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 the New York Times.
Persistent drought and the threat of tighter water supplies prompted Los Angeles’s plans to begin using heavily cleansed sewage to increase drinking water supplies.
Read the full story at Environmental Leader.
IBM, GlaxoSmithKline and Herman Miller have found a positive return-on-investment for environmentally friendly purchasing, purchasing.com reports.
Read the full story at Environmental Leader.
Earth Day posts on blogs like The Consumerist and Gizmodo (the photo is from Gizmodo) prompted Dell to dispatch a packaging analysis team to meet with the vendor that shipped a flash drive to a customer in a box “that could probably hold 1,000 flash drives,” according to one blog post.
Read the full story at Environmental Leader.
Seventy-one percent of North Americans want to know about the socially responsible behavior of brands they buy – but the majority of people cannot identify a list of major brands as socially responsible or socially irresponsible, according to An April 2008 online poll of 5,000 North Americans for Conscientious Innovation’s latest Shift Report.
Read the full story at Environmental Leader.
Kohl’s Department Stores plans to convert more than 50 of its existing stores in New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland to solar power. That represents nearly 80 percent of its locations in these three states. The work began in January. When it’s complete, Kohl’s says it will be the largest retail host of solar power.
Read the full story at Environmental Leader.
Consumers are calling on brands to take responsibility for reducing the impact of climate change as governments fail to make progress, according to research by Havas Media.
Read the full story in Technology Review.
By employing a trick normally used to cool high-performance computer chips, IBM researchers have found a way to make concentrated photovoltaic cells that are more efficient in converting the sun’s energy into electricity.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has released a study of three green building rating systems (Green Globes, SBTool 07, and LEED NC 2.2) and assess their effectiveness in supporting the goals of the AIA sustainability position statement. In late 2007, the initial results were shared with the three groups whose systems were reviewed. After receiving feedback, the study was modified and further refined into the final report.
The purpose of this exercise is to offer analysis to both industry and the public as an opportunity to learn how three unique, creative and evolving green building rating systems resonate in various dimensions with the goals of the AIA position statement on sustainability and our goal to achieve carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030.
Read the full story at Green Building Elements.
In San Francisco, some well financed and publicized condo projects like the Arterra spend big marketing dollars to push its LEED – NC status (wonder why they didn’t shoot for LEED on its other project the Hayes?) while the EcoCenter at Heron’s Head Park LEED certified facility opened in relative obscurity.
This landmark youth education facility and environmental center sits smack in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood right next to the former PG & E power plant. Of all the areas in SF this area truly needs the Green building support. We’re psyched to report that the EcoCenter marks the first 100% off-grid green building in San Francisco, and boasts features that set the bar high for green building.
The EPA will kick off its 7th annual EPA Science Forum on Tuesday, May 20. Learn about new technologies that are expanding environmental protection and making going green economically profitable. For example, EPA will discuss the most promising green building technologies to lower costs and make eco-friendly housing affordable for most people. Technology is also expanding our horizons – literally! Advances in satellite data are allowing EPA and other agencies to assemble a global picture of air quality, a big improvement over relying on ground-based monitors.
The forum will feature plenary speakers, breakout sessions and a technology expo focused on three themes:
For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to
http://www.climatebiz.com/enewsletters/2008/climatebiz/index.html.
Voluntary Carbon Market Tripled in Value in 2007, Mandatory Market Doubled
Two reports look at the global voluntary and mandatory carbon markets, seeing where growth happened, why and what is in store in the future.
UPS to Boost Alt-Fuel Fleet by 30 Percent with New Trucks
With the purchase of 500 new vehicles, the company will continue to grow its alt-fuel fleet, already the largest private fleet in the industry.
Nike Leads Pack of Companies Improving Climate Performance
Companies such as Nike, Google, Anheuser-Busch and Levi Strauss have taken strides in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and communicating those efforts in ways that are transparent to consumers, according to the second Climate Counts Company Scorecard released today.
European Union to Promote Energy Efficiency Through ICT
The European Commission has identified three areas of the economy that can be improved through the use of efficient Information and Communications Technologies.
SMART Papers Breaks Ground on $30M Biomass Plant
The co-generation facility puts the papermaker on the path of using 100 percent renewable energy to power the operations of its Southern Ohio location. The company also will sell excess power to the state?s grid, as well as generate carbon credits.
Millipore Aims to Cut Carbon Footprint by 20 Percent
Millipore Corp. plans to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent during the next five years. The initiative will take aim at the its consumption of non-renewable resources and production of waste, as well as introduce programs that will foster behavioral changes conducive to environmental sustainability.
Ford Becomes First Car Company to Join The Climate Registry
By joining the voluntary North American CO2 reporting group, the company has committed to measuring, reporting and independently verifying its greenhouse gas emissions for its facilities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Gore-Headed VC Firms Rake in Millions for New Climate Funds
By Sarah Griffiths, BusinessGreen
An investment company headed by Nobel Prize winner Al Gore has reportedly closed a new $683m fund for investing in green start up businesses, and VC giant KPCB launches a $500m Green Fund.
Exelon Joins Supply Chain Study Group to Analyze and Reduce Emissions
The utility company will ask its suppliers to provide hard data on their greenhouse gas emissions as part of its membership in the Carbon Disclosure Project’s Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration; it is the first U.S. utility company to join the group.
Suppliers See Climate Change Regulation as Business Risk: Survey
The Carbon Disclosure Project queried suppliers about what emissions they report and if they feel greenhouse gas regulations and climate change will impact their operations.
Tesco Adds Carbon Footprint to Product Labels
Shoppers at Tesco supermarkets can now see the carbon footprint of certain items just by checking the label.
Exxon, the Rockefellers, and the Future of Big Oil
By Joel Makower
The Rockefeller family has made an historic challenge to Exxon Mobil Corp., the company founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1870 (as Standard Oil), and in which dozens of family members still hold stock. The challenge came in the form of a shareholder resolution to require an independent chairman of Exxon’s board of directors, so that the company can better maximize long-term shareholder value in a rapidly changing energy environment.
Adapting to Climate Change: A New Frontier for Business
By Andre de Fontaine
Despite a steady transformation of business attitudes on climate change, businesses have been relatively slow to address one global warming challenge: adaptation to the physical impacts of climate change. A new report from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change offers a screening process companies can use to assess climate-related physical risks.
Two Reports Study the Growing Carbon Market
In the past week, two groups have released detailed reports on how carbon markets are growing and evolving. The Ecosystem Marketplace’s State of the Voluntary Carbon Markets 2008 report tracks voluntary markets, while the World Bank’s State and Trends of the Carbon Market 2008 explores how the Kyoto Protocol and European Union carbon markets are changing.
Included in the details of how much the markets have grown by is insight into why they are growing at different rates and what that means for countries and businesses taking part in or thinking about joining them.
Find more information on ClimateBiz.com:
Via Docuticker.
2008 Climate Counts — Comparing companies on their commitment to tackling global warming
Source: Climate Counts (Stonyfield Farm/Clean Air-Cool Planet)You can use the Climate Counts Company Scorecard to see how serious companies are about stopping climate change – and how they compare to their sector competitors. The annually updated scorecard reflects the self-reported efforts of companies to address climate change – or avoid it altogether.
The higher the score, the greater the company’s commitment to fighting global warming.
+ Full Scorecard (PDF; 3.5 MB)
+ Pocket-size Shopping Guide (PDF; 139 KB)
Read the full story in Technology Review.
New research shows that formic acid could be used as a safe, easy-to-transport source of hydrogen for fuel cells. Matthias Beller and his colleagues at the Leibniz Institute of Catalysis, in Rostock, Germany, have found a way to convert formic acid, a common preservative and antibacterial agent, into hydrogen gas at low temperatures.
Read the full story in Nature.
Air travel shows no sign of losing its allure but its environmental impact is not going to go away. Katharine Sanderson looks at some of the ways that scientists and engineers hope to reduce the carbon wing-print of aircraft.
EPA’s Clean Energy-Environment Municipal Network is offering the third in a series of free webcast trainings targeted to local governments. This webcast will include an overview of EPA’s Green Power Partnership and Green Power Communities Program. Speakers from two local governments will also provide their experiences with purchasing green power for their buildings and promoting green power in their communities. Registrants can access a draft section of EPA’s Clean Energy Strategies for Local Governments guide that discusses energy-efficient product procurement as background for the call.
The webcast will be held on May 28, 2008, 2:00 3:30 PM (Eastern Time). To register for the webcast, send an e-mail to CleanEnergyWebcast@icfi.com. You will receive a confirmation email with registration information within 24 hours.
Priority for registration will be given to local and regional government staff and officials. If multiple staff from your agency wish to participate, we ask that you share a computer and phone line, as space is limited. EPA plans to record and post these webcasts on its Clean Energy website. For More information, to access the background paper, or to view past webcasts, click here.
Additional Training Opportunities
ENERGY STAR and ICLEI Cities for Climate Protection
Thursday, May 29, 2:00 – 3:30 PM EDT
Learn about ENERGY STAR tools and resources that can help you improve the energy performance of your buildings and help you promote energy efficiency to the broader community, within the framework of ICLEI’s Five-Step/Milestone Approach for Climate Protection.
Attendees will receive introductory training to EPA’s online benchmarking tool, Portfolio Manager, and learn how benchmarking can be included in efforts to create a greenhouse gas emission inventory with ICLEI’s Clean Air and Climate Protection software. Portfolio Manager allows users to establish baseline energy performance in buildings, measure and track energy use and associated carbon emissions over time, and prioritize building upgrade investments. In addition to tracking energy use, Portfolio Manager includes features to allow users to track and manage water consumption.
To register, visit https://energystar.webex.com and click on the link for the May 29, 2008 training.
NACo Green Government Webinars
The National Association of Counties (through the support of the Green Government Initiative sponsors) will host a series of FREE green government webinars. The intended audience is any elected county official or county staff; however anyone interested in learning more about the county role in green government practices is encouraged to register. Participants will learn valuable background information on each subject, discover new resources, and hear case studies from various counties. See the list of topics and register.
Read the full story at News.com.
The trash-powered car may someday see the light of day.
CleanTech Biofuels is developing a multistep process designed to take municipal solid waste from a transfer station and turn out ethanol on the other side.
The company recently purchased the equipment and found a site in Golden, Colo., to test it using trash, as well other agricultural and forest wastes, to make ethanol. On Tuesday, it said that it trying to identify a site near landfills and garbage haulers to construct a commercial plant.
Read the full story at News.com.
Bragging rights in the PC industry have shifted from being cheap on price to efficient with energy.
Dell on Wednesday announced energy efficiency targets for its laptops and desktop PCs: a 25 percent reduction by 2010 based on the efficiency rating of today’s models.
For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to
http://www.greenercomputing.com/enewsletter.
The Promise and Pitfalls of E-Waste Takeback
By Mary Catherine O’Connor
Extended producer responsibility could end up being a burden for consumer electronics companies that fail to take proactive steps to develop a take-back program — but there’s no single blueprint to follow. This article takes an in-depth look and offers advice.
European Union to Promote Energy Efficiency Through ICT
The European Commission has identified three areas of the economy that can be improved through the use of efficient Information and Communications Technologies.
Fujitsu Unveils Green Initiative for Retailers
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.
The Four Ms for Improving Energy Efficiency in Datacenters
As part of a new white paper, “Deciphering the EPA Report on Datacenter Energy Efficiency,” AFCO created four tenets to give data center managers a starting point for tackling power efficiency challenges.
3Com Provides Most Energy Efficient Networking: Study
Research firm In-Stat looks at the energy efficiency of Local Area Network switches and the ways networking vendors are going green in a new study.
Miercom Launches Green Certification Program for Networking Gear
Miercom’s Certified Green program rates networking equipment based on several criteria, such as power efficiency, heat dissipation, cooling requirements, energy efficiency and overall product efficiency. Cisco Catalyst switches received the company’s first certification.
Berkeley Lab, Tensilica Collaborate on Energy-Efficient Climate-Modeling Supercomputer
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and processor maker Tensilica are working on making a cost-effective supercomputer for creating highly detailed climate models.
Craft a Green IT Action Plan
This report, made available specially to GreenerComputing readers by InfoTech, explains how to create an overall green IT plan and set up different types of projects.
The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:
