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 TwitterRead the full article in Building Design & Construction.
Wood is a historic, classic, and durable building material that has leant longevity, aesthetics, and a natural flair to buildings for thousands of years. And while wood has long been considered an environmentally friendly resource, more and more focus is being placed on the recycling and renewability aspects of wood products, as well as the use of certified forest land.
Read the full story in Building Design & Construction.
Worshippers at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Ill., will come a little closer to fulfilling the Biblical mandate when their new synagogue opens this month. It was designed to be the first LEED Platinum house of worship in the nation.
A national program that has cut more than one ton of mercury has reached a major milestone: 1 million switches have been removed from scrapped vehicles. The millionth mercury switch was removed through the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program, a collaboration among EPA, automobile manufacturers, steel makers, scrap recyclers, automotive recyclers, states and environmental groups.
Information on the mercury switch program and directions on how to join
http://www.epa.gov/mercury/switch.htm
http://www.elvsolutions.org/
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.
Deborah Rice, an award-winning toxicologist, was removed from a group of experts researching a widely-used flame retardant after industry lobbyists complained that she was biased.
Read the full story in The Guardian (U.K.)
The campaign against plastic bags has been gathering steam in the UK, while China recently announced that it would ban the use of some bags and force consumers to pay for others. But how are other countries tackling the problem?
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Harvard University will soon begin posting research and articles produced by its faculty on the Internet for free.
Read the full post at MongaBay.com.
Converting native ecosystems for production of biofuel feed stocks is worsening the greenhouse gas emissions they are intended to mitigate, reports a pair of studies published in the journal Science. The studies follow a series of reports that have linked ethanol and biodiesel production to increased carbon dioxide emissions, destruction of biodiverse forest and savanna habitats, and air and water pollution.
Read the full Congressional Research Service report.
This report provides an overview of the statutory framework, key players, infrastructure, resources, tools, and operations associated with enforcement and compliance of the major pollution control laws and regulations administered by EPA. It also outlines the roles of federal (including regional offices) and state regulators, as well as the regulated community. Understanding the many facets of how all federal pollution control laws are enforced, and the responsible parties involved, can be challenging. Enforcement of the considerable body of these laws involves a complex framework and organizational setting.
Read the full story in the San Diego Union Tribune.
The new ecologists are guided by a principle that goes something like this: Meet the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. That means reducing all kinds of waste by, for instance, using less water, electricity and gasoline.
