap and trade system and a simple carbon tax.

66% saw air pollution as a big problem, with half finding the pollution in low income areas serious. Over two-thirds of respondents think global warming is negatively affecting the economy and 60% think they’ve already seen the effects global warming has on our environment.

Despite the excellent forward thinking, there is still room to improve. 70% said they commute to work by driving alone with 12% carpooling and still less, eight percent, taking public transportation. It’s safe to say that to realize the results they’re looking for, these bad habits will need to be changed.

Adjustments are also needed in government, both at the local and federal level, with the Sierra Club of California saying President Obama has promised much but delivered less, and Gov. Brown being handcuffed with budgetary problems.

Regardless of where fault lies, it’s promising to see a state as large and powerful as California understanding what the problem is, what needs to be done and how to get there. We’re looking forward to the positive impact we, and our neighbors will have in our time here.

California, Government, green, Sustainability

September 6th, 2011 by TRT Blog

With any presidency there will be mixed reviews. Fairly or unfairly, President Obama has been criticized over the last two years as much for what he hasn’t been able to accomplish as what he has. Whether that’s a product of what was left for him by a previous administration or his own shortcomings, it’s tough to tell. Either way, we’re not here to judge, particularly when it comes to the on the difficult financial situation that plagues our country. But we can take a look at the areas in which we work extensively, and here our views are mixed.

To be sure, the importance of preserving the environment is secondary to the growth, prosperity and safety of our nation. But these things are not always exclusive. Preservation of our natural resources and the need for alternative energy sources are vital to the future of the USA. There is a lot of promise in this respect. During a State of the Union address, Obama made clear his desire and the country’s need to reform more than its technology and science programs it the US is to reclaim its dominant status as an innovator. Recently, the President has taken to touring plants where innovations are taking place, and are being created with the greenest possible methods.

President Obama has also made efforts to rectify the job situation, but perhaps not with the long term vision we would like. This is especially true with green jobs, where the majority of the positions are undefined and temporary. But maybe this will change – in a speech this week he’s expected to formally announce a large scale plan to increase jobs, particularly the amount in the green sector.

This is all to say that whether he is re-elected or not, the final verdict will still be out on the job President Obama did while in office. His campaign was based on change, and whether through fault of his own or those who preceded him, not as much change came as promised. But we have hope that the groundwork he laid will have a lasting impact on our country.

change, energy, Obama, Sustainability

August 23rd, 2011 by TRT Blog

The governments of this world must step in and create firm legislature to dictate the steps necessary to slowly reverse the downward trend of our planet – and step up soon.   Businesses, citizens and the planet’s health all demand it.

When you’re relied on to be a driving force behind anything, it’s never good if you fail to meet expectations. Far too often this sentiment follows government participation in key decisions.

For example, during the U.N. climate negotiations in Cancun last December, some 20 heads of state showed up to discuss the impact human induced climate change is making on our planet.  Illustrating the earlier point about failed expectations, consider the dramatic drop off from the 120 heads of state who attended in 2009.

But there was an increased attendance from another sector: business.  Business leaders attended in force, and showed a united front to state that climate change is bad for business, and to urge changes must be made.

There seems to be one factor in getting business under one roof speaking in harmony; money. Giants such as Google and Wal-Mart, which were amongst the 250 businesses represented at the conference, could only voice concern to governments that a framework be developed to help create long-term strategies to reduce the risk faced by businesses due to negative climate change.

The International Chamber of Commerce urged negotiators “to establish a set of clearly outlined financing goals and objective, transparent governance procedures to help businesses understand the public policy agenda on climate finance” – which was said to be a major factor in determining whether or not a business would invest in an initiative.

Even though it’s not for the altruistic reasons we would like, businesses are still sending the message that governments must listen to. The world and its economy cannot continue down the path it’s on.

With the next round of discussions to commence in October, it’s more important than ever that the governments of this world step in and create firm legislature to dictate the steps necessary to slowly reverse the downward trend of our planet – and to step up soon.   Businesses, citizens and the planet’s health all demand it.

Business, climate change, Government, ICC, U.N