Abstract

This report assays the reduction in driving energy consumption and other variables resulting from smart growth infill rather than sprawl. These benefits result from:

• less driving and resulting air and water pollution reductions;
• less water use, and air and water pollution from lawn runoff;
• less construction material used, reducing polluting mining and deforestation (loss of carbon sinks), and energy directly used in construction; and
• the conversion of less natural area (carbon sinks) into urban sprawl.

The magnitude of these benefits is assayed by a calculator available free on-line to the public at www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/density/ .

Paper

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Panels of

Panel 2. Residential Buildings: Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation

Panel 1. Residential Buildings: Technologies, Design, Performance Analysis, and Building Industry Trends

Panel 4. Commercial Buildings: Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation

Panel 3. Commercial Buildings: Technologies, Design, Performance Analysis, and Building Industry Trends

Panel 6. Market Transformation: Designing for Lasting Change

Panel 5. Utility Regulation and Competition: Incentives, Strategies, and Policies

Panel 7. Human and Social Dimensions of Energy Use: Trends and Their Implications

Panel 8. Changing the Climate for Energy Efficiency: Local, National, and International Policy Dimensions

Panel 9. Appliances, Lighting, Information Technologies, Consumer Electronics, and Miscellaneous End Uses

Panel 10. Roundtables and Interactive Sessions: Learning by Doing

Panel 11. Efficient Communities

Panel 12. Energy Conversations