Out of 9,998 farms in the state, only 81 are certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That means a tiny 0.81% of New Jersey farms are certified to sell products with the label “organic.” Why is this?
Despite recent rains, regional water managers consider coordinating efforts among states to conserve water in the Delaware River basin as reservoir levels continue to drop and salty water increases.
Amid one of the worst droughts the region has seen, New York and New Jersey were battling wildfires last weekend – and researchers say climate change will only make the situation worse.
Driving to NYC? The Federal Highway Administration gave the final approval for an updated version of a controversial congestion pricing plan for New York City, effective Jan. 5.
What is a Geothermal Heat Pump?
Geothermal heat pumps (GHP), also known as ground-source heat pumps, can heat, cool, and even supply hot water to a home by transferring heat to or from the ground.
GHPs take advantage of these constant below ground temperatures to heat homes in the winter and cool them in the summer.
This ground temperature is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer. The GHP takes advantage of the constant subsurface temperatures by exchanging heat with the earth through a ground heat exchanger. The ground provides a type of thermal energy storage, which allows GHPs to act as a heat sink—absorbing excess heat during summer, when surface temperatures are relatively higher—and as a heat source during the winter, when surface temperatures are lower. This increases efficiency and reduces the energy used to heat and cool homes.
For more info on this increasingly popular heating/cooling alternative, see here.
