http://ruthannbaler.com Freelance Writer Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:51:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Small businesses have long played a vital role in the U.S. economy, employing half of all private sector professionals and paying 45 percent of total private payroll, according to the Small Businesses Administration. Small firms have generated between 60 and 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade ... http://ruthannbaler.com/2010/04/04/the-new-rules-of-leadership/ The preconceived notion that building green costs more than using traditional construction materials is debunked in “Greening Our Built World: Costs, Benefits and Strategies” by author Gregory Kats.   Through two and a half years of in-depth research, Kats developed the largest database on costs and benefits of green buildings and ... http://ruthannbaler.com/2009/12/03/building-green-not-more-expensive/ As I write this, New Englanders have experienced very little sunlight over the past two weeks. No sun during the day, no stars or moon during the night. For June, this is quite unusual. We are accustomed to dreary winters, but not early summer. So the concept of “daylighting” has been ... http://ruthannbaler.com/2009/07/01/here-in-new-england-we-need-some-serious-daylighting/ Is there really such a thing as clean coal?  What is the “green freeway” on the West Coast? Could ethanol someday be made from Florida’s orange peels?  The New York Time’s new blog, “Green Inc.: Energy, the Environment, and the Bottom Line,” is a comprehensive column that addresses energy and environmental topics, helping ... http://ruthannbaler.com/2009/03/10/all-the-green-news-thats-fit-to-print/ Having worked for the Big Dig for three years, I had the opportunity to understand the complex community and environmental public processes that are required for a project of this magnitude. I was able to observe the construction methods used throughout the project’s scope, the environmental mitigation required to ensure ... http://ruthannbaler.com/2009/02/02/by-underinvesting-in-infrastructure-the-price-tag-only-escalates/ In yesterday’s Washington Post, columnist Robert J. Samuelson did an excellent job explaining the complexities of the economic crisis  (read column), breaking it down into three major components and shedding a glaring light on what exactly the country is facing.  “We all want President Obama to succeed in reviving the economy, but that ... http://ruthannbaler.com/2009/01/27/not-one-economic-crisis-but-three/ One day after President Obama delivered an inaugural speech that ignited a renewed sense of hope and optimism across the country, he faced a full agenda of meetings while six members of his Cabinet were confirmed by the Senate. Among those confirmed was Steven Chu, the first energy secretary who is ... http://ruthannbaler.com/2009/01/21/the-new-administration-will-build-a-greener-america-based-on-scientific-facts/ In rebuilding America’s infrastructure, President-Elect Obama wants to do more than repair crumbling roads, bridges, and tunnels. As part of his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, his vision is to implement projects with cleaner, alternative forms of energy, which will not only jump-start the construction industry but lay the foundation ... http://ruthannbaler.com/2009/01/12/retrofitting-america-for-a-global-economy/