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 Environmental Protection.
How much energy we use to produce food could be cut in half if Americans ate less and ate local foods, wolfed down less meat, dairy and junk food, and used more traditional farming methods, says a new Cornell study.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
The Washington Department of Ecology is developing a system for the state’s large sources of greenhouse gases (GHG) to report their climate-changing emissions, according to an Aug. 5 press release.
AIGA, the professional association for design, today issued an ambitious call to the next generation of creative thinkers in its first annual Aspen Challenge, “Designing Water’s Future.” In association with INDEX: and Circle of Blue, the international contest challenges cross-disciplinary student teams to develop design solutions that explore new ways of understanding and responding to the global water crisis.
For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to http://greenbiz.com/enewsletter.
From Sprawl to Smart Growth: Sacramento as a Case Study
By Matthew Wheeland
http://greenbiz.com/podcast/2008/08/14/from-sprawl-to-smart-growth
Mike McKeever, the executive director of the Sacramento Council of Governments, talks to GreenBiz Radio about implementing the area’s widely praised smart growth strategy and how smart growth is changing how businesses plan their own growth.
JCPenney Adds Solar and Wind Power to Its Green Program
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/08/15/jcpenney-adds-solar-and-wind-power-its-green-program
J.C. Penney Company is advancing its environmental program by hosting solar power systems and a wind turbine and by setting a goal of attaining Energy Star status at 200 or more stores by 2011.
Food Industry Puts Green Initiatives on the Menu
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/08/13/food-industry-puts-green-initiatives-menu
A newly formed nonprofit wants to reduce the food industry’s ecological footprint by creating a network for companies to share best practices. Meanwhile, a Florida-based restaurant chain vowed to pursue organic food handler certification for every location.
Green Manufacturing Can Help ‘Move Business Forward’
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/08/15/green-manufacturing-can-help-move-business-forward
Manufacturers increasingly see green initiatives as a way to move business forward through cost savings, improved efficiency and reputation boost, according to a new survey from Eyefortransport.
Chrysler to Incorporate Green Features in Detroit Plant Expansion
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/08/14/chrysler-incorporate-green-features-detroit-plant-expansion
The environmentally friendly initiatives are expected to knock several dollars off the cost of producing each vehicle at the Jefferson North Detroit assembly plant. The location, which builds the Jeep Cherokee and Commander, will see a 285,000 square-foot expansion that will replace an existing body shop.
Shell’s ‘Sustainable’ Oil Sands Ad Ruled Misleading
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/08/15/shells-sustainable-oil-sands-ad-ruled-misleading
The U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority ruled against a Shell ad that referred to an oil sands project and refinery expansion as sustainable methods of providing energy.
U.S. Could Halve Fuel Consumption by 2035: Report
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/08/14/us-could-halve-fuel-consumption-2035-report
The U.S. could feasibly halve its gasoline consumption if the country switched to hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles by 2035, according to a new MIT report. For too long, automakers have focused on improving performance at the expense of efficiency.
Last Swath of Fort Ord is Turned Over to Local Group for a $100M Privatized Cleanup
By Leslie Guevarra
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/08/13/last-swath-fort-ord-turned-over-local-group-a-100m-privatized-toxic-cleanup
A 3,300-acre Superfund site at the once vast Fort Ord in Monterey County has moved from federal hands to a group of local authorities that will oversee a $100 million environmental cleanup funded by the U.S. Army and will set the stage for redevelopment.
Wal-Mart Looks for Stories Behind Green Products
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/08/13/wal-mart-looks-stories-behind-green-products
The retailer is gathering items for next year’s Earth Day promotion, hoping to give customers more information on how the products are better for the environment.
EPA Provides $500,000 to Green Brownfields
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/08/11/epa-provides-500000-green-brownfields
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s program to help green brownfields is providing more than $500,000 in technical assistance to 16 projects nationwide.
Long Beach Slashes Water Use, Offers Efficiency Rebates
http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/08/12/long-beach-slashes-water-use
In the face of a severe drought and court-ordered limits on water imports from Northern California, the city has turned to education and rebate programs to curtail industrial and residential water use.
75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make a Difference
http://greenbiz.com/resources/resource/75-green-businesses-you-can-start-make-money-and-make-a-difference
Longtime green scientist and author Glenn Croston offers his ideas for 75 green businesses for entrepreneurs who want to do well by doing good.
Pulpwatch.org
http://greenbiz.com/resources/resource/pulpwatchorg
Pulpwatch.org provides an interactive map of pulp and paper mills, rating them on their environmental and social performance.
Investing in Water: Bringing Water to the Sea
By Anne Moore Odell, SocialFunds.com
http://greenbiz.com/feature/2008/08/18/investing-water-bringing-water-sea
Whether you wade into investing in water or dive in head first, the water industry offers investors many opportunities.
My Company Just Started a Sustainability Department — What Do I Do Now?
By Daniel Winokur
http://greenbiz.com/column/2008/08/18/helping-companies-grow-sustainability-department
Getting a green team off the ground is just the start. Here’s a handy primer to what it means to join in your organization’s efforts to go green — from basic definitions to taking dedicated action.
Climate Change: An Urgent Case for Altering our Practices
By Christopher Ratliff
http://greenbiz.com/column/2008/08/18/climate-change-urgent-case-change-practices
Although it seems that businesses of all types are at or nearing a tipping point in terms of concern about their environmental impact, we may also be on the verge of ecological tipping points that make drastic action all the more necessary.
Read the full story in Technology Review.
Making corn ethanol is an energy-intensive process, requiring fossil fuels to grow and harvest corn and to power the production plant. To make the process more energy efficient, researchers at Washington University are proposing to borrow a process used in breweries and wastewater treatment facilities: oxygen-less vats of bacteria that naturally feed on organic waste produced from the fermentation process.
Read the full story at News.com.
Bioplastics company Metabolix has devised what it hopes is an efficient way to manufacture its product: growing grass.
The company on Monday said that it has has created “significant amounts” of its bioplastic by growing it in the leaves of switchgrass. The details of the greenhouse trial are published in Plant Biotechnology Journal.
Read the full post at Inhabitat.
The United States’ first net-zero community is coming soon to Arvada Colorado! Dubbed Geos, the development will employ a sterling roster of alternative energy strategies to cut its consumption fossil fuels and become completely self-sustainable. Lately we’ve seen a slew of similar communities springing up around the world, from Canada to India to Estonia and we couldn’t be happier, since it’s future-forward communities such as these that are paving the pathway to a brighter future.
Read the full New York Times editorial.
Bioplastic, a material derived from corn that is used in a new Samsung “eco-phone,” requires special handling in recycling, which makes it energy inefficient.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Lance Armstrong’s household has been revealed as one of the biggest individual users of water in a city definitely short on rain.
Read the full story in Advertising Age.
People are getting sick. A wave of green fatigue, eco-exhaustion and environmental anxiety is spreading among consumers. Overwhelmed by choices, disgusted by corporate hype and living with the fear their efforts will never be enough, people are tuning out, say the experts.
Via Lifehacker.
Online superstore Amazon adds an Amazon Green section, which lists products customers have selected as most environmentally-friendly, from cleaning supplies to computers to personal solar chargers.
Via Docuticker.
Chemical contamination at e-waste recycling and disposal sites in Accra and Korforidua, Ghana
Source: GreenpeaceThe global market for electrical and electronic equipment continues to expand, while the lifespan of many products becomes shorter. Consequently, the waste stream of obsolete electrical and electronic products, commonly called “e-waste”, is also vast and growing, with estimates of 20-50 million tonnes per year being generated worldwide. Many of the products contain numerous hazardous chemicals and materials, and therefore the recycling and disposal of e-waste poses a threat to the environment and to human health.
+ Full Report (PDF; 373 KB)
Read the full story at News.com.
Those worried about the future of the planet needn’t look much further than 12-year-old Elizabeth Rintels and friends for reassurance that young people aren’t just aware of eco-challenges, they’re putting their minds to solving them.
Rintels, of Keswick, Va., created a smart device designed to measure and monitor water usage in the shower. On Thursday, youth marketing and media company By Kids For Kids announced that her invention nabbed the grand prize in BKFK’s “Going Green Challenge,” which called on America’s youth to come up with new eco-ideas for a changing world.
The young innovator was driven to create the “Water Watcher” after learning that cutting her shower time by one minute would save approximately 1,000 gallons of water per year. The product can be fastened to any faucet, signaling a red light and sounding a beep every time a half-gallon of water is used.
