The Towards Carfree Cities conference series brings together people from around the world who work to promote practical alternatives to car dependence. The conference attracts professionals, advocates, and community leaders who focus on the creation of sustainable transportation systems and on the transformation of cities, towns, and villages into human-scaled environments rich in public space and community life.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is showing great leadership in its efforts to address climate change. This article from Japan for Sustainability describes some of the strategies the TMG has undertaken.

We've all heard that efficiency is the cheapest source of power. Here's one way to encourage efficiency. Cues from a "smarter" power grid can prompt end-users (or the computers they've set up in their homes) to be more frugal with energy during times of high demand. The technology is currently in testing phases in private homes.

The US Energy Information Administration estimates that clothes dryers account for 6% of household energy use - third behind refrigerators and lighting. There's an easy and almost free way to avoid using that energy - but many people are finding legal restrictions on their use. Ontario is among a number of places that is considering striking down the clothesline bans that have been common in North America and parts of Europe, arguing that they are environmentally irresponsible. Laws seeking to overturn clothesline bans are now pending in Connecticut, Vermont and Colorado.

A report back from the recent Green Intelligent Buildings Conference, which explored the potential links between green building and intelligent building. As states like California and Massachusetts look to encourage low to zero energy use in new buildings, intelligent building technology can help make that goal a reality.

In early 2008, the NACo Green Government Initiative launched this searchable database of county green programs, policies, plans, staff descriptions and more. Meant to be a comprehensive resource on all things green for counties, NACo continually seeks submissions in any of the below green categories from counties throughout the country.

Energy-efficient houses are the law in Freiburg, Germany; new regulations may require that new houses waste no more than 40kWh/m2 per year. Residents cycle and recycle, and the designs of two eco-developments - Vauban and Rieselfeld - are meant to make personal automobiles unnecessary. Solar panels on roofs bring in income for residents - it's all part of a green ethic built on decades of political will and citizen involvement.

A report back on one presentation at the First Transportation Convention in Washington, D.C., weighing the direct and indirect energy savings due to selecting transit over other options. In answer to the question: the direct savings is the equivalent of 300,000 gas station fill-ups daily.

Move into Kimberton Village Green, and your heating and cooling costs are paid for -- for the lifetime of the house. Post Carbon Cities talks with Dan Orzech of Earth Rising Homes about the town of Kimberton, the future of building, distributed energy, and building the Prius of homes.

Leading Your Community and Saving Money, Energy, and the Environment targets local government leaders, finance directors and building officials who are trying to figure out how to fit energy efficiency measures into tight budgets.