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A zero-energy building is one that produces as much energy as it consumes, making it a net-zero energy property and eliminating energy bills for its owners. Although zero-energy homes and buildings are quite rare today, increasing concerns about energy waste have set the stage for a growing market.

Does  this article spur any thoughts for our sustainability team?

Let's do some research on this and see what we come up with.

What might we learn from this article?  There looks to be great advice in here.

Thermoelectric materials that turn heat into electricity have been around for a while, but are typically expensive and inefficient. The microwaved zinc oxide is an environmentally friendly technology that should produce affordable materials. The question is, how can we use this material to make a much-needed impact on society and the environment.

Here are eight implementations that would help the movement gain momentum.

Seems like a good use for this zinc-oxide material could be used by placing a thermoelectric layer of the stuff on the bottom of a solar panel to scavenge any remaining energy. If placed on a roof top, it would prevent the excessive heat of Michigan's summer months from entering the building, thus reducing cooling cost. It would be interesting to see how much energy could actually be produced by the material in real world conditions. Cool stuff!

This is great validation for what we have done to date.

I wonder if GE would do a "treasure hunt" with us?  Could someone take this question to the sustainability team meeting?

A technology to watch.

I think that we have  this covered, does anyone see anything that we have missed.

Linda - can you give us a list of the managers who have a personal printer?

Linda Voss - People with personal printers: Ladawn James Daniel Titus Bill Cook Scott Bower

What else could we default to the "off" position to save energy?

Let's keep an eye on this technology

Could the Sustainability Team look into this?

We have definitely done some of these things.  Is there anything new here that we could do?