·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Read/hear the full story from the Great Lakes Radio Consortium.

America’s hunger for new, greener sources of electricity, and a generous federal tax credit, are fueling a wind power boom. According to the industry, almost 6,000 megawatts of new wind energy are under construction nationwide. That’s 40% of all existing wind power in the U.S. The federal government doesn’t regulate many aspects of wind power. Neither do many states. That puts a lot of pressure on local town councils to decide if a wind farm will be a good neighbor.

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

A lawsuit is targeting the FBI’s shooting range in North Chicago, seeking to halt the discharge of lead bullets into Lake Michigan over pollution concerns, the executive director of a non-profit environmental group said Wednesday.

The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:

• Harnessing Waste Heat for Electricity
• New Nanocomposite Material Could Increase Solar Cell Efficiency
• Inside Renewable Energy podcast: Changing Public Perceptions of Renewables
• California Solar Outlook for 2008

Read the full story at News. com.

Cheap, clean hydrogen is the holy grail in the green-technology world, and Nanoptek says it could have part of the answer.

The Maynard, Mass.-based company, which Wednesday announced that it has raised $4.7 million, has come up with a low-cost, durable titania electrode that can split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.

Sunlight hits the electrode, and the electrode splits the light into a positive charge (called a hole) and an electron. Before the two charges can rejoin, the electron gets captured by the electrode and then is exploited to split water. Silicon solar cells operate on the same principle.

Read the full story at The Wired Campus.

America’s high-school students are confident they can solve the world’s most complex problems, such as climate change and a dwindling supply of fossil fuels. However, more than half of them believe high schools aren’t giving them the science and technology background to take those problems on, according to survey results from the Lemelson-MIT program.

Read the full solicitation.

Proposals due March 14, 2008

The Waste Management and Research Center (WMRC), a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, is the State of Illinois’ focal agency for promoting sustainability in the manufacturing and allied sectors of the economy through resource conservation, pollution prevention, and environmental research. The Center’s current research activities are focused on industrial pollution prevention, energy conservation, biofuels, and Illinois River monitoring and remediation.

WMRC anticipates total funding of between $250,000 to $300,000 to initiate new projects in FY09 (7/1/08-6/30/09). This estimate is based on a research budget similar to that of FY08. Any budget changes will impact the amount available for new projects. Funding for successful proposals will begin in state fiscal year 2009, with September 1, 2008 as the earliest starting date for funded projects. The Center will provide notification on proposals selected for anticipated funding by June 10, 2008.

Proposals are being sought in two major focus areas, with various subtopics:

Sustainable Illinois

• Water Reuse, Conservation, and Quality
• Municipal Wastewater Reuse and Conservation
• Biofuels and Alternative Energy
• Moving a Community Towards Sustainability
• Developing Statewide Metrics for Tracking Pollution Prevention

Environmental Monitoring, Assessment, and Remediation

• Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products
• Endotoxins
• Ecotoxicology of Pollutants

Eligibility is open to all interested parties regardless of affiliation. Researchers associated with both the private and public sectors are encouraged to submit proposals. Successful public sector applicants may be awarded either contracts or grants, at the discretion of WMRC. Successful private sector applicants will be awarded grants. Preference will be given to entities located in Illinois; however, awards will be based on merit of the proposal and importance of the research to addressing problems faced by the State of Illinois.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

Switchgrass grown for biofuel production produced 540 percent more energy than needed to grow, harvest and process it into cellulosic ethanol, according to estimates from a large on-farm study by researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Full citation for article: Schmer, M.R.; Vogel, K.P.; Mitchell, R.B.; Perrin, R.K.  “Net Energy of Cellulosic Ethanol from Switchgrass.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(2), 464-469 (2008). [Online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.070476710 -- open access download]

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

Conservation International (CI), Cozumel, Mexico’s Department of Tourism and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association on Jan. 15 signed a groundbreaking conservation agreement by cruise industry leaders representing government, private sector, civil society, and cruise lines as part of the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI). By facilitating this agreement, the partners set into motion a major environmental initiative that will help preserve some of the most endangered biodiversity on the planet living in the world’s most visited cruise destination: Cozumel, Mexico.

Green Seal, the not-for-profit, independent certification and standard development body, has announced that it is extending by two weeks the public comment period for its Proposed Revised Standard for Industrial and Institutional Cleaners, GS-37.  The comment period — originally scheduled to close January 16 — will now end Wednesday, January 30.  Comments will continue to be received on the on-line forum until this new deadline.  Information about the proposed standards and how to comment can be found on Green Seal’s GS-37 project web site.

The Responsible Purchasing Network, at the Center for a New American Dream, is offering pro bono assistance to five state and local governments committed to harnessing institutional procurement as a means of reducing waste, achieving greenhouse gas emissions goals, limiting toxic and hazardous substances, and improving community health.

To apply, download an application form in one of the formats below:

• Word document
• Rich Text Format
• PDF

Return the completed application via postal mail or email to:

Mail:
Attn: RPN Purchasing Assistance
Responsible Purchasing Network
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 900
Takoma Park, MD 20912

Email:
rpn@newdream.org with subject “RPN Purchasing Assistance Application”