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 story in Building Design and Construction.
A growing number of speculative office developers are going to market with sustainable, high-performance buildings. But are tenants willing to pay more green for green space?
Marriott Golf, one of the world’s premier golf operators, today announced new standards requiring 34 of the company’s managed golf courses throughout North America and the Caribbean to become Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries, by year end 2008.
Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries, which enable golf facilities to protect the environment by enhancing precious natural areas and wildlife habitats, are part of a systemwide commitment by Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) to promote environmental stewardship. Marriott’s Audubon Certification mandate program includes 34 golf courses at 25 locations throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, including famed golf destinations such as Doral Golf Resort & Spa, in Miami, Florida; Royal St. Kitts Golf Club in the British West Indies; and Shadow Ridge Golf Club in Palm Desert, California, among others. In fact, Doral, host of the 2008 WGC-CA Championship, March 20-23, will become the first-ever Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary in North America to host a World Golf Championships event.
Selections have been made, the bracket is set and the NCAA tournament is upon us. While you cheer for your teams during March Madness, Juice Energy Inc. wants you to keep in mind that some of the leading conferences have begun tackling their impact on the environment by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, investing in renewable energy and launching green initiatives. Juice (www.aboutjuice.com) – a revolutionary electricity supply company-is highlighting environmental initiatives at participating conferences and schools.
The April 2008 issue of Biodiesel Magazine is now online. Highlights include:
The U.S. EPA Aging Initiative, in partnership with Generations United and the Rachel Carson Council Inc., are inviting submissions for its Second Annual Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Intergenerational Poetry, Essay and Photography Contest.
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will open its latest generation of energy-efficient test stores this week with a Las Vegas Supercenter that uses new cooling technology to cut overall energy use by up to 45 percent.
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.
A chemistry professor who raised an earlier warning flag about toxic lead levels in toy jewelry didn’t have to look far for evidence of similar risks in Easter items such as plastic eggs.
Thirteen of 45 items purchased off store shelves and tested by Ashland University chemistry students had paint made with lead, according to Jeffrey D. Weidenhamer, who has made the toy testing an annual spring rite for his students.
Read the full editorial from the Los Angeles Times.
What do you do when the president behaves as if he is above science and the law? When it comes to environmental regulation, George W. Bush has repeatedly ignored both, and this country’s system of checks and balances has been powerless to stop him.
Soliant LLC has been awarded the Global Plastics Environmental Conference (GPEC(R)) 2008 Achievement Award for “Enabling Technologies in Processes and Procedures” — for developing Fluorex(R) bright film. Fluorex(R) bright film is currently used on a variety of plastic substrates to provide a chrome finish comparable to chrome plating. This sustainable alternative to chrome plating offers very low emissions, excellent impact performance and 100% recyclability. Fluorex(R) bright film is used in insert molding, extrusion lamination and thick sheet thermoforming.
Read the full story in Plenty Magazine.
If you’ve ever sat in the dentist’s chair and wondered where all the latex gloves, chemicals, and x-ray films end up, or stopped to consider how much water and electricity the office uses, you aren’t alone. Some dentists are starting to take off their protective eyewear and see the bigger picture.
Read the full story from Green InSight.
Termites — notorious for their voracious appetite for wood, rendering houses to dust and causing billions of dollars in damage per year — may provide the biochemical means to a greener bio-fuel future.
According to researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), the California Institute of Technology and the Verenium Corporation, the bellies of these tiny beasts actually harbour a gold mine of microbes that have now been tapped as a rich source of enzymes for improving the conversion of wood or waste biomass to valuable bio-fuels.
Read the full story from the Environment Report.
The next time you curl up with your favorite book, you might think about where the paper in the book comes from. Mark Brush reports on a new trend for the pulp industry that isn’t fiction.
See also The Green Press Initiative, the goal of which is to help those in the book and newspaper industries better understand the environmental impacts of their companies and develop solutions to reverse those impacts.
Read the full story in the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
It has been almost 20 years since the National Wildlife Federation issued its first fish consumption warning, drawing the public’s attention to the effects of PCBs and mercury on Great Lakes fish.
Back then, it was met with strong opposition from sport and commercial fishermen, among others. The debate continues to rage today.
A 400-page study on health and environmental hazards in the Great Lakes was blocked from publication by the CDC last year. Part of the report draws attention to the health risks associated with eating fish from the Lower Fox River and Green Bay.
For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to
http://www.greenbiz.com/enewsletter.
Sustainability Execs Moving up the Ladder
http://www.greenbiz.com/radio/radio_third.cfm?NewsID=55727
Companies are increasingly looking for high-level executives to help them chart a course toward sustainability, according to Terry Chuah, a principal with Heidrick & Struggles. Terry joined GreenBiz Radio to give us a primer on what it takes to be a chief sustainability officer and the factors driving this demand.
You can listen to GreenBiz Radio online, download episodes to your computer or
subscribe to our the RSS feed at http://www.GreenBizRadio.com
Canada to Release Green Advertising Guidelines
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55723
Two federal groups are working on guidelines for green claims, hoping to force businesses to strip their products of vague and misleading environmental statements.
Staples Switches to Recycled, Sustainable Paper for Customer Copying, Printing
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55704
The company’s 1,400 Copy & Print Centers will use Forest Stewardship Council certified paper as their standard offering.
DuPont Helps Refiners Reduce Sulfur Emissions
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55730
The projects, part of DuPont’s Clean Technologies, regenerate sulfurif acid used in processing and turn refinery gases into sulfur products.
Toshiba Sets New Environmental Targets
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55701
Toshiba plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its products by 7.3 million tons in fiscal year 2012, as well as reach new water consumption goals.
Clean Energy Market to Hit $254 Billion by 2017, Says Study
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55707
Global clean-energy markets are expanding rapidly, according to a new study. Just four sectors are projected to more than triple over the next decade, growing to $254.5 billion by 2017.
Virgin Abandons Plane-Towing Plan
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55715
The plan, which called for towing planes to starting girds from which they’d take off, was touted as having the potential of avoiding tons of emissions per flight. But the practice wears down landing gear. Environmental groups cry greenwash.
Groups Offers Advice for Green Collar Job Creation
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55734
A green economy has the potential to lift many of America’s cities from the uncertainty that is casting a shadow over the nation’s economy, according to new research.
Samsung Launches New Printer Recycling Program
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55726
Samsung, which bills itself as the world’s second largest laser printer manufacturer, launched the PrintCycle program offering a three-year product refresh.
U.K. Green Budget Hits Gas Guzzlers and Plastic Bags
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55724
Wide range of environmental taxes and targets increase pressure on firms to cut emissions from transport and buildings, but renewables and green investment sectors left disappointed.
AMB Opens Southeast’s First LEED Industrial Building in Port of Savannah
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55718
The real estate investment company’s 347,000 square foot facility will be certified to LEED-Silver levels, and is the first building in a planned green business park at the fast-growing shipping facility.
Con-way Freight Slows Down Trucks to Save Fuel
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55706
The transportation company won’t let its trucks go above 62 miles per hour.
Guide Urges Businesses to Address Ecosystem Changes
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55719
“The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review” makes the case for business to be aware of how ecosystem changes can help or hurt them.
The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review
http://www.greenbiz.com/toolbox/reports_third.cfm?LinkAdvID=97420
This set of guidelines, accompanied by case studies from five businesses, explains the steps a business should take to identify what ecosystems it depends on and the risks and opportunities related to changes in those ecosystems.
Green-Collar Jobs in America’s Cities
http://www.greenbiz.com/toolbox/reports_third.cfm?LINKADVID=97439
This guidance manual offer advice to cities that want to stimulate green job creation. It recommends a four-step strategy to recruit, train, and place thousands of workers in the new service, maintenance, installation, technical, and construction jobs that employers are seeking.
Agriculture and Biodiversity: Challenges and Opportunities for Agribusiness
By Annik Dollacker and Juan Gonzalez-Valero, Business.2010
http://greenbiz.com/news/reviews_third.cfm?NewsID=55732
Agriculture, as an industry that is both responsible for and most threatened by global climate change, faces a host of challenges to reach sustainability — but a combination of traditional practices and new technologies offer promising
solutions for the future of food
Smarter Paths Toward Sustainability
By Patricia Calkins
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/columns_third.cfm?NewsID=55697
Corporate green efforts can deliver benefits to the top and bottom lines. These results are within reach when you take a disciplined, pragmatic and committed approach to the development and implementation of a smart green strategy.
Joel Makower’s Two Steps Forward
Clean Energy Trends 2008
http://greenbiz.com/Blogs/makower.cfm
Marc Gunther on Corporate America:
Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women
http://greenbiz.com/Blogs/marcgunther.cfm
