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 TwitterThe American Society of Landscape Architects announces the availability of The Roof is Growing!, an educational resource for middle-school students and teachers about green roofs and their environmental benefits. The resource includes lessons, a student workbook, and online interactive program designed to engage students on how green roofs cool cities, clean the air, create habitats and control storm water. Read more at The Roof is Growing.
Via Librarians’ Internet Index.
Collection of news, features, and blog entries concerning science, health, and technology topics and the Obama administration. Some of the issues covered include climate change, health care reform, economic stimulus investments in science, and the U.S. space program. From the website for Scientific American magazine.
Read the full story in Technology Review.
An improved flex-fuel engine will allow vehicles to get better fuel efficiency from a mix of ethanol and gasoline. The pressure within the engine changes to adapt to different fuel blends. This, together with the use of turbochargers, makes it almost as efficient as a diesel engine, according to its developers.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Investigating whether cleaning products labeled “organic” and “natural” really are better for the environment.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Experts worry that cities aren’t ready to oversee the energy-efficiency money coming their way.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
The soft toilet paper that Americans love uses millions of trees, because recycled paper does not have the same feel.
Read the full post a the NYTs Green Inc. blog.
Chemicals in cleaning products remove the streaks from our windows and make our countertops sparkle. But are they safe?
A new lawsuit brought by Earthjustice, a non-profit public interest law firm based in Oakland, Calif., along with a coalition of public health and environmental advocates, aims to make it easier for consumers to answer that question by forcing manufacturers to adhere to a decades-old New York State regulation that it says requires disclosure of the ingredients in household cleaning products.
Read the full post in the NYT’s Green Inc. blog.
President Barack Obama is about to unveil his budget proposal, as my colleagues Jackie Calmes and Robert Pear report today. For environmentalists and the energy industry, perhaps the most notable feature is that the 2012 projections include revenues from a source that does not yet exist: a carbon dioxide cap-and-trade system.
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is now available. Download Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Technical Paper VI- Climate Change and Water at http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tp-climate-change-water.htm.
Via Librarian’s Internet Index.
This online publication provides reports, opinion, analysis, interviews, and other material about the environment. Browse by world regions or by topics such as biodiversity, climate, energy, forests, and water. Also includes an environmental news digest. A publication of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
A new website now offers an empowering message and helpful resources for paper purchasers who want to make more earth-friendly consumer choices. Environmental Paper Network (EPN), a coalition of over 100 conservation groups, has unveiled WhatsInYourPaper.com, a comprehensive new online resource to guide and assist paper purchasers and companies to successfully switch to using environmentally superior paper.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
As support has risen to curtail the use of plastic bags, the economy has soured. No state has imposed a fee or a ban.
Clean Air Act: Historical Information on EPA’s Process for Reviewing California Waiver Requests and Making Waiver Determinations. GAO-09-249R, January 16.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-249R
Read the full story in E The Environmental Magazine.
Internet giant Google announced last week the beta launch of a new free web application called PowerMeter designed to provide users who already have so-called “smart” electricity meters in place to track exactly how their homes are consuming energy. The software, still in the prototype stage, can tell users, for example, which appliances in their homes are using the most energy. This information can help consumers make intelligent choices about how and where to cut their energy use and electric bills.
Read the full story in Technology Review.
Switching from gasoline or corn-based biofuels to cellulosic ethanol–made from the stalks and stems of plants–could have more health and environmental benefits than previously recognized, according to a study of different types of transportation fuels.
Read the full story at GreenBiz.
The CEO for CKE Restaurants Inc. cut the ribbon on his firm’s new eco-friendly Carl’s Jr. this week with a goal of making it the flagship for the company’s green building efforts.
Read the full story at GreenBiz.
Luxembourg cleantech firm Epuramat has developed a portable wastewater treatment system called Box4Water that the company says can be deployed in sites ranging from communities, fairs and sports venues to remote areas and scenes of disaster.
Read the full story at GreenBiz.
Dell is expanding its consumer electronics recycling program with Goodwill and its own tech trade-in operation, while the M&K Recovery Group says it harvested 15 percent more copperware from computer gear than it did in 2007.
Read the full story at GreenBiz.
Thinking of curbing or curtailing sustainability efforts because of the troubled economy? Think again, says a new study by global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, whose research indicates that firms with “true commitment to sustainability” outperform industry peers in the financial markets.
Read the full story at GreenBiz.
Herman Miller’s Aeron chair was launched 15 years ago, millions of copies the chair have been sold, and the Aeron even holds a spot in the New York Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection.
Monday brings another milestone for the Aeron, when the first Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certified versions of the chair start shipping out.
Cadbury today unveiled its Cadbury Dairy Strategy, a unique partnership with dairy farmers in Selkley Vale designed to help reduce the environmental impact of dairy farming.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
With regulations to address climate change looming, coal power looks increasingly expensive.
Read the full review in the New York Times.
In Carl Hiaasen’s latest eco-mystery, students investigate the disappearance of a reviled biology teacher.
The title is Scat (ISBN: 9780375834868) and it’s available now from all major booksellers.
Read the full story in Technology Review.
Ralph J. Cicerone, one of the nation’s leading experts on climate change, is an atmospheric chemist who has made major contributions to understanding ozone depletion and the behavior of greenhouse gases. Now president of the National Academy of Sciences, Cicerone is planning a new yearlong study, requested last year by Congress, to advise the nation’s policy makers on climate change. The study will offer guidance on how to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, what climate changes are inevitable, and what future research is required to understand these changes more clearly. Cicerone recently spoke with Technology Review’s chief correspondent, David Talbot.
Read the full story in Technology Review.
Feeding heat from the sun into coal-fired power stations could turn out to be the cheapest way to simultaneously expand the use of solar energy and trim coal plants’ oversize carbon footprints.
Read the full story in InfoWorld.
Saving money using power management has been a well-worn mantra in the datacenter for some time, but now Gartner has put a cash figure on the likely cost savings from managing an organization’s PC power consumption: $43,300 per year.
Read the full post at Sustainable IT.
What’s the biggest power hog in the datacenter? Who urged the president to support green federal datacenters? Find out these answers and 23 more facts below
The March 2009 issue of Biodiesel Magazine is now online. Highlights include:
Read the full story in The Green Guide.
Oh the myriad ways the Obamas have already been, are going to be and can be role models. On the green front, much remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the Obama girls are enrolled in a school, Sidwell Friends, truly devoted to environmental stewardship on just about every level.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced Jan. 27 that it worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection on the reference material, which enables high-quality measurements to assist remediation efforts.
The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) has released a new report, Environmental Research and Education Needs: An Agenda for a New Administration. The report organizes the recommendations relating to environmental and sustainability research and education policy from NCSE.
Learn about solvents while getting quick access to other scientific research data collections residing at national laboratories, data centers, user facilities, colleges and universities, or the websites of professional organizations, consortiums, corporate institutions, or international organizations. Scientific research data includes computer simulations, numeric data files, figures and plots, interactive maps, multimedia, and scientific images generated in the course of DOE-sponsored research in various science disciplines. The current featured site is a collection of solvents data from the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences. View the collection citation or go directly to the data. The DOE Data Explorer was developed and is maintained by OSTI. All of the collections are available for free access, although some require password registration.
Read the full story from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer.
Adding just the right dash of nanoparticles to standard mixes of lubricants and refrigerants could yield the equivalent of an energy-saving chill pill for factories, hospitals, ships, and others with large cooling systems, suggests the latest results from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) research that is pursuing promising formulations.
An overwhelming majority of Americans believe that safer, cleaner and more energy-efficient production are the most important manufacturing issues in today’s economy according to a recent survey by Opinion Research Corporation. Most Americans also believe that highly automated, modern factories are important to improve and grow the U.S. economy and that a federal government stimulus package should support an increase in the number of modern, automated factories…
When considering a manufacturing company, Americans chose product and employee safety, and environmental issues as the most important attributes. Among the top answers chosen include:
- Provide safe, quality products (86%)
- Provide a safe workplace (84%)
- Use natural resources efficiently (80%)
- Produce minimal waste (71%)
- Keep current prices or reduce prices (59%)…
Despite the economic downturn, support remains strong and unchanged from a similar survey last summer for government incentives to U.S. companies to invest in technology and automation to remain competitive and keep manufacturing operations from moving overseas. More than three-quarters (79%) said the government should provide such incentives. Americans believe U.S. manufacturers need to invest in automating and modernizing their factories to improve environmental sustainability, competitive position and product quality.
- Use energy, raw materials or natural resources more efficiently (92%)
- Continue to remain competitive and grow (89%)
- Minimize waste and other environmental impacts (86%)
- Provide safer, high quality products (85%)
- Respond more quickly to customer demands (85%)
- Provide a safer workplace (83%)
Read the full story in American Libraries.
Librarians can breathe a sigh of relief in the wake of a one-year stay of enforcement on having to test for lead in books geared to youngsters under the age of 12. The extension until February 10, 2010, puts an end to the nightmare scenario envisioned by some in the library community of having to either ban children from their facilities or cordon off the book collections in youth services areas until federal regulators concede that children’s literature complies with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
Read the full story in Water & Wastewater News.
A new study funded by NOAA and the National Science Foundation reveals that a part of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which separates Washington state from Canada’s British Columbia, is a potential “hot spot” for toxic harmful algal blooms affecting the Washington and British Columbia coasts.
Read the full story from GreenerBuildings.
A study released on the eve of a national conference on green jobs says that emerging eco-friendly work must provide adequate pay and benefits — or risk damaging efforts to restore the economy and strive for environmental sustainability.
The study released yesterday, “High Road or Low Road? Job Quality in the New Green Economy,” was conducted by the nonprofit resource center Good Jobs First and commissioned by organizations Change to Win, Sierra Club, the Laborers International Union of North America, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
This issue focuses on combined heat and power.
U.S. supermarkets and restaurants sell fresh fruit and vegetables from all over the world. This resource shows common origins of more than 95 different produce commodities that are shipped into or across the United States each year. Use it to find the:
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on Feb. 3 announced The Pace Energy and Climate Center has been selected to develop a renewable fuels roadmap and sustainable biomass feedstock study that will help guide state policy on renewable fuels.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
Working with the state affiliates of the National Recycling Coalition, the Alcoa Recycling Company will be providing approximately 25,000 recycling bins for placement in a variety of settings where bins had not previously been available, such as schools, government and office buildings, and low-income communities.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
The Solid Waste Association of North America’s (SWANA) Applied Research Foundation (ARF) recently released five new research reports from FY 2008. They are:
- “Curbside Collection of Residential Food Waste”
- “Benchmarking of Solid Waste Collection Services: FY 2008″
- “Waste-to-Energy and the Solid Waste Management Hierarchy”
- “Benchmarking the Performance and Costs of MSW Landfills”
- “Long-Term Environmental Risks of Subtitle D Landfills”…
Four of the five reports are available for purchase at www.SWANAstore.com. The research memorandum on the “Curbside Collection of Residential Food Waste” is free to SWANA members at www.swana.org.
Read the full story in Environmental Protection.
On Feb. 5, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley lead an 18-state coalition, the Corporation Counsel for the City of New York, and the City Solicitor of Baltimore, urging U.S. Environmental Protection Administrator Lisa Jackson to act in response to the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA.
Read the full story in The Scientist.
Biofuels made from algae are the next big thing on the alternative energy horizon. But can they free us from our addiction to petroleum?
Via the Notre Dame Office of Sustainability. Thanks to Mary& Ellen Popit for the pointer.
10) You’ve debated a flat-tax or cap-and-trade system to limit campus print quotas.
9) Priest says: “Be more pious.” You hear: “Buy a Prius.”
8) You didn’t shower or turn on a light the entire week during the dorm energy competition.
7) You’ve tried to figure out how to harness the thermal energy generated at the grotto.
6) You feel a need for reconciliation after buying an incandescent bulb.
5) You’ve emailed the Vatican, asking that ‘energy inefficiency’ be listed as the eighth deadly sin.
4) When the title ‘holy father’ is used, you first think of Al Gore.
3) You’ve googled “carbon-neutral prayer” – just in case.
2) Upon graduation, you look up at the dome, shed a tear, and ask “why haven’t we covered that thing with photovoltaic cells yet?”
1) You actually read the GreeND newsletter.-Joe Kindt, MBA ‘09
Looking for a green collar job? Check out Renewable Energy Jobs, a new global green employment site that lists renewable energy jobs in 20 countries.
To date, nearly 5,000 teens nationwide have taken part in this year’s Lexus Eco Challenge, an educational program and contest that inspires and empowers middle and high school students to learn about the environment and take a stand to improve it. In the second of three initial rounds of competition, 17 teams in 15 states have been awarded $10,000 each for their outstanding entries.
The latest issue of Renewable Energy Weekly is now available. Highlights include:
Via Librarians’ Internet Index.
This study (published in 2007 and released in February 2008), “found that green collar jobs are highly suitable for people who would typically struggle to find work.” Includes the full report, findings from which were based on interviews with more than 20 green businesses in Berkeley, California, and an executive summary and news story. From California State University; report author is an urban studies professor at San Francisco State University.
Via Librarians’ Internet Index.
January 2009 profile of Van Jones (born Anthony Jones), author of “‘The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems’ [in which] he argues that the best way to fight both global warming and urban poverty is by creating millions of ‘green jobs’ — weatherizing buildings, installing solar panels, and constructing mass-transit systems.” Includes background about Jones, and details about his views and ideas. From the New Yorker.
URL: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/12/090112fa_fact_kolbert
