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 at News.com.
Algae produce natural oil similar to the oil burned by millions of cars, and the South San Francisco, Calif.-based company is working to use that ingredient to pursue renewable-energy opportunities.
CNET News.com reporter Kara Tsuboi visited Solazyme this week. Click here to watch video of her tour, which included tasting a sample of cooking oil and riding in an algae-fueled car.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
The constant quest for faster, more efficient electronics has created an international waste disposal nightmare because electronic components frequently contain lead, mercury, cadmium, and other toxic materials. The need for responsible electronics stewardship is urgent.
There are steps every organization can take now—through comprehensive lifecycle management—to reduce the electronics waste burden. The strategy not only protects the environment, it also offers opportunities to demonstrate leadership, receive internal and external recognition, save money, and track assets more effectively.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
As the cost of oil and related fuel products (such as diesel fuel, particularly in the United States) continues to rise, owners and drivers are looking for new technology to get more miles per gallon. Hybrid technology has the ability to deliver efficiency, but ABI Research asserts that fleet managers and operators need to carefully evaluate the costs and benefits of hybrids.
If you live in an older community, you have probably noticed a lot of renovating going on. Rather than trading in their homes for newer ones, many homeowners are opting instead to build an addition to get those extra bedrooms for their growing families.
A renovation project is the perfect time to turn your home into a green building – one that uses energy and water efficiently, saves on operating expenses, and lowers the building’s impact on the environment. When most people think of green buildings, they think of new construction. But in the last several years, even minor renovations have been getting the green treatment. And experts are saying that eco-friendly homes full of features such as programmable thermostats, skylights, and Energy Star appliances can add up to 25 percent more to the value of your home.
Read the full story at News.com.
Investing in green buildings is getting easier, says Genyzme, a company that knows from experience.
The biotech company on Wednesday hosted a teleconference with bloggers where it shared its views on green buildings and getting the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
Engaging and educating young people is one of the many important steps needed to curb energy use in the United States, and this fall, high school teachers will have a new way to teach the subject. Ford Motor Company Fund introduced a new course today, as a part of its award-winning education program, Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) called Working Toward Sustainability. Through it, students will have the opportunity to learn about energy consumption and the related issues associated with fossil fuels, as well as the potential alternative energy sources—from solar to hydrogen to nuclear energy.
For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to
http://www.climatebiz.com/enewsletters/2008/climatebiz/index.html.
New Guide Helps Companies Make the Most of Climate Partnerships
http://climatebiz.com/news/2008/06/19/helping-companies-climate-partnerships
Developed by Business for Social Responsibility and the U.S. EPA, the guide aims
to be a one-stop resource for helping navigate and choose the most appropriate
of the EPA’s 35 climate-related partnership programs.
Cisco Aims to Cut Emissions by a Quarter
http://climatebiz.com/news/2008/06/25/cisco-aims-cut-emissions-a-quarter
Cisco aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions 25 percent by 2012 in absolute terms
by further investing in networking innovation, renewable energy, energy
efficiency and site improvements.
World’s Largest Firms Demand Global Emissions Target
http://climatebiz.com/news/2008/06/24/worlds-largest-firms-demand-global-emissions-target
The heads of 100 multinational corporations have issued a call for G8 political
leaders to deliver a post-Kyoto deal based on and “unambiguous” commitment to
cut greenhouse gas emissions in half.
Honda Releases Fuel-Cell Car While Automakers Take Heat
http://climatebiz.com/news/2008/06/18/honda-releases-fuel-cell-car
The Honda FCX Clarity is the Japanese company’s new hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle
that will go on sale in a very limited fashion this year; in the meantime, oil
companies and automakers are feeling pressure from all sides due to rising gas
prices.
Intel, IBM, HP Build Links Within the Solar Industry
http://climatebiz.com/news/2008/06/18/it-giants-build-links-solar-industry
The three tech giants are moving — or moving further — into the renewable
energy market as Intel spins off its photovoltaic business, while IBM and HP put
ink to new solar-power partnerships.
Bayer Increases Production, Not Emissions
http://climatebiz.com/news/2008/06/16/bayer-increases-production-not-emissions
Bayer has announced that in the last year it has increased production without
significantly increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Intelligent IT Deployments to Cut Global Emissions 15 Percent: Report
http://climatebiz.com/news/2008/06/20/smart-it-cut-global-emissions-15-percent
Even as the technology sector’s carbon footprint is expected to double in the
next 12 years, applying tech tools to monitoring energy use, maximizing energy
efficiency and reducing the need for travel, shipping and resource use could
save businesses billions of dollars and cut overall CO2 emissions, according to
a report released today.
Researchers Propose New Ways to Model Forest Adaptation to Climate Change
http://climatebiz.com/news/2008/06/13/forest-adaptation-climate-change
A new research paper says forest dynamics models need to take into account
biodiversity, but to do so, software companies will need to provide resources.
The Difference Between Product and Supply Chain Footprinting
By Ryan Schuchard
http://climatebiz.com/column/2008/06/26/difference-product-supply-chain-footprinting
The question for companies taking the lead on carbon footprinting now is: What
is the relationship between product footprinting and supply chain footprinting,
and what should your company be doing?
Energy Help: A Primer for Smaller (and Bigger) Companies
By Joel Makower
http://www.ClimateBiz.com/column/2008/06/22/energy-help-a-primer-smaller-and-bigger-companies
Green Power Player
By Marc Gunther
http://www.ClimateBiz.com/column/2008/06/19/green-power-player
Energy and Climate Change: Creating a Sustainable Future
http://www.ClimateBiz.com/resources/resource/energy-and-climate-change-creating-a-sustainable-future
This book covers all aspects of energy, from the basics of what it is to how it
affects the environment, touching on sustainable energy sources and climate
change.
SMART 2020: Enabling the Low Carbon Economy in the Information Age
http://www.ClimateBiz.com/resources/resource/smart-2020-enabling-low-carbon-economy-it
This report from The Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative
explores the ways that information technology can play a positive role in
fighting climate change.
A new document intended to help small businesses comply with the new Lead-based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting Program requirements (40 CFR 745, Subpart E), was issued April 22, 2008 (73FR 21692). The guide, Small Entity Compliance Guide to Renovate Right: EPA’s Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, is for contractors, painters, property managers, maintenance personnel, and other professionals that disturb painted surfaces while working in homes and child-occupied facilities, such as child care centers and schools, built before 1978. This document is published by the EPA as the official compliance guide for small entities, pursuant to section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA).
The Green Remediation: Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices into Remediation of Contaminated Sites technology primer was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI). As part of its mission to protect human health and the environment, the U.S. EPA is dedicated to developing and promoting innovative cleanup strategies that restore contaminated sites to productive use, reduce associated costs, and promote environmental stewardship. The practice of “green remediation” uses strategies to consider all environmental effects of remedy implementation for contaminated sites and incorporates options to maximize the net environmental benefit of cleanup actions.
Read the full story at News.com.
What do you know? The do-gooders had a good idea: A 50 percent reduction in power consumption by computers by the year 2010.
This was a central plank of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a nonprofit initiative which is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month. Most of the usual suspects have thrown their support behind the project. (Here’s a link to the full list. These folks aren’t signing on out of any woolly eyed desire to save humanity–though that’s a nice idea. They’re doing it to help their bottom line. (Even better!)
So it is that on Wednesday comes news that Dell has developed a server power supply which complies with the 80 Plus Gold certification. A good first step, though the bigger question of clean technology and the role it might play in helping to curb data centers’ energy output remains unclear.
Read the full story from PBS.
Rising oil prices and improvements in battery technology are fueling new interest in electric cars. Many car companies — including industry giant General Motors and small start-up Tesla Motors — are planning to release new vehicles in the next two years. Tonight on the NewsHour, Spencer Michels looks at the future of the electric car.
Read the full story in Newsweek.
It ain’t easy being green. But surprisingly, big-city dwellers have less of an environmental impact than their country cousins. According to a new report by the Brookings Institution released Thursday, residents of the 100 biggest metropolitan areas emit on average 2.47 metric tons of carbon per person per year, 14 percent less than the 2.87 ton American average. The cities with the smallest carbon footprint per capita: Honolulu, Los Angeles and metropolitan Portland.
Read the full story at Planetizen.
It is no longer good enough to plop housing on top of a retail strip, call it “mixed-use,” and expect to intelligently improve the urban setting, or build real value. True metropolitan development – and real, long-term commercial success – fuses many uses together, including hotels, retail, restaurant-bars, museums, stadiums, libraries, movie theaters, housing and even creative live/work light industrial, writes Keith Ray.
Read the full white paper from the American Institute of Architects.
As state and local governments work toward a sustainable future, the American Institute of Architects is serving as a facilitator to provide information on implementing comprehensive green building policies in our nation’s communities. The AIA is focusing its energy on promoting sustainability at the local, state, and federal level by working with our partners to promote green building. Local Leaders in Sustainability – Green Incentives is an analysis of the current state of green building incentives at the state and local level.
This white paper analyzes data from local and state-level research on green incentive programs, including the Local Leaders in Sustainability study, as well as input from the Developers Roundtable, a discussion among relevant stakeholders on incentive options for the building sector.
The AIA continues to bring together important parties in the discussion, including state and local politicians and officials, as well as representatives from within the design and construction/development industry, in order to establish best practices and credibly discuss the current state of green building law and practice. As such, the AIA held the Developers Roundtable on December 3, 2007, at its headquarters in Washington, DC. The group included architects, representatives of development companies, the finance/investment sector, retailers, building owners and operators, the insurance industry, and other pertinent stakeholders. The purpose behind the Roundtable was to identify a series of green building incentives that have wide appeal in the private sector and further encourage the construction of green buildings by establishing them as the smartest choice in new development.
Read the full story at News.com.
Drinking filtered water may save plastic bottles, but what happens when you need a new filter cartridge?
Last year, cleaning-product maker Clorox, together with bottle maker Nalgene, launched a campaign that struck an environmental chord with consumers.
In the Filter for Good campaign, the companies appealed to Americans to “take the pledge to reduce bottled-water waste.” By investing in a reusable Nalgene bottle and drinking tap water filtered with Clorox’s Brita products, they hinted, Americans could avoid littering the planet with 38 billion water bottles each year, thus saving the 1.5 million barrels of oil used to produce the bottles.
For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to http://www.greenercomputing.com/enewsletter.
Green and Lean: Four Steps to Improving Data Center Efficiency without Capital Expenditures
By Larry Pepper
http://www.greenercomputing.com/column/2008/06/25/four-steps-improving-data-center-efficiency
Increasing the efficiency of your data center doesn’t have to mean spending a
great deal of money. Larry Pepper, senior practice manager for EMC
Infrastructure Consulting, shows how you can green your data center and reduce
operating costs while working within your existing capital budget.
New EcoRAM to Boost Performance, Drop Energy Use in Data Centers
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2008/06/25/ecoram-drop-energy-use-data-centers
The new line of flash memory, unveiled yesterday by Spansion and Virident, is
designed to replace DRAM in servers for search-heavy applications; the companies
estimate significant energy savings and reductions in TCO.
Apple and HP, India and U.S. Among Leaders of Green IT Movement: Survey
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2008/06/24/apple-hp-india-us-lead-green-it-movement
Looking at marketing, perceptions and adoption of energy-efficient IT products
around the globe shows distinct movements in what motivates companies and
countries to purchase green IT, as well as how some have succeeded in branding
themselves as green while others struggle.
Telecom Industry Unveils Eco-Initiatives
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2008/06/23/telecoms-unveils-eco-initiatives
The Telecommunications Industry Association claims its EIATRACK, a worldwide
benchmark for intelligence and environmental product-oriented regulatory
tracking and analysis, offers legal expertise that is worth millions. The
group’s electronics waste recycling website also serves as a database of
2,000-plus recycling centers across the country.
Intelligent IT Deployments to Cut Global Emissions 15 Percent: Report
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2008/06/20/smart-it-cut-global-emissions-15-percent
Even as the technology sector’s carbon footprint is expected to double in the
next 12 years, applying tech tools to monitoring energy use, maximizing energy
efficiency and reducing the need for travel, shipping and resource use could
save businesses billions of dollars and cut overall CO2 emissions, according to
a report released today.
U.K. Retailers Feeling the IT Energy Crunch
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2008/06/19/uk-retailers-feeling-it-energy-crunch
Data center energy costs are skyrocketing for United Kingdom retailers, who on
average waste more than $2 million (£1.25 million) a year in excess energy
consumption.
Lenovo Lends Businesses a Hand With Their E-Waste
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2008/06/18/lenovo-lends-businesses-a-hand-with-their-e-waste
Lenovo Asset Recovery Services will offer U.S. and Canadian businesses a slew of
options for end-of-life technology equipment, such as computer take-back, data
destruction, refurbishment and recycling. Lenovo will destroy data on equipment
using standards set by the U.S. Department of Defense. The company also will
conduct value assessment, data encryption and on-site deinstallation.
If You Measure It, They Will Green: Energy Efficency Metrics plus Server
Benchmarks
http://www.greenercomputing.com/resources/resource/energy-efficency-metrics-plus-server-benchmarks
This report from Info-Tech explores the ways that a shift in data center
economics is occurring, and explains how data centers can expect new green
responsibilities to measure and optimize power consumption.
SMART 2020: Enabling the Low Carbon Economy in the Information Age
http://www.greenercomputing.com/resources/resource/smart-2020-enabling-low-carbon-economy-it
This report from The Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative
explores the ways that information technology can play a positive role in
fighting climate change.
Read the full story in T.H.E. Journal.
How green are your feet? That’s the question IBM wants to answer as it launches a new consulting service to determine the carbon footprint of IT organizations and help those organizations plan for greener operations throughout and beyond the enterprise.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
The White House told E.P.A. officials that it would not open an e-mail sent in December that argued that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Skyrocketing energy prices are inflating the costs of living on the distant edges of metropolitan areas.
The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:
Read the full story in NIST Tech Beat.
Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in cooperation with national standards organizations, have taken the lead in developing the first two standards for solid-state lighting in the United States. This new generation lighting technology uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) instead of incandescent filaments or fluorescent tubes to produce illumination that cuts energy consumption significantly.
Read the full story in NIST Tech Beat.
Seeking to understand a new fuel cell material, a research team working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, has uncovered a novel structure that moves oxygen ions through the cell at substantially lower temperatures than previously thought possible. The finding announced this month in Nature Materials may be key to solving fuel cell reliability issues and lead to reduced operating costs in high-performance stationary fuel cells.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
Every time you turn around, you can see technology. Most of it uses electrical energy that creates electromagnetic fields (EMFs), but is this a problem?
EMFs first caused a stir in the late 1970s when a study linked them to childhood leukemia. Studies that have been performed since have produced differing results. The National Institute of National Health Sciences in 1999 reported that studies indicating a link can’t be discounted, but that the overall evidence showed a weak link between EMF and increased cancer risk.
However, other risks exist. For example, EMFs from different sources can interact, causing an elevated flux density within an area. They can affect equipment performance, including computer monitors. In addition, elevated EMFs within a facility can interact with pacemakers, causing them to malfunction.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
What are the financial benefits of using environmentally sustainable materials and technology in construction?
Professor John Quigley at the University of California, Berkeley – Haas School of Business is conducting the first systematic analysis of environmentally sustainable construction and its economic impact on the real estate market.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
While consumers are highly receptive to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), conflicting messages about CFLs are leaving people confused about the safety of the lamps, specifically regarding mercury and end-of-life issues when the lamp burns out.
Read the full story at News.com.
Dell on Wednesday said that its server power supplies have met an industry target of 92 percent efficiency.
Read the full story at News.com.
How many start-ups does it take to change a lightbulb? Entrepreneurs and investors aim to turn a profit with energy-efficient lighting.
Read the full story from the Modular Building Institute.
Each year the Modular Building Institute (MBI) sponsors its prestigious Awards of Distinction contest. As the only industry contest of its kind, MBI’s Awards of Distinction reviews commercial modular building entries submitted by MBI member companies. Entries are judged in the areas of architectural excellence, technical innovation, efficiency and length of project.
Last year a green building design category was added to include university architecture students, with the winner receiving a scholarship of $2500 towards higher education. Because the category was so well received by the industry and architecture programs alike, MBI continued it in the 2008 award competition.
2008’s first-place winning design comes from William O’Brien, of Concordia University. View design drawings and project summary
Read the full story in E The Environmental Magazine.
“Independent labels are about more than just records,” says Stephen Glicken, musician, producer and co-founder of New York-based Green Owl Records. His company is committed to releasing records with as little impact on the Earth as possible. Green Owl’s CDs are packaged in 100 percent post-consumer paper, and last year Green Owl won accolades for its Sundance Festival film entry, Everything’s Cool: A Toxic Comedy about Global Warming.
Read the full story in E The Environmental Magazine.
Jennifer Phillips always felt guilty that her large Nashville law firm didn’t recycle. So after big client meetings, she collected all the empty plastic water bottles, took them home and added them to her own curbside recycling bin. Now, she is proud to report that her firm, Bass, Berry & Sims, serves an icy pitcher of tap water during meetings. “We even have glasses with the company logo on them,” she says. Phillips estimates switching to tap keeps 3,000 plastic water bottles per week out of the landfill.
It’s a trend that is taking hold in the U.S., Europe and Canada: more people are switching from bottled water to tap. Call it reverse snob appeal. Bottled water once carried a certain European mystique. But these days, it’s the tap water enthusiasts, concerned about the environment, who get to act self-righteous. Just like it has become cool to bring your own cloth bags to the grocery store and your own mug to the coffee shop, the reusable water bottle is the hip, new eco accessory.
Read the full story in E The Environmental Magazine.
Tin cans provide us with a convenient source of ready to eat olives, beans, soups, and of course, Popeye’s spinach. We’re talking inexpensive, longlived miracle foods that require no refrigeration and will keep you alive in your bunker should some cataclysmic scenario play out. We know we sacrifice freshness when we eat food from a can, but do we also sacrifice safety? Recent disclosures suggest that the plastic lining of our food cans contains hormone mimicking Bisphenol A (BPA), and some of this chemical leaches into our food.
Read the full story in E The Environmental Magazine.
The costs of generating solar power will be on par with the costs of power made from fossil fuels like natural gas and coal within a decade, according to clean-tech research and publishing firm Clean Edge and green-economy nonprofit Co-op America. The two groups collaborated on a new report, the Utility Solar Assessment (USA) Study, to provide a roadmap for utilities, solar companies, and regulators to work together so the nation can derive 10 percent or more of its power from the sun by 2025.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Home Depot’s move will create the nation’s most widespread recycling program for the energy-saving bulbs, which have to be properly disposed of since they contain small amounts of mercury.
Via Docuticker.
Trends in Sustainable Development 2008-2009
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Sustainable DevelopmentEfforts to reduce poverty and improve food security in developing countries are hampered by declining support for strong agricultural growth, long considered a hallmark of successful poverty reduction strategies, according to the 2008 Trends in Sustainable Development report published by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
The report highlights recent trends in agriculture, rural development, land, desertification and drought – five of the six themes being considered by the Commission on Sustainable Development at its 16th and 17th sessions (2008-2009).
Strong agricultural growth is four times more effective than growth in other sectors in benefiting the poorest half of the population, the report finds. However, while many developing countries have posted gains in agricultural production, distribution and exports, people living in areas of high inequality and in isolation from the broader economy typically benefit little from them.
+ Full Report (PDF; 3.6 MB)
Via Docuticker.
Nanotechnology: A Policy Primer (PDF; 119 KB)
Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists)Nanoscale science, engineering and technology — commonly referred to collectively as nanotechnology — is believed by many to offer extraordinary economic and societal benefits. Congress has demonstrated continuing support for nanotechnology and has directed its attention primarily to three topics that may affect the realization of this hoped for potential: federal research and development (R&D) in nanotechnology; U.S. competitiveness; and environmental, health, and safety (EHS) concerns. This report provides an overview of these topics — which are discussed in more detail in current and upcoming CRS reports — and two others: nanomanufacturing and public understanding of and attitudes toward nanotechnology. The development of this emerging field has been fostered by significant and sustained public investments in nanotechnology R&D.
Nanotechnology R&D is directed toward the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers. At this size, the properties of matter can differ in fundamental and potentially useful ways from the properties of individual atoms and molecules and of bulk matter. Since the launch of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in 2000, Congress has appropriated approximately $8.4 billion for nanotechnology R&D. More than 60 nations have established similar programs. In 2006 alone, total global public R&D investments reached an estimated $6.4 billion, complemented by an estimated private sector investment of $6.0 billion. Data on economic outputs that are used to assess competitiveness in mature technologies and industries, such as revenues and market share, are not available for assessing nanotechnology.
Alternatively, data on inputs (e.g., R&D expenditures) and non-financial outputs (e.g. scientific papers, patents) may provide insight into the current U.S. position and serve as bellwethers of future competitiveness. By these criteria, the United States appears to be the overall global leader in nanotechnology, though some believe the U.S. lead may not be as large as it has been for previous emerging technologies.
Some research has raised concerns about the safety of nanoscale materials. There is general agreement that more information on EHS implications is needed to protect the public and the environment; to assess and manage risks; and to create a regulatory environment that fosters prudent investment in nanotechnology-related innovation. Nanomanufacturing — the bridge between nanoscience and nanotechnology products — may require the development of new technologies, tools, instruments, measurement science, and standards to enable safe, effective, and affordable commercial-scale production of nanotechnology products. Public understanding and attitudes may also affect the environment for R&D, regulation, and market acceptance of products incorporating nanotechnology.
In 2003, Congress enacted the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act providing a legislative foundation for some of the activities of the NNI, addressing concerns, establishing programs, assigning agency responsibilities, and setting authorization levels. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate remain actively engaged in the NNI, holding hearings in 2007 and 2008 related to possible amendments to, and reauthorization of, the act. Policy issues related to the NNI may be addressed in this process or through separate legislation.
See also: Nanotechnology and U.S. Competitiveness: Issues and Options (PDF: 193 KB)
Read the full story in Modern Plastics.
No link in the plastics supply chain seems immune to price increases, with the avalanche of price hike announcements now joined by pronouncements from numerous additive suppliers. Even those sourcing basic materials from natural products rather than oil are starting to feel the pinch.
Read the full story in Waste Age.
Houston-based Waste Management has launched www.greenopolis.com, an interactive Web site for individuals, environmental organizations, schools and businesses to learn about the environment and earn rewards for their green behavior.
To protect our nation’s water supply for future use, the Environmental Protection Agency is promoting and enhancing the market for water efficient products through the WaterSense program. The latest is a draft specification for water-efficient new single-family homes. The specification will create standards that new homes must meet to be certified and labeled as WaterSense homes.
“WaterSense is a common sense ethic of efficiency for protecting water, America’s most important liquid asset. WaterSense certified homes will help homeowners save water, money and energy, and communities will have an important new tool for sustainable growth and water efficiency,” said Donald S. Welsh, regional administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.
The specification is designed to ensure sustainable, efficient water use, as well as a high level of performance and customer satisfaction. WaterSense labeled new homes will combine with other water efficient fixtures and practices to reduce water usage by approximately 20 percent.
Homes earning the WaterSense label must meet criteria for indoor water use, outdoor water use, and homeowner education. Third party inspectors will certify that homes meet all the required criteria.
EPA is inviting public comment on the draft specification. The comment period will end July 21, 2008. Please send any comments or suggestions to watersense-newhomes@erg.com
For more information or to obtain a copy of the draft specification for water efficient single-family new homes, go to http://www.epa.gov/watersense/specs/homes.htm
Read the full story in the Columbus Dispatch.
A method to remove mercury from Ohio’s streams and lakes relies on two unlikely partners.
Ohio State University researchers say combining sound waves and bioengineered algae could clean up our waterways and reduce the threat to human and animal health.
Read the full story in the McMorrow Report.
Most green cleaning programs focus on using less toxic cleaning chemicals. While using greener cleaning products contributes to a healthier and greener workplace environment, facilities managers can do so much more.
A whole systems green cleaning program embraces a systems view that encompasses all aspects of the building cleaning process: from the building’s initial materials design and use, to the disposal and reuse of the facilities’ entire custodial labor, including the entire material and equipment supply chain. It is not a quick band-aid fix, but part of a long-term continuous green cleaning improvement process.
Read the full story in the McMorrow Report.
When you try to envision New York City’s first LEED-certified Gold-landmarked building, you probably picture Manhattan institutions such as the New York Public Library or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. But actually, in the greening of this city of skyscrapers and subways, of cultural icons and financial powerhouses, it is the lions who are leading the way. And you can see it for yourself, starting mid-June.
EPA is launching a broad effort to gain a greater scientific understanding of the potential health risks of formaldehyde’s use in pressed wood products. Through this process, EPA will develop risk assessments on the potential adverse health effects, evaluate the costs and benefits of possible control technologies and approaches, and determine whether EPA action is needed to address any identified risks.
The agency plans to issue an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) in fall 2008. The agency is pursuing this course of action following review of a petition submitted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The petition requested that EPA adopt nationally a California regulation to control formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products and extend the rule to include composite wood products in manufactured homes.
EPA carefully reviewed the TSCA Section 21 citizens’ petition, submitted by the Sierra Club, a number of other environmental organizations, as well as a large number of private citizens, and sought comment and additional information on the petition. EPA will work closely with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on issues related to manufactured housing.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/chemtest/pubs/sect21.htm
For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to
http://www.greenbiz.com/enewsletters/2008/greenbiz/index.html.
Green Law: Sustainability in the Legal Community
By Tilde Herrera
http://www.greenbiz.com/podcast/2008/06/19/green-law-sustainability-legal-community
Attorney David Scott joins GreenBiz Radio to discuss the Green Guide for Lawyers
and the ways in which his law firm is making its operations more environmentally
friendly
Solar Power Could Reach One-Tenth of Energy Supply by 2025: Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/17/solar-power-energy-supply-growth
A new study, released by Clean Edge and Co-op America, finds that utilities play
a vital role in helping solar power reach the same cost level as conventional
energy sources.
GM, GE and Ford Join DOE to Advance PHEVs
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/16/gm-ge-and-ford-join-doe-advance-phevs
The Department of Energy will dedicate $30 million toward advancing plug-in
electric vehicles through a partnership with General Motors, Ford and General
Electric. The goals are to make the cars price-competitive by 2014, and ready
for mass production by 2016.
Supermarkets Failing to Adopt Sustainable Seafood Buying Practices: Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/18/supermarkets-failing-adopt-sustainable-seafood-buying-practices-report
Grocery stores across the U.S. are contributing to the demise of global
fisheries by stocking shelves with fragile fish varieties and failing to develop
sustainable purchasing strategies, according to a new Greenpeace report. Even
the grocers that ranked at the top of the heap — such as Whole Foods and Ahold
USA — failed to score more than four out of 10 possible points.
Chevron Tops List of Calif. Companies for Sustainability Reporting
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/19/chevron-tops-list-calif-companies-sustainability-reporting
The Roberts Environmental Center of Claremont McKenna College studied the ways
in which public California companies used their web pages to communicate their
environmental and social efforts.
Honeywell Launches Green Power Evaluation Tool
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/19/honeywell-launches-green-power-evaluation-tool
The Renewable Energy Scorecard evaluates solar, wind, biomass and geothermal for
a given location and offers information for each on the payback, tax
implications, rebates, subsidies and other incentives.
New Guide Helps Companies Make the Most of Climate Partnerships
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/19/helping-companies-climate-partnerships
Developed by Business for Social Responsibility and the U.S. EPA, the guide aims
to be a one-stop resource for helping navigate and choose the most appropriate
of the EPA’s 35 climate-related partnership programs.
Honda Boosts Rail Transport Fleet
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/20/honda-boosts-rail-transport-fleet
Honda plans to take advantage of rail service to ship more than 80 percent of
its Honda and Acura cars across the U.S., the automaker said Thursday. The
company has deployed 400 Auto-Max railcars across the U.S., with each capable of
holding up to 22 vehicles.
CBS Joins Mayors to Green U.S. Cities
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/20/cbs-joins-mayors-green-us-cities
The project will draw from an earlier model tested in Miami with the support of
Mayor Manny Diaz. A private-public partnership there delivered a mass tree
planting, solar energy system, lighting retrofit and storm drain filter
installation, helping earn Miami the designation of ?America?s Cleanest City? by
Forbes.
Intel, IBM, HP Build Links Within the Solar Industry
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/18/it-giants-build-links-solar-industry
The three tech giants are moving — or moving further — into the renewable
energy market as Intel spins off its photovoltaic business, while IBM and HP put
ink to new solar-power partnerships.
Confronting Energy Efficiency in an Election Year
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/17/confronting-energy-efficiency-election-year
John McCain and Barack Obama would push energy efficiency as a means of
addressing future constraints and security, according to a series of speakers
who gathered at the 19th Annual Energy Efficiency Forum. The event’s theme
focused on the ways in which the next president will drive large-scale energy
efficiency programs based on current public and private sector initiatives.
Bay Area Getting $140 Million for Cleaner Freight Transport
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/17/bay-area-cleaner-freight
Over the next four years public and private entities can receive funding for new
equipment to reduce emissions.
Energy and Climate Change: Creating a Sustainable Future
http://greenbiz.com/resources/resource/energy-and-climate-change-creating-a-sustainable-future
This book covers all aspects of energy, from the basics of what it is to how it
affects the environment, touching on sustainable energy sources and climate
change.
SMART 2020: Enabling the Low Carbon Economy in the Information Age
http://greenbiz.com/resources/resource/smart-2020-enabling-low-carbon-economy-it
This report from The Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative
explores the ways that information technology can play a positive role in
fighting climate change.
Corporate Sustainability: It’s All About Survival
From Globe-Net
http://greenbiz.com/feature/2008/06/23/corporate-sustainability-survival
As a phrase with many meanings and many forms of expression, sustainability
involves organizations taking responsibility for the impact of their activities
people, communities and the environment. In practice it means survival, but many
CEOs still don’t get it.
The Latest Reports: Solar Utilities, Carbon Offsets, and the Emperor’s New
Clothes
By Joel Makower
http://greenbiz.com/column/2008/06/17/the-latest-reports-solar-utilities-carbon-offsets-and-emperors-new-clothes
The spring rains have yielded a bumper crop of new reports on the business of
green.
Five Ways Businesses Can Avoid ‘Green Fatigue’
By Preston Koerner
http://www.greenbiz.com/column/2008/06/23/five-ways-businesses-avoid-green-fatigue
Consumers are feeling overloaded by the constant barrage of environmental claims
being made by businesses. Here are five tips that can help companies cut through
the green clutter.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Twenty years after turning climate change into breaking news, James E. Hansen will tell a House committee on Monday that it is not too late to defuse what he calls the “global warming time bomb.”
Read the full story in the New York Times Magazine.
The world’s oceans are filling with bottles, wrappers and other flotsam. Is there anything better to be done than picking it off the beach, one piece at a time?
Read the full story in the New York Times Magazine.
Why Jim Rogers says going green can save the energy business.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Homes are a new arena for LEED ratings, environmental badges of honor usually given to commercial buildings.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
A survey of 132 cities, released Friday in Miami at a meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors, found that 90 percent were altering operations because of fuel costs.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Amtrak has set records for its number of passengers and ticket revenues, but it faces many difficulties in growing quickly enough to meet demand.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a report that can help reduce the potential impact of climate change on estuaries, forests, wetlands, coral reefs, and other sensitive ecosystems. The report, entitled Preliminary Review of Adaptation Options for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources, identifies strategies to protect the environment as these changes occur.
