·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Read the full story in the New York Times.

Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” first a film and then a book, is becoming an opera. Officials of La Scala in Milan say the Italian composer Giorgio Battistelli has been commissioned to write it for the 2011 season, The Associated Press reported.

See also “An inconvenient opera? Gore goes operatic” in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Al Gore will finally get center stage — no, not the U.S. presidency, but in an opera. The Associated Press is reports that La Scala has commissioned composer Giorgio Battistelli for an opera based on Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” for its 2011 season.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

Norman T. Uphoff is leading an inconspicuous revolution centered on solving the global food crisis.

Read the full post at Environmental Capital.

The Willow School incorporates a bevy of green building technologies to such a rare extent that the founders of the school claim their campus is regenerative to the local eco-systems and healthier for its occupants. Balancing the equation, an education at the Willow School defies national tendencies towards testing and date retention. Where possible, students are encouraged to understand questions of history or science through contextual learning and problem solving skills.

Read the full post at Yahoo! Green.

My dad didn’t like to drive. Any talk of using the car was met with a grumble, an over-estimation of time and distance, and a not-too-generous analysis of the gas price — regardless if it was a trip down to the local store or to see a relative in a town a few hours away. He simply hated putting miles on the car.

These days, he would be patted on the back for this green attitude. Was he ahead of his time? Not really. Back then, this was all due to frugality.

He was part of what I call the ‘Lean Generation’, that group of Australians who grew up without much money and valued every dollar earned and spent. It was all financial, and understandably so.

For him, going from “lean” to “green” was quite easy, because his long-held beliefs nicely complemented the growing awareness of environmental issues.

Reusing and conservation were two of his core values. They’re also the values that now resonate with his children.

Read the full post at Yahoo! Green.

A lot of people get sticker shock when they look at the price of a new hybrid. They figure that the added expense won’t pay itself back very quickly on fuel savings alone.

And in some cases they’re right. Even with $4 gas, someone who drives 15,000 miles per year won’t necessarily recoup those added costs in the first year of ownership. Depending on the non-hybrid car used for comparison, it may take two or more years before the gas savings alone equals the up-front premium for the hybrid.

But this quick analysis misses a number of hybrids’ other economic benefits.

Wild Ones is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the use of natural landscaping with native plant species as an ecologically better alternative to traditional landscaping practices. Wild Ones members and chapters work with schools and nature centers to plant and maintain natural landscapes in these centers of learning. In 1996, the Wild Ones board of directors started the Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Fund to further foster such projects.

Schools, nature centers, and other nonprofit and not-for-profit places of learning (including houses of worship) with a site available for this stewardship project may apply for an SFE grant.

Project goals should focus on the enhancement and development of an appreciation for nature using native plants. Projects must emphasize involvement of students and volunteers and increase the educational value of the site. Creativity in design is encouraged but must show complete and thoughtful planning. The use of and teaching about native plants and the native plant community is mandatory and must be appropriate to the local ecoregion and site conditions (soil, water, sunlight).

Funds will be provided only for the purchase of native plants and seed. Cash awards range from $100 to $500 each. Successful grants are eligible for partnership with SFE native plant nursery partners for discounts on seed, plants, etc.

The Nestle Very Best in Youth Program, sponsored by Nestlé USA, honors young people (ages 13 to 18) who have excelled in school and who are making their community and the world a better place. The young people, selected from nominations from volunteers, parents, and teachers, will be featured in a special publication and honored at a black-tie ceremony in Los Angeles in July 2009.

To be eligible, applicants must be legal residents of the United States or its territories and be between 13 and 18 years of age. Students will be judged based on the information provided on the entry form (i.e., strong academic record; special contribution to school, church, or community; demonstration of good citizenship or a personal obstacle the youth has overcome).

Judges will select twenty-five outstanding youths to be profiled in a book, which will be published in the summer of 2009. If a winner is unable to attend the awards ceremony, his/her prize will be forfeited and another winner may be selected.

Each winner will also receive a trip with his/her parent or legal guardian to Los Angeles for the Nestlé Very Best In Youth awards ceremony. The trip will include round-trip air travel, hotel accommodations for three nights, and $500 in spending money. In addition, Nestlé will donate $1,000 in the name of each winner to the charity of his or her choice.

Dates: September 22-23, 2008
Location: Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Chicago, IL
For more information: http://www.conferences.uiuc.edu/manywaters/

We are organizing a cutting-edge discussion at the intersection of ecology, geography, and economics. The topic is a burgeoning field that provides greater understanding and meaning to policy decisions that address emerging problems. This new field is called “ecosystem services,” which works to establish a monetary value or societal benefit to a thriving natural environment where our societies reside. Many opportunities exist related to nature’s services and their valuation for societal benefit, including market-based approaches to address some of our most pressing environmental issues.

Our symposium is titled and themed, “Many Waters, Many Lands: 2008 International Symposium on River Management and Ecosystem Services”. Policy makers and scientists will facilitate a healthy exchange on the services of rivers and watersheds. Presenters include Kazimierz Banasik, dean of the Warsaw Agricultural University’s School of Environmental Engineering; J. B. Ruhl, Matthews & Hawkins Professor of Property Law at Florida State University College of Law and co-author of The Law and Policy of Ecosystem Services; and John Marlin, Senior Scientist in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Waste Management and Research Center and creator of the world-acclaimed Mud to Parks Project. Attending delegates will take home an improved understanding of ecosystem services and how policies are formed to create mechanisms that will adequately quantify environmental value.

Read the full story in Processing Magazine.

According to the UK Times Online, companies that use or manufacture industrial chemicals could face billions in compliance costs after one of the most complex regulatory regimes ever established in Europe began operating recently.

The culmination of a decade-long attempt to overhaul the European Union’s chemical policy, the newly-created European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), based in Helsinki, has begun the task of scrutinising more than 30,000 chemicals in commercial use across the continent.

Read the full story in Interior Design.

The new Water Centre in Calgary which opened earlier this month is the recent recipient of some heavy metal from the Green Building Council of Canada.

Designed by Manasc Isaac Architects in collaboration with Sturgess Architecture, the 183,000-square-foot facility is the first building in the province of Alberta to qualify for the CaGBC’s Gold LEED certification. Since 2003, Calgary’s Sustainable Building Policy requires all new municipal buildings meet or exceed a Silver rating.

Read the full story in Interior Design.

A new green standard modeled on the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program is underway for the furnishings market. Designed to be an American National Standards Institute standard, the BIFMA E3-2008 Business and Institutional Furniture Sustainability Standard is conceived by the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) International and NSF International (NSF). The two organizations are now seeking consensus vote and public comment on the standard.

Read the full story in Interior Design.

Green energy is the new eco-friendly fad for New York towers: The latest high-profile project to benefit from the bandwagon is the World Trade Center. One of the world’s largest fuel cell installations will serve the Freedom Tower and the three other towers rising on the site, which is expected to earn LEED Gold from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The announcement was made yesterday by the New York Power Authority (NYPA). The 12 PureCell Model 400 fuel cells will be provided by UTC Power, a United Technologies Corporation company. PureCell is billed as one of the cleanest, quietest and most energy-efficient on-site power generating technologies available. They don’t burn fossil fuel, produce 400 kilowatts of power, and meet the strictest air emissions requirements in the United States.

Read the full story at News.com.

Intel made a big leap into the burgeoning clean-tech sector on Monday by creating SpectraWatt, a spinoff company that will manufacture solar cells.

Its investment arm, Intel Capital, is leading a $50 million round in SpectraWatt. Other investors include Goldman Sachs subsidiary Cogentrix Energy, PCG Clean Energy and Technology Fund, and German solar company Solon.

Read the press release.

The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force today is releasing an Action Plan that involves state and federal partners in reducing hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. The 2008 Action Plan for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi River Basin builds upon the 2001 plan by incorporating emerging issues, innovative approaches, and the latest science, including findings from EPA’s Science Advisory Board.

Read the full story at News.com.

Honda has begun the first commercial production ever of a hydrogen fuel cell-powered car.

The Japanese auto manufacturer ceremoniously launched production of its first hydrogen-powered vehicles on Sunday in Tochigi, Japan, and announced its first customers.