Many Plans to Curtail Use of Plastic Bags, but Not Much Action
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.
February 24, 2009
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New from the GAO
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
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Tracking Home Energy Use with Google
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.
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Corn Ethanol: A Health Warning
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.
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Carl’s Jr. Opens Green Restaurant, Aims to Make It a Company Prototype
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.
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Epuramat’s Box4Water Turns Wastewater to Drinking Water in Portable System
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.
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Dell Expands E-Cycling Programs, Precious Metals Recovery Firm Says Its Haul Grows
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.
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Green Companies Do Better During Downturn: Study
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.
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Herman Miller’s Iconic Aeron Chair Goes Cradle to Cradle
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.
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Cadbury Partners with Dairy Farmers to Reduce Carbon Footprint
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.
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Is America Ready to Quit Coal?
Read the full story in the New York Times.
With regulations to address climate change looming, coal power looks increasingly expensive.
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Where the Wild Things Are Victims
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.
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Weathering Climate Change
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.
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Cutting Coal Use with Sunshine
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.
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PC power tweaks can save a bundle
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.
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25 facts you should know about green IT
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
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March 2009 Biodiesel Magazine
The March 2009 issue of Biodiesel Magazine is now online. Highlights include:
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Addition, Subtraction and Composting the Trash
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.
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New Reference Material Measures Hex Chrome in Soil
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.
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Environmental Research and Education Report Released
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.
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Get solvents data; Visit the DOE Data Explorer
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.
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