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 TwitterAT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has announced plans to add 105 alternative-fuel vehicles to the corporate fleet of its operating companies. The vehicles, which will roll out in more than 30 cities across the U.S. beginning in June, will help the company reduce its impact on the environment and its dependence on imported oil.
For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to
http://www.greenercomputing.com/enewsletters/2008/greenercomputing/index.html.
The Wrong Rub of the Green
By Andrew Binstock
There’s been far too much hype when it comes to green IT. Andrew Binstock helps you figure out when there’s a true green benefit, and when the claim over-reaches.
IBM Unveils New Software for Data Center Energy Management
The company has announced a new version of its energy management software and collaborations with vendors to combine monitoring of IT and non-IT operations.
Green IT Continues to Make Progress in Companies: Forrester
Around the globe enterprise IT departments are getting increasingly greener for unexpected reasons and in surprising ways, according to the latest findings from a Forrester Research survey.
Dell Targets More Efficient Desktops and Notebooks
Dell will design its laptops and desktops to consume 25 percent less energy by 2010 as part of its plan to become the greenest technology company on the planet.
ASHRAE Aims for Energy Efficiency in Data Centers, Warehouses
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recently launched two guides to move these structures toward reduced energy consumption.
XP vs. Vista: Consider the Power Savings
This report, made available specially to GreenerComputing readers by InfoTech, explains how enterprises with an abundance of Windows XP desktop PCs and laptops can reduce power consumption costs and carbon dioxide emissions by half in switching to Windows Vista.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Many crops that could be used to make biofuels without driving up food prices are invasive species, scientists say.
The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.
They’re always green, never need mowing and can play host to young athletes in fair weather and foul.
But in many places across the country, artificial turf fields are becoming as hotly contested as some of the soccer and football games that are played on them.
A new generation of synthetic grass, made in part with ground-up rubber from used tires, has proven popular for schools and parks as a way to reduce maintenance costs and raise the usage of athletic fields. In addition to needing no mowing, it requires no watering, fertilizing or weeding. It also dries faster after rain and holds up to wear better than grass.
But in communities ranging from Connecticut to California, some environmentally conscious parents have raised questions about the fields, focusing on the potential for children to be exposed to toxins from used tires and to lead contained in the dyes used in many types of artificial grass.
Read the full story in Technology Review.
A biorefinery built to produce 1.4 million gallons of ethanol a year from cellulosic biomass will open tomorrow in Jennings, LA. Built by Verenium, based in Cambridge, MA, the plant will make ethanol from agricultural waste left over from processing sugarcane.
Ivanko, John; Kivirist, Lisa. ECOpreneuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet Before Profits. Gabriola Island, BC : New Society Publishers, 2008. (ISBN 0-86571-605-6 US/Can $17.95 or find it in a library)
Powerful social trends towards green living, relocalization and self-sufficiency have fanned the fires of would-be ecopreneurs in North America, driving a shift towards prioritizing purpose over profits, and building community over building market share. A nation of 9 to 5-ers is giving way to a spirited bunch of innovators, searching for ways to make a life instead of simply making a living.
This accessible and inspiring guide includes profiles of successful ecopreneurs and provides an in-depth exploration of:
- Eco-Business basics
- Purposeful management
- Marketing in the green economy
- Running a lifestyle business.
