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 post at Future of Engineering.
Curtains play an important role in any household. They don’t just filter dust and heat, they spice up a room with their colorful vibrancy. Thanks to the adventurous spirit of Shiela Kennedy, now they have an additional role to perform – absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity.
Read the full post at Biopact.
While many plant species move to a new location or go extinct as a result of climate change, grasslands clinging to a steep, rocky dale-side in Northern England seem to defy the odds and adapt to long-term changes in temperature and rainfall, according to a new study by scientists from Syracuse University and the University of Sheffield (United Kingdom) published online in the July 7 issue of the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The experiment on which the study is based is one of the longest-running studies of climate change impacts on natural vegetation and may yield new insights into the effects of global warming on plant ecosystems.
Read the full post at Biopact.
Lotus will unveil its “Eco Elise” technology demonstrator at the upcoming British International Motor Show, 23 July – 3 Aug in London. Unlike some of Lotus’ other initiatives, this demonstrator focuses less on tailpipe CO2 and more on materials, manufacturing and design.
Read the full post at Biopact.
Ground cover may be one workable method to reduce the effects of erosion that future biomass harvests are predicted to bring. Iowa State University researchers are looking at ways to use ground cover, a living grass planted between the rows of corn, in production farming.
Read the full story in the Greensboro News-Record.
After the fish, fries and hush puppies have been fried, what’s a restaurant chain to do with vats of leftover oil?
For Libby Hill, a Greensboro-based seafood restaurant, the answer is – fill up the gas tank.
Read the full story in the Chatham Daily News.
As part of a joint partnership with a local educational institution, Chatham-Kent council has approved purchasing a biodiesel fuel production system.
Read the full story at Renewable Energy World.
A vote by the ASTM International’s D02 Main Committee has approved a trio of ASTM specifications for biodiesel blends. ASTM has voted to approve three sets of biodiesel specifications that should significantly bolster automaker support and consumer demand for biodiesel.
Read the full post at Biopact.
In this era of climate change, of the need to maintain biodiversity and of the growing reliance on agriculture for the production of energy and renewable materials, land-use choices need ever more careful scrutiny. What happens to species and the carbon cycle when we convert ‘wild’ land to farmland? And vice versa, what are the effects when we pay farmers to take farmland out of production for conservation? A commonly held view is that the conservation of land and the plants that thrive on it, is good for both carbon sequestration and biodiversity. However, a new study shows that this is not necessarily the case. Things are indeed far more complex.
Scientists from a range of U.S. universities built a case study around these questions. They found that paying rural landowners in Oregon’s Willamette Basin to protect at-risk animals won’t necessarily mean that their newly conserved trees and plants will absorb more carbon from the atmosphere, and vice versa.
Read the full post at Green Car Congress.
The heads of ethanol associations from the Brazil, Canada, Europe and the US have sent a joint letter to the leaders of the G8 making the case for the importance of biofuels in reducing the growing demand for oil and the corresponding escalation in prices around the world.
Read the full post at Green Car Congress.
New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced a long-term, $2.3-billion action plan to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from the City’s municipal buildings and operations by 30% by 2017, as promised in PlaNYC. The plan was developed by the Energy Conservation Steering Committee created by an Executive Order signed by Mayor Bloomberg in October, 2007 and chaired by Deputy Mayor for Operations Edward Skyler.
Today EPA released an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) soliciting public input on the effects of climate change and the potential ramifications of the Clean Air Act in relation to greenhouse gas emissions.
“The ANPR reflects the complexity and the magnitude of the question of whether and how greenhouse gases could be effectively controlled under the Clean Air Act,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.
Today’s action is in response to the April 2, 2007 Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, which found that greenhouse gas emissions could be regulated if EPA determines they cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. With the ANPR, EPA is evaluating the broader ramifications of the decision throughout the Clean Air Act, which covers air pollution from both stationary and mobile sources.
The ANPR solicits public input as EPA considers the specific effects of climate change and potential regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. In the advance notice, EPA presents and requests comment on the best-available science, requests relevant data, and asks questions about the advantages and disadvantages of using the Clean Air Act to potentially regulate stationary and mobile sources of greenhouse gases. The ANPR also reviews various petitions, lawsuits and court deadlines before the agency, and the profound effect regulating under the Clean Air Act could have on the economy.
The notice’s publication in the Federal Register begins a 120-day public comment period.
Read the ANPR: http://www.epa.gov/epahome/pdf/anpr20080711.pdf
Fact sheet: http://www.epa.gov/epahome/anprfs.htm
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.
A first simple step to living greener is using compact fluorescent bulbs, you hear repeatedly. After all, they last for years, saving money and energy.
But making the switch to CFLs isn’t so easy.
Read the full story in the San Francisco Chronicle.
BART plans to power two maintenance facilities and a passenger station in the East Bay with solar energy – at almost double the cost of electricity purchased today off the grid.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Toyota acknowledged that, like its rival automakers in Detroit, it misjudged the drastic swing in the American market away from larger vehicles.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
As fuel prices rise, thousands of students nationwide have suddenly decided to take college classes over the Internet.
EPA is accepting nominations for the 2008 Water Efficiency Leader Awards to recognize organizations and individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership and innovation in water efficiency. Winners will be chosen by a panel of national water experts and based on three criteria: leadership, innovation, and water saved.
“We encourage organizations and individuals who are saving water, energy and money for our nation’s families and communities to apply for the 2008 Water Efficiency Leader Awards,” said Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA’s assistant administrator for water. “Together, we are proving innovative technology and environmental stewardship can help conserve our country’s greatest liquid asset.”
The Water Efficiency Leader Awards promote a nationwide ethic of water efficiency, which is critical to helping our growing economy and improving our quality of life. The importance of water efficiency is also exemplified by WaterSense, a partnership program started by EPA in 2006 to educate American consumers on making smart water choices that save money, water and energy, and maintain high environmental standards without compromising performance. Nominations are being accepted until Aug. 29, 2008.
More information on Water Efficiency Leader Awards: epa.gov/water/wel
The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:
Read the full story in Technology Review.
Looking to make solar panels cheaper, MIT researchers have created sheets of glass coated with advanced organic dyes that more efficiently concentrate sunlight. The researchers, whose results appear in this week’s issue of Science, say that the coated glass sheets could eventually make solar power as cheap as electricity from fossil fuels.
Read the full story in Plenty Magazine.
In the chess game of emissions policies and carmaker resistance, Ferrari’s promise to have a hybrid on the market by 2015 is a sign that even niche corners of the automotive industry are moving towards greener vehicles. Confirming rumors that began circulating last year, the company’s president announced that it is indeed developing a hybrid sports car, but emphasized that a Ferrari hybrid would still be “fundamentally a Ferrari.”
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
Considering the effects of meetings on the environment is the purpose of a new activity launched by ASTM International and the Convention Industry Council through its Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) initiative.
Responding to a request from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ASTM and CIC have gathered a variety of stakeholders from government, business, and industry in Task Group E06.71.14 on Green Meetings and Events. The focus of the task group, which is currently being housed in Subcommittee E06.71 on Sustainability, part of ASTM International Committee E06 on Performance of Buildings, will be the development and implementation of industry-wide accepted practices to create and enhance efficiencies throughout the meetings, conventions, and exhibition industry.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) on June 24 announced a new BOMA Energy Performance Contract Model to allow building owners to perform major energy retrofits to the existing building marketplace by removing key barriers and providing a turnkey solution.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
Posting a vehicle’s fuel efficiency in “gallons per mile” rather than “miles per gallon” would help consumers make better decisions about car purchases and environmental impact, researchers from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Durham, N.C., report in the June 20 issue of Science magazine.
Harvard University today (July 8) released the report of its Greenhouse Gas Task Force. The task force, appointed by President Drew Faust in February, proposes elements of a framework for much-intensified efforts to reduce the University’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as part of a broader effort to promote environmental sustainability.
