·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

A team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley (Calif.) National Laboratory has found evidence that the prevalence of building-related symptoms increases with increasing outdoor concentrations of the pollutant ozone. They also have discovered that the type of air filter that some buildings use in their ventilation systems may also play a role in the prevalence of symptoms.

Read the full story in Interior Design.

You read about them, maybe even meet them, but haven’t any idea how to be like them. I’m talking about really green design firms, whose projects—and they only do green projects—are held up as the enviable green standard to which we all aspire. They are easier to find on the commercial side than residential, but one such firm happily thrives in Denver.

Read the full story in Interior Design.

The most exciting technology you’ve never heard of is all around us working its tiny wonders

Read the full story in Interior Design.

…it isn’t only the national chains that are going green. Many communities can now boast of green building materials stores, beginning with Seattle’s Environmental Home Center, which may have been the first of its kind. Stocked with a diverse array of products—from appliances and bath fixtures to finishes and lighting—a spin around these centers is a de facto education in what’s green. What we haven’t had are green home furnishing stores, until now.

Read the full story from News.com.

The infrastructure and tools required to make Linux a green operating system are now in place, according to Linux leader Linus Torvalds, who was in Melbourne this week attending Australia’s largest Linux conference.

Read the full story at Environmental Leader.

Adam Grosser, general partner of Foundation Capital, describes the different categories of green technology and the challenges they face.

Read the full story in the Financial Times.

Some of the UK’s biggest food and drink companies pledged to cut their use of water in a move that could save them a total of £60m a year.

A full-color, graphic version of this newsletter is available online at:
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/enewsletter

Using Water Management Strategies to Boost the Triple Bottom Line
By Tom Ash
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?Page=1&NewsID=36594
Smart water management can be a simple improvement to facilities, but one that can help real estate portfolio owners achieve LEED certification, protect and improve property value by eliminating water-related property destruction and liabilities, save costs and improve the environment.

The Importance of Measuring Building Energy Use
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36593
By Brandi McManus
With companies rapidly seeking out every possible way to improve their environmental performance, many are finding that tracking down inefficiencies in building energy use is a quick and easy way to make a noticeable difference.

Clorox and Sierra Club Announce Branding Partnership
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36522
The Clorox Company has formed a partnership with the Sierra Club as part of the company’s launch of Green Works, a new line of natural cleaning products made from plant-based ingredients.

Three Trends Push Green Building From Niche to Mainstream: Report
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36596
A new report pins attributes the growth of green building to government initiatives, demand for green residential housing and better sustainable building materials.

CIA Campus Embraces Green Building
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36601
The CIA is working on its newest, greenest campus, with a vegetated roof,
energy- and water-saving measures, and special parking for carpoolers.

New York Town Chooses LEED for New Standards
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36587
Another U.S. town wants to use LEED standards as mandatory guidelines for new construction.

EPA Promotes Green Infrastructure for Better Water Quality
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36578
The EPA lays out state and municipal options for using green infrastructure to cut down on stormwater runoff and sewer overflows.

Non-Profit Aims to Increase Hospitality Sustainability
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36572
The Global Green Hospitality Consortium has been created to give the hospitality industry easy access to resources for green standards and certifications.

ASHRAE Offers Free Access to Energy Savings Guides
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36547
The Advanced Energy Design Guides series of four books covers small office, retail buildings and elementary schools. Future guides, including one coming out in the spring that focuses on warehouses, also will be offered online at no charge.

All U.S. Facilities to be LEED-Compliant, ProLogis Announces
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36563
The company, which is the world’s biggest manager of distribution facilities, will require all of its new developments in the U.S. to meet LEED standards, effective immediately.

Wal-Mart to Open Energy-Efficient Supercenter
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.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.

LEED Innovation & Design Credit Catalog Now Online
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36527
The catalog contains a listing of proven green building strategies that have been successful on previous LEED-certified projects.

Loads of Green Building Incentives: Report
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36514
Local and state governments offer a slew of green building incentives for developers but the incentives are not always taken advantage of because of time constraints, according to a new study.

Flex Your Power Releases Guide to Hotel Energy Efficiency
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36506
Best practices cover all aspects of hotels, from lighting, HVAC and office equipment to restaurants, pools and spas.

EcoLabelling.org
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/tool_detail.cfm?LinkAdvID=96949
This recently launched site has already compiled data on more than 260 of the world’s estimated 410 green labelling schemes, including 50 related to buildings. Its overall goal is to take the mystery out of the bewildering herd of green labels by studying the foundations of all types of eco-labels aimed at both consumers and corporations.

Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure — Action Strategy 2008
http://greenerbuildings.com/tool_detail.cfm?LinkAdvID=96929
In this report, the EPA lists the numerous green infrastructure options available and the benefits of putting them in place.

Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times.

In an effort to reduce industry’s reliance on toxic compounds, state environmental officials today will lay out a framework for transforming California into a leader in the development and use of “green” chemicals.

The proposals are an attempt to change the approach to environmental health from a chemical-by-chemical squabble to a wholesale shift in the way industry manufactures compounds used in products as varied as prescription drugs, plastic food packaging, pesticides, cosmetics and household cleaners.

Environmental Capital provides daily news and analysis of the business of the environment. It tracks how growing green concern, particularly over climate change, is roiling established industries and spurring new ones – and how that shift is affecting investors, consumers and the planet.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

According to Autocar’s Hilton Holloway, BMW is seriously considering starting up a new brand to produce and sell a line of green vehicles.

For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to
http://www.greenercomputing.com/enewsletter.

Dell’s New Rules in Leadership for Business and the Environment
By John Davies
http://www.greenercomputing.com/reviews_third.cfm?NewsID=36606
Dell is now using its direct model in new ways to showcase the company’s environmental commitment, which it has identified as a key strategy for future growth.

Greening the Physical Data Center
By Robert McFarlane
http://www.greenercomputing.com/columns_third.cfm?NewsID=36599
Following these simple, energy-saving steps for building and redesigning data centers can help companies of all sizes get out in front of EPA requirements for energy efficiency.

Best Practices Can Help IT Manufacturers Design Green
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36588
Incorporating environmental stewardship into IT product development presents tremendous opportunity for manufacturers.

HP Ups Green PC Ranks, Says Gov’t Could Save Billions with Green Tech
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36576
HP introduces new energy-efficient business PCs and looks at how the government can save over $1 billion in the coming years with improved PCs and data centers.

Intel Named Biggest Buyer of Green Power
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36598
Intel Corp. will buy 1.3 billion kilowatt hours of renewable energy a year in a bid to stimulate the green power market.

Some IT Decision Makers Still Holding Out on Green Tech: Report
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36575
A new study from Harris Interactive finds that 16 percent of IT pros are “anti-green” unless it saves their company money; nearly one-third say companies should go green even if it means sacrificing some profitability.

Dell Launches New Servers to Stake out Green Data Center Turf
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36564
The company’s new PowerEdge blade servers target HP and IBM’s server businesses, aiming to use less energy for more performance than offerings from those two companies.

IT Can Take the Lead With CSR, According to Report
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36539
“Sustainable IT Provision” lays out why it’s important for the IT industry to take eco-friendly steps and how it can accomplish CSR goals.

Fujitsu Unveils Green Initiative for Retailers
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36533
The company’s “Pervasive Green” initiative includes retail-oriented hardware that is RoHS and WEEE compliant, as well as new operational goals to reduce its own environmental footprint.

IBM Leads Program to Share Clean Technologies
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news_third.cfm?NewsID=36521
IBM, Nokia, Pitney-Bowes and Sony are the first companies to join the newly launched Eco-Patents Commons, a coalition spearheaded by IBM to offer environmental technologies, processes and ideas to spur innovation around the globe.

Exercise Environmentally Preferable Purchasing for a Healthier Planet and
Pocketbook
http://www.greenbiz.com/toolbox/reports_third.cfm?LINKADVID=96952
This Info-Tech report looks at how companies have benefited from adopting environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) programs and gives recommendations on how to set up an effective EPP plan.

Lean & Green: Reducing IT Energy Drain for Business Gain
http://www.greenbiz.com/reference/webguide_record.cfm?LINKADVID=94520
In a world of toxic e-waste and chronic energy shortfall, IT professionals of all stripes are seeking cost-effective ways to implement green practices across the enterprise, and this site aims to spread the word about sustainable computing practices.

Read the full post in News.com’s GreenTech blog.

There is real money behind the claims of corporations “going green,” but consumers still need convincing that it’s more than just feel-good PR, a couple of recently released studies show.