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 in the Chicago Tribune.
With gasoline topping $4 a gallon, retiree Carl Kaufman didn’t see much point in filling up his Chevy truck just to get the mail and run errands in the small Iroquois County town where he has lived for more than 30 years.
So when Crescent City passed an ordinance last month allowing golf carts on its streets, Kaufman went out and bought one.
Read the full story at News.com.
Fat Spaniel Technologies thinks the distributed energy business needs some more Web savvy.
The start-up company, which has software for monitoring performance of energy-producing systems like solar panels, on Wednesday is expected to announce an “open platform” designed for sharing energy information.
For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to http://www.greenercomputing.com/enewsletter.
Critics Claim WEEE Failed to Deliver in First Year in U.K.
By Rosalie Marshall
http://www.greenercomputing.com/feature/2008/07/15/weee-failure-first-year-uk
Industry insiders claim e-waste recycling schemes are struggling and not enough is being done to promote re-use, but government insists directive remains on track.
Five Industry Leaders Earn IDC’s First Asset-Disposal Certifications
http://greenercomputing.com/news/2008/07/16/industry-leaders-earn-first-itad-certification Dell, HP, IBM, Intechra and Redemtech yesterday became the first companies to receive the G.R.A.D.E. certification from IDC, evaluating their performance in handling 34 key areas of IT asset disposal.
Microsoft Dangles Energy Efficiency Carrot to Workers
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2008/07/14/microsoft-dangles-energy-efficiency-carrot-workers
The company recognized that reducing energy consumption sometimes depends on behavior, not technology. So Microsoft began looking for ways to financially motivate its employees to change their behavior.
TeleCity Turns to Sound to Make Data Centers More Efficient
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2008/07/11/telecity-turns-sound-make-data-centers-more-efficient
TeleCityGroup plans to use sound to measure humidity and air temperature and speed in order to boost energy efficiency in its data centers.
Purdue Blazes Trail Toward Cooler Chips
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2008/07/10/purdue-blazes-trail-toward-cooler-chips
Two research projects at Purdue University hold the promise of significantly cooling the next generation of high-performance chips, laptops and personal computers.
European Execs Give Their Firms Black Marks on Green Cred
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2008/07/09/european-execs-it-leaders-give-their-firms-black-marks-green-cred
In an unflinching assessment of their green credentials, more than 40 percent of European IT directors and board-level decision-makers surveyed said their firms’ environmental performance is “not at all good” or “poor,” according to reports of a sweeping European study.
WEEE Forum
http://greenercomputing.com/resources/resource/weee-forum-0
The WEEE Forum is an organization for collective take-back systems involved in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment schemes. The Forum’s website acts as a knowledge base for information, reports and links related to the WEEE Directive.
Read the press release and watch the video podcast from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Millions of pounds of lead used in hunting, fishing and shooting sports wind up in the environment each year and can threaten or kill wildlife, according to a new scientific report.
Lead is a metal with no known beneficial role in biological systems, and its use in gasoline, paint, pesticides, and solder in food cans has nearly been eliminated. Although lead shot was banned for waterfowl hunting in 1991, its use in ammunition for upland hunting, shooting sports, and in fishing tackle remains common.
While noting that more information is needed on some aspects of the impact of lead on wildlife, the authors said that numerous studies already documented adverse effects to wildlife, especially waterbirds and scavenging species, like hawks and eagles. Lead exposure from ingested lead shot, bullets, and fishing sinkers also has been reported in reptiles, and studies near shooting ranges have shown evidence of lead poisoning in small mammals.
The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:
Read the full story from Grist.
As the ground shifts under their feet, food giants experiment with new strategies
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) today launched Love, Earth(R) jewelry, its first completely traceable fine jewelry line available exclusively at Wal-Mart stores, Sam’s Club locations and on Walmart.com and Samsclub.com. Marking a shift in how affordably-priced fine jewelry is produced and sold, the new line is the result of collaboration between Wal-Mart, Conservation International (CI) and Wal-Mart’s supply chain partners. It will give customers the ability to trace the path of their Love, Earth jewelry from mine to store by simply going online.
Read the full story at News.com.
If giant solar thermal power plants spread across the desert are like a mainframe, Sopogy is making the equivalent of a personal computer.
The Hawaii-based company on Tuesday at the Intersolar 2008 conference will show off the latest version of its MicroCSP–essentially a shrunk-down version of concentrating solar power (CSP) equipment used in power plants.
A group representing state environmental regulators across the country today told a congressional panel that current rates of water use are unsustainable and are already leading to critical shortages in some areas. In their presentation to the Congressional Water Caucus, the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) called for greater national emphasis and better funding to study and protect underground sources of water. [To view today's report "Ground Water Report to the Nation: A Call to Action" go to http://www.gwpc.org/calltoaction .]
With spiking oil prices making businesses and homeowners wonder how they’ll budget for winter heating, the prospect of growing renewable fuel in nearby farm fields is ever more tantalizing. This hope for a local, renewable fuel source is what prompted Middlebury College to develop a test site on the outskirts of campus to explore the feasibility of fast-growing willow shrubs as biomass. The college will open a new biomass plant on campus in December, 2008, replacing half of its more than 2 million gallons of fuel oil with regionally-grown wood chips.
Read the full story in the Royal Oak Daily Tribune.
In the spirit of the “green” craze that has seen individuals and institutions work toward more environmentally-friendly practices, the Detroit Zoo has voluntary ditched plastic utensils.
Service Systems Associates (SSA), which runs the zoo’s concession and retail services, now uses biodegradable cutlery rather than plasticware.
Read the full story in The Times.
A love of Jute has had Sandra Thompson developing new ways of using the material. Her latest innovation is in the funeral business
Read the full story in the Christian Science Monitor.
Pro: It’s compostable. Con: But only in an industrial composting facility.
Big Apple Worldwide, Inc. (OTCPK: BPWI) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Big Apple Wallcovering, Inc., has launched a “Green Campaign” through its “No More Books” kiosks and Web site. The Company plans to accentuate environmentally friendly products on the “No More Books” kiosks and Web site with a Green Apple symbol.
The Green Campaign represents the Company’s vision to have a more environmentally friendly product line for distribution, which consists of products made without the use of plastics, vinyls or other non-biodegradable elements. Big Apple Wallcovering and its vendors are already drawing attention to the importance of earth sensitive materials and reducing manufacturing and disposal costs with the elimination of costly and bulky sample books.
Read the full story at BiobasedNews.com.
While the lion’s share of the oil we consume is used in the transportation sector, it’s also commonly used to make the plastics, rubbers, textiles, and foams used in consumer products. Not only does this widespread use further our dependence on a non-renewable resource, but when petroleum-based products are finally disposed of, they take ages to decompose. In other words, the 19,000 tons of laptops that are thrown into dumps every year will still be cluttering up garbage dumps a few hundred years from now.
Fortunately for concerned consumers and environmentalists alike, manufacturers are now changing the way in which they design and produce goods like phones and computers. For example, communications giant Nokia is planning to launch a line of “green” phones. The plastics used in these phones are made from polylactic acid (PLA), which is derived from plant polymers rather than petroleum. These models avoid the use of heavy metals traditionally found in cell phones and allow for easy recycling and faster biodegrading times.
Via Word Spy.
precycling pp. Purchasing products based on how recyclable they are. [pre + recycling]
—precycle v.
—precycler n.Example Citations:
The produce section, as it turns out, was a good place to illustrate the first rule of “precycling”: Don’t get any packaging at all. Buy stuff loose.
—Sandy Bauers, GreenSpace: Is it recyclable or trash eternal? An expert tells the best choices, Philadelphia Inquirer, May 5, 2008Everybody shops. But not everybody realizes how environmentally important it is to shop consciously. To precycle is to make buying choices that support responsible products and packaging, make recycling easier and reduce the amount of garbage you throw away. Precycling is a good way to start squaring your personal behavior with your principles. But don’t forget it also sends a signal to manufacturers that responsible products and packaging are good business. The goal is that our behavior can change their behavior. When you precycle, you prevent waste in the first place.
—Gunther Wellenstein, “Precycling: Thinking Beyond The Bin,” Lowell Sun (Lowell, Massachusetts), August 14, 2007Earliest Citation:
If we already have a relatively high conciousness of the need to recycle waste we generate, still we seem hesitant to embrace the notion of seeking out recyclable materials when we shop.In Berkeley, Martin explains, they call this “precycling” — the intentional buying of products made from or packaged in recyclable materials.
—Jonathan Nicholas, “Creating ways to use garbage again,” The Oregonian, June 9, 1989
