·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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The Illinois legislative session is in full swing and legislators are considering several bills that would impact the state’s policies relating to environmental protection and energy policy.

A new report from FollowTheMoney.org examines the energy industry, pro-business organizations and environmental organizations that are working to impact the outcome of this legislation. The report shows that contributors interested in climate-change policy gave $7.2 million in 2008, 7 percent of all contributions given to candidate and party committees. Of this, $4.3 million came from 13 industry groups and associations opposed to carbon regulations.

All 53 lawmakers who sit on the relevant committees that hear the bills or serve in key leadership positions received money from the interested parties. The four people in leadership positions received $573,550 from members of the 13 industry groups and associations and an additional $312,881 from other associations, organizations and individual companies–eight times as much as the 49 members of the pertinent committees, and almost ten times the amount received by other lawmakers.

Associations and businesses in favor of stronger climate-change policies gave $21,450. Of that, $17,500 came from the Illinois Corn Growers Association.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan FollowTheMoney.org collects and analyzes campaign contribution information for state-level candidates, political party committees, and ballot committees. Its free, searchable database of contributions, as well as the full text of this report, are available online at FollowTheMoney.org.

Via Docuticker.

World’s Large Marine Ecosystems Heating Up, Altering Fisheries Catches
Source: United Nations Environment Programme/NOAA

A new United Nations report, with key contributions from NOAA, found that 61 of the world’s 64 large marine ecosystems — large coastal ocean waters adjacent to continents — show a significant increase in sea surface temperatures in the last 25 years, contributing to decreasing fisheries catches in some areas and increasing catches in others.

Harvests in several northern Atlantic LMEs, including the Norwegian Sea, the Faroe Plateau and the Iceland Shelf, are increasing due to the increase in zooplankton, a vital fish food, brought about by the warming waters.

However, catches are declining in several European LMEs, including the North Sea, the Celtic Biscay Shelf and the Iberian Coastal LMEs, according to the United Nations Environment Programme report, The UNEP Large Marine Ecosystem Report: a Perspective on Changing Conditions in LMEs of the World’s Regional Seas.

+ Full Report

Via Docuticker.

First-Ever Global Report on Shellfish Finds 85 Percent of World’s Oyster Reefs Have Vanished
Source: Nature Conservancy

Today, The Nature Conservancy released the first-ever comprehensive global report on the state of shellfish at the International Marine Conservation Congress in Washington, DC. The report, which finds that 85 percent of oyster reefs have been lost worldwide, concludes that oyster reefs are the most severely impacted marine habitat on the planet.
…
The report, written by scientists across five continents, from conservation organizations as well as academic and research institutions, focuses primarily on the distribution and condition of native oyster reefs.

Besides being a culinary favorite and a long-standing staple in seafood restaurants around the globe, oysters provide benefits to humans in less obvious ways. For example, they act as natural water filters and improve water quality, provide food and habitat for fish, crabs and birds, and serve as natural coastal buffers that help to protect shorelines and keep coastal marshes intact, an important factor in protecting communities against increased storm surges and sea-level rise expected with climate change.

+ Shellfish Reefs at Risk

Via Docuticker.

The Climate Lobby’s Mushrooming Growth
Source: Center for Public Integrity

As Congress focuses this week on landmark legislation to reduce global warming, nearly 140 new businesses and interest groups –  led by a diverse array of technology firms — have joined in the already intense lobbying on climate change, according to “The Climate Lobby’s Nonstop Growth,” a new analysis by The Center for Public Integrity.

Microsoft, Google, and eBay are among the technology firms that helped drive an increase of more than 14 percent in companies and organizations lobbying on climate in the first quarter of 2009, compared to the same period last year, Senate disclosure forms show. The 880 firms and groups that reported weighing in on climate policy are still dominated by big energy producers and users; more than half are manufacturers, power companies, or firms in the oil and gas industry.

California Democrat Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and his energy subcommittee chairman, Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey, move forward this week with a mark-up of the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Their legislation seeks to curb the global warming threat through a complex cap-and-trade system. In its comprehensive analysis, the Center found that the interests weighing in on this issue are more diverse than ever. Those groups include not just technology firms, but food interests like the American Meat Institute and the National Turkey Federation; consumer goods manufacturers like Levi Strauss & Co. (active in a new business coalition organized by the investor group Ceres); and alternative transportation interests like Segway.

+ The Climate Lobby’s Nonstop Growth

Via Docuticker.

BPA, Chemical Used to Make Plastics, Found to Leach from Polycarbonate Drinking Bottles Into Humans
Source: Environmental Health Perspectives (via Harvard School of Public Health)

A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that participants who drank for a week from polycarbonate bottles, the popular, hard-plastic drinking bottles and baby bottles, showed a two-thirds increase in their urine of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA). Exposure to BPA, used in the manufacture of polycarbonate and other plastics, has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans. The study is the first to show that drinking from polycarbonate bottles increased the level of urinary BPA, and thus suggests that drinking containers made with BPA release the chemical into the liquid that people drink in sufficient amounts to increase the level of BPA excreted in human urine.

The study appears on the website of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives and is freely available at:
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2009/0900604/0900604.pdf. (PDF; 140 KB)

Read the press release.

In a recent, much talked about Op Ed in The New York Times, Mark C. Taylor opines that we must “end the university as we know it” and make higher education “more agile, adaptive, and imaginative” if we want to solve the real problems facing the world today. An existing Master’s degree, with a new partner, is designed to better prepare community leaders to advance global conservation — offers a look at how things might be done differently.

The majority of this Master’s Degree in Communication — launched by the environmental non-profit, Rare (www.RareConservation.org), in partnership with the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) — takes place ‘in the field.’ Students from areas of highest biodiversity around the world implement an entire social marketing campaign designed around a specific conservation goal, by mobilizing constituents in their communities.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

On May 19, the response to the Obama Administration’s national fuel efficiency policy — requiring an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg in 2016 — seemed supportive all around.

In attendance at the announcement were several C-level automaker executives; the United Autoworkers’ president; Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, and California authorities; U.S. legislators, and Leaders of League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, and Union of Concerned Scientists.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

Numerous states are holding corporate and institutional violators of fluorescent lamp handling requirements accountable for their actions.

The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) commends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state governments for taking these violations seriously. While EPA and other agencies recommend that all mercury-containing lamps be recycled, requirements vary state to state, and some residents may not be aware of bans on the disposal of such products that have been enacted in California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont, with an incinerator ban in Florida.

Read the full story in Environmental Protection.

A new study indicates inhalation of certain particulates can actually cause some genes to become reprogrammed, affecting both the development and the outcome of cancers and other diseases.

The research was presented on May 17 at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego, Calif.

More than 200 scientists, regulators, and policy makers from around the world convened recently at EPA’s first ToxCast Data Analysis Summit to discuss results of the first phase of ToxCast.  ToxCast is an innovative approach for profiling how chemicals in our environment impact important biological pathways that are critical for the function of the body’s systems such as the heart, lungs, brain or reproductive organs.

EPA launched the ToxCast research program in 2007 to develop a cost-effective approach for prioritizing the toxicity testing of large numbers of chemicals in a short period of time.  This new approach to determining how toxic chemicals could impact human health uses cutting-edge biological tests to determine how chemicals affect cellular functions.  ToxCast will help EPA determine under what conditions environmental exposures pose risks to human health.

During the first phase of ToxCast, EPA researchers conducted more than 200,000 experiments looking at the interactions between approximately 300 chemicals and 500 biological targets such as hormone receptors and liver enzymes.  EPA researchers provided early access to the initial ToxCast data to research groups around the world, and this data was the foundation for discussions at the meeting.  To evaluate the value of ToxCast, the new data is being compared to those generated by traditional toxicity testing methods

Based upon input from the meeting, EPA researchers are now preparing to launch a second phase of the ToxCast program that will expand on and verify the ability of this approach to predict potential human toxicity.  EPA expects to complete this second phase of ToxCast over the next several years, and at that time be ready to deliver an innovative computational method for evaluating potential health impacts of environmental chemicals.

EPA and Pfizer, Inc. announced at the meeting that the company is making public clinical data on more than 100 drugs that showed adverse effects in clinical human testing.  EPA will run the compounds through ToxCast, which will provide a critical and direct link to human toxicity outcomes.

Information on the ToxCast program: http://www.epa.gov/ncct/toxcast/index.html

Read the full story in Waste & Recycling News.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry will have on his desk a bill requiring television manufacturers to provide Texas residents with free and convenient recycling for their old units.

Read the full post at Mother Nature Network.

It’s easy to think of water as cheaper than electricity, since power bills often dwarf water bills. But water is much more valuable because it’s finite — we can get endless electricity from renewable sources like wind and the sun, but we’re stuck with the water we’ve got.

The problem is we’re constantly using more of it, since there are constantly more of us. We’re especially thirsty in the United States, with each American using an average of 90 gallons a day, compared with 53 by the average European and three to five by the average resident of sub-Saharan Africa. Dwindling water supplies have worsened recent droughts in the American West and Southeast, underscoring the real possibility of running out.

To make matters worse, it takes a ton of energy to pump all our water through the nation’s pipes and sewers, costing utilities about $4 billion a year. According to the EPA, a faucet left running for five minutes uses as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb burn for 14 hours. And if that was hot water running down the sink, it used even more energy. So not only are we wasting water when we take 20-minute showers, we’re wasting electricity, too. And since most of our electricity still comes from coal, wasting water contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

But we aren’t bringing all this up just to bring you down. There’s a lot you can do to save water.

Read the full story at Mother Nature Network.

A few years ago, when Stephen Yemm and his wife set out to build a bigger house for their growing family and home-based business in Marquand, Miss., an architect recommended cork flooring for some areas of the home. Yemm immediately thought of using wine corks for his new floor. “I’ve always been saving them, but never knew what to do with them,” he says. After all, there’s a limit to how many cork bulletin boards one person can make—or use.

But while wine cork recycling programs are common abroad, Yemm couldn’t finda a single one in the U.S. The stage was set for his company, Yemm & Hart Limited, to bring the trend to this country.

Y&H started out in 1981 making office furniture; eight years later, Yemm took a risk and pushed his company in a new direction, making construction materials out of recycled content—old rubber tires, detergent bottles, milk jugs, and the like. His grand experiment in wine cork recycling started in 2004.

http://www.mnn.com/the-home/interior-design/stories/old-wine-corks-to-new-floors

Read the full post at Mother Nature News.

Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor is now President Obama’s official nominee for the Supreme Court, and her background has already been picked apart by liberals and conservatives alike. But what does Sotomayor’s appointment mean in terms of the environment?

The Wall Street Journal reports that Sotomayor has an important environmental ruling under her belt — one that was just overturned by the Supreme Court, but may provide some insight into her environmental views.

Read the full post at Mother Nature Network.

Green energy geeks rejoice! There is a new data playground for you called VIBE — the Virtual Information Bridge to Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy by NREL.

Read the full post from Mother Nature Network, but see if you can guess what they are before you read the article.

If you do a lot of reading on the computer screen and your eyes get as tired as mine do, check out Readability. It’s an easy-to-use web application that eliminates web page clutter and highlights the parts you actually want to read.

Drag the app’s bookmarklet to your browser’s bookmarks toolbar, then click on it the next time you come to an extra busy web page or really long article. You’ll see clean, clear text in the size you want. [Thanks to Very Short List for the link].

For social science teachers of grades six through eight in Cass, Champaign, Ford, Mason, Menard, Logan, McLean, De Witt, Piatt, Macon, Sangamon, Christian, Montgomery, Macoupin, Tazewell and Shelby counties, The Sangamon River: A Sense of Place is a DVD that can help you teach about a local resource, its culture and history. This DVD (56 minutes, closed captioned) was produced by the University of Illinois at Springfield and has been shown on local PBS stations. If you teach in one of these counties and would like a free copy of this DVD, please send your request on school letterhead to Valerie Keener at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271 .

Read the full story in Time (from January).

If you’re like some 80% of Americans, you’ll simply toss your obsolete gizmos into the trash. After all, that Jurassic 15-in. (38 cm) computer monitor doesn’t look as though it’s packing up to 7 lb. (3 kg) of lead. Every day Americans throw out more than 350,000 cell phones and 130,000 computers, making electronic waste the fastest-growing part of the U.S. garbage stream. Improperly disposed of, the lead, mercury and other toxic materials inside e-waste can leak from landfills.

Read the full post at Sustainable IT.

The recent release of Energy Star requirements for servers may have coaxed a collective sigh of relief from datacenter operators who’ve felt the pressure to cut energy waste. The well-known Energy Star symbol, after all, is associated with energy efficiency. Thus, having that familiar logo stamped on a server might suggest it will deliver equal or better performance than its non-Energy Star rivals while consuming less electricity.

Unfortunately, the new Energy Star requirements for servers have enough shortcomings that they are unsuitable to be primary criteria for the purchase of new hardware equipment. That’s not to say they have no value whatsoever; as observed by Subodh Bapat, vice president of energy efficiency and distinguished engineer at Sun, they are “a good first step.”

World marketed energy consumption is projected to grow by 44 percent between 2006 and 2030, driven by strong long-term economic growth in the developing nations of the world, according to the reference case projection from the International Energy Outlook 2009 (IEO2009) released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The current global economic downturn will dampen world energy demand in the near term, as manufacturing and consumer demand for goods and services slows. However, with economic recovery anticipated to begin within the next 12 to 24 months, most nations are expected to see energy consumption growth at rates anticipated prior to the recession. Total world energy use rises from 472 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2006 to 552 quadrillion Btu in 2015 and then to 678 quadrillion Btu in 2030.

World oil prices have fallen sharply from their July 2008 high mark. As the world’s economies recover, higher world oil prices are assumed to return and to persist through 2030. In the IEO2009 reference case, world oil prices rise to $110 per barrel in 2015 (in real 2007 dollars) and $130 per barrel in 2030. Total liquid fuels and other petroleum consumption in 2030 is projected to be 22 million barrels per day higher than the 2006 level of 85 million barrels per day. In the reference case, conventional oil supplies from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) contribute 8.2 million barrels per day to the total increase in world liquid fuels production, and conventional supplies from non-OPEC countries add another 3.4 million barrels per day.

In addition, unconventional resources (including biofuels, oil sands, extra-heavy oil, coal-to-liquids, and gas-to-liquids) from both non-OPEC and OPEC sources are expected to become increasingly competitive in the reference case. World production of unconventional resources, which totaled 3.1 million barrels per day in 2006, increases to 13.4 million barrels per day in 2030 in the reference case, accounting for 13 percent of total world liquids supply in 2030.

Recent experience demonstrates that world oil prices can be extremely volatile and, as a result, the IEO2009 includes three world oil price cases that span a very broad range in 2030, from $50 (in 2007 dollars) per barrel in the low price case to $200 per barrel in the high price case. These price paths translate to a fairly broad range of potential supply outlooks in 2030, ranging from 90 million barrels per day in the high price case to 120 million barrels per day in the low price case (compared to 107 million barrels per day in the reference case)

Other report highlights include:

• The rapid increase in world energy prices from 2003 to 2008, combined with concerns about the environmental consequences of greenhouse gas emissions, has led to  renewed interest in the development of alternatives to fossil fuels. Renewable energy is the fastest-growing source of world electricity generation in the IEO2009 reference case, supported by high prices for fossil fuels and by government incentives for the development of alternative energy sources. From 2006 to 2030, world renewable energy use for electricity generation grows by an average of 2.9 percent per year (Figure 1), and the renewable share of world electricity generation increases from 19 percent in 2006 to 21 percent in 2030. Hydropower and wind power are the major sources of incremental renewable electricity supply.

• Worldwide, industrial energy consumption is expected to grow from 175 quadrillion Btu in 2006 to 246 quadrillion Btu in 2030. Industrial energy demand varies across regions and countries of the world, based on levels and mixes of economic activity and technological development, among other factors. About 94 percent of the world increase in industrial sector energy consumption is projected to occur in the emerging economies, where—driven by rapid economic growth—industrial energy consumption grows at an average annual rate of  2.1 percent in the reference case. The key engines of growth in the projection are the so-called “BRIC” countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), which account for more than two-thirds of the developing world’s growth in industrial energy use through 2030.

• In the IEO2009 reference case, which does not include specific policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are projected to rise from 29.1 billion metric tons in 2005 to 40.4 billion metric tons in 2030—an increase of 39 percent. With strong economic growth and continued heavy reliance on fossil fuels expected, much of the increase in carbon dioxide emissions is projected to occur among the developing nations of the world, especially in Asia (Figure 2).

The full report can be found on EIA’s web site at
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/index.html

Read the full story in Governing.

Your computer has an off-button. But if you’re like most people, you don’t use it very often. Maybe you like to leave certain programs or files open so that you can easily pick up working where you last left off. Maybe your computer’s start-up process is frustratingly slow. But leaving these devices on all the time is a problem. A typical desktop computer wastes almost half of the energy it draws, mostly in the form of heat. Turning a computer off when you’re done for the day — and utilizing built-in “sleep” or “hibernate” modes — can reduce the amount of energy consumed by 60 percent. Still, many employees prefer to leave their computers on all night rather than logging off and shutting down.

Read the full (short) story in the Seattle Times.

King County government says it has cut the energy use of personal computers by an average of 38 percent since installing software that reduces PCs’ energy use when they sit unused for more than 15 minutes.

Read more about the project and see photos of the billboard at GreenPatriotPosters.org.

During the spring semester 2009, The Canary Project teamed up with Citizen Schools to teach kids about climate change and engage them in a public art campaign. This billboard is the result.

Read the full story in Consulting & Specifying Engineer.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has announced a new initiative to assist the healthcare industry reduce energy costs and improve the environment while enhancing the treatment of patients. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities often use energy intensive equipment and processes to deliver patient care. The New York Energy $mart Focus on Healthcare will assist healthcare facilities in identifying cost-effective investments in energy efficiency that will improve overall energy performance.

Read the full story at GreenerComputing.com.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels last week signed into law the state’s first mandate for electronics recycling.

The signing of H.B. 1589 makes Indiana the 19th state in the country to implement electronics waste regulations in the absence of a federal standard. The Indiana e-waste law forces manufacturers to take responsibility for the collection and recycling of their products.

Manufacturers of video display devices, such as TVs, computer monitors and laptops, must recycle 60 percent by weight of their sales of those products. They are required to register with the state by April 2010 and must include a plan describing how they will meet their recycling targets. They can count the recycling of other electronics, such as printers, keyboards and VCRs, toward their recycling goals. Manufacturers must report their progress at the end of each program year for state review. In the third year, the state will impose penalties for noncompliance.

Read the press release at Building Design & Construction.

The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), a project of the William J. Clinton Foundation, has announced a global program developed in collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), called the Climate Positive Development Program. The program will support the development of large-scale urban projects that demonstrate cities can grow in ways that are “climate positive.” Climate Positive real estate developments will strive to reduce the amount of on-site CO2 emissions to below zero.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

With demand for gasoline, and the ethanol that goes into it, expected to rise, oil companies are trying to benefit.

Read the full story in Technology Review.

Waste gasification, a process for converting garbage into fuel and electricity without incinerating it, may be a step closer to large-scale commercialization. Last week, Houston’s Waste Management, a major garbage-collection and -disposal company, announced a joint venture with InEnTec, a startup based in Richland, WA, to commercialize InEnTec’s plasma-gasification technology.

Via Docuticker.

New Report Shows Strong Potential, Economic Benefits for Renewable Energy in Southeast U.S.
Source: World Resources Institute

More than 25 percent of the Southeast U.S. region’s electric power could come from locally-available renewable energy supplies by 2025, according to findings released today by the World Resources Institute (WRI), Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), and Southface.

Prompt policy action to develop these resources can also create tens of thousands of new jobs, attract more regional energy investment, and help protect regional air and water resources.

“The Southeast has a strong portfolio of renewable energy resources that offers several economic and environmental advantages over traditional electric power generation,” said Eliot Metzger, a project manager at WRI and an author of Local Clean Power, the first in a three-part series of reports about energy opportunities in the Southeast United States.

+ Local Clean Power (PDF; 1.4 MB)

Via Docuticker.

Shrinking the Carbon Footprint of Metropolitan America
Source: Brookings Institution

America’s carbon footprint is expanding. With a growing population and an expanding economy, America’s settlement area is widening, and as it does, Americans are driving more, building more, consuming more energy, and emitting more carbon. Rising energy prices, growing dependence on imported fuels, and accelerating global climate change make the nation’s growth patterns unsustainable.

Metropolitan America is poised to play a leadership role in addressing these energy and environmental challenges. However, federal policy actions are needed to achieve the full potential of metropolitan energy and climate solutions.

+ Full Document (PDF; 594 KB)

Via e-mail from the National Council for Science and the Environment.

Paul Anastas, the Director of Yale University’s Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering and Teresa and H. John Heinz III Professor in the Practice of Chemistry for the Environment, has been selected by President Obama as EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Research and Development. He will lead EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD), which is the scientific research arm of EPA.

Trained as a synthetic organic chemist, Dr. Anastas is credited with establishing the field of “green chemistry” — a term he coined inn 1991 — during his time working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where he was the chief of the Industrial Chemistry Branch in EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances and director of the U.S. Green Chemistry Program. From 1999 to 2004, during the Clinton administration, he was the assistant director for the environment in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He then served as the founding director of the Green Chemistry Institute, headquartered at the American Chemical Society. While there, he established 24 green chemistry chapters in countries around the world, including China, Ethiopia, India, Japan and South Africa.

Green chemistry is the study of how to design chemical products and processes in ways that are sustainable and not harmful for humans and the environment. Dr. Anastas spoke about green chemistry at NCSE’s 2007 national conference: Integrating Environment and Human Health.

Dr. Anastas told NCSE that if confirmed, he would “always fight for scientists”. NCSE congratulates Dr. Anastas on his nomination and looks forward to working with him when he is confirmed as Assistant Administrator.

EPA’s Office of Research & Development (ORD) is organized into three national laboratories, four national centers, and two offices located in 14 facilities around the country and in Washington, D.C. These labs, centers, and offices provide information and technical support to EPA program offices, regions, state/municipal/tribal governments, and other agencies performing environmental research, assessment, and risk management. ORD scientists also collaborate with private-sector partners to address important environmental issues. The National Center for Environmental Research supports EPA’s Science To Achieve Results (STAR) research and fellowship program.

McDonald’s Reports on Its Best Green Efforts From Around the World
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/18/mcdonalds-best-green-efforts
McDonald’s 2009 Global Best of Green compiles more than 80 practices
instituted by McDonald’s locations and operations from around the world,
covering all business aspects including energy, packaging, restaurants,
food and transportation.

Google Partners with Eight Utilities in Smart Meter Projects to Track Energy Use Online
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/21/google-utilities-smart-meters

Coca-Cola, Toyota, France Telecom Among Top-Scoring CSR Reporters
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/20/coca-cola-toyota-france-telecom-among-top-scoring-csr-reporters

U.S. Government Wastes Over $440 Million per Year in Printing: Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/21/government-paper-waste-report

Get Ready for New Auto Mileage and Emissions Rules
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/19/new-auto-mileage-emissions-rules

Cisco Queues Up Smart Grid Technologies
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/19/cisco-smart-grid

2008 U.S. Fossil Fuel CO2 Emissions See Biggest Drop in Nearly 30 Years
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/20/fossil-fuel-co2-biggest-drop-30-years

Greener by Design: Terracycle’s Ultimate Solution
By Matthew Wheeland
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/05/20/gbd09-terracycles-ultimate-solution
Tom Szaky, the founder and CEO of waste-to-product company Terracycle,
demonstrated how waste is nothing more than poorly managed resources, and the
many benefits of turning trash into products.

You Can’t Expect Consumers to Know What Green Means If We Don’t Know Ourselves
By Karen Barnes
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/05/20/green-confusion

The Evolution of Laundry Detergent
By Marc Gunther
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/05/20/the-evolution-laundry-detergent

Greener by Design: Big Ideas from Small Companies
By Matthew Wheeland
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/05/20/gbd-innovators-showcase

Greener by Design: Rethinking Waste with Plastiki, the Plastic Boat
By Amie Vaccaro
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/05/19/greener-design-rethinking-waste-with-plastiki-plastic-boat

Wal-Mart’s Journey Toward Sustainability and Greater Value
By Leslie Guevarra
http://www.greenbiz.com/podcast/2009/05/18/walmarts-sustainability-journey
Almost four years ago, Wal-Mart announced three major goals that have since
driven the company’s operations internally and externally. Today, Rand Waddoups,
Wal-Mart’s senior director of Business Strategy and Sustainability, provides an
insider’s update on Wal-Mart’s efforts toward sustainability, its progress and
its next big challenges.

Making Your Impact at Work: A Practical Guide to Changing the World
From Inside Any Company
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/making-impact-work
This guide is designed to empower current and aspiring social intrapreneurs to
find ways to integrate sustainability into their day jobs.

The Reach and Richness of Green IT
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/green-it-reach-richness
This survey of 143 organizations from Australia, New Zealand and the United
States finds that some elements of green IT practices are taking off at
companies of all sizes, but as a whole there is significant room for
improvement.

Read the full story in the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette.

Despite protests and a “suggestion,” when it came to a vote by the Champaign County Board on Thursday night, approval of a county wind farm ordinance was a breeze…

The ordinance, which would allow wind farms to be built in the county, sets a limit – no more than 30 hours annually – on the amount of “shadow flicker” that can affect the dwellings of people who aren’t participating in a wind farm project. Shadow flicker is a phenomenon where sunlight streaming through a turbine’s rotating blades creates a constant strobe effect.

Read the full story at CNN.

The public discussion of energy options tends to be emotional, polarized, mistrustful and destructive. I hope that focusing attention on the numbers may make it possible to develop honest and constructive conversations about energy.

It’s not going to be easy to make a energy plan that adds up, but it is possible. We need to get building.

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

In the early 1990s, Mary Dye began walking her dog in a large, grassy meadow at the Miller Meadow Forest Preserve in Maywood.

Back then, piles of limestone sat in a fenced-off area, the result of the ongoing Deep Tunnel project. As she strolled through fields of wildflowers, Dye said she waited for the day when Miller Meadow would be restored to its original state.

Today, Dye said she is still waiting, and now environmental groups have joined her in raising concerns about the restoration of Miller Meadow, contending that the site poses hazards to visitors and the environment.

Specifically, they are concerned about numerous shards of broken concrete, glass, brick and metal pipes that are scattered across the site — and the erosion that is carrying debris and gray sludge, used to promote vegetation, toward the nearby Des Plaines River.

Via Docuticker.

Fact Sheet: Obama Administration National Fuel Efficiency Policy: Good For Consumers, Good For The Economy And Good For The Country
Source: White House Press Office

The proposed national autos program adopts uniform federal standards to regulate both fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions while preserving the legal authorities of DOT, EPA and California. The program covers model year 2012 to model year 2016 and ultimately requires an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg in 2016. The result is a projected reduction in oil consumption of approximately 1.8 billion barrels over the life of the program and a projected total reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 900 million metric tons. This groundbreaking policy is good for consumers, good for the auto industry and it helps our country by reducing pollution and promoting energy independence.

Ten car companies and the UAW have embraced the national program because it provides certainty and predictability to 2016 and includes flexibilities that will significantly reduce the cost of compliance. The program also honors President Obama’s commitment to reconsider the denial of the California waiver by the Bush Administration.

See also: President Obama Announces National Fuel Efficiency Policy

Via Docuticker.

U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Energy Sources 2008 Flash Estimate
Source: Energy Information Administration
From e-mail:

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels decreased by 2.8 percent in 2008, from 5,967 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (MMTCO2) in 2007 to 5,802 MMTCO2 in 2008, according to preliminary estimates released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This is the largest annual decline in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions since EIA began annual reporting on greenhouse gas emissions.

The economy, as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), grew by 1.1 percent in 2008, notwithstanding the economic downturn at the end of the year. Energy demand declined by 2.2 percent indicating that energy intensity (energy use per unit of GDP) fell by 3.3 percent in 2008. Carbon dioxide intensity (carbon dioxide emission per unit of GDP) fell by about 3.8 percent.

Factors that influenced the emissions decrease included record-high oil prices and a decline in economic activity in the second half of the year. Oil-related emissions declined by 6 percent, accounting for the bulk of overall reduction in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.

Total U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions have grown by 15.9 percent since 1990. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions account for over 80 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Read the full post at Oh My Gov.

Remember last summer when gas prices spiked to $4 a gallon? It took a bank loan to fill up your car, or maybe a second mortgage if you happen to drive the soon-to-be-discontinued Hummer H2. Good thing the credit markets hadn’t crashed yet. Well, the EPA remembers and they are working to make sure those days don’t return.

Unveiling the new Renewable Fuel Standards Program on May 5th, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson wants Americans to start using more locally-produced biofuels in an effort to save money. Changes to renewable fuel standards were also mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

With restrictions on water use spreading, golf courses can save water and still keep the courses green using subterranean sensors that tell them when to turn on the sprinklers.

Read the full post from AASHE and the full report.

In recognizing the importance of the academic component of campus climate neutrality, ACUPCC institutions have committed to take “actions to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other educational experiences for all students.” A new guidance document, Education for Climate Neutrality and Sustainability: Academic Guidance for ACUPCC Institutions, has been created to assist signatory schools in implementing this component of the ACUPCC.

This document is designed to clarify the spirit and intent of the Commitment, identify some of the best practices across higher education, and provide resources to assist signatories in creating their own strategies. The intended audience is higher education leaders, including presidents, provosts, deans, faculty, ACUPCC Implementation Liaisons and others that are working on the implementation of the ACUPCC.

Because each institution has a unique culture and approach to learning, there is not a “one-size-fits-all” strategy for how all colleges and universities can achieve this goal. This guidance document was developed with the recognition that not all higher education institutions are alike. A variety of strategies are offered in order to provide a choice of options for different institutions, and examples demonstrate a range of practices at institutions of differing enrollments, charters, resources, and student demographics. A significant list of resources is also included for those signatories who would like more information.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

College students around the country have imposed extra fees to fund renewable energy, but they have encountered roadblocks in Florida and Texas.

Read the full post at Oh My Gov.

Imagine printing out an unnecessary extra page every time you print a two-page document, and then having someone else pay for it. In so many words, this process describes the extent of waste involved in federal government printing. According to a study released by Lexmark International, $440.4 million of the annual $1.3 billion spent on government printing costs is wasteful.

Via Docuticker.

NREL Releases Analysis of Renewable Electricity Standards
Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has completed a study comparing three proposed national renewable electricity standards, also known as renewable portfolio standards.

To assess the potential impacts of the three proposed standards on the U.S. electricity sector, a team of senior NREL energy analysts used the Laboratory’s Regional Energy Deployment System, a detailed least-cost optimization model capable of simulating the special attributes of variable sources like wind and solar power.

The NREL report, “A Comparative Analysis of Three Proposed Federal Renewable Electricity Standards,” is available online at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45877.pdf .

Lawmakers in at least 28 states and the District of Columbia have established schedules that mandate minimum uses of renewable energy, typically within the next two decades.

The three proposed federal standards examined in the NREL assessment are under consideration by committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The three proposals were compared against a baseline in which only currently enacted laws are considered. The report was originally commissioned by the Department of Energy.

+ Full Report (PDF; 740 KB)

Read the full post at Oh My Gov.

The Defense Logistics Agency has been making an effort to point out its support of green products in its combat support output. This is partly as a response to green technology demands by consumers and to recent pro-green legislation, such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Via Docuticker.

DOE Report Assesses Potential for Carbon Dioxide Storage Beneath Federal Lands
Source: U.S. Department of Energy

As a complementary document to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Carbon Sequestration Atlas of the United States and Canada issued in November 2008, the Office of Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory has now released a report that provides an initial estimate of the potential to store carbon dioxide (CO2) underneath millions of acres of Federal lands.

The report, Storage of Captured Carbon Dioxide Beneath Federal Lands, estimates and characterizes the storage potential that lies beneath some of the more than 400 million acres of Federal land available for lease. Estimated at between 126 to 375 billion metric tons of CO2, the majority of this storage potential (about 85 percent) is located west of the Mississippi River, where most of the leasable Federal acreage (92 percent) is found.

+ Full Report (PDF; 1.7 MB)

Read the full opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times.

Americans have by now become inured to China peeling off layers of the U.S. manufacturing base. The Asian giant, though, has never been at the starting gate of a new industry that promised exceptional growth. That’s a natural place for America, we like to think. Indeed, the U.S. booted up the Internet business, fostering phenoms such as Cisco Systems and EBay. Those innovators brought the world online, enriching our national economy.

But with “clean tech” and renewable energy heralded as the next world-changing opportunity — and our ticket out of the Great Recession — the United States is at risk of ceding this strategic terrain.

Read the full story from Reuters.

The U.S. Defense Department, the nation’s single largest consumer of energy, is putting increased focus on cutting its energy consumption and ensuring that future weapons are more energy efficient, the Pentagon’s new chief weapons buyer said on Monday.

Read the full story in the Green Bay Press Gazette.

The Green Bay School District hopes to take advantage of a federal program that would help fund energy efficiency projects in the district.

Read the full story in the Canton Daily Ledger.

Spoon River College has announced a $75,000 grant award from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation to fund an energy savings project at the Macomb campus in partnership with Control Technology and Solutions (CTS) which will design and install energy efficiency improvements.