Archive for the ‘Green IT’ Category

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Gatlin International Course Spotlight: Building Sustainability

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

In our course spotlight series this week, we will be looking at some of Gatlin International’s Sustainability courses.  We have mentioned several of Gatlin International’s Sustainability courses before, including Green IT – Information and Communications Technology for a Sustainable Future and Green Business and Sustainability Professional.  But, what you may not know is that Gatlin International offers an extensive list of eLearning courses that fall into the Sustainability category.  Today we are going to feature two of Gatlin International’s Sustainability courses that focus environmental responsibility and building planning.

Principles of Green Buildings

The Principles of Green Buildings distance learning course offered by Gatlin International will give students the science behind the concept of house-as-a-system by going through all of the major sub-systems that affect the way the entire structure performs. A building is the sum of many parts, and for best performance for the occupants it must be set up correctly with those sub systems synced together. A building that performs correctly will offer the best energy efficiency, provide a healthy environment for its occupants, and maintain its structural integrity.

The nine modules of Gatlin International’s Principles of Green Buildings course will take students through all of the aforementioned material. This distance learning course will help students prepare for BPI, NATE, NARI, RESNET, and other industry credentials for green buildings. Students who successfully complete this program with an overall grade of 75% or higher qualify for 28 hours of continuing education units (CEUS) from BPI or NATE, and those CEUs are applicable to several certifications.

Sustainable Ecotecture and Environmental Development

Gatlin International’s Sustainable Ecotecture and Environmental Development eLearning course takes students around the world to examine existing and proposed building projects as real-world examples of how change can occur on any scale, on a wide variety of terrains and climates.  By focusing on a holistic approach that considers more than just an isolated building or geographic area, but the environment and resources that surround them, students in the course will learn how to create a balance between the needs of the individual or community and the environment.

Over the course of this green building program, students will learn about the integration of green technologies, net zero buildings, green development, and sustainable practices on a wide range of scales in order to provide them with relevant models.  Students will also consider factors such as overpopulation and the need for clean, renewable and alternative energy sources.  This course also provides students with insights into profitable solutions for a range of obstacles.

The Sustainable Ecotecture and Environmental Development distance learning course offered by Gatlin International also explores the far reaching impact building decisions made by individuals, corporations, and governments will ultimately have on society’s ability to sustain itself and prosper in the future. Throughout this course, students will gain valuable insights from experts in the field of eco building though informative interviews, videos, and interactive exercises stimulating real world and hypothetical case studies where conventional and innovative approaches produce viable solutions to a range of challenges.

If you would like to enroll in either of these courses or any of the Sustainability courses Gatlin International has to offer, click on the Sustainability link in the Gatlin International course catalog today.

Greenstart Chooses New Cohort

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

A few months ago, we posted an article about a “startup accelerator for clean tech”, a company called Greenstart.  Greenstart is based in San Francisco, California and provides startup assistance to budding clean tech companies in the form of mentorship, office space, investor relationship building, and seed capital.  To be eligible for what Greenstart refers to as their “startup boot camp”, prospective entrepreneurs must have the goal of either increasing the use of clean energy or decreasing the use of dirty energy.  Greenstart finished up a successful three month program with four promising startups in December of 2011.  If you would like to learn more about Greenstart or to follow the journey of the four startup companies Greenstart worked with in the Fall of 2011, you may visit www.greenstart.com.

With the new year, Greenstart has chosen a new cohort for their startup bootcamp.  This cohort includes five clean tech startups, which were chosen from a pool of over 150 applicants.  In a recent article written by Sarah Perez for a technology startup blog called Tech Crunch, these five startups were described as follows:

Growing Energy Labs
Founders: Ryan Wartena, Cris Wagner
Growing Energy Labs enables advanced communications between energy storage, generation and loads via their ‘micro-utility in a box’.
Twitter handle: @growingenergy

kWhOURS
Founders: Colin Davis, Greg Davis, Shobin Uralil
kWhOURS develops a mobile data collection and management software platform for building energy auditors, reducing the time and cost of performing energy audits.
Twitter handle: @kWhOURS

Ridepal
Founders: Nathalie Criou & Mark Melville
Ridepal makes it affordable and simple for any size company to offer employee shuttles.
Twitter handle: @RidePal

Scoot Networks
Founder: Michael Keating
Scoot is a stealth startup transforming local transportation.
Twitter handle: @ScootNetworks

Smart Grid Billing
Founder: Henrik Westergaard
Smart Grid Billing intelligently shifts small business and residential energy consumption off peak, selling the shifted watts as a ‘power producer’ to ISOs.
Twitter handle: @SGBill

You can follow the progress of these five companies as they move through Greenstart’s intensive program on the Greenstart blog at http://www.greenstart.com/blog

If clean tech or sustainable business practices in general are something that interests you, Gatlin International has several eLearning courses that you may wish to explore.  Green Business and Sustainability Professional is a great course to prepare business professionals for the demands of an environmentally conscious business environment.  Students who complete this course will have a working knowledge of green business principles, practices, and opportunities.  Another great course offered by Gatlin International under the sustainability category is Green IT – Information and Communication Technology for a Sustainable Future.  This course is designed to prepare working professionals and university-level students to be the sustainability leaders of the future. Students are taught practical tools used in managing the rapidly growing eco-footprint of the ICT systems we use, and educated on how to use ICT as an enabling tool to drive sustainable development.

If you are specifically interested in the clean tech industry, Gatlin International also offers several courses in this arena including Biofuel Production Operations,  Solar Power Professional, and Wind Energy Professional.  Visit the Gatlin International website and click on the Sustainability link in the course catalog for a full listing of all of the sustainable business courses Gatlin International has to offer.

Greenstart Chooses Startup Businesses for Its First Accelerator Program

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

Greenstart, the San Francisco based “startup accelerator for cleantech”, recently announced it’s choices of startup businesses that will be participating in the company’s first Accelerator Program.  If you would like to read more about Greenstart’s background, we shared an article about them this past Tuesday. San Francisco mayor, Edwin Lee, joined the ceremony to unveil Greenstart’s first group of startup companies.  Greenstart shared this quote from Mayor Lee on their company blog, “As the first cleantech accelerator in San Francisco, Greenstart will serve as an engine for starting new companies, driving economic growth and creating green jobs in our City.  San Francisco is at the center of the cleantech industry, and I remain committed to supporting the growth and success of this critical sector.”  As with Greenstart, Mayor Lee has a passion for increasing clean energy and assisting companies who also share this goal.

Four companies were chosen to participate in Greenstart’s twelve-week Accelerator Program.  Those chosen companies are:

Lono, LLC

Lono, LLC makes a product called SmarterShade.  This is a window treatment that is installed between two panes of glass and acts as a window shade.  The shade is activated and deactivated with the push of a button, and the level of tint may also be adjusted for user convenience. The SmarterShade is ideal for hard to reach windows such as skylights or any window where traditional blinds or drapes may be difficult to install and maintain.

Sylvatex

Sylvatex is a company that makes SmartFuel, a diesel fuel and additive combination that is designed to decrease diesel consumption and significantly reduce carbon emissions.  According to the Sylvatex website, “Sylvatex has developed a radically simple fuel technology for use in the mainstream diesel market that will cut air pollution and dependence on petroleum fuels.”  Sylvatex was voted as the company “Most Likely to Succeed” at the Silicon Valley LAUNCH conference in 2011.

Tenrehte Technologies

Tenrehte (Ethernet spelled backward) Technologies produces a product called PICOwatt ®.  This is a device that is designed to monitor and reduce energy waste from any electric device.  Essentially, any device that may be plugged into a wall outlet can be used with the PICOwatt®.  What the PICOwatt® does is explained on the Tenrehte Technologies website: “PICOwatt® empowers you to monitor how much electricity these devices are using, at what time of day equipment is on, and most importantly what you are spending to power attached devices. PICOwatt® also shows you what you are spending to power equipment, and most importantly, PICOwatt® enables you to control, and eliminate wasted energy use saving you money.”

Wa.tt

Wa.tt is a free, web-based energy management application.  Users sign up for Wa.tt’s service and their energy transactions are analyzed and categorized.  The results form an energy report that is emailed to the user on a monthly basis.  Wa.tt gives the user an overview of its findings and recommended areas of potential energy savings. Wa.tt claims that their program can help consumers reduce their energy spending by up to 15 percent.

Greenstart has even had its first mentor dinner with the chosen startups.  Mentors in attendance included Will Glasser, founder of Pandora and David Perry CEO of a biotech company called Anacor.  Hopefully, we will see great things come from these four startup companies in the future.

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