·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Read the full story at News.com.

Toyota plans to install solar panels on the roof of the next generation of Prius hybrid cars, according to a report in Monday’s edition of the Nikkei newspaper.

For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to
http://www.greenbiz.com/enewsletters/2008/greenbiz/index.html.

Two-fers, Turning the Ship and GM’s Best-Kept Secret
By Matthew Wheeland
http://www.greenbiz.com/podcast/2008/07/03/gms-best-kept-secret
Terry Cullum, General Motors’ director of corporate responsibility, talks to
GreenBiz Radio about how the company addresses sustainability in ways above and
beyond their vehicles, as well as how the company is looking to shift strategy
and production to meet the rapidly changing demand for small cars in the U.S.

Wal-Mart to Source More Local Produce
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/07/02/wal-mart-source-more-local-produce
During the last two years, partnerships between local farms
and the world’s largest retailer have jumped 50 percent, and the company
anticipates it will source about $400 million in local produce this year, making
it the country’s largest buyer of produce that is grown and sold within a
state’s borders.

Maker’s Mark Fuels Operations with Bourbon Waste
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/07/03/makers-mark-bourbon-waste
A new treatment system at the Marker’s Mark distillery is
turning waste from bourbon-making into biofuel.

A Second Life for Cookie Wrappers
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/07/03/a-second-life-candy-wrappers
TerraCycle Inc. has joined forces with Kraft Foods to “upcycle” used wrappers
from cookies, energy bars and drink pouches into purses, backpacks and
umbrellas.

U.S., Volvo Extend Clean Truck Research Program
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/07/01/us-volvo-clean-truck-research
The United States government and Volvo will extend a partnership
to develop cleaner heavy duty trucks by three years.

Goodyear Admits Tire Claims Were Misleading, Offers Refund
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/07/01/goodyear-tire-claims-misleading
Advertising claims in Australia about the environmental impact of a
Goodyear tire were named misleading, prompting the company to apologize for the
statements and offer customers partial refunds.

Report Looks at Green Efforts in Quick Service Restaurants
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/06/30green-efforts-quick-service-restaurants
A new report by Fast Casual shows how quick-service
restaurants are integrating sustainability throughout their operations

Solar Power Heats Up the Southwest
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/07/03/green-power-heats-up-southwest
The four largest utilities in New Mexico want to build the
state’s largest commercial solar power generating plant. The announcement
coincides within days of the government reversing itself on a moratorium on new
solar power plant applications.

Green Electronics Scores Fall as Greenpeace Adds Criteria
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/07/02/green-electronics-scores-fall-greenpeace-adds-criteria
In its latest Guide to Greener Electronics, Greenpeace
started looking at a number of energy issues, causing many companies’ score to
drop drastically.

IBM Assumes Green Consulting Role
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/07/02/ibm-assumes-green-consulting-role
IBM wants to help companies boost their CSR cred with a
consulting service aimed at driving policy effectiveness, employee engagement
and communication.

Nat’l. Semiconductor Enters PV Market
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/07/01/natl-semiconductor-enters-pv-market
National Semiconductor Corp. is the latest technology
company getting into the renewables industry with a chip that can make solar
panels work more efficiently.

Corporate Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting 2008
http://greenbiz.com/resources/resource/corporate-greenhouse-gas-emissions-reporting-2008
This Ethical Corporation Institute report gives an overview of the many
protocols that companies are using to report greenhouse gas emissions, pointing
out inconsistencies and providing insight into what stakeholders want to see.

Guide to Greener Electronics – Version 8
http://greenbiz.com/resources/resource/guide-greener-electronics-version-8
Greenpeace updates its green electronics ranking tool by adding criteria related
to energy and greenhouse gas emissions, causing many companies to score lower
than previously.

A Matrix for Mapping Ecosystem Service Markets
By Nathaniel Carroll and Michael Jenkins
http://greenbiz.com/feature/2008/07/07/mapping-ecosystem-service-markets
The once-radical concept of saving the environment by documenting the economic
value of environmental services and then getting industry to pay is finally
catching on — but how is one to keep track of all the new methodologies and
concepts?

The Qualities of a Sustainable Leader
By Nikola Acutt
http://www.greenbiz.com/column/2008/07/07/qualities-a-sustainable-leader
With just about every company addressing or beginning to address its
environmental impact, a whole new class of job description is emerging: the
sustainability leader, an employee at any level of an organization who is
responsible for making his or her company greener. Here is what it takes to be
an effective sustainability leader.

Partnership 2.0: Redefining the Boundaries of a Sustainable Company
By Nadya Zhexembayeva
http://www.greenbiz.com/column/2008/06/30/partnership-2-0-redefining-sustainable-company
Corporate-nonprofit partnerships around CSR or sustainability goals are nothing
new, but recently a trend is taking shape that suggests a major transformation
in how groups conceive and enact corporate sustainability practices.

View the full publication from the Energy Information Administration.

Background

Green pricing/marketing programs allow electricity customers to voluntarily pay the additional costs for renewable energy through direct payments on their monthly bills.  In return, the electricity provider guarantees that it will provide either directly or by contract that amount of renewable-based electricity.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects information about green pricing programs on the Form EIA-861, “Annual Electric Power Industry Report”, which is a survey of electric industry participants.[1] All respondents, except independent power producers and qualifying facilities, are asked to report their number of customers in green pricing programs by state and customer class.

Net metering programs usually permit customers – typically residential – operating very small generators for some of their needs to purchase extra electricity when needed and to sell back any excess power to the utility. Provisions vary by state and utility and often apply to solar or wind energy.  In addition, pricing schemes vary by individual utility and customer circumstance.  This system facilitates the ease of operating intermittent generators, such as those using solar and wind energy, and improves their economics.  The EIA collects information on net metering on the Form EIA-861 in much the same manner as it does green pricing.

2006 In Review

After three years of gains (2003 through 2005) in which the number of electric industry participants and participating customers in green pricing programs all increased, 2006 was a year of relative decline (Table 4.H1).  While the number of electric industry participants increased, the number of participating customers fell.

The total number of electric industry green pricing program participants increased from 442 in 2005 to 484 in 2006.  However, the total number of customers enrolled in green pricing programs decreased by almost 32 percent, falling from 942,772 in 2005 to 645,167 in 2006.

The number of participating customers decreased in nine states, most notably in Ohio, which lost over 400,000 customers (Table 4.1).  This loss was the result of Green Mountain Energy Co., a green power marketer, discontinuing service in Ohio.  Citing regulatory hurdles and unexpected transmission charges, Green Mountain terminated its agreement to supply the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council program.  This program, which served residential and small commercial customers in northeast Ohio, was the largest retail electric aggregation program in the country.[2]

The state with the biggest increase was Oregon with a net gain of almost 17,000 customers, followed closely by New York, with a net gain of almost 16,000 customers.

Net metering programs have proliferated over the years.  Electric industry participants and participating program customers have increased each year during the 2003 through 2006 period (Table 4.H2).

The total number of electric industry participants increased from 188 in 2005 to 232 in 2006.  The total number of participating customers was 34,469 in 2006, an increase of 63 percent over 2005.  Of this total, 31,323 or 91 percent, were residential customers.  Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia reported gains of net metering customers, with the largest gain – 8,705 customers – reported by California (Table 4.2).[3]

Read the full story in the Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required).

To borrow from an adage, many colleges and universities have in abundance the one thing not being made much anymore: land.

In a time of expensive energy and concerns about climate change, land may be a major asset for colleges, providing a vastly different opportunity than it did in the past, when it was merely a place to set down new buildings, new campuses, or research parks.

Since new alternative-energy technologies like wind and solar demand a lot of land—along with some technical expertise and considerable investment—colleges are finding that they are a good match for companies looking to establish wind farms, solar arrays, or other renewable energy sources.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

Hundreds of tons of waste still languish on the grounds of a pesticide factory in India, the site of a notorious disaster.

Read the full story at JJ Keller.

Although molds play an important role in the natural environment, they can cause a variety of health effects and symptoms in people, such as asthma attacks, as well as the irritation of the eyes, skin, nose, and throat.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

Americans have seen the current oil crisis coming for 30 years. But analysts say chances to head it off were ignored, missed or blocked.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

Owners of large vehicles have hit an uncomfortable price milestone and are cutting back on recreational driving.

Via Docuticker.

Climate Change May Challenge National Security, Classified Report Warns
Source: The Earth Institute at Columbia University

The National Intelligence Council (NIC) has completed a new classified assessment that explores how climate change could threaten U.S. security in the next 20 years by causing political instability, mass movements of refugees, terrorism, or conflicts over water and other resources. Among the major outside contributors of data was the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), a member of Columbia University’s Earth Institute. While the NIC assessment itself is confidential, the CIESIN data is public, and is posted here (PDF; 4.5 MB).

Read the full story at EcoGeek.

Osaka Japan housed a baseball stadium that few people cared to visit. In 2003, the stadium was shut down, but with its prime location near the Namba Train Station, folks knew it was a waste not to convert the building and utilize it for something that would indeed turn a profit. The Nankai Electric Railway, owner of the site, worked with architecture company Jerde to create a unique, artistic and practical application for the building. Jerde came up with turning the 8.33 acres of urban concrete into a productive office and retail complex that features 2.2 acres of lush gardens that welcome visitors in from the street.

Read the full story at EcoGeek.

Green Earth Technologies, creator of organic engine products, has released their new automotive lubricant to its G-Oil line, a 10W-30 that has set a new biodegradability standard. The oil biodegraded over 90% in a speedy 9 days, blowing the 28-day rate of decomposition required by the American Society of Testing Materials out of the water. Pretty impressive.

The oil, like the others in the line, is made from saturated fat from cows, which works great for high performance in engines. This new oil is for 4-cycle off-road and recreational vehicle engines and so helps out an eensy bit with the impact vehicles have when operated, though it’s not like these types of vehicles tend to be ultra green in the first place. And it also helps out an eensy bit with the waste from cattle processing, though that industry isn’t exactly very green either. But solutions like this are better than nothing, I give them that.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

As the cost of fuel soars and the pressure mounts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, several schemes for a new generation of airship are being considered.

View the video at Smart Planet.

Get up and close and personal with the UK’s hottest eco motors in this video from the Sexy Green Car Show. We nipped down to Cornwall’s Eden Project to see the show and ferret out today’s greenest cars and tomorrow’s coolest low carbon concepts. Features Axon’s carbo-fibre lightweight car, Lotus’s Tri-Fuel sports car, Saab’s Bio Hybrid and Ford’s high MPG diesel, the Focus Econetic.

The Ecology Global Network aggregates ecology video, audio, news, and feature stories from around the web. Ecology TV will be particulary useful for teachers looking for claroom video.

Biodiversity Hotspots, maintained by Conservation International, details the richest and most threatened plant and animal habitats on earth. Includes links to hotspot science, hotspots by region, and links to other resources. An excellent resource for exploring the effect of climate change and development on natural resources around the world.

Worldometers provides world statistics updated in real time. There are categories for Environment, Water, and Energy, among others.

Read the full story in Forbes.

What happens when you don’t build more power plants? Get ready for spiking electricity rates, brownouts and even blackouts as demand soars

Read the full post at Sustainablog.

The heat of summer is coming, and that means many of us are about to crank up the AC, make an extra batch of ice, and generally burn energy like it’s our job. But we need all need to continue to try to conserve as much energy as possible to conserve resources and slow the march of global warming. And we get to save money at the same time–woo hoo to that!

Here are the ten things we can all do at home to cut our energy consumption. We start out nice and easy, then ramp up to some extra-credit methods at the end of the list for you Climate Crusaders.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

With fuel costs rising, agencies that provide meals or transportation for senior citizens are struggling.

Read the full story in the Wall Street Journal.

Consumers typically have paid a premium for environmentally friendly products. But with soaring energy prices pushing up the price of mainstream goods, green products are becoming just as — or even more — affordable these days.

Read the full story from the CBC.

British Columbians will pay more at the gas pump as the provincial government’s carbon tax on all fossil fuels takes effect Tuesday.

The carbon tax, introduced in the Feb. 19 budget, taxes carbon-based fuels — including gasoline, diesel, natural gas and home heating fuel — at a rate of $10 per tonne of greenhouse gases generated. The carbon tax will rise $5 a tonne for the next four years until it hits $30 per tonne in 2012.

The Tuesday tax increase works out to an extra 2.4 cents a litre on gasoline, increasing to 7.24 cents per litre by 2012.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

A simple change to the design of the gallon milk jug keeps the milk fresher and holds costs down.

Read the full story in Knowledgespeak.

The US Department of Energy has launched the DOE Data Explorer (DDE), a tool to find scientific research data generated in the course of DOE-sponsored research in various science disciplines. The data that can be found include computer simulations, numeric data files, figures and plots, interactive maps, multimedia and scientific images.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

Japan’s single-minded dedication to reducing energy use, which dates to the 1970s, has given it the potential to play a rare leadership role on a pressing global issue.

All three deal with various aspects of the risk from mercury when CFLs break.

• Shedding Light on Mercury Risks from CFL Breakage
• Remediation of Indoor Airborne Mercury Released from Broken Compact Fluorescent Lamps
• What to Do if a Fluorescent Light Bulb Breaks

A full-color, graphic version of this newsletter is available online at
http://greenerbuildings.com/enewsletters/2008/greenerbuildings/index.html

The Renovation of LEED-EB
By Venessa Wong
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/feature/2008/07/03/the-renovation-leed-eb
Starting this month, the old version of LEED for Existing Buildings will be
phased out. The U.S. Green Building Council and a legion of architects and
developers hope the new standard will be the answer to bringing green building
practices to an enormous but reluctant market.

The Greening of BIM
By K.P. Reddy
http://greenerbuildings.com/column/2008/07/03
Using integrated Building Information Modeling (iBIM) can enable the
construction of more environmentally friendly buildings by allowing decision
makers the ability to understand their green alternatives and associated costs and benefits early in the design process.

Energy Partnerships Target Ventilation, Lighting
http://greenerbuildings.com/news/2008/06/27/energy-partnerships-target-ventilation-lighting
Utility PG&E is helping fund $1 million in ventilation projects on the UC
Berkeley campus, and light bulb manufacturer Phillips is helping historic
buildings in the U.K. use less energy.

Rebuilt Casino Adds Green Flourishes
http://greenerbuildings.com/news/2008/06/30/rebuilt-casino-adds-green-flourishes
The new location of Turtle Creek Casino was built with a green roof and recycled
parking lot, and its old location will be mostly recycled and reused.

AIA Study Reveals Most Attractive Green Building Incentives
http://greenerbuildings.com/news/2008/07/02/aia-study-reveals-most-attractive-green-building-incentives
The American Institute of Architects has published a report reviewing the
current state of incentives for green building, and recommends what course
government should take.

NYC Gets a Green Roof Kickstart
http://greenerbuildings.com/news/2008/06/25/nyc-gets-a-green-roof-kickstart
New York City building owners who install vegetation on at least half of their
rooftop space may receive up to $100,000 in a one-time property tax credit.

BOMA and CCI Drive Energy Efficiency in Old Buildings
http://greenerbuildings.com/news/2008/06/26/boma-and-cci-drive-energy-efficiency-old-buildings
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and the
Clinton Climate Initiative have created a standardized business contract geared
toward making it easier for owners of existing buildings to perform energy
efficiency retrofits.

Autodesk Bolsters Design Software Portfolio
http://greenerbuildings.com/news/2008/07/01/autodesk-bolsters-design-software-portfolio
Autodesk added to its stable of software tools to help designers build more
sustainable structures with the purchase of all Green Building Studio Inc. and
Ecotect assets.

New Initiative Launched to Drive Energy Efficiency
http://greenerbuildings.com/news/2008/06/24/new-initiative-launched-drive-energy-efficiency
The American Public Power Association and the Natural Resources Defense Council
have teamed to make businesses and households more energy efficient. The groups
will work to improve building and equipment efficiency standards and boost the
country’s energy efficiency infrastructure, among other measures.

Greener Property Portfolios Benefit Investors: Report
http://greenerbuildings.com/news/2008/06/23/greener-property-portfolios-benefit-investors-report
The worldwide property industry faces great financial risk if it doesn’t take
steps to improve its environmental performance, according to a report submitted
to a United Nations environmental conference last week.

Honeywell Launches Green Power Evaluation Tool
http://greenerbuildings.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.

Local Leaders in Sustainability – Green Incentives
http://greenerbuildings.com/resources/resource/local-leaders-sustainability-green-incentives
The American Institute of Architects gives an overview of the current state of
green building incentives, looking at which incentives work the best and what
governments should focus on to support green building.

The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:

• REW Exclusive: Siemens New 3.6 MW Direct-drive “Concept” Wind Turbine
• Abandoned Farmlands Are Key to Sustainable Bioenergy
• Will Renewables Trump Nuclear in Ontario?
• Inside Renewable Energy podcast: Roundtable Discussion: Outlook for Renewable Energy
• Ethanol Is Now
• Fourth of July Campaign Introduces Alternative to High Gas Prices
• What America Needs Now – 2008
• Renewable Energy Investments Charge Forward Despite Market Turmoil
• A solar-powered economy: How solar thermal can replace coal, gas and oil

Read the full story at News.com.

In the wake of next week’s G8 meeting in Japan, India released its first action plan for climate change (PDF) earlier this week.

Read the full story at News.com.

Researchers are working to reduce the pollution left by the shooting stars and bursting bombs that spangle skies in fireworks displays.

Efforts by Walt Disney and the military are driving the changes, according to a report by Bethany Halford in Chemical and Engineering News.