·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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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.