·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Climate Culture invites college and universities to apply for its America’s Greenest Campus contest, which aims to motivate institutions to reduce the carbon footprint of their students, faculty, alumni, and staff. Institutions have until October 5, 2009 to get as many campus members to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible. Carbon Culture will keep track of the number of people participating from each school and will award up to $10,000 to two winners – the school with the most participants and the school with the most carbon reductions per participant.

Read the press release.

Ernst & Young LLP has announced the three winning teams for the 2009 Your World, Your Vision campus competition. The competition, which had entries from more than 60 colleges and universities, invited teams of students to develop and submit proposals for how they could make a difference in their communities in the areas of education, entrepreneurship, or the environment. The winning teams are from University of Calgary, University of Minnesota, and University of Southern California. Each team will receive $10,000 from Ernst & Young LLP to implement the programs.

Read the full post at Trendwatching.com.

While financial woes may hold back some green initiatives, the future has never looked greener. Mainly because creating a more sustainable economy is not an option, but a necessity. And we all know that necessity is the mother of invention. Which is why this month, amidst crumbling banks, G20 meetings and stimulus plans, we highlight 12 eco sub-trends that any marketer or entrepreneur can act on today.

Read the full post at Lifehacker.

Instructables user kcrox1017 posts simple plans for a mini greenhouse will help you protect your seedlings from any unexpected cold snaps, and start growing them ahead of mother nature’s schedule. While he used an old window, with a little extra tweaking, you can use a sheet of scrap glass or acrylic instead.

Read the full story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Seattle will host a Preservation Green Lab that will study and suggest ways to make historic buildings more energy efficient, officials announced Wednesday morning.

The Sierra Club has launched Sierra Club Green Home, a web site dedicated to helping you create a more sustainable home environment. According to the web site:

Sierra Club Green Home was developed with a simple mission in mind: to help Americans make their homes more energy efficient, environmentally sustainable and healthy. We do not sell products or services. Instead, we provide great education to help you have a more sustainable home and make it easy for you to find local green businesses.

Read the full post at Oh My Gov:

With paper in decline and the private sector and government alike moving toward digital publishing, you might think an agency called the Government Printing Office (GPO) would soon be obsolete. Not so fast; GPO is reinventing itself for the changing world.

Last month it launched the Federal Digital System (FDsys), an advanced digital system that will enable GPO to manage government information from all three branches in a digital form. The main functions of the system will include publishing, searching for information, preserving information, and version control.

Read the full story from the Associated Press.

President Barack Obama will find out two things as he studies how to make the White House more environmentally friendly:

No. 1: It’s already been done.

No. 2: It needs to be done again.

It was Earth Day 1993 when President Bill Clinton launched his ambitious “greening the White House” project. That effort saved more than $1.4 million in its first six years, largely from improvements in lighting, heating, air conditioning, insulation, water sprinklers and other measures.

During George W. Bush’s two terms, workers installed three solar systems, including a thermal setup on the pool cabana that heats water for the pool and showers, and photovoltaic panels atop a maintenance shed that supplement the mansion’s electrical supply. Bush also made a big push to recycle office paper, although the overall go-green effort lost momentum during his tenure, according to many outside observers.

Obama promised before he took office that he wanted to sit down with White House staff to evaluate what can be done to conserve energy in a 132-room behemoth of a mansion/office that leaves an EEE-sized carbon footprint.

Over on Red, Green, and Blue, Jennifer Lance has an interesting proposition:

Turning foreclosed homes into parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and urban gardens could be just what the Motor City needs to revitalize itself.  Considering the price of these foreclosed homes, it would be affordable for any grassroots organization to undertake.  I volunteer to buy a home and donate to any group willing to take on this challenge.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

Getting buildings to become more eco-friendly can be a complicated and thankless task for tenants.

Read the full story in Technology Review.

A tiny microbe found in the Chesapeake Bay is the focus of intense study for a biotech startup in College Park, MD. Zymetis has genetically modified a rare, cellulose-eating bacterium to break down and convert cellulose into sugars necessary to make ethanol, and it recently completed its first commercial-scale trial. Earlier this year, the company ran the modified microbe through a series of tests in large fermenters and found that it was able to convert one ton of cellulosic plant fiber into sugar in 72 hours. The trial, researchers say, illustrates the organism’s potential in helping to produce ethanol cheaply and efficiently at industrial scales. Zymetis is now raising the first round of venture capital to bring the technology to commercial applications.

I picked up four relatively new green business books at my local Barnes & Noble last week and decided to write mini-reviews of each.  I have skimmed through them all, but have not read them in depth yet. Each appears to have it’s own unique spin on the topic (which is why I bought all of them). The books are:

101 Ways to Turn Your Business Green : The Business Guide to Eco-Friendly Profits by Rich Mintzer (ISBN: 9781599182636)
For those who your advice in list form, this is a good one. It’s readable and easy to pick up and put down. Includes a section on social responsibility more generally, as well as a glossary.

Green Business Practices for Dummies by Lisa Swallow (ISBN: 9780470393390)
Written in the standard For Dummies format. Includes sustainability planning as a key component and addresses it before more specific actions. Also has good sections on involving stakeholders in sustainability and on measurement and reporting. The Complete Idiots Guide to Greening Your Business is due out in June. We’ll have to see how that compares.

Green Your Work: Boost Your Bottom Line While Reducing Your Carbon Footprint by Kim Carlson (ISBN: 9781598699050)
Covers all the bases including motivation to help you get started. Includes checklists and and surveys in the appendices. Appears very readable.

Greening Your Business: The Hands-On Guide to Creating a Successful and Sustainable Business by Daniel Sitarz (ISBN: 9781892949462)
Blurbed by Joel Makower of GreenBiz.com, which gives it a lot of credibility. Excellent worksheets and questionnaires to aid with decision making, which seems to be lacking in most green business books. Excellent resource guide at the end of the book.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

A University of Maryland-led team has compiled the first decades-long database of aerosol measurements over land, making possible new research into how air pollution affects climate change.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

Many state and local officials and private organizations are basing decisions — such as how to build bridges or manage water supplies — on the assumption that current climate conditions will continue, but that assumption is no longer valid. To produce the climate information these decision makers need and to deliver it to them effectively, federal agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should expand their activities in these areas, according to a new report announced on March 12 by the National Research Council.

Via Librarians’ Internet Index.

This website features a “combination of tips, case studies, expert Q&A articles and regional directories of products and services.” Browse by area or feature of the home, such as bathrooms or flooring. Product directory (covering San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York City) contains a detailed description of the process of selecting and approving products for the directory, noting “only a minority of products are approved.” From the U.S. Green Building Council.

Green Cleaners

This article presents options for avoiding home cleaning products that are toxic and harmful to the environment. Includes recipes for general cleaners, laundry soap, bathroom and kitchen cleaners, carpet deodorizers, stain removers, furniture polish, and other household cleaning products. Also provides a listing of ingredients for alternative cleaners, shopping tips and other less-toxic household tips, and information in Spanish. From Metro Regional Government, Portland, Oregon.

Green Your Spring Cleaning

This tip sheet offers ideas for environmentally responsible house cleaning, such as using old clothing and sheets for dust rags, avoiding cleaners that contain phosphates, and replacing mothballs with a more natural alternative. Includes links to a related article on making your own nontoxic cleaning products and to cleaning product listings in a screened green business directory. From Green America (formerly Co-op America), a nonprofit membership organization.

Spring/Summer Cleaning (Yes, It’s Time Again)

This collection of resources offers ideas for reducing the environmental and health effects of cleaning, noting that “common cleaning products are hazardous — to your health if you ingest or touch them, to the environment when flushed down the drain or otherwise disposed of.” Features cleaning projects for specific rooms in the house, an article about anti-bacterial products, and tips for reducing clutter, reading product labels, and outdoor cleaning. From the nonprofit New American Dream.

Via Librarians’ Internet Index:

Collection of materials relating to garden plants and potential global warming impacts. Click on the map to find out “if your official State Trees or State Flowers may be affected,” view an interactive USDA hardiness zone map for 1990-2006, see a list of not-wanted invasive plants, and take a gardener’s pledge to help fight global warming. Includes links to related material, such as a 2007 report of the same name. From the National Wildlife Federation.

Read the full story in Fast Company.

How a handful of consultants used Big Tobacco’s tactics to sow doubt about science and hold off regulation of BPA, a chemical in hundreds of products that could be harming an entire generation.

Read the full story in Fast Company.

As supplies of fresh water evaporate, the world turns to the sea.

Read the press release.

Syracuse University Library’s Green Initiative Team has created the Green Library Guide, found at http://researchguides.library.syr.edu/greenlibrary, to provide information about green initiatives at the library. In addition to highlighting the library’s sustainability efforts, the guide includes links to national and international news about library-related green activities, an FAQ and a suggestion box.

California Governor Launches ‘Green Corps’ to Train At-Risk Youths for
Green-Collar Jobs
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/17/california-governor-launches-green-corps
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has created the California Green Corps, a program to train at-risk young people for technical, construction and other skilled jobs in eco-friendly industries that are expected to help fuel economic recovery.

Corporate IT Buyers Rank Dell No. 1 for Its Recycling Program: Study
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/20/it-buyers-rank-dell-no-1
IT decision-makers around the world ranked recycling as the most important attribute they seek when buying technology and chose Dell as their leading brand because of its extensive recycling program, according to the most recent GreenFactor study.

Insurers Must Reveal Climate Change Risks
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/19/insurers-must-reveal-climate-change-risks
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) approved on Tuesday the world’s first climate risk disclosure requirement for insurers with annual premiums topping $500 million.

China Demands West Takes Responsibility for Imports’ Carbon Footprint
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/18/china-demands-west-takes-responsibility-imports-carbon-footprint
One of China’s top climate change negotiators has this week proposed that
importers of Chinese-made goods should take financial responsibility for the
resulting carbon emissions under any new international climate change deal. A recent study suggests around a third of China’s emissions are the result of manufacturing goods for export.

Businesses Highlight Link Between Climate, Energy and Water Pressures
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/20/businesses-link-climate-energy-water
A new report from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development calls on decision makers to integrate water, energy and climate change policy in a holistic way that both acknowledges and weighs the synergies and trade-offs existing between the three interconnected issues.

Old Tires Become Timberland Boot Soles
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/18/old-tires-timberland-soles
Timberland’s fall collection will include 200,000 pairs of shoes made with Green Rubber, a material made primarily from reused car tires.

U.S. Toxic Chemical Releases Shrank 5 Percent in 2007
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/20/us-toxic-chemical-releases-shrank-5-percent-2007
The amount of toxic chemicals released into the country’s air, water or on land shrank 5 percent in 2007, but persistent bioaccumulative toxic chemicals, which include lead and mercury, inched up.

EPA Derails Performance Track Program
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/18/epa-derails-performance-track-program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suspended its National Environmental Performance Track program Monday while it reviews it and other environmental leadership programs.

New Software Compares Impacts of Packaging Designs
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/19/software-compares-packaging
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition has released its COMPASS software, allowing packaging designers to look at the life cycle impacts of packaging before finalizing designs.

Seventh Generation Buys Credits for Sustainable Palm Oil
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/17/seventh-generation-palm-oil
Seventh Generation already makes cleaners that are non-toxic, but it’s now
taking steps to make one of its ingredients more sustainable.

How Companies Are Investing in Sustainability
By Brandi McManus
http://www.greenbiz.com/feature/2009/03/23/investing-sustainability
Long-term sustainable growth is important to building a successful company. In Part 3 of her four-part series “Growing a Green Corporation: Meeting the Next Great Disruptive Challenge of the 21st Century” Brandi McManus looks at different strategies for investing in sustainability.

Calculating the Gross National Trash
By Joel Makower
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/03/20/calculating-gross-national-trash
Can the figures — such as they are — on the trash produced by U.S. industry be believed, or are they rubbish? Joel Makower takes on the issue and writes about why a hard look at solid waste is imperative.

Going on a Low Carb(on) Diet
By Marc Gunther
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/03/20/going-a-low-carbon-diet
A low carb(on) diet can be just as good for businesses as it is for people.
That’s what Bon Appetit Management Company — a restaurant company that provides onsite sustainable food cafe and catering services to corporations, colleges, universities and specialty venues — is banking on.

Not Taking Part in Earth Hour? How About ‘Human Achievement Hour’?
By Matthew Wheeland
http://greenbiz.com/blog/2009/03/20/earth-hour-human-achievement-hour
Possibly the most bizarre announcement to cross my inbox in days if not weeks, the Competitive Enterprise Institute has developed an anti-Earth Hour campaign to celebrate humankind’s marvelous achievements.

What New Climate Change Policies Will Mean for Your Business
By Ryan Schuchard
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/03/19/what-climate-change-policies-mean-for-your-business
From the creation of a price on carbon to the standards and incentives that will work to constrain emissions, global climate change policies may impact the fundamental conditions on which all businesses depend.

Bringing Green Design to the Mainstream
By Joel Makower
http://www.greenbiz.com/podcast/2009/03/16/bringing-green-design-mainstream
Joel Makower sits down with Bill McDonough in advance of his keynote
presentation at this year’s Greener by Design Conference to talk about green
product design, Cradle to Cradle thinking, and the role that Wal-Mart may play in leading the charge.

Case Studies and Findings from “The Engaged Organization” Survey
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/the-engaged-organization
The National Environmental Education Foundation shares its research results about the value businesses place on environmental and sustainability knowledge and what companies are doing to educate employees.

Water, Energy and Climate Change: A contribution from the business community
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/water-energy-and-climate-change
Water, energy and climate change are inextricably linked. If we truly want to
find sustainable solutions, we must ensure that we address all three in a
holistic way, according to this report from the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development.

Read the full post at Treehugger.

Strategic Oxygen and Cohn & Wolf have released a study that ranks which companies IT buyers view as the greenest. Over 3,500 CIOs, CXO, IT Managers and other decision makers from 11 countries were surveyed about 26 different brands to find out what businesses think about green IT products and marketing. Turns out, a company that is frequently discussed on TreeHugger made the top of the list as the most eco-friendly computer manufacturer.

Read the full post at Treehugger.

It’s pretty easy to find greenies on social network sites like Facebook and Twitter, but if you want a community that is specifically geared towards getting green-minded people together, you might want to check out the new website CoolTribe.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome has a post on Triple Pundit about the link between green building and job creation.

Read the full story at MSNBC.

Have you looked out your window and felt disgusted with this late winter, early spring icky phase? What does your garden/lawn look like? If you are looking for inspiration, there is still time to head to the Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier. There, you will find many ideas including those in the green category.

Make sure to stop by the Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Hope for a Healing Planet” display. The designer, Carrie Meade of Mariani Landscape, gave us some green gardening tips, “A big thing is the plants you pick. Locally grown plants are easier on the environment because you don’t have transportation/fumes and all that.”

Read the full post at Civil Eats.

Brian Hartman of ABC News has a report today that confirms that there will be a veggie garden on the White House Lawn.

Mr. Hartman seems to have sent his fellow ABC reporters Sunlen Miller and Ann Compton, who cover insider White House activity, literally into the field to track down a Park Service employee to dish on the dirt project, and they were very successful. A NPS worker who requested anonymity told the two reporters that a veggie garden will be planted on the South Lawn, near the fountain, out of the sight-line of the White House. The anonymous source assured Ms. Compton and Ms. Miller that the White House Residence Staff will be handling all details of the garden, rather than Park Service workers, who oversee the rest of the sixteen-acre campus. This indicates that First Lady Michelle Obama will be overseeing the project, because she’s “the decider” for the Residence Staff.

Read the press release.

Rockwell Automation has released a new white paper that explores how world class brands, The Boeing Company, Coca-Cola and General Mills, use sustainable production practices to help manage today’s economic challenges. The paper, Perspectives on Sustainable Production: Delivering Economic Value and Serving Greater Good, features viewpoints from sustainability executives at Rockwell Automation and its customers, all of whom consider sustainable production practices a necessity during the current economic downturn.

Read the full story from the BBC.

Funky furniture, listening hubs, a grass roof and an mini grand piano – no it’s not the latest Big Brother house but Cardiff’s spanking new library.

Read the press release from Northern Arizona University.

NAU’s Office of Sustainability is hoping its idea to exchange office supplies catches on throughout campus.

The office, located in the Applied Research and Development building, is saving money by initiating an office supply exchange.

Here’s how it works: A building manager picks a date for the exchange, notifies building occupants to bring the office supplies they are not using to a central location for a free exchange, and employees visit the exchange and take what they could put to use.

The idea is based on “freecycling,” a growing trend that combines free and recycling and promotes the exchange of items already in existence to extend their usefulness and keep them out of landfills.

Read the full press release from Georgia Tech.

Battery and cell phone recycling is now an everyday operation at Tech. While the campus community can still recycle batteries and electronics at the annual Earth Day celebration, AA, C, 9-volt batteries, rechargeable batteries, and cell phones can also be dropped off at any of the five appointed battery and cell phone recycling sites.

Read the press release.

Second Nature, Inc. has launched a capacity-building program, Advancing Green Building in Higher Education, focused on addressing some of the challenges faced by under-resourced colleges and universities to ‘build green’ on their campuses. With a $1,242,000 three-year grant from the Kresge Foundation, Second Nature is helping under-resourced schools learn about and use the financial and technical resources available to construct and renovate campus buildings in ways that save money, reduce environmental and health impacts, serve as educational tools, and increase student enrollment.

Read the press release.

Governors State University (IL)  is extending an invitation to surrounding communities to join its commitment to recycling and preserving the environment.  With the placment of two large collection containers on campus, GSU is asking people to bring their recyclable paper products for deposit.

Read the full story in the Christian Science Monitor.

More and more, colleges and universities are not only teaching about environmental issues, they’re “walking the walk” by changing they way they operate. In December 2006, 12 college and university presidents joined together to form the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. They pledged to set target dates for becoming carbon neutral – reducing the carbon emissions from their heating, cooling, electrical, and transportation needs as much as possible and then buying carbon offsets to complete the task. A little more than two years later, 614 colleges and universities in all 50 states have made the commitment. They represent about one-third of the student body at colleges and universities in the United States.

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

It’s time for spring cleaning again—the perfect opportunity to haul a carload of old clothing, furniture and that clunky TV to Goodwill, right?

Well, hold off on that TV. For consumers looking to clear out a pile of electronics in the garage, the safe disposal of the old stuff takes a little bit of research. Some traditional routes for getting rid of such items are closed because organizations such as Goodwill and some local thrift shops are no longer accepting analog TVs.

This in turn is creating concerns that TVs and other electronics will end up in landfills, leaking lead and other hazardous materials into the environment.

Read the full story in Biodiesel Magazine.

Researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia’s national science agency, have determined that it’s possible to produce biodiesel from saltwater algae for less than what it costs to produce petroleum diesel, reducing greenhouse gases in the process.

In a report titled Greenhouse Gas Sequestration by Algae – Energy and Greenhouse Gas Life Cycle Studies and written by CSIRO scientists Tom Beer, Peter Campbell, and David Batten, it was found that the economic and greenhouse gas reduction value of algal biodiesel might be maximized if the biodiesel were to be produced near its feedstock source and then used to generate electricity in a colocated stationary power plant.

Read the full story in Biodiesel Magazine.

The winners of the first Sustainable Biofuels Awards were announced March 17 at the World Biofuels Markets conference and exhibition in Brussels, Belgium.

United Kingdom biodiesel producer Argent Energy Ltd. received the sustainable biodiesel award for a distributor or producer and Florida-based PetroAlgae LLC received the sustainable technology supplier award. The sustainable bioethanol award for a distributor or producer went to Swedish firm SEKAB.

Read the full story in Biodiesel Magazine.

With algae-based biodiesel pilot and demonstration projects due to be launched in 2010, Houston-based biofuels analyst Will Thurmond predicts the first large-scale algae production destined for the U.S. Department of Defense will begin in 2011 and the first commercial-scale algae biodiesel production will start the following year. “It will be expensive at first,” Thurmond said during a recent webinar summarizing his soon-to-be published algae report, which is titled “Algae 2020: Next Generation Biofuels Markets and Commercialization Outlook” and is due out in late March.

Read the full story in Biodiesel Magazine.

The National Biodiesel Board celebrated National Biodiesel Day on March 18 with recognition of Rudolf Diesel’s birth on that date, and the announcement that 60 scientists have signed a “Scientists for Biodiesel” declaration.

Happy National Biodiesel Day!

Read the full story in Biodiesel Magazine.

A new report released by the Western Organization of Resource Councils on March 12 examines small and community-scale biodiesel production, the experiences of farmers and entrepreneurs in their endeavors and the role it plays in rural economic development. The report, Homegrown Prosperity from the Bottom Up, presents six case studies of biodiesel plants emerging in rural economies across the region.

Read the full story in Water Efficiency.

Today the Environmental Protection Agency released its official guidance for the portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that includes the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) programs. As you may recall, the ARRA allocated 20 percent of the $6 billion appropriated to the CWSRF and DWSRF programs to green activities such as water efficiency projects. The EPA guidance refers to the funding for these types of projects as the Green Project Reserve. States are required to make a concerted effort to fund activities under the Green Project Reserve.

Read the full story in Consulting-Specifying Engineer.

In its Position Document on Natural Refrigerants, the organization expresses its support for research, assessment, and strategic growth in the use of natural refrigerants, including such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, air, and water in refrigeration systems and technologies. According to ASHRAE, the materials can improve the environmental performance of refrigeration systems and reduce the impact on HVAC/R equipment on global climate change.

Read the full story in Metal Finishing.

On July 23, 2008, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) issued a new regulation that regulates air emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from nine metal fabrication and finishing source categories. This rule, promulgated as 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 63, Subpart XXXXXX (’6X”), is another in a series of regulations that addresses emissions of HAPs from “area sources.” Unlike many other subparts to 40 CFR Part 63 that regulate the entire list of HAPs, 6X specifically regulates only emissions of compounds of cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, and nickel from nine specific source categories.

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

Americans have cut back on buying vehicles of all types as the economy continues its slide. But the slowdown has been particularly brutal for hybrids, which use electricity and gasoline as power sources. Industry darlings just last summer, sales have collapsed as consumers refuse to pay a premium for a fuel-efficient vehicle now that the average cost of a gallon of gasoline is less than $2.

Small Business Boon: Almost $200 Million in Environmental Tech Funds from EPA and NSF
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/13/small-business-boon
The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation are encouraging small businesses that want to grow, add workers and expand into new markets involving environmental technology to apply for funding that is now available through the Small Business Innovation Research programs at both agencies.

eBay, Gap and Symantec Help Climate Coalition Flex Its Muscle
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/13/ebay-gap-and-symantec-help-coalition-flex-its-muscle
Gap Inc., eBay and Symantec joined the four-month-old coalition whose founding members include corporate heavyweights Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, Sun Microsystems, Starbucks and The Timberland Co. The group, organized by nonprofit Ceres, subscribes to a set of climate change principles that are, in some ways, more progressive those of President Barack Obama.

P&G, Wal-Mart and Chevron Join New ‘Carbon Efficient Index’
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/10/pg-wal-mart-chevron-join-sp-carbon-efficient-index
The new index, a subset of the S&P 500, is made up of 362 large-cap companies that have lower carbon footprints when compared to the overall S&P 500.

EPA Proposes First Greenhouse Gas Reporting Requirements
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/10/epa-proposes-first-greenhouse-gas-reporting-requirements
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed a national
greenhouse gas reporting framework for roughly 13,000 facilities and cover up to 90 percent of the country’s emissions, such as power generators, car
manufacturers and cement, iron and steel producers, among others.

MBA Students Say Businesses Should Address Green and Social Issues
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/12/business-should-address-green-social-issues
Unfortunately, less than a third believe this is actually happening, according
to a new survey from Net Impact.

AT&T Accelerates Its Green Vehicle Fleet by 15,000
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/11/att-accelerates-its-green-vehicle-fleet-15000
The telecommunications giant will spend up to $565 million over the next decade on 8,000 compressed natural gas vehicles and more than 7,000 gasoline-electric hybrids.

Mid-Sized Businesses are Buying In to Green IT: Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/12/midsize-biz-buying-green-it
A new white paper from IBM and Info-Tech Research finds that companies are taking on a host of green IT practices to achieve both cost-saving and
footprint-reduction goals.

Patagonia’s Clothing Recycling Program: Lessons Learned, Challenges Ahead
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/09/patagonias-clothing-recycling-program-lessons-learned-challenges-ahead
Almost four years after the launch of its Common Threads Garment Recycling Program, Patagonia details the progress it’s made, and the obstacles it faces, in making all of its products recyclable.

SC Johnson Starts Listing Product Ingredients Publicly
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/13/sc-johnson-product-ingredients
The maker of Windex, Shout and multiple other consumer goods has started listing all the ingredients in cleaning products, including what could be in fragrances, on a dedicated ingredient website and on labels.

Good Housekeeping Adds a Green Seal of Approval
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/03/11/good-housekeeping-adds-a-green-seal-approval
Good Housekeeping magazine, whose seal of approval has been a hallmark of
reliability for household goods for 100 years, will soon join the fight against
greenwashing with a new label for eco-friendly consumer products.

Saving Every Last Drop
By Sarah Fister Gale
http://www.greenbiz.com/feature/2009/03/16/saving-every-last-drop
Drought conditions and likely water restrictions and regulations promise to
impact businesses throughout the country. But some companies, such as Frito Lay, Avon and General Electric, have already begun directing their efforts toward conserving water before the price inevitably grows to reflect its true cost.

Water Basics: You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure
By Andrew Collier and Andrew Glantz
http://greenbiz.com/blog/2009/03/16/water-basics-managing-measuring
Despite the increasing necessity of managing water use — and a host of
incentive programs to make it cost-effective to do so — companies,
municipalities and the federal government alike are behind the curve on tracking their water footprint.

Van Jones: Why I’m Going to Washington
By Doug Pible, YES! Magazine
http://greenbiz.com/blog/2009/03/16/why-van-jones-going-washington
In this interview on the day he accepted a position in the Obama administration, Van Jones explains why he’s working with the White House, and how green jobs can improve both the economy and the environment.

Making the Most of the Stimulus Bill: It Pays to Go Green
By Emily Cashwell
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/03/11/stimulus-bill-it-pays-go-green
The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, with tax and spending
provisions totaling almost $800 billion, creates many opportunities for
companies as well as individual taxpayers to get paid for going green.

Less is More Obvious: Why Sustainability Is So Hard To Define
By Tim Mohin
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/03/11/less-more-obvious-sustainability
Recently, Tim Mohin had the opportunity to speak to a diverse group of industry professionals on “Sustainability 101.” No one raised a hand when he asked whether anyone could define sustainability, and its soon became clear that a vague definition that can mean all things to all people just wouldn’t cut it.

REC vs. Carbon Offset: Do You Know the Difference?
By Aimee Barnes
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/03/12/rec-vs-carbon-offset-do-you-know-difference
As the U.S. carbon and clean energy markets continue evolving, it’s important for everyone — from policy makers to your average offset purchaser — to understand why there’s much more to it than building windmills.

Which European Country is the Trashiest?
By Matthew Wheeland
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/03/12/trashiest-european-country
Following on our post about the biggest energy-hogging buildings in London, a new study digs up the dirt on 27 E.U. countries to find out how much garbage they generate per person — and we ask the question: how does the U.S. compare?

Behind the Scenes of AT&T’s Green Fleet
By Joel Makower
http://www.greenbiz.com/podcast/2009/03/11/behind-scenes-att-green-fleet
To get more details about AT&T’s major green fleet announcement, GreenBiz.com’s executive editor Joel Makower, spoke with Jerome Webber and Beth Shiroishi about how the project came about, the benefits of alternative fuel vehicles, and how to drive demand for green fleets in the industry.

Clean Energy Trends 2009
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/clean-energy-trends-2009
How is clean energy technology faring amid the countervailing forces of Obama stimulus and economic meltdown? The seventh annual Clean Energy Trends report details the growth and challenges of the sector — and provides experts’ take on five key trends.

Green IT: Why Mid-size Companies Are Investing Now
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/green-it-why-mid-size-companies-are-investing-now
This research from IBM and Info-Tech Research looks at adoption rates of
virtualization, power management, asset management and a host of other green IT practices in more than a thousand medium-sized companies.

Read the full story in Technology Review.

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories, in Livermore, CA, have created the first carbon-nanotube devices that can detect the entire visible spectrum of light. Their work might one day find a range of applications, including in solar cells that absorb more light, tiny cameras that work in very low light, and better artificial retinas.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

For the first time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to set emission limits for formaldehyde, benzene, acrolein, and other air toxics from certain stationary diesel and gas-fired engines, according to a Feb. 27 press release.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

The University of Utah and Headwaters Incorporated have entered into a joint venture to offer carbon management services to carbon dioxide (CO2)-emitting companies, from carbon storage engineering to risk and liability management, according to a Feb. 24 press release.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

The Obama administration on Feb. 26 proposed a budget of $10.5 billion for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the largest in the agency’s 39-year history, according to an EPA press release.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports (subscription) that quite a few colleges that signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) haven’t submitted their greenhouse gas reports by the deadline.

About 25 percent of the colleges that should have turned in the reports in September are still delinquent. Of the colleges that had a deadline in January, nearly half have yet to file. Many of the colleges are small or two-year institutions that may not have the resources to continue their sustainability efforts in the face of mounting budget problems.

For a list of ACUPCC institutions and their reporting status, see http://acupcc.aashe.org/.

ERDC TR-09-3
(Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program)
Sensitivity Analysis of QSAR Models for Assessing Novel Military Compounds
by Jay L. Clausen, Erin Bennett, and Igor Linkov

Abstract:
Reliable estimates of physical and biochemical properties of novel energetic compounds are essential before making the investment to synthesize, scale-up, and manufacture a new material for use in either military or civilian applications. Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) software tools are available for predicting the physicochemical properties and environmental impacts of these emerging materials. The uncertainty and variability in melting point, solubility, half-lives, and related properties as a means of determining whether QSAR tools could provide meaningful results were evaluated. In particular, the octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow or log P) was estimated for several pro-posed compounds. Log P was selected both because it typically can be measured with a high degree of certainty and because it correlates highly with water solubility and bioaccumulation. This study tested: 1) the variability in QSAR model predictions resulting from potential structural vari-ants in emerging chemicals; and 2) the uncertainty from six different commercial Kow calculators: KOWWIN, MarvinSketch, ACD/Labs, CLogP, SPARC, and ALOGPs. Analyses were performed on three military com-pounds [hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,