Browsing environmental news sources so you don't have to. Contact Laura Barnes (lbarnes@istc.illinois.edu) with questions, comments, and suggestions.
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There is an easy, cheap, and environmentally friendly way to recycle PCs, cell phones, and other electronics, according to Jeff Ziegler, CEO of Austin’s TechTurn: reuse them.
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.
You couldn’t tell by looking at it, but the concrete floor at the soon-to-be opened Wal-Mart Supercenter in Romeoville is made from leftover coal waste. The decorative floor boards and moldings are fashioned from material used in making the leg holes in disposable diapers. And the low-flow sensors in the bathroom sinks run off batteries charged by a turbine powered by water from the faucets.
Not your typical Wal-Mart, perhaps. But the eco-friendly store, slated to open Jan. 23, is the first of a handful of pilot stores the huge retailer plans to open nationwide in its latest push to go green and boost its image at the same time.
Read the full story from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
If you are concerned about the environmental impact of your home, what should you do when you need to replace worn-out furniture? After all, a piece of furniture can contain materials that contribute in a small way to air pollution, global warming emissions, and tropical deforestation (at least 32 million acres of tropical forest—an area larger than Mississippi—are cut down each year, releasing 20 percent of all global warming emissions).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office is requesting applications for an estimated $175,000 in funding for 8-10 cooperative agreement grants which would mobilize citizens and communities to collect and recycle household unwanted electronics and/or dispose of unwanted and expired medicines from within the Great Lakes basin. Both prescription and over the counter medicines can be collected. Selection criteria include the potential for a successful collection event taking place during the week of April 22, 2008.
The Request for Applications is available today through a link from http://epa.gov/glnpo/fund/glf.html or directly from http://epa.gov/greatlakes/fund/2008-1rfa01/2008-1rfa01.html.
Applications must be RECEIVED or postmarked BY 5:00 PM, Central Standard
Time on February 28, 2008.
Consumers are demanding earth friendly products, and big box retailers, specialty shops and online stores are desperate to find new and innovative green products. Retail store buyers and corporate purchasing managers have been attending various trade shows to source environmentally friendly products in almost every consumer product category.
earthNOW expo, scheduled June 4-5 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, is the face-to-face trade show that focuses specifically on products that are natural, organic, recycled, reclaimed or eco friendly.
The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:
Touted as “one-stop-shopping†for procurement, purchasing and facilities managers, the Green Procurement Exposition & Conference – Midwest, June 4 & 5, 2008, was jointly announced today by the City of Chicago’s Department of the Environment, the National Association of Purchasing Managers (NAPM – Chicago chapter) and The Green Exposition.
Scheduled for Navy Pier in Chicago, the Exposition will feature more than 200+ booths from companies that offer environmentally preferred products (EPP) to a target audience of Federal, State, County and Municipal officials, as well as, businesses and industries, schools, hospitals, museums, universities, recyclers, waste management and the hospitality industry. Show organizers are expecting more than 1,000 attendees to meet with suppliers, speakers and consultants of eco-friendly, sustainable products and services. There will be 12 hours of exhibit time over the two days, with more than 9 hours of dedicated time for attendees to interact with suppliers.
The event will also feature a 2-day educational track of 8+ hours, offering best practices, cooperative buying strategies, energy management and industry trends. Three tracks targeted to government, private industry and facility managers specific interests and professional practices will run concurrently.
According to Greg O’Connor, a principal of The Green Exposition, Chicago is the right place at the right time, “We were looking for a city that was committed to the environment and Chicago has dedicated itself to be one of the “greenest†cities in America. With the backing of the city, its Mayor and a number of procurement, purchasing and facilities associations, including the local chapter of NAPM, we feel that this show will become an annual event that enhances the long list of successful trade shows that make their home in Chicago.â€
O’Connor went on to say, “The conference provides school officials the opportunity to find the array of products necessary to meet the requirements set by the Green Cleaning in Schools Act. The Green Expo provides the perfect forum for learning about and procuring new supplies. We hope this show will bring sensible and responsible resources to those who can have a dramatic impact on what products and services are used in our public and private facilities, including our schools.â€
For additional information or registration, go to www.thegreenexposition.com.
Lake Land College will host an Energy Innovation Conference on Feb. 27-28 on its campus in Mattoon, Illinois. The first annual event will feature a keynote address by Jack Schultz, chief executive officer of Agracel and author of Boomtown U.S.A. – the 7 ½ Keys to Big Success in Small Towns.
Attendees can choose presentations from an agricultural/residential or an academic tract. Select workshops will be open to the public. Vendors will be available to share their expertise on energy savings initiatives and products. On Wednesday, Feb. 27, area middle and high school students will display their winning energy fair projects. Registration and further information about the conference is available online at www.energyconf.org.
Starting in January, the DCEO Small Business Environmental Assistance Program is hosting 8 statewide workshops for contractors, local building code officials, property managers, engineers, and architects to update them on new regulations for lead paint, asbestos, radon, erosion controls and storm water, as well as OSHA and energy conservation and energy codes. Continuing education credits are available for Realtors, home inspectors, and radon inspectors. Please see the link below to learn more about these workshops.
The IDNR is offering professional development workshops for teachers in the coming months through the ENTICE (Environment and Nature Training Institute for Conservation Education) program.
Continuing Professional Development Units are available for all workshops. For the first time, three are being offered in an online version. For details about each workshop and to register, visit http://www.ilcf.org/Workshop/Courses.asp.
ENTICE workshops provide background information by resources professionals, hands-on activities that can be instantly implemented into the classroom, and many Illinois-specific supplemental materials to assist teachers.
Those interested in graduate credit can find more information about online graduate-level courses in cooperation with the University of Illinois at Springfield by visiting http://www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/graduatecourses.htm.
Illinois students are encouraged to apply for the annual Governor’s Green Youth Award. The award recognizes outstanding and inventive efforts of Illinois youth who are working on environmental protection and conservation projects.
Students currently enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade at an Illinois public, private, or home school who have participated in an environmental project started no earlier than January 2006 are eligible to submit their project.
Clubs and other organizations such as Scouts and 4-H are also encouraged to apply. Applications are due by Mar. 17. More information is available online at www.epa.state.il.us/green-youth/ or by calling 217/557-7826.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is now accepting applications for the 2008 “Earth Day in the Parks” – a program to promote stewardship of Illinois’ natural resources by school children.
On April 17, students and their teachers from throughout Illinois will visit participating Illinois state parks to take part in natural resources stewardship activities such as planting native trees, grasses and wildflowers; building and installing nesting/roosting boxes; removing invasive exotic plant species; and, constructing woodland ponds for amphibians.
DNR is accepting applications from teachers who would like the opportunity for their class to participate in the program. For more information, including the list of participating state parks, and to download an application form, visit http://www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/CLASSRM/EDITPinstruct.htm. The application must be received by Feb. 29. For more information, phone 217/524-4126 or e-mail to dnr.teachkids@Illinois.gov.
Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn would like to invite you to apply for a 2008 Rain Garden Initiative Grant. Rain gardens are blossoming across Illinois as a low-cost method of improving water quality while preventing flooding and drainage problems. They help control rainwater runoff, foster the growth of native perennial flowers and grasses, and create habitat for wildlife such as native birds and butterflies.This program is a great tool for educating adults and children throughout the community about the importance of caring for the environment and promoting local ecology.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service granted the Lt. Governor’s office $10,000 to support rain garden projects throughout Illinois. Each grant recipient will receive a $500 grant to plant a rain garden. These grants will assist schools and public organizations across Illinois in learning about the benefits of rain gardens.
For more information about the Rain Garden Initiative Grant, please visit our website at www.raingarden.il.gov. Online resources include application instructions, application forms, a step-by-step overview of how to create a rain garden, a list of native plant species, and more. I have also attached the application to this email. The application must be postmarked by Friday, February 15, 2008 to:
Jamie Caston
Office of Lt. Governor Pat Quinn
Re: IL Rain Garden Initiative
JRTC – 100 West Randolph St.
Ste 15-200
Chicago, IL 60601
Please feel free to call Jamie at 312-814-6671 if you have any questions about the application or the grant. Grant awardees will be announced by February 25, 2008. Email: Jamie.Caston@illinois.gov.
Read the full story in Wired.
Rarely has a car generated as much excitement among consumers, or pressure for a car company, as the Chevrolet Volt.
Much of the credit for that can go to Robert Lutz, GM’s famously outspoken vice chairman, who has been a champion of the Volt. He has touted the flex-fuel and plug-in-electric hybrid as the centerpiece of GM’s campaign to become the industry’s environmental and technological leader, a title Toyota has held since bringing the Prius to the United States in 2001. Indeed, in the following interview with Wired News, he called the Volt GM’s moon shot.
So it’s not surprising there’s so much hype — and skepticism — surrounding the car. GM executives have all but promised to begin producing it in 2010. With Toyota’s recent announcement that it will bring a plug-in hybrid — albeit one with less range than the Volt — to market at the same time, the race is on.
Wired News grilled Lutz and two other top executives behind the Volt at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit about what’s really happening under the hood — and on the surface — of the highly anticipated car.
Read the full story at News.com.
Stanford University researchers have made a discovery that could signal the arrival of laptop batteries that last more than a day on a single charge.
The researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to give rechargeable lithium ion batteries–used in laptops, iPods, video cameras, and mobile phones–as much as 10 times more charge. This potentially could give a conventional battery-powered laptop 40 hours of battery life, rather than 4 hours.
The new batteries were developed by assistant professor Yi Cui and colleagues at Stanford University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Read the full story at News.com.
When you’re No. 3, you’ve got to do something.
At the Detroit auto show this week, Chrysler showed off three green car concepts, including an all-electric one called the Zeo that will go from zero to sixty in 5.7 seconds and hit 130 miles per hour. The car can also go 240 miles on a single charge.
Read the full story from Reuters.
Almost a third of the U.S. grain crop next year may be diverted from the family dinner table to the family car as fuel, putting upward pressure on food prices, a leading expert warned on Tuesday.
San Diego nonprofits working to improve the environment are the recipients of the first and largest set of environmental grants provided by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation in California since announcing its $20 billion Environmental Initiative to reduce climate change. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders joined Bank of America to announce $500,000 in “green” grants as part of the city’s overall strategy to increase environmental sustainability in the region.
Today’s announcement was made at the future site of a new health center in the low-income neighborhood of City Heights that will be green-built by nonprofit developer La Maestra to meet gold-certified standards by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that it has become a Founding Reporter on The Climate Change Registry, a non-profit organization that measures and publicly reports greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in a common, accurate and transparent manner consistent across industry sectors and borders. Alcoa is among the first companies to join the organization.
New York residents care about the environment and are pledging to reduce their environmental impact in record numbers. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) inspired 11,330 residents to take the first steps towards energy efficiency by participating in the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR(R) Change a Light, Change the World Campaign.
Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), a national retail cooperative providing quality outdoor gear and clothing, today announced that Round Rock, Texas will be the second location for the company’s prototype store initiative that aims to test retail design and green building concepts. Expected to open in the fall of 2008, the new store will complement the co-op’s commitment to community involvement, environmental stewardship and providing a gateway to the outdoors.
