·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Via Governing.com’s Idea Center.

One day soon, Floridians might find that their electricity comes from a wind energy farm in St. Lucie County or from solar panels on their roofs, thanks to a statewide campaign to make solar energy more affordable.

These are just two projects that won a grant from Florida’s Renewable Energy Technologies Grant Program. The program, now in its second year, is designed to encourage renewable energy projects involving solar, hydrogen, wind and other technologies. Since its creation in 2006 by the legislature, it has given out a total of $27.5 million. This year, it gave out $12.5 million to eight groups out of 139 seeking more than $200 million in funding.

Overseen by the state Department of Environmental Protection, the proposals are evaluated on a set of criteria that includes cost-share percentage, technical feasibility, production potential, energy efficiency and incorporation of multiple technologies. To learn more about the program and this year’s winners, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/energy/energyact/grants.htm.

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

• Hydrokinetic Permits Abound Despite Objections
• Scaling Up Solar in India
• Inside Renewable Energy Podcast: Conflicting Research on Renewables; Spanish Energy Companies Entering the U.S.
• Feed-in Tariffs: Getting off the Renewables Roller Coaster
• Time for stability: An update on international wood pellet markets

Read the full story in Technology Review.

Google, already the world’s most popular spot for finding Web sites, is aiming to become the go-to place for creating Web sites too.

Google Page Creator is available in Google Labs.

Read the full story in Technology Review.

Investors and utilities intent on building solar power plants are increasingly turning to solar thermal power, a comparatively low-tech alternative to photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight directly into electricity. This month, in the latest in a string of recent deals, Spanish solar-plant developer Abengoa Solar and Phoenix-based utility Arizona Public Service announced a 280-megawatt solar thermal project in Arizona. By contrast, the world’s largest installations of photovoltaics generate only 20 megawatts of power.

Through their Campus Climate Champions Program, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) reaches out to universities across the state and encourages them to reduce their GHG emissions by2percent per year. NWF has successfully worked with students, parents, and communities through their Campus Ecology program, which has been helping individuals and campuses address sustainability and climate change since 1989.

By joining the Campus Climate Champions Program, your campus commits to reducing emissions by 30percent by the year 2020. That’s an average of 2 to3 percent each year (on pace to exceed 80 percent by 2050). By using greenhouse gas inventories to demonstrate these reductions, your university can be confident that this designation is reserved for schools that are actually implementing the strategies that will ensure a low-carbon future. Modeling these strategies is the first characteristic of climate leadership. The second is promoting these strategies and the benefits of climate action to peer institutions, policy-makers, and the surrounding community.

Since 1989, NWF has developed a wide array of high-quality resources to help campuses generate project ideas and learn from the experience of other colleges. The following resources are available to participants in the Campus Climate Champions Program:

• Higher Education in a Warming World: The Business Case for Climate Action (2008)
• National Campus Sustainability Report Card
• Annual Campus Ecology Yearbook featuring best practices and strategies for climate action
• Resource guides on green building, sustainable investments, and other topics.

A complete listing of resources is available at: http://www.nwf.org/campusEcology/resources/index.cfm

Read the full story from Reuters.

Children exposed to cleaning products and other household chemicals before or after birth may be at increased risk of breathing problems, results of a study published Wednesday hint.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

The National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Implications (NEHI) Working Group recently released its strategy for nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety research. The strategy outlines risk research for more than 20 federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

Information on the 2006 reporting year now is available from EPA as part of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) database. Nationwide chemical releases into the environment are down by 2 percent from 2005.

Quest Atlantis (QA) is an international learning and teaching project that uses a 3D multi-user environment to immerse children, ages 9-15, in educational tasks. QA combines strategies used in the commercial gaming environment with lessons from educational research on learning and motivation. It allows users to travel to virtual places to perform educational activities (known as Quests), talk with other users and mentors, and build virtual personae.

For the full Quest Atlantis experience, you will need to download & install QA’s newest software package. Currently, QA is only available for Windows computers.

Via ResearchBuzz. Note that U.N. energy and environmental statistics are covered.

Thanks to Novalawcity for the pointer to UNData, a search tool for UN Statistics. It’s available at http://data.un.org/ aaaaand it’s in beta.

It looks like a regular search engine, with different tabs for searching data and glossary. (A “more” tab has additional options: going to an advanced search, browsing available statistics, looking at information by country, and reviewing available sources.) Suggested searches are shown along with a list of databases (the front page notes that more databases will be added “in due course” and that over 55 million records are currently being searched.)

I did a search for “south africa” exports. I got 118 results. Results look very Googly except for the left nav which allows you to filter by data type — in this case key indicators, MDG, National Accounts Official Country Data, and Trade. The results themselves allow you to preview a sample of the data, download the data (sometimes just in one format, like XML, and sometimes in multiple format, like tab- or comma-delimited), or explore similar data sets. You can click on the name of the data set to explore it and filter by various data points. The data set pages also contain the source name, source’s home page, and contact information.

There’s a FAQ available for this tool but it doesn’t say how often the database of records is updated. You can also get a little more information about the project here.

Read the full story in Medill Reports Chicago.

With scientists bickering over the benefits or disadvantages of biofuels production, it’s hard to know who to believe.

Read the full story in Northumberland Today.

Cramahe Township dairy farmer Bob McComb thinks the township should look at biodigesters before it moves forward with an expensive pipeline to move treated sewage out into Lake Ontario.

The innovative Cramahe resident knows of one biodigester converting farm waste into heat operating in eastern Ontario.

A biodigester takes waste and subjects it to microbes called achaebacteria. A biodigester uses heat to break down organic matter such as manure, waste products from livestock operations, waste grain products and municipal wastes. Bacteria interact with the waste and break it down into processed organic matter – biogas and liquid fertilizer.

The biogas can be burned to produce heat and electricity. The micro-organisms in the waste are killed in the process where temperatures can reach 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Read the full story in the Macomb Daily.

As hundreds of environmental activists gather in Washington today to mark Great Lakes Day in the nation’s capital, a new study finds a huge gap between local communities and the federal government in funding for the lakes.

Read the full story in Medill Reports Chicago.

As a source for Chicago’s drinking water, Lake Michigan has enjoyed a stable  water level that has fluctuated no more than six feet since Great Lakes record keeping began in the mid-1800s.

But scientists who study the lake, the world’s fifth largest with l,300 cubic miles of water, warn that global warning of 3 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit could  reduce water levels and disrupt the lake’s ecological balance.

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

A congressional committee said Thursday that it was investigating why the Centers for Disease Control has declined to release a report about health problems near contaminated sites around the Great Lakes.

The Student Sustainability Committee (formerly the Student Clean Energy Committee) requests proposals to use the $2 Student Clean Energy Technology Fee and the $5 Sustainability Fee to fund sustainability, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects on campus.

The Committee allocates the Fees to fund projects that will maximize the quantifiable impact of each student dollar, will be visible to or impact a great number of students, and will help establish the University as a leader in sustainable practices. Becoming a sustainable campus environment necessitates a balancing of environmental and energy responsibility with sound economics and social fairness. All projects related to sustainability of the U of I campus will be considered.

Who can apply: Anyone students, faculty, staff, and registered student organizations. Community members and businesses may also apply if they are working in coordination with some university affiliate. All projects must meet fit within the student mandates outlined above in Categories. If needed, the Student Sustainability Committee will help provide access to campus resources and personnel to approved projects. If you are unsure your project meets the guidelines below or if you have any other questions regarding the application, please contact Stephanie Bogle, the Student Sustainability Committee Chair .

Deadline: Project proposals are due March 15; additionally, applications will be accepted in August, 2008.

Cassie Carroll and Aaron Pollack will be speaking this Tuesday, March 4th at 12:00 (noon) at the University YMCA’s Know Your University Lecture series on “Going Green in Champaign County.” The talk is free and open to the public and is in the University Y’s Latzer Hall. Lunch is available through the Y Thai Eatery for $6.00 for non-students and $3 for students (school ID is required). Lunch reservations are strongly encouraged. You can make a lunch reservation by calling Johanne at 337-1500 by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 3rd.

For more information about the other talks in this series, please visit us online at http://www.universityymca.org/friday_forum.html

Talk Description: Following the launch of a pilot program to bring recycling to the City of Champaign and the new Green on Green St. campaign with the Environmental Council and Blue Illinois, students from SECS will discuss the current state of recycling in Champaign County as well as ongoing sustainability efforts.

Read the full story by the Associated Press.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said Tuesday it will pay about $2 million to help restore two California redwood forests as part of a ratepayer-funded program to offset the utility’s greenhouse gas emissions.

PG&E’s ClimateSmart program will invest the money in restoration projects in the Garcia River Forest in Mendocino County and the Lompico Headwaters Forest in Santa Cruz County.

Read the full story from the Associated Press.

With gas and diesel prices pushing past $3 a gallon and crude oil hitting $100 a barrel in January, the science of fuel-efficient package delivery has taken on an even higher level of importance for UPS and other truck-dependent businesses. It includes high-tech solutions, old-fashioned fuel surcharges, equipment upgrades and simple epiphanies of common sense, such as UPS’ recent decision to eliminate left turns from its routes because they waste fuel.

Read the full story in Environmental Leader.

The Environmental Protection Agency has released the first draft (PDF) of the Energy Star power efficiency specifications for computer servers, EDN reports. The plan is for the EPA to first create a Tier 1 of relatively easily attainable power efficiencies, and then steadily raise the bar as customers and end- users of the equipment demand an Energy Star rating and make it a de facto standard. The draft is at a very preliminary stage.

Read the UNEP press release.

An emerging Green Economy is glimpsed in the latest United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Year Book as growing numbers of companies embrace environmental policies and investors pump hundreds of billions of dollars into cleaner and renewable energies.

Read the full story in The Age (Australia).

As sustainability enters the mainstream vernacular of business, expectations are skyrocketing and a risk has emerged that people will stop listening. While the changing language is a sign that business is responding to criticism and to the growing calls for sustainability, the massive growth in rhetoric is generating some unintended consequences — such as more cynicism.

Read the full story from the BBC.

The US is ready to accept “binding international obligations” on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, officials say, if other nations do the same.

Read the full story in Environmental Leader.

Fourteen California companies have formed a California affiliate network of The Green Power Group which will share best practices for purchasing and developing renewable energy. The big names involved include Advanced Micro Devices, Apple, BT Americas, Cisco, eBay, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Intuit, Levi Strauss, News Corporation, Pactiv Corporation, Patagonia, and Wal-Mart.

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

Over 40 Facilities Join EPA’s Performance Track, Add New Environmental Goals
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?Page=1&NewsID=55648
Forty-two facilities have made goals ranging from reducing carbon emissions to cutting water use as part of the Performance Track program.

U.K. Could Have Zero-Carbon Future
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?Page=1&NewsID=55644
The United Kingdom will reportedly announce this week a call for all future non-domestic buildings, such as schools, supermarkets and hotels, to be zero carbon.

Southern California Gas Company Earns Fourth LEED Certification
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=55633
Improvements to its Monterey Park facility’s water, lighting and waste recycling bring the company its fourth LEED certification.

Seattle, Los Angeles Announce Green Building Plans
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=55626
Los Angeles will require all new buildings to meet LEED certification standards, while offering expedited permits to projects that aim for LEED-silver or higher; Seattle’s plan is more comprehensive, covering existing and new residential and commercial buildings.

ASLA Creates Climate Policy Recommendations
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=55622
The American Society of Landscape called on Congress to incorporate principles of sustainable design into future climate change public policy.

Mumbai’s Largest Mall Gets Energy Retrofit Through Clinton Climate Initiative
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=55613
The Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program, run by the Clinton Climate Initiative, is helping India’s Inorbit Mall cut its energy use.

New BIM Solution from Autodesk Aims to Bring Teams Together for Greener Projects
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=55608
Autodesk unveiled a host of upgrades to its Building Information Modeling suite
of applications at an event last week, allowing architects, engineers and owners
to work together more closely on environmental issues in building projects.

GeoSun Helps Buildings Reduce Emissions
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=55598
A company specializing in renewable energy systems for corporate customers launched “Zero Solution” Thursday to eliminate energy costs and carbon emissions from office buildings.

Doing Good: Business and the Sustainability Challenge
http://greenerbuildings.com/tool_detail.cfm?LinkAdvID=97307
Energy efficiency has become one of company leaders’ three most important priorities when it comes to greening operations, and bringing down energy use in offices and facilities is a significant way of achieving that goal, according to this new study.

Sustainable Facility Management is the Next Wave
By Christopher P. Hodges, The McMorrow Report
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=55656
Green buildings have taken off in a major way, but the drive to renovate and improve the millions of existing commercial buildings has lagged behind. Not for long: here is what facility managers should expect in the coming months.

When Buildings Talk, People Listen
By Peter Sharer
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=55654
The green economy is bristling with new technologies that have to the potential to lead us into a new sustainable economy, but when people change their behaviors, change will increase exponentially. New technologies in Building dashboards — think a Prius display for your office — aim to jumpstart behavioral change.

The Father of LEED Takes on China and India
By Violet Law, Plenty Magazine
http://greenerbuildings.com/news_detail.cfm?NewsID=36636
Robert Watson aims to make green building standards global with his recently-founded enterprise EcoTech International, a consultancy that provides green technology and project development expertise.