·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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EPA is sharing more information about ways the public can get involved in environmental regulation.

The agency has added new features to one of its most popular Web sites for environmental regulatory information. This site – titled “Laws, Regulations, Guidance and Dockets” – is often the public’s first exposure to EPA’s regulatory activities. Its user-friendliness has been enhanced with easily accessible ways to search and comment on EPA regulations and significant guidance documents, and to learn how environmental regulations are written. The site also includes new sections for finding regulations and related documents, plus regulatory history, statutory authority, supporting analyses, compliance information, and guidance for implementation. Also, for the first time, searches for regulatory information can be conducted by environmental topics, such as water or air, or by business sectors, such as transportation or construction.

The new site is easily accessible from EPA’s homepage and can be found by choosing “Laws, Regulations, Guidance & Dockets” from the left-hand navigation bar.

See the new site: http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/

Eyes: Windows to the World

Summary: Students read and discuss an article on vision disorders related to environmental exposures. Then they use the article as the basis for the creation of a photo collage using both their own photos and images collected from various sources. Integrated Lesson-This lesson extends beyond traditional science content and can be used in other academic subjects.

Objectives: By the end of this lesson students should be able to:

1. identify environmental factors that affect eye health, both within the United States and abroad;
2. relate eye health to broader measures of economic and social well-being; and
3. demonstrate knowledge of global eye health issues and environmental exposures with a unique and personal creative product utilizing basic photography and collage skills.

Background: The article “Focusing on Vision Through an Environmental Lens” is an excellent overview of major environmental threats to eye health and vision. Students should gain enough information from the article to identify many vision-endangering practices and substances that can be visually depicted in a photo collage.

http://www.ehponline.org/science-ed-new/index.html

Read the full story in Environmental Factor.

After two days of sharing the excitement of their science and recounting the accomplishments of the Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP), on December 5 attendees at the twenty-year anniversary celebration (see Spotlight story) were confronted with the mass of unfinished business still to address and the challenges the program is sure to face in the future.

Read the full story in Environmental Factor.

The U.S. drinking water supply contains several naturally occurring contaminants, such as potassium, arsenic, manganese and radium, as well as a number of organic contaminants including chlorination by-products and groundwater contaminants. The federal government established acceptable limits of these substances to protect the health and well-being of its citizens. But in a new Superfund study, researchers at Dartmouth Medical School have discovered that even low levels of one of these contaminants — arsenic — can disrupt hormone pathways that are involved in normal human development.

Read the full story in the Austin American-Statesman.

The City of Austin has launched an effort to try to dramatically reduce garbage and boost reuse and recycling within a generation.

The city has hired a California firm, Gary Liss & Associates, to spend six months writing a zero-waste plan: a long-term strategy to reduce to zero the amount of garbage sent to landfills by reusing, recycling and composting materials instead.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) Office of Communications has launched Bytesize Science, an educational, entertaining podcast for young listeners. Bytesize Science translates cutting-edge scientific discoveries from ACS’ 36 peer-reviewed journals into stories for young listeners. It includes content from Chemical & Engineering News, ACS’ weekly news magazine.

New installments of Bytesize Science will be posted every Monday and available without charge. The archive includes among other items, environmental threats to killer whales, a scientific explanation for why some people love chocolate, some unlikely new uses for compact discs, and a hairy tale about ‘hairy roots.’ The podcaster for Bytesize Science is Adam Dylewski, an ACS science writer and recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in genetics and science communication.

Via The Lohasian (click link to see pictures).

Ever wondered about the limits of what one can construct with disposed materials; the limits of re-purposing ? Well we just spotted the very cool Big Dig House of Lexington MA, and this just might give you a good clue.

The house is constructed of steel and concrete from Boston’s Big Dig, using over 600,000 lbs of salvaged materials. The home, designed by Single Speed Design, won the firm AIA/BSA Housing Design Award. Standing at over 4300 sq. feet the structure is a spacious modern example of what is possible in sustainable building.

Via The Daily Green.

Make a dent in holiday waste this year by “recycling” your fresh Christmas tree after you are done celebrating.

Instead of taking up valuable space in landfills, where decay is painfully slow because of a lack of oxygen, Christmas trees can be readily ground into wood chips or made into useful compost. Considering that nearly 29 million households opted for a real Christmas tree in 2006, that’s a lot of wood chips!

To make it easy, the industry group National Christmas Tree Association has teamed up with Scottsdale, Arizona-based conservation group Earth911 to point consumers in the right direction with their trees. On their website, you can enter your zip code to find the nearest of 3,800-plus spots nationwide that accept old trees.

Via Docuticker.

Counties and Residential Green Building Standards (PDF; 477 KB)
Source: National Association of Counties

Today, more than 80 regional and local green building programs are in place in the U.S. Local governments are finding innovative ways to promote residential green building in the private sector, while also making its health and financial benefits available to vulnerable populations through green affordable housing projects.

Via Docuticker.

Emerging adults and the future of wild nature
Source: USDA Forest Service, International Journal of Wilderness (via USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station)

Many resource managers and wilderness advocates see links between appreciating wild nature, participating in traditional outdoor activities, and support for protecting wild areas. Some of these individuals express concern that the values and recreation behavior of today’s young people may suggest less support for protecting wilderness in the future. Although emerging adults appear to express strong pro-environmental values, they exhibit outdoor recreation patterns strikingly different from the past. More questions than answers exist about emerging adults’ environmental and wilderness values, and how these values relate to their outdoor recreation behavior.

+ Full Paper (PDF; 297 KB)

Read the full story in the Duluth News Tribune.

Where most see junk, Lisa Davis sees potential. The avid recycler finds new uses for old and discarded items and transforms castoffs into new creations.