Browsing environmental news sources so you don't have to. Contact Laura Barnes (lbarnes@istc.illinois.edu) with questions, comments, and suggestions.
Follow ENB on TwitterRead the full story in Nature.
Using biomass fuel on a massive scale in combination with carbon sequestration could return atmospheric carbon dioxide to pre-industrial levels within decades, according to a new analysis.
Peter Read calls his proposal global gardening. To make it work, an area the size of France and Germany would have to be enlisted for growing biomass fuels for a quarter of a century .
EPA today recognized the accomplishments of numerous landfill methane partners that are generating renewable energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At the 11th Annual Landfill Methane Outreach Program Conference & Project Expo in Washington, D.C., EPA gave recognition awards to government and private organizations that are helping the agency deliver energy and environmental benefits through its Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP).
Read the full story and see photos at News. com.
A growing number of products are using solar power to charge up phones, digital music players, BlackBerrys, and other gadgets. Because they require significantly more electricity than smaller devices, laptops are trickier and more expensive to charge from a small solar panel. But people are certainly trying.
Read the full story at News.com.
General Motors’ latest concept car is a Cadillac that could get 300 miles on a single tank and has nearly all the eco-friendly features you can think of.
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.
Chicagoans are being urged to hold on to their natural Christmas trees just a little bit longer, for a good cause.
Instead of tossing trees into the trash, the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation wants residents this weekend to trade in their Christmas tree for an environmentally friendly product. People who drop off trees from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday will receive a free bag of scented mulch and a choice of a compact fluorescent bulb, a reusable water bottle, or a year supply of blue recycling bags. Supplies are limited.
The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:
Read the full story in Energy Bulletin.
Many people are aware that food-based biofuel production has had an influence on food prices. Many people also know that US ethanol production is growing rapidly and now using a noticeable fraction of the total corn supply. However, I’m going to argue that the situation in the near term is potentially more serious than is generally realized.
A full-color, graphic version of this newsletter is available online at:
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/enewsletter
Shaping Global Sustainability Standards, One Sector at a Time
By Jacqueline Le Sueur
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?Page=1&NewsID=36498
Green Globe, the international eco-certification program geared toward travel and hospitality companies, shows how certifying sustainability can move beyond broad building types to cover individual industries more thoroughly.
A Lighter Shade of Green
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36496
By Elizabeth Churchill, ED+C
Although healthcare and sustainable design are two industries that seem to go hand in hand, the costs of building green can seem to be too much for some health care groups. Takle a look at what Stillwater Medical Group did to increase its energy efficiency and create a more-sustainable site when expanding a facility in Minnesota.
Devastated Ks. City Chooses LEED-Platinum Future
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36472
Greensburg made history last month when it became the first city in the U.S. to mandate all city buildings greater than 4,000 square feet be certified LEED Platinum and use about 40 percent less energy than their conventional counterparts.
All Commercial Buildings Can Be Carbon Neutral, U.K. Report Finds
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36454
The majority of new non-domestic buildings can be zero-carbon if onsite, near-site and offsite renewable energy sources are used, a new report has found.
New Connecticut Construction Must Meet Green Standards
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36492
Law requires $5 million or more construction and $2 million or more renovation projects be in line with LEED silver requirements.
EPA: Low Impact Development Saves Money, Improves the Earth
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36500
In a new report, the EPA analyzes techniques used in 17 cases in the United States and Canada.
Green Mobile Homes Maximize Efficiency, Minimize Price
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36482
The GreenMobile includes the use of energy-efficient appliances, an option for solar panels and a design that takes advantage of lighting and ventilation.
Building Industry Groups Launch Zero Net Energy Push
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36477
The Commercial Building Initiative brings together government and industry groups working to make every building, new and old, carbon neutral by 2030.
UCSB Goes Waterless
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36451
The University of California at Santa Barbara will save thousands of gallons of water by switching to waterless urinal system. It should see a return on its investment within three years.
Delta Dental Plans Major Green Expansion of its Michigan HQ
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36441
The project will add 135,000 square feet of environmentally friendly buildings to its campus, using the latest buildings and landscaping techniques.
Green Building Alliance Gives $448,000 in Green Building Grants
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36415
The Green Building Alliance has announced $448,000 in grants for seven projects working on new and improved green building products.
The Law of Building Green
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/tool_detail.cfm?LinkAdvID=95054
This paper is part of a guide to business and legal issues in sustainable building and development.
Smart Communities Network
http://greenerbuildings.com/tool_detail.cfm?LinkAdvID=2571
This U.S. Department of Energy site compiles resources, tools, articles and stories on sustainability, land-use planning, energy, building, disaster planning and more.
UC San Diego, which has implemented a wide range of energy-reducing initiatives across all levels of campus operations, has joined The Green Grid, a global consortium of companies dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centers and computing ecosystems.
Grinning Planet has compiled an annotated bibliography of books on global warming. It includes fiction, non-fiction, and children’s titles.
Read the full story at News.com.
With its plethora of gadgets that become outdated almost as soon as they are sold, the consumer electronics industry is an unlikely champion of the environment.
But since information and communications technology is now estimated to cause more carbon pollution than aviation, and the European Union and other regulators are imposing ever stricter rules on toxic substances used in electronics, the industry has little choice but to act.
Read the full story at News.com.
Voltaic Systems on Tuesday is set to announce a bag with a 14-watt solar panel for charging laptops at the Consumer Electronics Show, a company representative said.
Read the full post in News.com’s GreenTech blog.
A large-scale test on the effectiveness of switchgrass to make ethanol gave the native grass high marks on energy production and greenhouse gases.
