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 at CleanTech.
Researchers say modifying genes involved in cell-wall formation could increase biofuel outputs.
Purdue University researchers are probing genes that control the tough cell walls of maize and switchgrass.
The idea is simple: Genetically modify those genes so corn and switchgrass plants can produce more biomass, which leads to an abundance of sugars that can be efficiently processed into biofuels.
Read the full post at Triple Pundit.
Fancy installing solar panels on your roof? Check out what it’s going to cost you first. A new calculator called RoofRay uses Google Earth to give you an idea what solar panels can do for your house.
Read the full post at Triple Pundit.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TECQ) has officially implemented the Computer Equipment Recycling Program for their state. The program will expand free electronic recycling options for consumers. The wording in the program shows that the commission means business. Manufacturer’s must offer a take back program for their products in order to sell them. Similarly, retailers are not able to sell new computer equipment unless the manufacturer appears on TECQ’s approved list. Thankfully for computer shoppers in Texas, just about every major manufacturer, including Dell, HP, Apple, Toshiba, Sony, and Lenovo, appears on the list.
Read the full post at Triple Pundit.
Hardcore greenhouse gas (GHG) geeks will recall that cement is a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions, with approximately 1 ton of CO2 equivalent emitted into the atmosphere for every 1 ton of cement produced. Damn. Forget your carbon guilt from flying, people! Cement is responsible for 5% of the Earth’s CO2 emissions, and it’s the third largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in the US according to the EPA.
A new technique has the potential to change cement’s impact on global warming, and I wouldn’t be writing about them if there wasn’t a great business opportunity here as well. Calera has created a process for incorporating waste CO2 emissions from a power plant into the cement manufacturing process. His system sequesters a half a ton of CO2 for every ton of cement created.
Read the full story in Triple Pundit.
The New California Academy of Sciences (CAS) in San Francisco will open September 27th with a long awaited, Renzo Piano designed, 2.5 acre living roof undulating across Golden Gate Park. While the roof has great scientific, educational, and ecological benefits, it will also have a financial benefit by helping to conserve energy use. The roof will keep the building an average 10 degrees cooler than a standard roof.
But the more interesting, and fun, business oriented aspect to this story is the marketing roll out this week in advance of the opening. The Academy, in partnership with the city, Clear Channel Outdoor, and the advertising company Heat, has installed living roofs, each with a different ecological focus, on a series of bus shelters around town. These shelters are just as effective at multi-tasking as the big daddy on the Academy to which they refer.
Read the full story at Environmental Leader.
Con Edison is installing its first “green roof” at its Learning Center training and conference facility in Long Island City, where more than 21,000 plants will occupy over a quarter acre of the center’s rooftop.
Read the full post at Triple Pundit.
Two years ago Truitt Brothers decided to figure that out, and added two products, green beans and pears, sourced and prepared sustainably, to their more traditionally packaged goods which they had been producing for over 30 years. While the sustainability-focused line is still less than 5% of their whole business it has quadrupled in growth in those two years, and that growth is projected to continue. In fact, they have already doubled their offerings by adding kidney and garbanzo beans.
Speaking on a panel at Slow Food Nation on Friday, Peter Truitt declared the canned green beans’ time arrived. He acknowledged most people, himself included, would choose fresh produce over processed when available. However, in most of the US you cannot purchase local and fresh produce consistently year around. At those times Truitt believes canned produce can be a very sustainable second choice.
Read the full post at Triple Pundit.
Fertilizer use and climate change. Unfortunately, choice words you rarely hear used in the same sentence. With so much focus given to emissions from transportation and industry, lesser known, but equally important factors like fertilizer use are often overlooked. To place things in perspective, the overuse of fertilizers releases an estimated 2 billion tonnes of nitrous oxide (a GHG estimated to be 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere annually. What is also alarming is that agricultural activities in general contribute to 17 to 32 per cent of global GHG emissions. And with the majority of these agricultural activities requiring fertilizers in one form or another, it’s clear their use must be examined closely.
So how do we minimize GHG emissions but still maximize fertilizer potential? Finding an easy solution is certainly no walk in the park. Farmers will not only have to be educated on the best management practices (BMPs) for fertilizer use, but these BMPs will have to be tailored for general crop types and climatic conditions. For example, BMPs for nitrogen fertilizer used to grow corn in Mississippi should be quite different from those used to grow wheat in Iowa. Regrettably, this makes creating a national framework for fertilizer use a difficult task.
Read the full post at Triple Pundit.
It seems these days that green building is everywhere you look. It’s hard to not find a media outlet throwing in a story with a green building angle. Hurrah for those who want to build or remodel green, you’ve got plenty of resources now. But what if you’re not yet at the “Honey, which rainwater catchment system do you like? The red, or the orange?” stage? What if you just want to rent, and you want it green (or greener)? Not so easy to find.
Yes, with a lot of sweat, you can piece together listings that have what you seek, likely from many different resources, with minimal details beyond a greenwashy headline. GreenRenter.com is seeking to address this issue.
Read the full post at Triple Pundit.
We don’t eat lions, tigers or bears for protein, so we shouldn’t eat shark, tuna or swordfish either. We need to be eating further down the ocean food chain if we want an ocean food chain from which to eat in the future.
Those are statements from Paul Johnson made on a panel during Changemaker’s Day at Slow Food Nation this weekend in San Francisco, CA. The panelists and audience were interested in how fishers, distributors, and chefs could work together to ensure the viability of the oceans upon which their livelihoods depend.
Besides encouraging eating more “bottom feeders,” who reproduce more quickly, Johnson (owner of Monterey Fish in San Francisco) made even stronger statements regarding the importance of supporting small boat fishers, even ones that might use trawlers, over industrial, large scale fishing if we want clean fish choices in the future. He thinks the small boat fishing industry, and communities which they support, may be in more danger than the fish populations. Treehugger just this week also discussed how small boat fishing likely has a much lower impact on climate change than industrial fishing.
Read the full post at Triple Pundit.
There’s much talk, high-level debate and lobbying over sustainability and biofuels these days, despite their miniscule market share and debate concerning what “sustainable” actually means. How all this well-intentioned theorizing, research and debate translates into real progress and positive change on the ground in agricultural communities and among biofuel producers remains to be seen.
While all this goes on, a grassroots “grease car” movement continues to grow in the U.S. and Europe as entrepreneurs and growing numbers of people who own all manner of diesel engine vehicles are installing or having vegetable oil fuel conversion kits installed; this despite discouragement from the automakers, the oil industry and government agencies.
The concept of using recycled vegetable oil as a fuel seems like a winner from the get-go, especially when you consider the difference it might make in rapidly growing urban areas all around the world, but particularly in fast growing cities of Asia, Latin America and Africa. Rather than having to produce an environmentally friendly biofuel from scratch, recycling veggie oil turns a waste product into a valuable resource, plus a ready-made source of raw fuel can be found in just about any market center in cities across the developing world.
Ever wanted to tell EPA what you thought on an environmental topic? Each week, you have your chance in the EPA blog, Greenversations. Each question is an open-ended blog entry; please share your thoughts as comments.
This week’s question:
What did you or your school do to be greener this year?
Classroom supplies, school buses, building maintenance, indoor air quality, books and pencils – everything about a school can affect the environment or the people who spend time in school. But there are lots of new ways that schools can be greener such as “clean diesel” buses, recycling, or safer chemicals in classrooms.
Share your answer at http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2008/09/15/qotw-greenerschool/.
Starting today, middle school students across the United States are being encouraged to “go green” and team up for the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, the first and only national K-12 sustainability education initiative aligned to education standards and uniquely tailored to match students’ growing comprehension abilities throughout their school-aged years.
The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have partnered on this unprecedented initiative to educate, empower and engage students, teachers and communities to become “Agents of Change” in improving their community. Student teams from sixth through eighth grade, under the mentorship of a teacher or adult supervisor, can register for the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge at www.wecanchange.com.
Teams of two to three students will identify an environmental issue in their community, research the issue using scientific investigation, and create a replicable green solution using web-based curriculum tools powered by Discovery Education. The mentors of the first 100 teams to register and complete a project for the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge will receive an award-winning Planet Earth series DVD set. Submissions from middle school students will be accepted through March 15, 2009. The initiative expands to elementary schools in 2009 and to high schools in 2010.
For a full-color, graphic version of this newsletter, go to
http://greenbiz.com/enewsletter.
How to Cash In on the Green Economy
By Tilde Herrera
http://www.greenbiz.com/podcast/2008/09/11/how-cash-in-green-economy
Glenn Croston, author of “75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make a Difference,” joins GreenBiz Radio to talk about the opportunities and pitfalls posed by eco-entrepreneurship.
Fortune 50 Lacks Transparency in Web-Based Environmental Reporting
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/09/15/fortune-50-lacks-transparency-web-environmental-reporting
The majority of Fortune 50 corporations use the Internet to disclose some information on their environmental performance but many are missing opportunities to involve stakeholders, tap the web’s interactive potential, and provide transparency in their reporting, new research suggests.
JohnsonDiversey to Invest Millions to Cut Carbon Footprint
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/09/15/johnsondiversey-invest-millions-cut-carbon-footprint
JohnsonDiversey plans to spend $19 million to reduce its carbon emissions 8 percent during the next five years. The payoff: $31 million in savings.
EPA Awards Grocers Giant Eagle, Harris Teeter for Slashing Refrigerant Emissions
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/09/12/epa-awards-grocers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency singled out Giant Eagle Inc. and Harris Teeter Inc. for emitting the least amount of ozone-depleting refrigerant among a group of food retailers and others that pledged to cut their emissions below the industry standard.
A Plan for Creating Two Million Green Jobs in Two Years
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/09/10/two-million-green-jobs-two-years
A green recovery program holds the potential to improve U.S. energy security, jumpstart job creation and lay the foundation for a low-carbon future, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress.
Coca-Cola, Ocado Leaders Discuss Divergent Business Roles
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/09/10/coca-cola-ocado-leaders
In separate talks, Coca-Cola’s chairman and the co-founder of online supermarket Ocado give different views on what roles businesses and government should play in relation to the environment and society.
Green Sectors Key to New U.K. Manufacturing Strategy
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/09/09/green-uk-manufacturing-strategy
The government’s plan to boost the manufacturing industry includes support of zero and low emission vehicles and renewable and nuclear energy.
New Virtual Office Aims to Help Cut Down Office Costs, Carbon Footprints
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/09/09/virtual-office-cut-costs-carbon-footprints
The Cisco Virtual Office is designed to be a plug-and-play data and video tool to allow employees to work effectively and securely from afar, allowing for more flexible schedules and giving facility managers a tool to reduce physical office needs.
New Bosch Rexroth Website Drives Sustainable Manufacturing
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/09/12/bosch-rexroth-website-sustainable-manufacturing
The company will use the website to communicate industry initiatives aimed at improving the environment and green manufacturing, as well as highlight the products it develops to take advantage of alternative energy sources.
Apple Announces ‘Cleanest’ iPods
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/09/11/apple-announces-cleanest-ipods
The newest iPod Nano comes with arsenic-free glass and contains no PVC, mercury or brominated flame retardants.
Congress Outlines Green Car Rescue Package
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/09/12/congress-green-car-rescue-package
U.S. legislators considering plans to provide automakers with $25 billion of low-interest loans to help them fund shift to fuel efficient vehicles.
Trends in Ethical and Sustainable Packaging: Innovation by Product Category
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/trends-ethical-and-sustainable-packaging-innovation-product-category
Business Insights examines trends related to packaging development, government regulations and retailer initiatives.
Pulpwatch.org
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/pulpwatchorg
Pulpwatch.org provides an interactive map of pulp and paper mills, rating them on their environmental and social performance.
Collaboration Is the Key to Green Success
By Julie Sammons
http://www.greenbiz.com/column/2008/09/15/collaboration-is-key-green-success
The green business movement represents a seismic shift in how industries of all types operate on a day-to-day basis. But as these successful green collaborations show, it is also changing how businesses work together for everyone’s benefit.
What Do Employees Really Want?
By Joel Makower
http://www.greenbiz.com/column/2008/09/06/what-do-employees-really-want
That question has been at the heart of speeches and presentations I’ve been giving for the past couple of years, and is at the core of my forthcoming book, Strategies for the Green Economy.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Countless government records are being lost to posterity because workers do not regularly preserve documents.
Read the full story from the New York Times.
For years, wind-farm projects had stalled in the face of local political opposition. Then an entrepreneur named Peter Mandelstam came up with a new and energizing approach.
Read the full review in the New York Times.
A behind-the-scenes memoir of London’s Natural History Museum — home to about 80 million specimens and a collection of extremely eccentric scholars.
This site covers all aspects of greywater systems. Why to use them, how to choose, build and use them, regulations, studies, and examples. Includes greywater irrigation, greywater treatment, greywater filters, and indoor greywater reuse.
Read the full story in Science Daily.
New nanotechnology paints for walls, ceilings, and surfaces could be used to kill hospital superbugs when fluorescent lights are switched on, scientists heard at the Society for General Microbiology’s Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.
Read the full story from the University of Cincinnati.
New research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) implicates the primary chemical used to produce hard plastics — bisphenol A (BPA) — as a risk factor for the metabolic syndrome and its consequences.
In a laboratory study, using fresh human fat tissues, the UC team found that BPA suppresses a key hormone, adiponectin, which is responsible for regulating insulin sensitivity in the body and puts people at a substantially higher risk for metabolic syndrome.
Read the full story in Printed Circuit Design & Fab.
The need to control hazardous materials has influenced the design of circuit boards since their conception. While the industry has worked to minimize these materials by incorporating less-toxic ones, some of these safer solutions have their own risks to the environment and the health of the population. Incorporating green laminates into PCBs is just one stage of a continuing tradition of risk management in design. In recent months, published findings regarding the safety of commonly used flame retardants has the industry rethinking previous efforts to remove all halogens from the laminate supply chain.
