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 TwitterLooking for something to read?
Grist Magazine has excellent suggestions for green beach and sustainable living books and green lifestyle magazines. They also had seven green leaders recommend their favorite eco-reads. They also do it with a sense of humor.
Read the full story in Grist.
Everyone needs to take a break from the stresses of life, and environmentalists are no exception. After all, vacations are a necessary part of any sustainable lifestyle. And while vacation time itself can be hard to come by, your getaway needn’t be hard on the planet.
There are plenty of ways to green your vacation, whatever your budget and whatever your destination. Whether it’s a close-to-home romp in the outdoors or a spendy retreat halfway around the globe, there’s no shortage of ways to see the world — while lessening your impact at the same time.
Read the full post by The Lazy Environmentalist.
Showcasing the best in modern green design from many of today’s leading sustainable designers, Vivavi has launched an Eco Pop-Up store inside the Riverhouse luxury green condo building in Battery Park City. Set inside a model 2-bedroom unit overlooking the Hudson River, the store features contemporary RC Green sofas and accents, the latest in luxury green lounging from Animavi, a Team 7 sustainably furnished dining room, a bedroom set featuring Okooko’s unique aesthetic and naturally made mattress, an office nook courtesy of Knu Furniture, a nursery outfitted by Oeuf, and loads of others other fabulous pieces from designers such as Amenity, Brave Space, Christian Rathbone, Iannone Design, Knoend, Larson, Lulan, Maku Furnishings, Modern Bamboo, Ortolan, Until Kara and Vers. We also feature the artwork of Sandy Schimmel who transforms tiny scraps of junk mail into visually stunning designs.
Read the full post by The Lazy Environmentalist.
There’s really nothing better for the environment than leaving the car keys at home, throwing on a pair of sneakers and hitting the pavement. Studies have show that compact, walkable neighborhoods allow people to make fewer trips in their cars, travel less to meet their everyday needs – and thus reduce their contribution to global warming. The question really is- is your neighborhood walkable?
Seattle-based civic software company Front Seat is determined to give you the answer. The grass roots operation has just completed a makeover of its one-year old site, www.walkscore.com, where it has unveiled the top 10 most walkable cities and neighborhoods among the nation’s 40 largest cities.
Listen to the story from Talk of the Nation.
Late last month, a bio-fueled powerboat named Earthrace broke a world record, circumnavigating the globe in just 60 days, 23 hours and 49 minutes. The fastest previous time for a powerboat to circle the planet was almost 14 days longer.
The voyage was fueled entirely with biofuels, and the team behind the Earthrace craft says their powerboat has zero carbon footprint. Fuel supplies even included biodiesel converted from human fat removed via liposuction.
Pete Bethune, conservationist and skipper of Earthrace, talks about the project and its goals.
Listen to the full story from Talk of the Nation.
In the midst of deepening economic gloom, can environmental activists sell the message of going green, or is the country suffering from green fatigue?
Matt Williams and Mike Hughes of The Martin Group, the advertising agency that developed the WE campaign for the Alliance for Climate Protection, explain how they use ads to break through the “green fog.”
Randy Olson, marine biologist and producer of Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy, joins the conversation.
Read the full story in Biomass Magazine.
If you were going to create the perfect biofuel, what would you make? When the founders of San Carlos, Calif.-based LS9 asked the question, their answer was quite simple, says Gregory Pal, senior director for corporate development. “You would make petroleum.”
Read the full story in the Washington Post.
Tossing out everything from plastic bandages and cotton swabs to hospital robes after a single use, the U.S. medical industry generates more than 2 million tons of waste per year, environmental advocates say. Some of that waste makes its way to incinerators and, when burned, releases dioxin, mercury and other toxins.
Is it ironic that the industry we trust to protect our health is releasing substances that may be tied to cancer, diabetes and other illnesses? Many health-care professionals think so.
In recent years, some have begun to think greener. Most efforts focus on reducing toxic waste from hospitals and medical offices as well as cutting back on water and energy use. But some doctors and health workers are also considering changes in their practices that could enhance environmental and patient health.
Read the full story at Environmental Leader.
Harris Interactive recently conducted an international study on alternative energy trends for Dow Corning and found that nearly 40 percent of companies globally have either implemented or are actively investigating alternative energy technology.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Compared to hotels abroad, the American hospitality industry does not yet have much of a culture of saving resources — but some say changes are coming.
The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Those of us who pay lip service to green living can now be more genuinely P.C. — with the Dell Studio Hybrid PC, a computer with special power-saving features.
Read the full story in Building Design & Construction.
Geos Neighborhood, the country’s largest net-zero energy, master-planned community, announced plans for 250 residences located between Denver and Boulder, Colo. Set to begin infrastructure construction this fall, Geos Neighborhood will generate enough renewable energy to offset 100 percent of the annual energy needs of the entire community.
Read the full post in the Sustainable IT blog.
Different industries — even if they have common green aspirations such as cutting carbon emissions or using fewer natural resources — will find that different technological approaches will better aid them in reaching their sustainability goals than would others. For example, a green-minded manufacturing company would gain more from, say, a transportation management solution to reduce fuel consumption; a financial company might be more fixated on finding ways to reduce travel for traditional in-person meetings.
Following that line of thought, IDC recently released a free e-book titled “Leveraging IT in Building Green Businesses.” In it, the researchers identify technologies that are respectively suited for the following four industries: financial services, energy, retail, and manufacturing.
EPA today announced a pilot project that allows regulated facilities nationwide to self-disclose environmental violations in a secure environment on EPA’s Website under the Agency’s audit policy.
This electronic self-disclosure system, or eDisclosure, should reduce transaction costs for companies by ensuring that each disclosure contains complete information.
Under the pilot, regulated facilities nationwide will be able to use eDisclosure to disclose violations of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (for example, failure to submit toxic chemical release forms to EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory). Regulated facilities located in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas will be able to disclose violations of all environmental laws. Based on the results of the pilot, EPA will consider expanding eDisclosure to other states in the near future.
EPA’s audit policy provides incentives to companies that voluntarily discover, promptly disclose and correct and prevent future environmental violations. EPA may reduce or waive penalties for violations if the facility meets the conditions of the policy. EPA will not waive or reduce penalties for repeat violations, or violations that resulted in serious actual harm.
Since 1995, more than 3,500 companies have disclosed and resolved violations at nearly 10,000 facilities under the audit policy.
For more information on eDisclosure:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/incentives/auditing/edisclosure.html
For more information on EPA’s audit policy: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/incentives/auditing/index.html
Read the full story in the New York Times.
The Environmental Protection Agency concluded, at least for now, that the national goal of reducing oil use trumps any effect on food prices from making fuel from corn.
