Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)

District Energy, CHP, Microgrids: Resilient, Efficient Energy Infrastructure

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A live webcast will be streamed at 9:30 AM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
Cities, communities and campuses throughout the nation are actively seeking more resilient, sustainable energy infrastructure to support economic growth and achieve environmental objectives. District energy microgrids incorporate combined heat and power (CHP) to deliver greater energy efficiency and optimize the use of local resources while strengthening the local and regional power grids.
The International District Energy Association (IDEA), the Microgrid Resources Coalition (MRC), and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) are pleased to invite you to a briefing providing policy guidance and showcasing proven technologies and exemplary cases that illuminate the potential for more robust U.S. investment in district energy microgrids.

What Environmental Action Is China Taking After Paris?

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A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EST at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the International Fund for China's Environment (IFCE) invite you to a briefing discussing China's ongoing efforts to implement environmental reforms and take action against climate change. Three environmental professionals from China will discuss the challenges and progress associated with setting emission reduction policies, implementing national climate targets at the local level, incentivizing supply chain sustainability, and more.

Public Attitudes about Climate Change and Clean Energy

Dr. Maibach will conduct a national survey this fall to assess public support for existing and proposed federal climate policies.
Briefing attendees will be invited to suggest policies they would like to see included in the survey.


Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 3:00 PM EST/EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing discussing American perceptions of climate change as awareness and concern for its impacts continues to rise among the electorate. The latest polling indicates seven in ten Americans say climate change is happening, and a majority feel their member of Congress should be doing more to address this global issue.

Building a Billion-Ton Bioeconomy

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A live webcast will be streamed at 1:30 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing assessing the ability of the United States to sustainably produce 1 billion tons of renewable non-food biomass every year. This could potentially displace more than 30 percent of the country's petroleum consumption. The briefing will focus on key findings from volume 1 of the 2016 Billion-Ton Update, which examines the technical feasibility of a billion-ton annual biomass supply chain by 2040. The 2016 report, to be released at the Bioenergy 2016 conference in mid-July, builds and expands on previous Billion-Ton studies, released in 2005 and 2011 by the Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO).
The Administration’s ‘Billion-Ton Bioeconomy Vision,’ which aims to remove barriers to the sustainable scale-up of U.S. biomass resources while maximizing beneficial economic, social, environmental and public health outcomes, will also be discussed. Biomass resources play a key role in creating jobs and sustaining rural economic development in the United States. Domestic biomass resources can be used as fuels, chemicals and bio-products, reducing U.S. dependence on petroleum as well as lowering U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Mapping Environmental Justice: How Can You Use EPA’s EJSCREEN Tool?

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A live webcast will be streamed at 2:30 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing presenting the Environmental Protection Agency’s EJSCREEN, a mapping and environmental justice screening tool that EPA developed to help fulfill its responsibility to protect public health and the environment. The tool, freely available to the public online, enables users to compare environmental and demographic information in locations across the country. EPA uses EJSCREEN to find communities that may qualify for extra consideration, engagement and analysis as the agency develops its enforcement, compliance and permitting strategies. Stakeholders outside of EPA may also find EJSCREEN helpful for community awareness projects, education, research, and many other uses. EJSCREEN can show users where minority and low-income areas are located, the demographics in these communities, and the environmental issues they face. How can you use EJSCREEN to learn more about environmental justice issues in your city, town, or Congressional district?

The Changing U.S. Energy Landscape

This event is at capacity, we are no longer registering RSVPs.
This briefing will NOT be streamed or recorded. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) invite you to a briefing that will provide information on the rapid changes occurring in the U.S. energy sector. The findings of the 2016 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook show that the U.S. energy sector, and the power sector in particular, have experienced unprecedented growth in newer, cleaner sources of energy.
The briefing will feature an overview presentation by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) on the findings from the Factbook, followed by a moderated industry panel with senior executives from a range of clean energy industries.
Lunch will be provided.

Solar Power and Resilient Design for Schools and Shelters

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing about a “solar secure” recreation center in Brooklyn and a “high performance” school in Kentucky that are benefiting their communities as well as those who use the buildings. This briefing will show how sustainable public buildings can collectively reduce emissions and clear the air, especially in disadvantaged communities where energy utilities are often sited. Case studies will feature buildings—both in urban and in rural areas—that are improving public health and driving economic growth, while protecting and serving their communities and neighborhoods even during emergencies.
This briefing will feature a retrofit project in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City and a net-zero energy high school in rural Kentucky, as well as projects incorporating sustainability principles in Prince George's County, Maryland. After being devastated by Hurricane Sandy and left without power for days, the historic Red Hook Recreation Center was transformed into a community space and safe refuge with the installation of a solar power and battery system. For vocational students near Lexington, Kentucky, the Locust Trace AgriScience Center embodies the principles of sustainability. With daylit classrooms and low-impact land development, the buildings and campus provide hands-on learning of new skills for today’s jobs with minimal energy/water use and low carbon emissions. The Redevelopment Authority (RDA) of Prince George's County, MD, is developing mixed-income/mixed-use projects and affordable housing in urban communities near transit centers using sustainability principles that promote walkability, green design, and energy and water efficiency.

Sustainable Affordable Housing: Saving Energy, Saving Lives

Please RSVP to expedite check-in
A live webcast will be streamed at 2:30 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invites you to a briefing about energy efficient, “green” affordable housing and how it is improving health and safety in distressed communities while providing economic and environmental benefits to states. This is the second in a series of EESI briefings examining environmental justice as it relates to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Clean Power Plan (CPP), the nation's first-ever regulation limiting carbon pollution from power plants. This briefing will show how sustainable affordable housing can save money for low-income families and strengthen community resilience while serving as a CPP compliance strategy.
Speakers will showcase sustainable affordable housing developments in Pittsburgh, PA, as well as a retrofit in Washington, DC, and will discuss the national movement to “green” affordable housing. Pittsburgh-based affordable housing developer ACTION-Housing has partnered with Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) to introduce “passive building” standards into its projects and reduce energy usage by 80-90 percent over conventional construction. The briefing will also feature the passive building retrofit of Weinberg Commons, a multifamily housing complex for low-income families in Southeast DC. The nation's capital uses Enterprise Community Partners’ Green Communities Criteria as the baseline green building standard for its public and publicly-financed projects.

Geothermal Energy: Heating Up

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A live webcast will be streamed at 2:00 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) invite you to a briefing highlighting the state of the geothermal energy industry and its near-term prospects in the United States and in more than 80 other countries working to expand its use. With demand for clean energy accelerating around the globe, geothermal energy has major potential as a renewable resource that can provide power around-the-clock, complementing intermittent renewable power technologies. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched the Global Geothermal Alliance at COP-21 in Paris this past December to achieve a 500 percent increase in global installed capacity for geothermal power generation and a 200 percent increase in geothermal heating by 2030.

Advancing Mobility Sustainably: Ridesourcing and Public Transport Together

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A live webcast will be streamed at 3:30 PM EDT at www.eesi.org/livecast (wireless connection permitting)
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) invite you to a briefing exploring how shared mobility technology is transforming transportation services. The emergence and growth of ridesourcing services like Uber and Lyft is clear evidence of the impact of technology on transportation choices to enhance urban mobility. A study being released at the briefing looks at who uses ride-sourcing services, when, and for what purposes. Research was conducted in seven U.S. cities (Austin, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.). The findings and recommendations will be presented and discussed.