·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Read the full story in Technology Review.

Plastic solar cells are lightweight, flexible, and, most important, cheap to make. But so far, these devices have been too inefficient to compete with silicon solar cells for most applications. Now researchers from a few institutions claim to have made polymer solar cells with record-breaking efficiencies. These cells still aren’t good enough to compete with silicon, but polymer efficiencies have been increasing at a rate of about 1 percent a year. If they can keep this up, say researchers, plastic solar cells will be competing with silicon within a few years.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

The last incandescent bulbs in the station have been replaced with compact fluorescent bulbs, a move that benefits the environment and helps keep six people employed.

Serious Materials Reclaims a Second Shuttered Window Factory
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/30/serious-materials-reclaims-second-factory
By GreenerBuildings Staff
Serious Materials is working to revive another failed factory by rehiring
workers and replacing the product line of the former owner with the California
company’s brand of high-performance windows. Drawn by the firm’s efforts, Vice
President Joe Biden, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Roland Burris and Chicago
Mayor Richard Daley paid a visit to the site earlier this week.

Clean Technology and the Aroma of Emerging Opportunity
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/29/cleantech-and-emerging-opportunity
By Joel Makower
Joel Makower writes from the annual gathering convened by the cleantech venture
fund VantagePoint Venture Partners, which is meeting in Northern California’s
wine country this week.

Cracking the Mystery of Green Jobs
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/29/cracking-mystery-green-jobs
By Paula Hendricks
As a first step to understanding the world of green jobs and the green economy
– not to mention as a way of knowing where to find a green job — we first have
to know exactly what makes a job green. The answer is more complicated than you
might expect.

Hawken: ‘I’m a Slut for Change’ … and Other Provocative Comments from Brainstorm Green
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/24/slut-for-change-and-brainstorm-green
By Marc Gunther
Marc Gunther recaps highlights of the Brainstorm Green conference with comments
from Paul Hawken, Bill Clinton and other thought-leaders on climate change and
the role of industry in working toward sustainability.

Building Sector, Governments Must Act Now to Curb Energy Use: Report
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/29/buildings-govts-must-curb-energy-use
The building sector and governments have made progress but are not doing enough
to improve energy efficiency in the built environment — and will not meet
targets to address global climate change unless sweeping action is taken
immediately to slash energy use, according to a new report by the World Business
Council for Sustainable Development.

Citi’s Frankfurt Data Center Earns First-Ever Leed Platinum Certification
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/23/citi-data-center-first-leed-platinum
From green roofs to heavily virtualized servers, the new facility uses 70
percent less energy than a typical data center its size, and makes use of free
outside-air cooling almost two-thirds of the time.

IES to Roll Out Upgraded Toolkits for Eco-Friendly Design Analysis
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/29/ies-rolls-out-upgraded-toolkits
Integrated Environmental Solutions Ltd., a building analysis software firm
headquartered in Glasgow, is launching enhanced versions of its VE-Toolkits to
support sustainable design analysis.

New Product Verification Tool for Green Builders Launches in South Africa
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/30/product-verification-south-africa
Ecospecifier, an online product verification tool for green building materials,
has launched in South Africa.

Intel, PepsiCo, Kohl’s Top EPA’s List of Green Power Buyers
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/27/intel-pepsico-kohls-green-power-buyers
The U.S. EPA has released its latest list of the country’s top 50 buyers of
green energy. Intel hangs onto its top spot as Kohl’s doubles its green power
purchases and some new faces, including Wal-Mart and Motorola, make it onto the
list.

How Sustainable Thinking Can Change Design
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/podcast/2009/04/16/how-sustainable-thinking-can-change-design
By Jonathan Bardelline
Terry Swack, co-founder and CEO of SustainableMinds.com, spoke with GreenBiz
Radio about how sustainable design can help companies through the economic
downturn and into the future, and where design changes need to be made to have
the biggest impact.

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

Federal agents raided government offices in south suburban Crestwood on Wednesday, less than two weeks after a Tribune investigation revealed the village had secretly pumped drinking water from a polluted well for more than two decades.

Read the full post at Sustainable IT.

Yet another corporation can attest to the benefits of embracing green-tech practices. At the world’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum-certified datacenter, financial behemoth Citi is using 70 percent less energy than would a conventional datacenter of equal size. That adds up to significant cost savings, combined with significant environmental gains.

Read the full post at Sustainable IT.

There’s a striking difference between the list of Green 15 winners from 2008 and 2009: In 2008, the list was dominated by companies in the tech industry, including EMC, HP, IBM, Fujitsu, NetApp, Sun, and Juniper. This year’s honorees represent a far more diverse array of industries, with winners such as Procter & Gamble, Burt’s Bees, the U.S. Navy, Con-Way Freight, GlaxoSmithKline, and California State University East Bay.

Indeed, green technology appears to be flourishing at organizations of all sizes around the globe, driven not only by good intentions and corporate social responsibility, but also business needs, such as cutting costs (electricity, fuel, paper, hardware refreshes, datacenter expansions, and travel) and boosting productivity.

Read the full story in Interior Design.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) recently announced their picks for this year’s top 10 examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions.

Via Librarian’s Internet Index.

Website for a nonprofit organization with a mission to make “air-drying laundry acceptable and desirable as a simple and effective way to save energy.” Features laundry tips (on energy savings for washing and drying), blog, clothesline art, and material on advocacy efforts to make clotheslines legal in light of community covenants, landlord prohibitions, and zoning laws.

Via Librarian’s Internet Index.

“From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. ‘The Story of Stuff’ is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled [video] look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns.” Includes full movie, fact sheet, annotated script, reading list, and foreign-language subtitled versions. Sponsored by the Tides Foundation and Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption.

Via Librarian’s Internet Index.

This website offers “free, energy efficient, healthy house plans.” Each of the plan packages comes with “full construction documents or blueprints, … a home energy model for the city and state combination in which their home building project will occur, a LEED checklist,” and related material. Includes plans for models such as a “Modern Cube,” “Suburban Loft,” and “Simple Villa.” Also includes a blog.

MedlinePlus has added a topical guide to climate change, including its effect on human health.

Via Docuticker.

Background paper: How CBO estimates the costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (PDF; 795 KB)
Source: Congressional Budget Office

As part of its mandate to provide the Congress with the objective, timely, and nonpartisan analysis needed to make informed economic and budgetary decisions, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) prepares cost estimates for legislation under consideration by the Congress. In recent years, a number of legislative proposals have involved efforts to restrict emissions of greenhouse gases in the United States. To estimate the budgetary impact of such proposals, CBO must first estimate the incremental costs to firms and households of mitigating greenhouse gases. This background paper briefly describes the methodology that CBO uses to estimate those incremental costs, the data sources and models used to develop that methodology, and the rationale for using it. In keeping with CBO’s mandate to provide impartial analysis, the paper contains no policy recommendations.

Via Docuticker.

New Report Cautions Green Jobs Mean Lower Pay, Taxpayer Subsidies & Lost Jobs
Source: U.S. Senate Green Jobs and the New Economy subcommittee (Sen. Kit Bond, R-MO)

With green jobs the focus of the President’s Earth Day event and numerous recent media stories, Senate Green Jobs and the New Economy subcommittee ranking member U.S. Senator Kit Bond today unveiled a new report: Yellow Light on Green Jobs.

“This report signals a yellow light urging caution with green jobs,” said Bond. “We must avoid green jobs proposals that result in killing millions of existing jobs to pay for new green jobs, require expensive taxpayer subsidies, or pay low wages.”

+ Full Report (PDF; 656 KB)

Read the full story in the New York Times.

Colleges are going trayless in an effort to save money and water and cut down on food waste.

AASHE is now accepting applications for its 2009 Sustainability Leadership Awards, to be presented the Greening of the Campus VIII Conference (Sept. 20-23 in Indianapolis, IN). Four Campus Sustainability Leadership Awards will be presented. The Campus Sustainability Leadership Award recognizes the institutions that have made the greatest overall commitment to sustainability as demonstrated in their governance, curriculum and research, operations, campus culture, and community outreach. Applications are due July 1, 2009.

Read the press release.

Mountains of paper, shelves of books and rows of filing cabinets are being replaced by PDFs, electronic book readers and hard drives. Anaheim University, the nationally accredited California-based institution, who pioneered online education in the mid-nineties as one of the world’s first entirely online universities to host live web-based classes taught by experts, has now committed to being paperless by 2010. This directive has caused Anaheim to push publishers to produce e-books, as well as adopt technical innovations such as the Sony book reader that allow the entire university’s curriculum of textbooks to be stored in a portable palm-sized electronic reader.

Read the full story in the Mills Campanil.

Treasure hunters seeking free items can follow the narrow hallways of Reinhardt Hall to a room reminiscent of common retail stores or a local swap meet. Alongside Post Road is the new home of the legendary free piles in Mills dorms, now known as the Sustainability and Reuse Depot.

Via Docuticker.

Report: Reinventing Transit — American Communities finding smarter, cleaner, faster transportation solutions
Source: Environmental Defense Fund

A new generation of innovative public transit is sweeping through communities across America.

Rural areas, suburbs and cities are leading the way to a cutting-edge transportation system. Investing in smart transit pays off — see why.

+ Full Report (PDF; 4.4 MB)

Via ResourceShelf.

From a Blog Post by Kim Balassiano:

To modernize our online maps [EPA's], yesterday we released an updated system called MyEnvironment. Our goal is still to help you answer questions about your own backyard, like who is operating down the block, receiving a new permit to release chemicals into the water, and most importantly, who is violating EPA standards for releases. We also pull together health information that you can use including the daily UV index, daily ozone and particulate matter forecasts, and potential cancer risk from air toxics.

To Access “My Environment” look for it in the left of the EPA web site

See Also: An Example of What a “My Environment” Map Looks Like for a Zip Code in Chicago. Looks like they’re using a Microsoft map at the top of the page.

Source: EPA’s Greenversations Weblog

Read the full post at Oh My Gov!

Just months after the federal government bailed out ailing U.S. automakers, it’s lining up as a major customer. President Obama this month announced a plan to purchase more than 17,000 American-made green cars to replace aging vehicles in the government’s fleet. The hybrid and other alternative fuel cars won’t literally be green … well, at least we don’t think so.

Going green is a laudable idea here, even if gas prices are again on the decline. It’s smart government to spend less on gasoline, while simultaneously helping reduce carbon emissions.

The showroom shopping spree will be funded from the $787 billion stimulus bill and cost roughly $285 million. The General Services Administration will sign the papers on the cars, which the administration said will be purchased by June 1. No word on who gets to pick the vanity plates.

To mark the annual celebration, CNET creates a green electronics guide, a new weekly show focusing on eco-living, and tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint. See more green stuff from CNET.

Via Docuticker.

Greenhouse Gases Continue to Climb Despite Economic Slump
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Two of the most important climate change gases increased last year, according to a preliminary analysis for NOAA’s annual greenhouse gas index, which tracks data from 60 sites around the world.

Researchers measured an additional 16.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) — a byproduct of fossil fuel burning — and 12.2 million tons of methane in the atmosphere at the end of December 2008. This increase is despite the global economic downturn, with its decrease in a wide range of activities that depend on fossil fuel use.

+ NOAA Annual Greenhouse Gas Index (AGGI)

Via Docuticker.

Green at Fifteen? How 15-year-olds perform in environmental science and geoscience in PISA 2006
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Never before have the stakes been so high for the role of science education in shaping how people interact with the environment. Human activities responsible for the production of greenhouse gases, the accumulation of waste, the fragmentation or destruction of ecosystems and the depletion of resources are having a substantial impact on the environment. As a result, threats to the environment are prominently discussed in the media, and citizens world wide are increasingly faced with the need to understand complex environmental issues.

Environmental science and geoscience continue to generate comprehensive and complex knowledge. Therefore, the challenge for education is not only to produce more and better trained environmental scientists, but also to support informed and motivated citizens who are capable of understanding, interpreting and acting upon sophisticated scientific theory and evidence. The OECD’s PISA 2006 assessment of the science competencies of 15-year-olds offers the first comprehensive and internationally comparative database of students’ knowledge about the environment and environment-related issues. Green at Fifteen? presents an analysis of this knowledge base, including information on the sources of students’ awareness of environmental science, their attitudes towards the environment and how these attitudes interrelate with their performance in environmental science.

+ Full Document (PDF; 3.9 MB)
+ PISA 2006 results

See also: Students Least Informed about Environmental Science Are Most Optimistic (National Science Foundation)

Via Docuticker.

New Study Says Reducing Emissions Will Lower Energy Costs
Source: Union of Concerned Scientists

The United States can dramatically cut global warming emissions and reduce consumer and business energy bills at the same time, according to the findings of a soon-to-be-released, two-year study by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

The analysis, “Climate 2030: A National Blueprint for a Clean Energy Economy,” found that implementing a suite of climate, energy and transportation policies would allow the United States to meet an emissions-reduction cap of 56 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and save consumers and businesses $465 billion in that year. The average U.S. household would enjoy a net savings of $900 on its energy bills, including $580 on transportation (fuel, vehicle and driving) costs and $320 on electricity, natural gas and heating oil, after investing in home efficiency improvements. Businesses collectively would realize net energy bill savings of $130 billion.

UCS’s policy recommendations would put the nation on a path to reduce heat-trapping emissions by at least 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050, the target that UCS experts contend is necessary to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

+ Testimony of Kevin Knobloch, UCS President, on Climate 2030 Blueprint

Read the press release.

In recognition of Earth Day, Special Libraries Association (SLA) announces 12 recipients of the 2008 SLA Presidential Citation honoring SLA “Knowledge to Go Green” Champions. The 2008 Green Citation, presented in early 2009, was a special one-year citation created by Past President of SLA Stephen Abram in recognition of the association’s commitment to green practices through the “Knowledge to Go Green” initiative.

Read the full post (from Earth Day) at Lifehacker.

Today is Earth Day, and to celebrate we’re highlighting a handful of ways you can go green with your computer, your home, and your life.

We’ve covered tons of ways to conserve energy and help the environment here at Lifehacker, so this is just a very quick look at a few of our favorites. For more, take a gander at our Environment and Conservation ta.

Green Product Trends: More Launches, More Sales
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/24/green-product-trends
A variety of research shows that green products are staying strong throughout the recession, with companies ranging from Seventh Generation to Kimberly-Clark benefitting from, or betting on, consumers’ focus on environmental concerns.

Mars Partners With TerraCycle to Turn Candy Wrappers Into New Products
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/21/mars-partners-with-terracycle
TerraCycle has gained another big-name ally in its efforts to upcycle all types
of waste. Mars, Inc. has partnered with TerraCycle to upcycle surplus and used packaging from its wide range of food, candy and gum products into messenger bags, laptop sleeves and cell phone holders.

World Utilities Lumber Toward Low-Carbon Economy: CDP
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/23/utilities-low-carbon-economy
Many have called for a global clean-energy revolution, but the world’s utilities have a long way to go before they fundamentally change the way they produce power, according to the Carbon Disclosure Project.

Janine Benyus, Suzlon and RecycleBank Execs Honored as U.N. ‘Champions’
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/23/un-champions-earth-award
As part of its Earth Day celebrations, the United Nations Environment Programme awarded six individuals and one NGO as ‘Champions of the Earth’ for their environmental endeavors.

Toy Makers Flunk at Addressing Climate Change: Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/22/toymakers-flunk-on-climate-change
The toy and child equipment manufacturing sector is flunking in its efforts to
track and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change,
according to the latest Climate Counts scorecard.

Low-Carbon Meals, Employee Raises and Energy Incentives Highlighted in
Innovations Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/21/innovations-report-2009
The Environmental Defense Fund’s latest Innovations Review report looks at 15 actions being taken by companies to reduce emissions, lower resource use and encourage sustainable behaviors.

ZERI Foundation Awarded For Turning Coffee Waste Into Mushrooms
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/20/coffee-waste-into-mushrooms
For 15 years, the ZERI Foundation has helped coffee farms in Colombia and other countries use coffee waste to grow mushrooms. The Foundation was awarded for its work by the Specialty Coffee Association of America this month.

Vatican Turns to Sun God
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/22/vatican-turns-sun-god
The Holy See has confirmed plans to invest $646 million in Europe’s largest
solar farm.

Top 10 Water Innovators Celebrated in New Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/22/top-10-water-innovators
With concerns about water scarcity and quality on the rise around the world, a new study by the Artemis Project tracks down the top 50 companies developing market-ready innovations for water management, and singles out 10 for top accolades.

Interface Releases Environmental Stats From 2008; Continues Positive Trends
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/22/interface-environmental-stats-2008
Carpet manufacturer Interface has released its 2008 Ecometrics results, its
annual self-measurement of its energy, water, waste and emissions performance.

The Future of Green Product Design
By Joel Makower
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/22/the-future-green-product-design
With just about month to go before Greener By Design 2009, GreenBiz.com
Executive Editor Joel Makower previews what’s in store at the extraordinary
event.

Hawken: ‘I’m a Slut for Change’ … and Other Provocative Comments from Brainstorm: Green
By Marc Gunther
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/24/slut-for-change-and-brainstorm-green
Marc Gunther recaps highlights of the Brainstorm Green conference with comments from Paul Hawken, Bill Clinton and other thought-leaders on climate change and the role of industry in working toward sustainability.

History’s Lesson: Sustainability Requires Everyone in the Trenches
By Mitch Jackson
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/24/sustainability-requires-everyone-trenches
The drive toward sustainability transcends business, writes Mitch Jackson. We must all be working together, he says.

How Will the Climate Bill Affect the Economy (and the Climate)?
By Tilde Herrera
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/24/how-climate-bill-affect-economy
Hearings on the Waxman-Markey draft climate change bill opened on Capitol Hill this week, days after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed that rising greenhouse gas emissions fueling climate change pose a risk to public health and well-being.

A Picture-Perfect Example of Green Jobs
By Matthew Wheeland
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/20/perfect-example-green-jobs
A profile of the East Los Angeles Skills Center’s newest job-training program
illustrates what might be a best-case scenario for the green jobs economy.

The Costs and Benefits of Better Design
By Jonathan Bardelline
http://www.greenbiz.com/podcast/2009/04/20/the-costs-and-benefits-better-design
Wendy Jedlicka of Jedlicka Design talks with GreenBiz Radio about explaining the benefits of green design to clients, countering the idea that green has to carry a premium and making sense of language related to sustainability

Apollo Alliance Action Plan: Make It In America
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/apollo-alliance-action-plan-make-it-in-america
With help from leading industry, labor and environmental groups and businesses, the Apollo Alliance has put together a set of policy recommendations for the U.S. government that call for retooling the country’s shrinking manufacturing sector to accelerate development, commercialization and job creation in cleantech industries.

Innovations Review 2009: Green Advances for a New Economy
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/innovations-review-2009
The Environmental Defense Fund’s annual Innovations Review report highlights innovative strategies companies have implemented to reduce emissions, conserve resources, encourage sustainable behavior and more.

Read the full story in the Decatur Herald & Review.

A device targeted at Ameren Corp. customers to learn more about how they use electricity now is available at libraries throughout downstate Illinois. Gov. Pat Quinn joined Ameren Illinois Utilities President and CEO Scott Cisel on Friday at the Forsyth Public Library to announce a partnership with libraries in 85 counties, including those in the Rolling Prairie Library system.

The meters will be available for free checkout at 24 libraries throughout the Rolling Prairie Library system, Executive Director Bev Obert said. Ameren donated 25 meters to the library system, with two going to Decatur, Obert said.

All library systems in Ameren’s service area have been given free meters.

Read the full story in the New Tork Times.

The Superfund program, established nearly 30 years ago to clean up the nation’s most contaminated industrial sites, has been underfinanced since a tax expired in 1995.

Read the full article at Composter Connection.

When I started composting several years ago, I was like a lot of gardeners: I knew that compost was good for my garden, but I had no idea why.

As I began research for this article, my questions merely multiplied. Some of the claims made about compost seemed too good to be true and others made no sense at all. How could compost fight plant diseases? What did it mean to say, as so many sources do, that compost “buffered” or “balanced” soil pH levels? If compost did bind nutrients in the soil, how did it do so? Lots of sources list “adds beneficial micro-organisms” under compost benefits; did it really do this, and if so, what are the benefits?

Read the full story in Biomass Magazine.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have published a paper on their work with a bacteria and a yeast that have the potential to become a truly feedstock flexible process producing an intermediate chemical new to the biomass industry. Christopher Voigt, an associate professor in pharmaceutical chemistry at UCSF, was the principle investigator for the paper, “Synthesis of Methyl Halides from Biomass Using Engineered Microbes,” published online April 20 by the Journal of the American Chemical Society. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja809461u

Read the full story in Biomass Magazine.

OriginOil Inc. is making progress toward reducing the cost of harvesting algae and extracting the oil in a rapid, one-step process. In addition to integrating this process into its own algae production system, OriginOil plans to quickly commercialize the patent-pending process for use by others in the algae industry.

Read the full story in Biomass Magazine.

The Office of the Legislative Auditor for the Minnesota state legislature has released a report titled “Biofuel Policies and Programs” that recommends the state eliminate the producer payment program for corn-based ethanol and redirect those funds to other programs designed to reduce fossil fuel energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, including to programs to develop cellulosic ethanol.

Now’s your chance to create an iconic “eco-chair” for the second One Good Chair design competition, sponsored by World Market Center Las Vegas, Las Vegas Market’s Living Green Pavilion, and the Sustainable Furnishings Council. The theme of this year’s competition, “Fit Right Here,” emphasizes the connection between a person fitting comfortably in a chair as well as the chair fitting appropriately in its environment and the eco-system. Cash prizes, intended to support further development of the winning chair designs, will be awarded at a reception sponsored by World Market Center Las Vegas. Registration is open until May 30, 2009. For more information or an entry form, visit www.onegoodchair.com.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is accepting applications from organizations interested in initiating a Nature of Learning program in their communities.

The Nature of Learning is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System’s community-based environmental education initiative. The program uses National Wildlife Refuges as outdoor classrooms to promote a greater understanding of local conservation issues, encourage an interdisciplinary approach to learning, and utilize field experiences and student-led stewardship projects to connect classroom lessons to real world issues. The program also involves a partnership among local schools, community groups, natural resource professionals, and local businesses.

Schools or nonprofit organizations, including “Friends” groups, Cooperative and Interpretive Associations, Audubon Chapters, etc., are eligible to apply for funding. Programs must involve a partnership among a local school(s), community group (e.g., Refuge Support Group), and National Wildlife Refuge. Projects must be completed within eighteen months.

First year start-up grants are available for up to $10,000. Second year follow-up grants of up to $5,000 are available to support continued implementation of the Nature of Learning program. Matching contributions are not required; however, strong preference will be given to applications that leverage the grant award with contributions from project partners.

The latest nature film from Disney opened on Earth Day. Read Roger Ebert’s review here.

Read the full story from Slate (via the Washington Post).

In greenwashing, as in life, there are seven sins. There’s the sin of the hidden trade-off, for example, the sin of vagueness, and the sin of no proof. So says sinsofgreenwashing.org, which takes on companies that offer seemingly green benefits—often at a hefty price tag—with little results. As the green trend continues, companies in almost every industry vie for a piece of the green market, even the embattled General Motors (GM) has taken a chance on its own green product initiative.

But as the field of green products grows, so does the number of impostors. The following is a list of some of the most perplexing green products out there—and an assessment of just how scammy they might be.

Read the full story in the Washington Post.

Renewable-energy development, which the Obama administration has made a priority, is posing conflicts between economic interests and environmental concerns, not entirely unlike the way offshore oil and gas development pits economics against environment. But because of concerns about climate, many environmentalists and government agencies could find themselves straddling both sides, especially in Western states where the federal government is a major landowner.

Read the full story in the Washington Post, where one reporter chronicles her family’s attempts to live a greener life and wonders how big a difference it makes.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

A fossil fuels industry group campaigned against an idea its own scientists called irrefutable: a link between heat-trapping gases and climate change.

Latest addition to Google Labs is a web application that organizes information chronologically. Google News Timeline allows users to view news, scanned newspapers and magazines, blog posts, sports scores, and more on a zoomable, graphical timeline. Very cool.

Is Linux the Greenest Operating System?
By Preston Gralla
http://www.greenercomputing.com/blog/2009/04/17/is-linux-greenest-operating-system
Microsoft and Apple have been in the forefront of efforts to green IT and
computing in general — and, of course, letting the world know about their
efforts. But one columnist believes that Linux is the greenest operating system of all. I’ve got details in my blog.

Federal Government Boosts Its EPEAT Purchases
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2009/04/20/federal-government-epeat-purchases
Over half of all government agencies have purchased 95 percent or more
EPEAT-certified electronics, in accordance with a new federal guideline.

Low-Carbon Meals, Employee Raises and Energy Incentives Highlighted in Innovations Report
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2009/04/21/innovations-report-2009
The Environmental Defense Fund’s latest Innovations Review report looks at 15 actions being taken by companies to reduce emissions, lower resource use and encourage sustainable behaviors.

AOL, MassMutual, APC and Others Win Uptime’s Green IT Awards
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2009/04/19/uptime-green-it-awards
At the 2009 Uptime Institute Symposium, the winners of the 2009 Green Enterprise IT Awards covered a range of industries and practices that bring innovations in green IT to the data center and beyond.

Epidemic of Spam Email Results in a Giant Carbon Footprint
By James Murray, BusinessGreen.com
http://www.greenercomputing.com/news/2009/04/16/spam-epidemic-carbon-footprint
A new study from research firm ICF claims that unwanted emails are responsible for carbon emissions equivalent to more than three million cars.

The Whys and Hows of Measuring Power in your Data Center
By Herman Chan and Greg More
http://www.greenercomputing.com/feature/2009/04/15/why-how-measure-data-center-power
How much power your data center used has not historically been a major concern for IT managers; but with costs and environmental savings as a top of mind concern, there are some simple steps so you can measure — and manage — your facility’s performance.

Obama’s New CTO: Big on Green IT
By Preston Gralla
http://www.greenercomputing.com/blog/2009/04/21/obamas-new-cto-big-green-it
In one more signal that Green IT will get a boost from the Obama administration, the newly appointed federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra has shown that he’s well aware of the importance of Green IT, and will likely have a focus on it during his tenure in the federal government.

Who’s the Greenest IT Company? The Answer Might Surprise You
By Matthew Wheeland
http://www.greenercomputing.com/blog/2009/04/20/greenest-it-user
In its list of the top 12 companies putting green IT practices to the test,
Computerworld magazine explores the cutting edge of cost- and energy-saving information technologies.

Innovations Review 2009: Green Advances for a New Economy
http://www.greenercomputing.com/resources/resource/innovations-review-2009
The Environmental Defense Fund’s annual Innovations Review report highlights innovative strategies companies have implemented to reduce emissions, conserve resources, encourage sustainable behavior and more.

Lean & Green: Reducing IT Energy Drain for Business Gain
http://www.greenercomputing.com/resources/resource/lean-green-reducing-it-energy-drain-business-gain
In a world of toxic e-waste and chronic energy shortfall, IT professionals of
all stripes are seeking cost-effective ways to implement green practices across the enterprise, and this site aims to spread the word about sustainable
computing practices.

How Sustainable Thinking Can Change Design
By Jonathan Bardelline
http://www.greenercomputing.com/podcast/2009/04/16/how-sustainable-thinking-can-change-design
Terry Swack, co-founder and CEO of SustainableMinds.com, spoke with GreenBiz Radio about how sustainable design can help companies through the economic downturn and into the future, and where design changes need to be made to have the biggest impact.

Filmmakers Spotlight the Blue Collars at the Heart of Green Building
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/blog/2009/04/22/blue-collars-in-green-building
By Leslie Guevarra
Filmmakers Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis bring their acclaimed documentary on
greening building to union halls across the U.S. in celebration of Earth Week — and the men and women who build green buildings.

Why Don’t We Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit?
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/17/low-hanging-fruit
By Marc Gunther
Marc Gunther says he’s heard the phrase “low-hanging fruit” countless times to describe the easy gains garned from energy efficiency. So if it’s so easily
done, why don’t people do it?

The Future of Green Product Design
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/blog/2009/04/22/the-future-green-product-design
By Joel Makower
With just about month to go before Greener By Design 2009, GreenBiz.com
Executive Editor Joel Makower previews what’s in store at the extraordinary
event.

Second Thoughts on Green Jobs (and Economists)
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/blog/2009/04/20/second-thoughts-green-jobs
By Marc Gunther
Marc Gunther takes another look at the debate over green jobs — and at the
feedback he received from his earlier column.

Budweiser Brewery Uses Solar Energy to Help Power Plant
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/17/budweiser-brewery-uses-solar
More than 6 acres of ground-mounted photovoltaic solar arrays are now up and running at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Fairfield, California.

Getting Up to Speed on GSA’s Green Stimulus
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/blog/2009/04/21/gsa-green-stimulus
By Leanne Tobias
The General Services Administration, the U.S. government’s facilities manager, is among the first federal agencies to disseminate green stimulus dollars for the real estate sector. Leanne Tobias takes a look at the GSA’s ambitious $5.55 billion green facilities initiative.

Golden Arches’ Headquarters Attains LEED Platinum Rating
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/23/golden-arches-hq-leed-platinum
McDonald’s global headquarters has received LEED Platinum certification, the highest level possible under the U.S. Green Building Council’s rating and
assessment system.

JLL, BNY Mellon Cut Ribbon on Solar Power System
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/23/jll-bny-mellon-solar-power-system
Commercial real estate services leader Jones Lang LaSalle and the Bank of New York Mellon have launched a new 76-kilowatt solar panel installation atop the office complex of the financial services firm.

Two Facilities at the University of Arkansas Receive Green Globes Ratings
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/23/two-facilities-university-arkansas-receive-green-globes-ratings
The Duncan Avenue Apartments and Community Center at the University of Arkansas have been certified as environmentally friendly under the standards set by the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes rating and assessment system.

Apollo Alliance Releases Action Plan for Retooling U.S. Manufacturing
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/20/apollo-alliance-action-plan
The Apollo Alliance has released an action plan calling for the U.S. government to fund the retooling of the country’s shrinking manufacturing sector so that it can accelerate development, commercialization and job creation in cleantech industries.

Registration Opens for Two New LEED Credentials
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/news/2009/04/20/registration-open-two-new-leed-credentials
The Green Building Certification Institute opened registration today for the
exams to attain the new LEED Green Associate and Accredited Professional
Operation and Maintenance credentials.

The Costs and Benefits of Better Design
http://www.greenerbuildings.com/podcast/2009/04/20/the-costs-and-benefits-better-design
By Jonathan Bardelline
Wendy Jedlicka of Jedlicka Design talks with GreenBiz Radio about explaining the benefits of green design to clients, countering the idea that green has to carry a premium and making sense of language related to sustainability.

How Companies Celebrate Earth Day
By Matthew Wheeland
http://www.greenbiz.com/feature/2009/04/22/how-companies-celebrate-earth-day
Companies large and small are taking Earth Day to heart, organizing events,
outreach and education session for employees. We talked to more than a dozen companies across industries to find out what internal Earth Day activities they had lined up.

The Selling of Earth Day 2009: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
By Tilde Herrera
http://www.greenbiz.com/feature/2009/04/22/the-selling-of-earth-day
Part two of our Earth Day 2009 package looks beyond what companies are doing in offices and on their own campuses to explore the ways they’re sharing their efforts with the world at large.

Top 10 Water Innovators Celebrated in New Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/22/top-10-water-innovators
With concerns about water scarcity and quality on the rise around the world, a new study by the Artemis Project tracks down the top 50 companies developing market-ready innovations for water management, and singles out 10 for top accolades.

Low-Carbon Meals, Employee Raises and Energy Incentives Highlighted in Innovations Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/21/innovations-report-2009
The Environmental Defense Fund’s latest Innovations Review report looks at 15 actions taken by companies to reduce emissions, lower resource use and promote sustainable behaviors.

Interface Releases Environmental Stats From 2008; Continues Positive Trends
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/22/interface-environmental-stats-2008
Carpet manufacturer Interface has released its 2008 Ecometrics results, its
annual self-measurement of its energy, water, waste and emissions performance.

Mars Partners With TerraCycle to Turn Candy Wrappers Into New Products
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/21/mars-partners-with-terracycle
TerraCycle has gained another big-name ally in its efforts to upcycle all types
of waste: the candy maker will send discarded wrappers to be reborn up-stream.

Why Don’t We Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit?
By Marc Gunther
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/17/low-hanging-fruit
Marc Gunther says he’s heard the phrase “low-hanging fruit” countless times to describe the easy gains garned from energy efficiency. So if it’s so easily
done, why don’t people do it?

Getting Up to Speed on GSA’s Green Stimulus
By Leanne Tobias
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/21/gsa-green-stimulus
The General Services Administration, the U.S. government’s facilities manager, is among the first federal agencies to disseminate green stimulus dollars for the real estate sector. Leanne Tobias takes a look at the GSA’s ambitious $5.55 billion green facilities initiative.

Getting Green Done Means Moving Past ‘Sustainability 101′
By Joel Makower
http://www.greenbiz.com/podcast/2009/04/10/getting-green-done
Auden Schendler, author of the new book “Getting Green Done,” talks to Joel
Makower about the barriers to green success that every company faces, why
climate change is the only problem we face, and how telling stories of failures
is the way to succeed.

Read the full story in the Denver Post.

The head honcho of the Democratic National Convention host committee announced Wednesday it would spend $100,000 to cancel out the committee’s carbon footprint.

Mike Dino, the committee’s chief executive, said the $100,000 donation to the Colorado Carbon Fund will pay for investment in programs to soak up nearly 5,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. That donation, plus renewable-energy credits provided gratis by power companies, is enough to offset the estimated nearly 9,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide produced by the host committee in planning and fundraising for last summer’s convention in Denver.

Read the full story in the Washington Post.

Nestled in the San Juan Mountains at 9,300 feet, and surrounded by 13,000-foot peaks, Silverton, Colo., seems an unlikely place for a dust storm, especially with two feet of snow on the ground. So Chris Landry was alarmed on the afternoon of April 3 when he spotted a brown haze on the horizon; an hour later, a howling wind had engulfed the town in a full-fledged dust storm, turning everything from the sky to the snow a rusty red.

“It was almost surreal,” recalled Landry, executive director of the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies. The landscape looked like Mars after the storm passed, he said: “You could feel the dust, you could taste the dust.”

The scene Landry witnessed that day was the most severe example of a phenomenon that has overtaken parts of the West this year, one that could exacerbate a slew of environmental problems there in the years to come. The Colorado Rockies, including the headwaters of the Colorado River and the Rio Grande, have experienced 11 serious dust storms this year, a record for the six years researchers have been tracking them.

Read the full story in the San Francisco Chronicle.

San Francisco residents will get their first peek today at an inventive Internet-based tool that lets them track their personal carbon footprint and gauge how green their neighborhood is compared with the rest of the city.

The Web site at UrbanEcoMap.org was built by Cisco Systems Inc., engineers using information such as trash collection, recycling rates and hybrid-car ownership to break down energy consumption and other environmental factors by Zip code. For example, the map shows that Mayor Gavin Newsom’s neighborhood has the 10th lowest level of overall carbon emissions.

The interactive technology won’t be available to San Francisco users until mid-May, but residents can check out a video that explains the Web site and how to use it starting today.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on April 16 highlighted a new effort to expose the number of U.S. energy projects that have been delayed or stopped due to permitting and siting hurdles, opposition by local and professional activist groups, and other “green” tape.

The chamber’s Project No Project effort features a Web site that details a state-by-state analysis of key energy infrastructure projects that are being thwarted when the U.S. economy needs them most.

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

The Interior Department has finalized sweeping rules that clear the way for the first offshore wind turbines to be erected along the Atlantic Coast, the most aggressive move yet from an administration that hopes to shift the nation’s offshore energy goals from oil to wind power.

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

United Airlines is the latest U.S. carrier to go “green,” unveiling Wednesday a new Web-based tool to help passengers offset the greenhouse gas emissions produced during their flights.