·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Read the full story in Biodiesel Magazine.

San Francisco biodiesel producer Sirona Fuels  announced on April 1 that a batch of B100 jatropha-based biodiesel returned extraordinarily high test results.

CytoCulture International Inc., the environmental biotechnology firm that conducted the tests, reported that the Sirona fuel’s total free and bound glycerin concentration was measured at 0.052 percent, nearly five times lower than the
ASTM maximum limit of 0.24 percent. These results were also three times lower than the national average concentration of total glycerin reported in a 2007 survey conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which sampled B100 from 56 production plants in the U.S.

Read the full story in Biodiesel Magazine.

Conservation tillage is a widely recognized and accepted practice that’s included in many efforts to define sustainable biofuels. In fact, biodiesel producers won’t be alarmed by many of the broad principles that are being proposed to define sustainability but, with all of the diverse groups involved, working out the details won’t be easy. Biodiesel Magazine takes a closer look at three approaches to defining sustainability.

Read the full story in Biodiesel Magazine.

A bill which would require all diesel fuel in Iowa to be blended with 5 percent biodiesel starting on July 1 is working its way, with some difficulty, through the state legislature. Iowa Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Dist. 4, was one of 31 senators to cosponsor the bill based on the Minnesota biodiesel mandate passed last year. (See “Minnesota mandates B20 by 2015.”)

Read the full story in Biodiesel Magazine.

EcoSystem Corp. is working to develop a bioreactor technology that utilizes black soldier fly larva to convert food scrap waste into natural oils, which can be used as a feedstock for biodiesel production and specialty chemical applications. The natural oil that is produced has been trademarked by the company as MAGFUEL.

Read the full story in Biodiesel Magazine.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. has awarded $13,750 to the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corp. to look at the feasibility of developing oilseed crops—such as canola and soybeans—for the production of biodiesel in the Sault St. Marie, Ontario, region. The study will look at establishing an oilseed crushing facility and biorefinery. The development corporation has also received funds to study the feasibility of fiber crops—such as industrial hemp—for the production of paper and textiles.

Mary Ellen Bates gives a very nice summary of two search engines that use visual clouds to display results. Both tools are really helpful when trying to narrowweb search results. Definitely worth a look.

The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) will host its 62nd Annual Meeting on 18-19 May 2009 at The Westin Gateway, Arlington, Virginia. The theme of the 2009 meeting is “Sustainable Agriculture: Greening the Global Food Supply.” The National Council for Science and the Environment are cosponsors.

The meeting program and links to speaker websites are available at:
www.aibs.org/annual-meeting/annual_meeting_2009.html

Read the full post at Sustainable IT.

Sure, it takes effort to get it right, but a telecommuting program can benefit companies, employees, and the environment

Read the full post at OhMyGov!

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The phrase should carry deep, metaphorical meaning and not be reflective of a man literally finding a broken toilet seat and making bank. But here we are in 2009, and anything is possible.

Despite having been long detested, landfills have in recent years benefited from numerous subsidies that help turn the natural gas byproduct of decaying material in landfills into energy. According to the Environmental Industry Association and EPA, on a daily basis, 1, 440 megawatts worth of electricity and 310 million cubic meters of landfill gas were delivered by these “green” landfills. And new projects to harvest the methane gas continue to pop up.

Read the full story in Wired’s How-To Wiki.

Most of us grew up with the Environmental Protection Agency’s friendly “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” motto — but when it comes to gadgets, being environmentally responsible isn’t quite so easy.

That’s because electronics are neither easy for manufacturers to create nor simple for recyclers to disassemble. On top of that, laws on handling e-waste are inconsistent between countries, states and even cities. Long story short, the biggest problem with recycling gadgets is it’s confusing as hell for consumers.

But it really doesn’t have to be. Below, Gadget Lab rounds up a list of major companies and how their recycling programs work — so your next useless cellphone doesn’t end up taking up space in a drawer or leaching toxics into a landfill. We’ll start with the easiest stuff first and then move on to the more complicated gadgets.

Via Docuticker.

Annual Energy Outlook 2009
Source: Energy Information Administration

The Annual Energy Outlook 2009 (AEO2009) presents projections and analysis of US energy supply, demand, and prices through 2030. The projections are based on results from the Energy Information Administration’s National Energy Modeling System. The AEO2009 includes the reference case, additional cases examining energy markets, and complete documentation.

Download in sections (PDFs) or as full report (PDF; 4.9 MB).

Via ResourceShelf.

LC’s Lab Renovation: Increasing Energy Efficiency and Reducing Environmental Impact

From the Report:

In the past few years, chemistry and materials science have begun to emphasize active pro-environmental practice—laboratory design, research policies, and use of instruments, equipment, and procedures designed to protect the environment from avoidable harm.  Tenets of this approach, informally called “green chemistry” in “green labs,” include energy-efficient design, increased instrument sensitivity, micro-scale sampling, and minimized solvent use to reduce environmental exposure and chemical wastes.  In addition to environmental benefits, rewards include safety, efficiency, reduced costs, and smaller space requirements.  While “green” chemistry and labs have no absolute requirements, guidelines for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification have been developed.

The Library of Congress Preservation Research and Testing Division has recently upgraded its 25 year old laboratories. This initiative has allowed the Library to strengthen its scientific research effort in a number of important ways.

Source: Library of Congress

Via Docuticker.

Report From 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy Finds That Organizations Waste Billions of Dollars Running Idle Computers
Source: 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy

According to an international study released today by software company 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy, nearly half of US workers who use a PC at their job do not typically shut down at night1. The 2009 PC Energy Report, which examines workplace PC power consumption in the US, UK and Germany, found that US organizations waste $2.8 billion a year to power 108 million unused machines. In 2009, these unused PCs are expected to emit approximately 20 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, roughly the equivalent impact of 4 million cars.

+ PC Energy Report (Individual reports for Germany, UK, US in PDF)

Via Docuticker.

Safe Drinking Water Needs Assessed
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

A recent drinking water needs survey will help EPA determine the distribution formula for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) grants for the fiscal years 2010 through 2013 budgets. The assessment documents anticipated costs for repairs and replacement of transmission and distribution pipes, storage and treatment equipment, and projects that are necessary to deliver safe supplies of drinking water.

The Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, which is done every four years, reflects data collected in 2007 from states. According to the survey results, the nation’s water utilities will need to invest an estimated $334.8 billion over the next 20 years to deal with aging infrastructure.

Results from the assessment are used to develop a formula to distribute the agency’s annual DWSRF grants. The Safe Drinking Water Act established the DWSRF to help states provide grants to drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements. Since the DWSRF program began in 1997, states have provided more than $15 billion in funding to utilities for infrastructure projects.

+ Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment

Via Docuticker.

State, Federal Regulators offer criteria for DOE Smart Grid Stimulus Funding
Source: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

State and federal regulators today outlined a list of criteria for the Department of Energy to consider when it starts providing grant and other funding for Smart Grid projects under the 2009 stimulus bill.

The regulators, members of the Smart Grid Collaborative jointly sponsored by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), developed the criteria as a consensus for establishing preconditions under which Smart Grid projects would be funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“Getting a smart grid established in America is very important,” FERC Commissioner Suedeen Kelly said. “We believe we can do this in a way that expands opportunities for consumers while keeping the grid safe, secure and reliable. We want the money that Congress has dedicated to this effort to be put to its best use. The criteria we propose today are a consensus among 19 states and FERC on the best way that DOE can efficiently and effectively fund smart grid demonstration projects.”

+ Full Document (PDF; 23 KB)

Via Docuticker.

EPA Announces Results of 17th Annual Acid Rain Auction
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA has posted the results of its annual acid rain auction, held on March 24. The annual auction gives power plants, brokers, and private citizens the opportunity to buy and sell sulfur dioxide (SO2) allowances as part of EPA’s successful cap and trade program to reduce emissions contributing to acid rain.

The 1990 Clean Air Act (CAA) amendments established this program to cap national SO2 emissions at 50 percent of 1980 levels. Each year, EPA issues allowances to existing sources within that cap. In addition, the CAA mandates that a limited number of those allowances are withheld and auctioned. The auctions help ensure that new electric generating plants have a source of allowances beyond those allocated initially to existing units. Proceeds from the auctions are returned to sources in proportion to the allowances withheld. In addition to allowances offered by EPA, private parties may offer allowances for sale in the auction.

The auction includes two “vintages” of allowances. Vintage describes the earliest year an allowance may be applied against SO2 emissions. In addition to year 2009 allowances, the Clean Air Act mandated that EPA auction additional allowances seven years in advance to help provide stability in planning for capital investment. These advance allowances will be usable first in 2016. No offers from private parties to sell their allowances were received.

+ Annual Auction

Via Docuticker.

Flexibility in the Timing of Emission Reductions Under a Cap-and-Trade Program
Source: Congressional Budget Office

Chairman Rangel, Ranking Member Camp, and Members of the Committee, thank you for the invitation to discuss ways to reduce the economic cost of a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse-gas emissions. That cost would depend importantly on firms’ flexibility in the timing of their emission reductions. Analysts have developed a num­ber of options for increasing timing flexibility, and this testimony reviews the advan­tages and disadvantages of leading options.

Accumulating evidence about the pace and potential extent of global warming has heightened policymakers’ interest in cost-effective ways to achieve substantial reduc­tions in emissions of greenhouse gases. Although the potential damage from climate change is large, the potential cost of avoiding change is large as well. Meaningfully reducing the risk of damage would require that the United States and other nations make fundamental changes in the way that energy is produced and used. Those changes could include replacing carbon dioxide-emitting fossil fuels with appropriate renewable fuels or nuclear power; reducing energy use, perhaps through major gains in energy efficiency; and capturing and storing greenhouse gases on a large scale.

Many analysts agree that the most cost-effective way to spur significant changes in the production and use of energy is to put a price on carbon emissions. By establishing such a price—rather than by dictating specific technologies or changes in behav­ior—the government would encourage households and firms to reduce emissions in the least costly ways. Either a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade program would effectively put a price on carbon emissions and lead to emission reductions where and how it was least costly to achieve them.

Statement of Douglas W. Elmendorf, CBO Director, before the Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (formerly the Waste Management and Research Center) is accepting applications for the 2009 Governor’s Sustainability Awards. Applications must submitted by May 29, 2009 for consideration.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

In a new threat to Detroit, China is investing heavily in hybrid and electric-vehicle technology.

Application deadline: April 15, 2009

Help lead the conservation actions needed to shape a greener, healthier future. Apply to become a TogetherGreen Fellow. Each year, 40 new Fellows will get broad-based training, assistance and opportunities to help them conduct their own innovative, results-oriented conservation projects, serve as conservation role models, inspire and engage diverse audiences and communities, build leadership skills and connect with other U.S. and international conservation leaders. Applicants may be budding volunteer leaders or mid-career environmental professionals. They must have a passion for conservation, the desire to learn and grow and a commitment to making a difference. http://www.togethergreen.org/People/Fellows.aspx

Entry deadline: April 30, 2009

IC Bus is offering a free hybrid school bus to the winning school in a student essay contest on “green” practices at school. In addition, the winning student will receive a $5,000 scholarship and the faculty sponsor gets $3,000 for educational materials K-12 students are invited to submit 500-word essays describing their school’s efforts to “go green.” Essays will be judged on demonstration of commitment to environmentally conscious practices, demonstration of commitment to environmentally friendly transportation and creativity. http://www.americasgreenestschool.com/

Entry deadline: April 22, 2009

The U.S. EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds video contest engages the public on water quality issues and inspires stewardship of the nation’s waters. Videos are being accepted on a wide variety of topics and should convey easy, low-cost ways to improve and protect the nation’s waters. One winner will be chosen for a short, 30- or 60-second video that is usable as a public service announcement, and another will be chosen for a longer one- to three-minute video. Each winner will receive a $2,500 cash award. The videos will be featured on EPA’s website. http://www.epa.gov/owow/videocontest.html.

Earth Day Network has developed a series of water-themed lesson plans and activities in support of this year’s Environmental Education Week theme: Be Water Wise! These activities incorporate art, math, science and social studies skills to help students understand issues including water conservation, water scarcity, global access to water, the connection between water and climate change and other important topics. Visit http://www.eeweek.org/resources/water_curriculato download the activities.