·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

Solutions for everyday household problems sometimes come in unusual packages — like a bag of walnuts. To conceal scratches in wood furniture you could use any number of proprietary products. But crack a few walnuts, rub the oily meat back and forth across a scratch, and the blemish fades away.

Home remedies aren’t scientifically tested, checked by a government agency or even listed on a label. They thrive on word of mouth because they work for most people most of the time, and allow you to pass up expensive products that may not even work as well as a walnut.

Read the full story in Technology Review.

If you’ve recently replaced your cell phone, you’re not alone. More than half a billion cell phones were swapped for newer models in 2007, according to a study by the research firm Gartner. In the past, these phones might have been tossed in the garbage or just stashed in a drawer, but an increasing number of cell-phone vendors are promoting take-back programs, which make recycling an easier option for consumers. A discarded phone has a good chance of landing at ReCellular, the nation’s largest cell-phone recycling facility, which is based in Dexter, MI. If the phone’s in good shape, it’ll be refurbished. Otherwise, it will head to Sims Recycling Solutions, a smelter outside of Chicago.

The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:

• Follow-Up: How Can China’s Wind Power Industry Be Growing So Fast?
• Algae: Biofuel of the Future?
• Inside Renewable Energy podcast: Questioning America’s Most Ambitious Renewable Energy Law
• The Cacophony in Today’s Energy Policy Debate
• Bringing Solar to the Mainstream Through Customer Education
• Renewables Are Booming: Is a Bust Inevitable?

Looking for ways to raise money for your non-profit organization while helping the environment? Take a look at Greenraising, which allows non-profits to register as affiliates and receive a portion of the funds raised through sales of green products offered on the web site.

The Wall Street Journal had a story on Greenraising and other green fundraising startups in their July 15 issue. See “Businesses Emerge to Help School Fund-Raisers Go Green”.

Read the full story in EERE News.

An Energy Star campaign to promote the recycling of refrigerators has resulted in an art exhibit that is filling the Great Hall of the National Building Museum with old refrigerators. “The Art of Recycling: The Coolest Act in Town” exhibit opened on August 25 and features about 50 old refrigerators that have been decorated by students, institutions, utility companies, private organizations, and individuals. Visitors to the exhibit can vote on the models they like best, and a panel of judges will select the top three entries based on which is the coolest, makes the best use of recycled materials, is the most creative, and portrays the campaign theme best. The exhibit continues through September 2, at which time the winners of the judges’ awards and the “Viewer’s Choice” awards will be recognized. Located in Washington, D.C., the National Building Museum serves as a venue for informed, reasoned debate about the built environment and its impact on people’s lives. See the DOE press release and the National Building Museum Web site.

Read the full post in the New York Times Bits blog.

Venture capital got a prime-time spot at the Democratic National Convention when Nancy Floyd, founder and managing director of Nth Power, a San Francisco clean-tech venture capital firm, addressed the crowd Tuesday. She argued that Barack Obama’s energy policy would help energy entrepreneurs and the nation’s economy.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

A Celebration of Illinois Rivers Through Education, Recreation, and Conservation

On Saturday, September 20, a statewide celebration of our precious resources will occur in towns across Illinois. It’s Our River Day will feature dozens of activities and events promoting recreation, conservation and education about Illinois rivers.

The goal of It’s Our River Day — which will be held on the third Saturday of every September — is to boost awareness of rivers by offering hands-on conservation activities as well as lively recreational opportunities. Broad citizen participation is needed to protect this natural resource, and It’s Our River Day is an important organizing tool for private and public agencies concerned with protecting this asset.

For details on the many “It’s Our River Day” activities on September 20, call the Lt. Governor’s Office at 312-814-5220 or visit www.cleanwaterillinois.org.

Read the full post at Sustainable IT.

If you’ve got an idea rolling around inside your head for a technological approach to helping the environment, improving education, spurring economic development, or advancing health care, Intel might have $100,000 for you. Just make sure your solution has Intel inside.

Earlier this month, the chipmaker announced its Inspire-Empower Challenge though which it’s calling on individuals and organizations to put forth “the best technology solutions to address four areas of global need – education, healthcare, economic development, and the environment.” Winners for each category will receive $100,000 in seed money to transform their vision into reality.

Read the full post at Sustainable IT.

Put a dent in your travel expenses with technologies for remote desktop administration and collaboration.

Read the full post at Sustainable IT.

Devising an energy budget and measuring datacenter efficiency among key strategies.

Read the full post at Sustainable IT.

Switching over to various IP-based services is saving the academy more than a million dollars in redundant equipment and cabling

Read the full story in American City & County.

The Yucaipa Valley, Calif., Water District (YVWD) will begin “water banking,” which involves purchasing additional water to store underground in reserve against times of drought. However, the plan will come at a cost to users and developers.

Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times.

Chrysler and three lead wheel weight makers agree to the phaseout in a settlement of a suit brought by an environmental group, which contended the car parts threatened drinking water.

Read the full story from the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies.

The inability of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to carry out its mandate with respect to simple, low-tech products such as children’s jewelry and toy trains bodes poorly for its ability to oversee the safety of complex, high-tech products made using nanotechnology, according to a new report released by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN).

Read the data sheet from Environment Canada.

The environmental and public health concerns that arise from the chemical treatment of wood have brought about the development of greener alternatives.

PCI Industries Inc. has created a heat treatment technology for wood (the PerdureTM technology) that does not require any added chemical agents and which sterilizes and protects the wood against microorganisms and insects (except termites), and improves its dimensional stability.

This technology, an ecological substitute for chemically treated wood, extends the service life of the wood and can be used on all species. Also, the heating process alters the colour of the bulk wood, leading to the production of exotic wood substitutes.

Read the full story from the Queensland University of Technology.

Stained glass windows that are painted with gold purify the air when they are lit up by sunlight, a team of Queensland University of Technology experts have discovered.

Associate Professor Zhu Huai Yong, from QUT’s School of Physical and Chemical Sciences said that glaziers in medieval forges were the first nanotechnologists who produced colours with gold nanoparticles of different sizes.

Professor Zhu said numerous church windows across Europe were decorated with glass coloured in gold nanoparticles.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

Clean energy’s dirty secret is that while generating it is getting easier, moving it to market is not.

Read the full story from WTVG.

Science students at Clay High School will soon have a way to measure the wind and how much power it can produce.

Proposals due: October 24, 2008
Proposals Selected: December 15, 2008
Funding available: May 1, 2009 through August 31, 2010

The Illinois Water Resources Center (IWRC) requests proposals to fund one graduate student from a college or university in Illinois who is conducting research that will lead to publication of a thesis related to Illinois water resources issues.

Graduate students from colleges and universities in Illinois who are enrolled as of August 2009 are eligible to apply. IWRC will fund one M.S. or Ph.D. student at 50% for 9-12 months to conduct research on Illinois water resources issues. Funding is available for a 9 to 12 month period between May 2009 and August 2010.

IWRC will pay the departmental student stipend rate, fringe benefits, tuition, and fees for the selected student. The student’s department must provide travel, supplies, space, equipment, and all indirect costs, which can be used as match. The matching requirement for IWRC grants is two non-federal dollars for each federal dollar received.

The proposal must be submitted by a faculty member. The graduate student to be funded should be listed as a co-PI. Proposals to support unknown future graduate students will not be considered.