I Message

Feb 3, 2012 by Arjuna Soriano    Comments Off    Posted under: gen.y/beta

Arjuna Soriano/Chicago Loopster

Owning a home. Still the American dream?

Feb 2, 2012 by Mike DiFerdinando    Comments Off    Posted under: gen.y/beta

Housing prices and interest rates are at historic lows, but people still aren’t buying homes. This is especially true of young people.

Keene and Cheshire County (NH) Historical Photos/Flickr

Keene and Cheshire County (NH) Historical Photos/Flickr

Is the stagnant housing market simply a symptom of the struggling economy, or is it possible that it is the result of a shift in cultural values among a younger generation who no longer view home ownership as part of the American dream?

Ali Hashmi/Chicago Loopster

The Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller seasonally adjusted housing index for 20 cities dropped again in November 2011, the last month for which data is available, falling to the lowest levels since 2003.

The index fell 1.3 percent from October to November and 3.7 percent from November 2010. According to the index, U.S. home prices are back to their mid-2003 levels, down 32.9 percent from their peak, in July 2006.

“I think some of these young people, after witnessing the strategic defaults and foreclosures of recent years are not looking at residential real estate as a place where they can get a return on equity,” said Denise Daniele Akason, Associate Director of the Real Estate program at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. “They may be choosing to invest elsewhere. They also may be choosing to rent longer and will eventually buy when markets recover.”

But can something be said for the changing attitudes and social norms of the Millennial generation?

According to data from a 2010 Pew Research Center study, only 20 percent of Millennials (those born during the 1980s and early 1990s) say owning their own home is one of the most important things to them. The same research shows that roughly a quarter of Millennials (23 percent) say they are currently married, compared with 59 percent of Gen Xers (those born between the early 1960s and early 1980s) and 64 percent of Boomers ( those born between the late 1940s and early 1960s). In general, the research finds that young people are less likely to be married now than was the case 20 years ago.

Although only about a third of Millennials (34 percent) have children, they are just as likely as their
older counterparts to place high value on good parenting. About half (52 percent) said being a good parent is one of the most important things to them. This compares with 50 percent of those ages 30 and older, according to Pew.

Could the fact that fewer young people are marrying and having children play a role in the hurting housing market?

“Each semester, early on, after we talk about the housing crisis and the financial crisis, I ask my students to do a short paper on their views about buying a home. These are people in their early twenties, and over ninety percent of them still want to buy a home,” said Thomas Bothen, Associate Director at the University of Chicago Illinois Center for Urban Real Estate. “What’s preventing them from doing that is some uncertainty about the economy, the security of their jobs or getting a job.”

According to Pew, households headed by adults younger than 35 had less housing wealth in 2009 than did households headed by younger adults in 1984. These household heads are slightly less likely to be homeowners (38 percent in 2009 versus 40 percent in 1984), and home equity plays a smaller role in their overall wealth (31% in 2009 versus 46% in 1984).

“I think mansions are an endangered species,” Bothen said. “I think the preference now is for smaller homes. Environmental and energy sustainability is a factor for the younger homebuyer. I don’t think there is a cultural shift though. The students that I teach still want to own a home at some point. There are economic barriers to overcome, though.”

Politics from Gen. X to Gen. Y

Feb 2, 2012 by Alma Bahman    Comments Off    Posted under: gen.y/beta

How does Generation Y – a.k.a. the “Millenials” – feel about politics?

A study by the Pew Research Center, The Millenials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change, showed that our generation, compared to Generation X-ers, voted the least, tended to support Barack Obama (although not so much anymore) and didn’t see eye-to-eye with our elders’ views on issues like national security or social agendas.

In general, we’re liberal, hands-off and pretty easy-going about politics while our parents tended to be more involved and conservative. I set out to see if this disparity still existed.

Listen to the audio clips to hear thoughts from both generations. I asked members of each generation what is the most important political issue to them right now, why and if they had any solutions to those problems.

Charging your new electric ride

Jan 27, 2012 by Lauren Gold    Comments Off    Posted under: Power Up

We’ve all heard about the electric car craze, but as city-livin’ folk, we haven’t been too convinced of their magic environment-saving powers. However, as increasing gas prices continue to clear out our wallets, we had to wonder: Are electric cars really the next big thing in the auto industry, and is it feasible to own an electric car here in Chicago?

Survey says yes, if you can afford them.

mark-vauxhall/Flickr

Electric car charging station

Our conventional gasoline automobiles do emit air pollutants and greenhouse gases, unfortunately. And aside from contributing to smog, gasoline costs are consistently on the rise.

“When you go to the gas pump and put a bunch of money in it, wouldn’t you rather not do that? Wouldn’t you rather have a more efficient product than a less efficient product?” said Ted Lowe, director of the Chicago chapter of the Fox Valley Electric Auto Association, a non-profit organization that promotes the technology and use of electric-powered vehicles.

The Fox Valley Electric Auto Association actually converts gasoline cars into electric ones. Pretty cool, right? Lowe hasn’t filled up at a conventional gas station in years.

Lauren Gold/Chicago Loopster

Check out the ChargePoint website or download the app to find an electric car charging station near you in Chicago.

But our Honda Accords and Ford Explorers get us where we need to go in a convenient way. Some electric cars have a limit on how far you can go before they needed recharging. You can use an electric car to run errands, drive to and from work or go shopping, for example, but long-distance travel might be out of the question without a charging station. Gasoline vehicles have been the go-to option for longer trips. Stop at a gas station, fill up and go along your merry way.

That is changing, apparently.

“There’s a merging technology that will extend the range of electric cars, basically getting the advantage of both cars, both technologies,” Lowe said. “That’s called a hybrid.”

Meet the Chevrolet Volt ($40,000), the latest electric car. It’s different from other hybrid vehicles, like the Toyota Prius.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet Volt

The Prius is actually a gasoline car with an electric motor assist, whereas the Volt uses only an electric motor. The Volt uses gasoline only to recharge the batteries when they get low. It only takes 10 hours for a complete charge, according to the Chevrolet website.

“It’s genius as far as I’m concerned,” Lowe said. “I think it will be the model for many future cars. It’s clean, efficient, quiet, low pollution.”

The advantage of electric propulsion over gasoline propulsion is that it’s twice as efficient. The disadvantage? You pay a steeper price up front to buy an electric vehicle, though you probably save on gas costs over time.

Hopefully, that will change. This year, 12 electric car models from different manufacturers are coming out for sale. The all-electric Nissan Leaf ($35,200 as of December 2011) is also gaining in popularity, as are a few others. The Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi i MiEV will both be featured among others at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show Feb. 10 through Feb. 19.

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi i MiEV

By the end of 2012, there will be 200 to 300 electric car charging stations scattered throughout Chicago at convenient locations like Walgreen’s Pharmacy and Whole Foods Market, Lowe said.

Already own an electric car? Awesome! Find a charging station near you using this map.

Fun and games and sustainability on your smartphone

Jan 27, 2012 by Kathryn Ferrara    Comments Off    Posted under: Power Up

The FarmVille Effect. It’s what they’re calling it these days.

“It’s the ‘everyone’s a winner’ kind of thinking. That psychology incentivizes people to do things that they wouldn’t normally do, to talk to each other and compare each other’s progress,” said Hafiz Huda, who has worked in the sphere of gaming techniques for almost ten years.

And now apps are actually getting people to look at their energy usage. Which makes sense for a topic that can sometimes sail right over our heads.

Light Bulb Finder

FasPark

Ghabit

“Game mechanics are being applied to things that aren’t usually as fun,” said Huda, vice president and executive creative director at Infuz, a digital creative agency. “If you can make homework more fun and it’s a game, then you usually perform better.”

It’s the reasoning behind many new apps on energy efficiency. With a greater focus on a more engaging consumer experience, companies, including Facebook, are rolling out gamified energy apps this year. The social media juggernaut’s energy app will encourage Facebook users to compare their home’s energy input with friends, neighbors and against the national average.

Apps can help break down complicated information into bite-sized pieces and focus on a very niche area, whether that means you’re interested in starting a green business, where to find the closest electric car charging station or simply ways to lower your energy bill every month. There’s app for all of those. Of course there is.

In need of your own energy app? Take a look at the Chicago-based apps below. The following three were among the finalists in this year’s Apps for Metro Chicago Illinois competition facilitated by the Metro Chicago Information Center.

Light Bulb Finder

An extra $120 in your pocket every year? Yes, please. The developers of the Light Bulb Finder app claim that making the simple switch from incandescent to CFL or LED light bulbs can shave that much money off your energy bills each year. The app’s goal is to make the switch as seamless as possible.

Don’t know what is what when it comes to our light-emitting friends? You can input the fixture and current light bulb you’re trying to replace, and the app will tell you what you need to buy with a picture and everything. Check out the app’s demo video below:

Light Bulb Finder’s website

FasPark

Parking. The word seems to have a groan ingrained in it. It just seems to be an eternal problem in urban centers like Chicago. From an energy standpoint, it’s pretty obvious that it would be more efficient to drive immediately to an open parking spot (even if it’s three blocks away) than to circle around the block a number of times with all those lovely exhaust fumes trailing behind you.

FasPark is an app just for Chicagoans looking for a parking spot. Enter in your desired address, and it will tell you where you can find an open spot. Then it will do double duty and serve as a GPS to tell you how to get there. It’s easy to use, and the app’s developers said that in their experiments, the app saves between 20 and 50 percent of drivers’ search time.

See how it works in the app’s demo video below:

FasPark’s website

Ghabit

Both a social network and online gaming app, Ghabit addresses energy in the larger context of everything green. The app allows you to easily connect with other people and track and compare your green habits with theirs. Members are told what the forward-reaching impacts of their green habits will be and earn rewards when they reach certain green goals.

A sort of green version of Facebook, Ghabit encourages ongoing continuous use but can also serve as a bit of green inspiration through its Gidea section that cultivates innovative and creative green solutions. To learn more, click on the app’s demo video below:

Ghabit’s website

Sources of our power

Jan 27, 2012 by Mike DiFerdinando    Comments Off    Posted under: Power Up, Uncategorized

So where exactly does the City of Chicago’s power come from?

The majority is from coal and nuclear energy. According to the 2011 ComEd Environmental disclosure statement, which measures energy consumption in the city from Oct.1, 2010 to Sept.30, 2011: 44 percent came from coal, 40 percent from nuclear, 12 percent form natural gas and the remain four percent came from sustainable sources such as solar, wind, biomass and hydro power. ComEd provides power for 3.8 million customers in northern Illinois, roughly 70 percent of the state’s population.

Ali Hashmi/Chicago Loopster

This may change in the relatively near future however. In recent years, an increasing amount of pressure has been put on the city to close the Crawford and Fisk coal plants.

“Recently grass roots efforts and legislation have been focused on trying to close coal plants within the city limits, and a lot of attention has been drawn to the negative health effects that can result from having a carbon emitting power station near population centers,” Villano said.

According to Cindy Klein-Banai, Associate Chancellor for Sustainability at University of Illinois at Chicago, the city is moving in a renewable direction.

“I think that its making strides toward being more sustainable,” Klein-Banai said. “There are some concerns though with some resources, like the coal fire power plants and the pollution that they generate and the carbon emissions in particular. Nuclear is clean in terms of carbon but comes with different concerns.”

Ali Hashmi/Chicago Loopster

“There’s a lot of room for improvement,” She said.

Offshore wind energy from Lake Michigan has been under consideration by Evanston and the City of Chicago, but that is still a long way off in regards to actual implementation, Villano said.

He also pointed out that solar companies, such as SoCore Energy, are making solar cost competitive with our traditional fuel sources in the city.

Sustainability may have its supporters, but without government assistance and the proper legislation the city’s small steps to sustainability may remain just that.

“In regards to our overall energy mix, the city doesn’t have much to say about it. The state and the federal government have most of the leverage in regards to increasing support for renewables. In general, some easy things for the city to do to make it easier on (for example) solar installers is to pass bills to streamline the solar installation permitting process.”

Ali Hashmi/Chicago Loopster

Villano said that while sustainable energy is important to the city’s future, financial factors that will play a major role in years to come.

“Cost. Our electricity is generally very cheap, so to see renewable energy implemented here we will need to see legislation passed to support this mix,” He said.

Twitter storms

Jan 20, 2012 by Arjuna Soriano    Comments Off    Posted under: Bone Cold

Winter has finally come, and Chicagoans, at least those with feeling in their fingertips, are tweetin’ up a storm. Watch the cold weather tweets here. A warning, though: some are a wee bit mad about the weather, and we at the Loopster cannot guarantee PG-rated tweet lingo.

Front page image credit: Jerry Paffendorf/Flickr

Can’t stop, won’t stop in the windy city

Jan 19, 2012 by Emma Dutton    Comments Off    Posted under: Bone Cold

Yeah, we know the term originated because the politicians are chatty. That doesn’t change the fact that there’s nothing more painful than a windy Chicago day. Really, there’s no avoiding it, because we only have so many “sick” days to use hiding from winter. Here are some tips for dealing, since we all can’t have that luxury.

1. 1
   

   A warm, furry tactic from the tundra

   Library of Congress/public domain

   If it works in the Arctic Tundra, it’s a good place to start for protection from a windy winter Chicago day. Fur (faux, please) hoods aren’t just fashionable, they’re practical. Good luck finding a faux fur hood as awesome as her’s, though. They just don’t make things like they used to. Pretend you’re a sled dog, well-equipped for the elements with your face hidden by warm, insulating fluff. Mind over matter, right? If you’re having trouble using brain power to defeat the cold, wrap a scarf around the front of your face, leaving just a slit for your eyes.

2. 2
   

   Umbrellas aren’t just for rain

   Duncan Rawlinson/Flickr

   Don’t wind up like this guy with your umbrella this winter. Block that frigid wind and sleet and snow from your face with a double-layer umbrella instead. When shopping, look for the style that doesn’t fold up and has air slits in the middle – it’s definitely worth the bulk. These umbrellas let the air flow through instead of warping and ruining the often-flimsy wires. Warning: Carrying an umbrella will slow you down and strengthen your arms in this town.

3. 3
   

   Help your friends help you

   Mary and Angus Hogg/geograph.org.uk

   Drafting isn’t just for the race track (or minor bouts of road rage). Allow your friends to lead the way and break the wind as you walk down the sidewalk. This is an especially useful tactic for the height- and width-challenged, who are less insulated anyway, so it’s only fair. If you don’t believe it works, offer to take a turn as the human wind-breaker. I’ll tell you one thing for sure – the geese in the middle of the flock are just chillin’ compared to those out front.