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 TwitterEnvironment Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are pleased to announce the release of the 2007 edition of the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy (GLBTS) Progress Report. The report is available on the web at http://www.binational.net/.
Read the full post at Green Car Congress.
While hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) could alleviate US dependence on oil in transportation and significantly reduce US emissions of carbon dioxide, bringing the technology from its current state to market viability will require substantial time and additional investment, according to a new study by the National Research Council.
Read the full post at Biopact.
Researchers have combined the efforts of two kinds of bacteria to produce hydrogen in a bioreactor, with the product from one providing food for the other. According to an article [*.pdf] in the August issue of Microbiology Today, this technology has an added bonus: leftover enzymes can be used to scavenge precious metals from spent automotive catalysts to help make fuel cells that convert hydrogen into energy.
Read the full post at Green Car Congress.
The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) and the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are jointly developing and evaluating a thermochemical process that will convert biomass to ethanol and other chemical building blocks.
The process will gasify non-food biomass feedstock to produce a synthesis gas, which Dow’s catalyst technology will then convert into a mixture of alcohols—predominantly ethanol—that can be used as transportation fuels or chemical building blocks. The joint evaluation program will focus on improving the mixed alcohol catalyst, as well as demonstrating pilot scale performance and the commercial relevance of an integrated facility.
Read the full post at Green Car Congress.
Government support of biofuel production in OECD countries is costly, has a limited impact on reducing greenhouse gases and improving energy security, and has an impact on world crop prices, according to a new study by the OECD’s Directorate of Trade and Agriculture.
Read the full post at Green Car Congress.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is funding a $900,000 research project at UC Davis to learn what emissions millions of alternative-fuel vehicles might produce and how climate change might affect those emissions. Alt-fuel vehicles to be studied include E85 vehicles; hybrid-electric cars; plug-in hybrid electric cars; and heavy-duty trucks fueled with biodiesel.
Read the full post at Green Car Congress.
A recent survey by PHH Arval of public and private sector fleet managers in the US on the subject of the environment found that while corporate interest in the environment grows, few companies are using best practices when setting environmental goals for their fleets.
Read the full post at Green Car Congress.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected two additional small-scale cellulosic biorefinery projects in Park Falls, Wis. and Jennings, La. for federal funding of up to $40 million over five years.
Read the full post at Green Car Congress.
The Integrated European Project “Renewable Fuels for Advanced Powertrains”(RENEW) has published its final scientific report on its four-year project studying different production routes for second-generation renewable biomass-to-liquid (BtL) fuels.
Read the full post at Green Car Congress.
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) is leading a four-year aerospace industry-university research program to investigate the potential use of biofuels from non-food sources for small- and medium-size aviation engine applications. These could include jatropha- and algae-derived biofuels, as well as biobutanol, to power aircraft engines.
Read the full post at Green Car Congress.
GE Aviation has launched a new engine core program, called “eCore,” as the technology cornerstone for a new generation of jet engines for narrow-body, regional, and business jets with 200 passengers and fewer. The program is designed to offer aircraft operators up to 16% better fuel efficiency over GE’s best engines in operation today.
Read the full story in the Washington Post.
Climate change will pose “substantial” threats to human health in the coming decades, the Environmental Protection Agency said yesterday — issuing its warnings about heat waves, hurricanes and pathogens just days after the agency declined to regulate the pollutants blamed for warming.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Al Gore said the goal of using only electricity produced by renewable energy in 10 years was achievable and necessary for national security.
The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:
Read the full story at Edie.net.
Companies behind some of the biggest brands on UK supermarket shelves have pledged to slash the environmental impact of transporting their goods.
riday, July 25, 2008
http://cms.h2e-online.org/teleconferences/calendar/details/420
1:00 eastern, 12:00 central, 11:00 mountain and 10:00 pacific and will last for 90 minutes.
Earn 1.5 AIA CEUs: Upon the completion of the session, registered attendees will receive an email with a web address to register for their AIA certificate.
Note: Access to Practice Greenhealth webinars is a fee-based service, and is one of many member benefits. You can learn more about the fees and benefits of membership by going to our website, and you can join on-line as well. See http://www.practicegreenhealth.org/community/membership/
Access to a single webinar is also available for $150 or by purchasing an annual subscription for $795. See http://www.practicegreenhealth.org/tools/webinars/
Topic
Hospitals are often one of the largest consumers of water resources in their community. In this Webinar, you’ll learn about the impact of laundry and stormwater on healthcare’s ‘aquaprint’. In the summer of 2007 Metro Health Hospital installed a 1 acre vegetative roof along with 3 bio-retention swales as design strategies to mitigate storm water run off. These design features were submitted as a part of Metro’s LEED certification. The two designs are undergoing a study to measure storm water runoff. John Ebers from Metro Health will describe the benefits of the project, and lessons learned. Next, Ken Tyler will discuss the impact of Laundry Operations on a hospital’s environmental footprint, and how that impact can be reduced. He will review several case studies during his presentation.
Who should attend:
Anyone involved in the operation, design, construction and engineering of healthcare facilities.
Take Home Value (THV)
Presenters
Please note, this webinar will take advantage of updated technology. Your confirmation email will list the phone number and web address required to access the call. No visual presentation will be available for download on the site.
To register for the webinar:
http://cms.h2e-online.org/teleconferences/calendar/details/420
The call is at 1:00 eastern, Noon central, 11:00 mountain and 10:00 pacific time. The call will last approximately 90 minutes.
Earn 1.5 AIA CEUs: Upon the completion of the session, registered attendees will receive an email with a web address to register for their AIA certificate.
Join us! Questions? Call Mark Tecca at 866-548-2140 or email education@practicegreenhealth.org.
Read the full post at Wise Bread.
Whenever I write a post about energy, I point out that we know it’s possible to have a high standard of living while using less energy–people in European countries do, so it must be possible. That always draws comments from people who say that things are different here. When it comes to opportunities for saving energy, that’s simply not true.
Alcoa (NYSE:AA), the world’s leading aluminum company, and Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Company (Yutong), China’s largest bus manufacturer and the number two producer in the world, today introduced two new environmentally-friendly bus prototypes that will be displayed and road tested during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing next month. The new aluminum-intensive bus body is approximately 46 percent lighter than a traditional bus and, therefore, requires less fuel and emits fewer greenhouse gases.
