·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
• • • • •

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.