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 Building energy efficiency is improving, but the sector still falls disappointingly short of meeting its full potential.

Even when a building owner or manager goes through the process of an audit and retrofit, results can be inaccurate and inconsistent, especially when compared across an entire portfolio. There are many reasons for this shortfall, but it essentially comes down to two factors: people and tools.

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  With the last wind turbine put into place, England’s London Array has just come online as the world’s largest wind farm. Located in the Thames Estuary, the farm consists of 175 turbines that will power the area from Essex to Margate. Owned by Dong Energy, Masdar and EON, the 141 turbine (630 MW) phase one of the London Array is now fully functioning, and pumping green energy ready for consumption.

Can the rise of the sharing economy include a city in the desert known for casinos, conferences and weekend debauchery? Las Vegas and collaborative consumption may seem odd in the same sentence, but Tony Hsieh is investing big money to launch the sharing economy in his adopted Sin City. The founder of Zappos recently launched Project 100, which he hopes transforms transportation in downtown Las Vegas and surrounding neighborhoods. Recently, Project 100 signed an agreement to include 100 Tesla Model S cars as part of this futuristic, 100 percent “complete transportation system.”

Whole Foods Market is taking an important step in providing fresh, locally grown produce to customers. 

A new store under construction in Gowanus, Brooklyn, will host a 20,000 square foot greenhouse on the roof -- the first commercial-scale greenhouse attached to a supermarket.

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Today Procter and Gamble announced the consumer packaged goods giant has reached a new zero-waste milestone. As is the case with other companies, P&G has set many aggressive goals on the supply chain, social sustainability, waste, water and energy fronts as 2020 approaches. Now P&G has 48 zero-waste factories, or 25 percent of the company’s total manufacturing centers worldwide.

This just in: The all-electric Tesla Model S was just named the 2013 World Green Car of the Year at the New York International Auto Show! With a sleek design and a battery range of up to 285 miles on a single charge, the Model S beat out the all-electric Renault Zoe and the Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid to win the prestigious award.

  Last year, electric bicycle company, EVELO made a two-person, 4,000 mile trans-America ride stopping in 10 metropolitan areas to help promote electric bikes as a viable alternative form of transport. The trip was a success; the bikes and riders held up to the challenge, and along the way, proved that for this type of electric vehicle at least, range-anxiety is of no concern.

Sure, there’s the Brundtland Report definition of “sustainable development,” along with its many variants. That’s always a good place to start. But if you’re, say, a salesperson at a multinational company looking to get pumped about the potential of sustainability to bolster your company, your customers, and your sales commissions undefined well, Brundtland doesn’t offer much.

  Getting a free solar quote is probably the best way to open the door to a residential sale. People can finally see the numbers and get past their fear of solar being too expensive. The problem is that it can take a lot of time and marketing dollars to get people to get that quote. Wouldn’t it be great if people were actually enthusiastic about getting a solar quote?

Apple has announced that its newest-and largest-data center is powered entirely by renewable energy. Solar panels and fuel cells incorporated within the Maiden, North Carolina facility generate enough on–site energy to power up to 17,600 homes for an entire year. The project is part a larger push by Apple to switch to renewable energy sources, an effort which has resulted in 75% of Apple’s offices worldwide being powered by clean energy.