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Good Morning BEST subscribers, This week the Bioenergy and Sustainability interns have decided to post about energy efficiency. Often when people think of ways to combat climate change the first things that come to mind are renawable energy solutions like wind, solar, and biofuels. Although these are certainly part of the sustainable equation, energy efficiency has the most potential to make an immediate impact in terms of reducing emissions. Despite this potential, energy efficiency hasn't been as popular with tech startups as the more exciting fields of renewable energy. This is something that has begun to change. Through a combination of private investment and public policy pushes, spending on energy efficient technologies and programs have soared to $250 billion worldwide last year, according to the International Energy Agency. The agency projects that amount will more than double by 2035. Along with creating energy efficient technologies, firms are focusing on collecting data in order to identify buildings that could benefit from retrofitting and even simple changes like turning the lights off when employees are not working. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_26088160/silicon-valley-tech-firms-focus-energy-efficiency-confront Silicon Valley tech firms focus on energy efficiency to confront climate change www.mercurynews.com Thanks, Michael Bank Undergraduate Intern 2014 BioEnergy & Sustainability School Soil and Water Science Department [log in to unmask]