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 TwitterGreat Lakes Initiative: EPA and States Have Made Progress, but Much Remains to Be Done If Water Quality Goals Are to Be Achieved, by David C. Maurer, acting director, natural resources and environment, before the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. GAO-08-312T, January 23.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-312T
Highlights – http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08312thigh.pdf
The Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings, published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, instructs architects, engineers and others on building design teams how to use best design practices to create energy-saving buildings. Written in partnership with the American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, the U.S. Green Building Council and the U.S. Department of Energy, the book is available for free in electronic form at www.ashrae.org/freeaedg. Hard copies are available for purchase.
Read the full story in Hotels Magazine.
Going green may be more expensive up front. It may be complex for those seeking certification. It may be hard to rationalize as a specific demand generator. But, it is not going away. “In this social environment, it is less and less likely any hotel company or independent hotel will fail to have some kind of sustainability programs. No one can opt out,†says Chris Cahill, president and COO, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FRHI), Toronto.
Read the commentary in the Chicago Tribune.
Disclosing to voters what vehicle they drive is a rare opportunity for presidential candidates to show that their personal priorities are consistent with their public policies. We know they can talk the talk about global warming and fuel efficiency — but do they practice what they preach?
The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:
Read the full story in the Christian Science Monitor.
With a big new solar power plant in the Nevada desert and thousands of wind turbines sprouting nationwide, US renewable energy seems poised for a boom as long as federal tax credits don’t suddenly evaporate.
After years of start-and-stop growth, wind-and solar- power industries soared in 2007, thanks to three consecutive years of tax credits that provided a critical lift for both sectors.
But whether the fledgling industries can fly without tax credits, due to expire at the end of this year, is a question being debated on Capitol Hill this week.
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.
In what could trigger the first test of Illinois’ strict law against lead in toys, a major toymaker is refusing to pull a popular, but tainted, doll from store shelves across the state.
UPDATE: Ty takes high-lead doll out of stores (Chicago Tribune)
Facing increasing pressure from authorities, a major toymaker has removed lead-tainted dolls from store shelves across the state, the Illinois attorney general’s office said Tuesday.
Ty Inc. said it has replaced its popular Jammin’ Jenna dolls with a redesigned version, the state said. Now, the toy’s shoes are made of cloth and not vinyl, the part of the product that showed high lead levels.
For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to
http://www.greenbiz.com/enewsletter.
Can Airlines Actually Reduce Their Emissions?
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/reviews_third.cfm?NewsID=36561
Source: GLOBE-Net
Last year, air travel and transport emerged as major contributors to global warming. Airlines and shipping companies are exploring a range of potential solutions in the face of legislation underway in Europe. Is it even possible for planes to be friendly to the skies?
GE Increases Renewable Energy Pledge to $6 Billion
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36528
GE Energy Financial Services has increased its renewable energy investment goal for 2010 from $4 billion to $6 billion, and recently passed $3 billion in investments with a wind farm deal.
Sustainability Breeds Innovation and Profitability, Says New Report
By Jonathan Bardelline, GreenBiz
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36532
“A New Mindset for Corporate Sustainability,” a study published by BT and Cisco Systems, emphasizes that a focus on sustainability leads to innovative activities as well as commercial success.
SC Johnson Launches Greenlist Product Labels
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36544
The Greenlist logo, which will adorn product labels beginning this month, is based on a patented process that rates 95 percent of the raw materials used in SC Johnson’s products. Greenlist products contain fewer volatile organic compounds.
Google’s Philanthropy Funds Renewable Energy, Electric Cars
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36546
Google’s philanthropic arm has announced more than $25 million in new grants and investments, about half of which will go to climate change efforts.
Union Pacific Reaches for More Fuel Efficient Locomotives
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36557
Union Pacific saved more than 20 million gallons of diesel fuel last year through a series of programs and locomotive acquisitions designed to improve its fleet’s fuel efficiency.
Safeway Converts U.S. Fleet to Biodiesel
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36550
The retailer’s fleet uses more than 1,000 big rigs throughout its operations. The move will help Safeway avoid about 75 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
HP Releases Green Supply Chain Guidelines
By James Murray, Business Green
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36545
The guidelines for multinational companies are designed to help them promote strong CSR and environmental practices amongst small and medium-sized businesses within their supply chain.
TerraPass Launches Carbon Calculator for Businesses
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36541
The Carbon Balanced Business Program is a free online carbon tool that calculates emissions from on-site energy use, off-site server energy use, company vehicles, business travel, and employee commuting.
Sierra Nevada Increases Solar Energy Production; U.K. Brewers Lighten Their
Bottles
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36538
Brewers in the United States and United Kingdom are involved in various projects to better the environment.
Wal-Mart to Open Energy-Efficient Supercenter
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36537
The world’s largest retailer plans to open a store in Illinois next week that will use 25 percent less energy than a conventional Supercenter.
CSR Jobs Rank High for Newly Minted MBAs: Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36535
Even though there are more CSR jobs available to business school grads than ever before, it’s not enough to meet the demand, according to a new report from Net Impact and Ellen Weinreb Recruiting.
Climate Registry Gains 54 New Members
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36534
Big names such as Alcoa, Shell, National Grid, and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. joined the coalition of states and municipalities that will track, verify and publicly report their emissions.
Matsushita to Include Emissions as Performance Indicator
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36524
The parent company of Panasonic will add emissions figures to its key performance indicators to help it slash 100,000 tons of CO2 from its operations by the end of fiscal 2009.
Chrysler Finds New Use for Paint Waste
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36523
Chrysler’s two St. Louis assembly plants send paint waste to a nearby power plant where it has the potential to remove nearly all mercury from the plant’s coal-based emissions.
A New Mindset for Corporate Sustainability
http://www.greenbiz.com/toolbox/reports_third.cfm?LINKADVID=96851
This report looks as how some companies have achieved success through sustainability initiatives and argues for a new corporate model of sustainability.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
Purdue University researchers are collaborating with Chrysler LLC in a project to use poplar trees to eliminate pollutants from a contaminated site in north-central Indiana.
The researchers plan to plant transgenic poplars at the site, a former oil storage facility near Kokomo, Ind., this summer. In a laboratory setting, the transgenic trees have been shown to be capable of absorbing trichloroethylene (TCE) and other pollutants before processing them into harmless byproducts.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
“Going green” is a hot topic, but has the workplace caught on yet? According to the 2008 SHRM Green Workplace Survey released recently by the Society for Human Resource Management of Alexandria, Va., 50 percent of surveyed organizations have a formal or informal environmental responsibility policy, but 43 percent have no such policy and no plans to implement one within the next 12 months.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
“A former U.S. congressman, U.S. ambassador and industry veterans announced on Jan. 17 the launch of a non-profit organization to promote green energy and sustainability,” said Zacharie Mondel, the group’s chief operating officer.
Called the Global Green Energy Consortium (GGEC), the group is headlined by former U.S. Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr., and former U.S. Ambassador Osman Siddique, along with representatives from the hospitality and green energy sectors.
Read the full story in Occupational Health & Safety.
How safety, health and environmental (SH&E) professionals are working to eliminate or reduce risks connected to “greening” efforts are featured in the new American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) Hospitality Branch’s “Safety Implications of Greening” white paper.
Read the full story in the San Francisco Chronicle.
BART now has the green light to go green, but the initiative could add an estimated $1.8 million to the rail system’s annual power bill.
Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles County supervisors backed off a threat Tuesday to ban plastic shopping and grocery bags that environmental experts call unsightly and destructive.
Instead, officials chose the weakest of five alternatives recommended by county executives: a volunteer program that leaves it to supermarket and store owners to coax customers into packing their purchases in reusable containers.
Read the full story in the Seattle Times.
Port of Seattle commissioners made a commitment Tuesday to dramatically cut air pollution belching from ships and cargo equipment at the docks.
By 2010 the Port would cut toxic soot by 70 percent for docked ships and 30 percent for equipment on shore that hauls cargo. The ports of Tacoma and Vancouver, B.C., have agreed to similar goals.
The University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology has received a gift from chemical engineering alumna Rose Ling to establish the Joseph T. and Rose S. Ling Chair in Environmental Engineering. The $2 million endowment fund will support outstanding faculty involved in environmental engineering research and education.
Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, a McKnight Distinguished Professor in the university’s department of civil engineering, will be the first faculty member to hold the chair. Foufoula-Georgiou is co-director of the university’s National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics funded by the National Science Foundation and is a former director of the university’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory.
The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2008 National Wetlands Awards Program has been extended to January 31. The awards program honors individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the conservation and restoration of our nation’s wetlands. The 2008 awards will be given in six categories: Education and Outreach; Science Research; Conservation and Restoration; Landowner Stewardship; State, Tribal, and Local Program Development; and Wetland Community Leader.
Read the full story at CTV.
Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon said Thursday the government is working towards a “made-in-Canada” solution to reduce the fuel consumption of new cars and light trucks by 2020.
On Thursday it announced that it will launch a consultation process that will help create new rules for fuel economy.
Read the full story from Minnesota Public Radio.
Gov. Pawlenty wants to make low-interest loans available to small businesses and homeowners, to install renewable energy systems. The governor also established a collaborative group to oversee research and development on clean energy.
Read the full story in Education Week.
Tucked quietly into the federal Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 is a section that calls for establishing voluntary environmental-health and -safety guidelines for states to consult when locating and constructing schools, and authorizes grants for states to develop programs around those standards.
Read the full story in USA Today.
With proposals to cap greenhouse gas emissions stalled in Congress, more than half the states are moving aggressively to combat the pollution that causes global warming.
This year, eight states are slated to release plans to slash emissions of the heat-trapping gases and at least several are likely to recommend specific reduction targets, say state officials and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Seventeen states already have such targets in place.
Read the full story from Business & Legal Reports.
This article presents eight nonregulatory reasons a robust climate change program led by environmental professionals will benefit the bottom line of any firm.
Facing the Future is pleased to announce the release of Teaching Global Sustainability in the Primary Grades: A K-4 Curriculum Guide, providing educators with a unique, age-appropriate curriculum that addresses core concepts related to sustainability. This resource features:
All lessons have been reviewed and field-tested by content experts, teachers, and students. Learn more about this new curriculum and download a lesson for FREE. You can also purchase the full guide for $19.95.
Teaching Global Sustainability in the Primary Grades is aligned with national science and social studies standards for grades K-4. In keeping with the North American Association for Environmental Education’s Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning, the lessons examine issues through a learning experience that is simple, local, and personal. The curriculum guide includes four lessons that explore topics including identity and culture, food, biodiversity, and systems through diverse perspectives and learning modes including role plays, simulations, singing, art, stories, writing, and speaking. For each lesson, students produce or present a finished piece that expresses their understanding of the core concepts and is guided by an assessment rubric.
Facing the Future staff is available to come to your school or district to provide a workshop on this resource or other global sustainability curriculum. Visit our website for more information. For questions or comments, contact Kim Rakow Bernier at kim@facingthefuture.org or 206-264-1503.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
A group of book-scavenging homeless men are regulars at the Strand, helping the city’s best-known used-book store keep its shelves stocked.
Via Docuticker.
Rural Voters Support Clean Water Protections
Source: Earthjustice
- Recently conducted public opinion surveys polling voters in rural, agriculturally-dependent Congressional districts revealed some surprising facts about these voters’ support for strong actions from the federal government to protect clean water.
- Of the 900 rural voters polled, more than half (55%) in each district agreed that government has not gone far enough with laws to protect the environment and keep our water free from pollution. Farmers were as likely as their non-farming neighbors to agree with this statement.
+ Memorandum of polling results (PDF; 34 KB)
Via Docuticker.
Energy in 2020: Assessing the Economic Effects of Commercialization of Cellulosic Ethanol (PDF; 809 KB)
Source: U.S. Commerce Department, Bureau of Manufacturing and Services
From press release:
- The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Manufacturing and Services recently issued a report titled, Energy in 2020: Assessing the Economic Effects of Commercialization of Cellulosic Ethanol. The report examines the positive effect on the U.S. economy if cellulosic ethanol becomes commercially viable.
Via Docuticker.
Installed U.S. Wind Power Capacity Surged 45% in 2007: American Wind Energy Association Market Report
Source: American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
- Shattering all its previous records, the U.S. wind energy industry installed 5,244 megawatts (MW) in 2007, expanding the nation’s total wind power generating capacity by 45% in a single calendar year and injecting an investment of over $9 billion into the economy, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced today. The new wind projects account for about 30% of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally in 2007 and will power the equivalent of 1.5 million American households annually while strengthening U.S. energy supply with clean, homegrown electric power.
+ Full Report (PDF; 238 KB)
+ U.S. Wind Energy Projects (state-by-state listing)
Read the full story in Science News.
A federal government study now reports that bisphenol A (BPA)—the building block of one of the most widely used plastics—laces the bodies of the vast majority of U.S. residents young and old.
Read the full story in the special section of American School and University.
In this special awards program, American School & University is proud to showcase the winners of the first “Green Cleaning Award for Schools & Universities.†An expert jury chose a Grand Award winner and an Honorable Mention in each of three categories: school districts, colleges and universities.
The February 2008 issue of Biodiesel Magazine is now available. Highlights include:
