·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Via Docuticker.

State Climate Policy Tracker Reveals Progress by 33 States
Source: New America Foundation

The New America Foundation’s Climate Policy Program team today released an online tool that allows state-by-state tracking of hundreds of carbon and energy saving measures now being implemented across the country.

The State Climate Policy Tracker takes the form of a single spreadsheet with one tab devoted to each state that has completed or is in the process of completing a climate action plan. A seven column matrix captures the climate actions taking place across six economic sectors, and reports on the progress of each measure, its cost or cost-saving potential, and the estimated reduction in carbon emissions expected on an annual basis.

“Examine the Policy Tracker and you see that US states – many with economies the size of nations – have shown leadership on climate action, but it hasn’t been sufficiently appreciated,” said Climate Policy Program Director Terry Tamminen. “We expect the Policy Tracker will be extremely useful to policymakers in the White House and on Capitol Hill, to staff at EPA, Energy, Interior, Agriculture and other federal agencies, as well as for other nations preparing for Copenhagen, to see what’s working in real time.”

The Policy Tracker was compiled from publicly available information. Since 2006, 33 U.S. states have created climate action blueprints to guide greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions efforts. These blueprints, often guided by a reduction target, contain on average 50 policy recommendations, and states have already started to implement many of them. The Policy Tracker provides a snapshot of where things stand, state-by-state.

Via Docuticker.

Mercury-Based Chlorine Production Exacts Hidden Costs
Source: Oceana

Lowered IQ due to mercury pollution from outdated mercury-cell chlorine factories has cost the American economy millions of dollars in lost wages annually, according to a new Oceana report released today. This study reflects the first attempt to place a dollar value on the public health and economic costs of this industry’s contribution to mercury pollution.

These factories, called chlor-alkali plants, produce chlorine and caustic soda with technology that emits mercury pollution into our air, water and food. This industry also contributes to fish contamination, which is the primary source of mercury exposure for humans. Frequent consumption of high mercury fish has been linked to lower IQ in young children and heart disease in adults.

+ Full Report (PDF; 417 KB)

Read the press release.

The washers and dryers in the laundry laboratories at Henkel’s new North American consumer products headquarters in Scottsdale are now running on solar power, thanks to the recent installation of solar panels on the roof of the building. The solar panels will provide 56,700 kilowatts of electricity a year to run the washers and dryers in the labs. Excess power from the solar panels is fed into the building grid. Henkel estimates that the solar panels will offset 83,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year and 2.9 million pounds of carbon dioxide over the life of the system.

Read the press release.

With additional energy savings over the previous draft, the nation’s first standard for high-performance green buildings began its third public review period May 1, marking the first draft released by the newly reconstituted Standard 189.1 committee. Comments on the draft standard will be accepted through June 15.

Proposed Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is being developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers in conjunction with the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This is the first such green building standard in the United States.

Via Docuticker.

Policies Needed to Improve Energy Efficiency, Revive Economy in Southeast U.S.
Source: World Resources Institute

Energy efficiency policies in the Southeast U.S. can help reduce electricity use by more than 10 percent over the next six years – saving the same amount of power generated by more than 30 coal-fired power plants, according to a report released today by the World Resources Institute (WRI), the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA), and Southface.

“Most buildings in the Southeast needlessly waste energy,” said Dennis Creech, a co-author of the report and executive director at Southface. “Though our region has shown progress in recent years, there remains immense potential to make homes and businesses more energy efficient. Our analyses in Georgia suggest that a 1 percent annual improvement in efficiency would save households $700 million over the next decade with lower electricity and natural gas bills.”

+ Full Report

Cap-and-Trade Won’t Cause Mass Manufacturing Migration
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/08/cap-and-trade-no-mass-manufacturing-migration
As the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee wrestles over the draft climate change legislation proposed by Reps. Henry Waxman and Edward Markey, a new study has been released suggesting the feared economic toll may be lighter than some
predict.

Former Ford SUV Plant to Build All-Electric Focus
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/06/ford-suv-plant-builds-electric
Ford Motor Co. will spend $550 million retooling a former SUV plant to build
electric and next-generation versions of its compact Ford Focus.

Four in Five Big Cities Put High Value on Sustainability Goals: Report
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/07/cities-value-sustainability-report
Building retrofits, green jobs and public transit are the three keys to making
the country’s cities more sustainable, and although many cities are getting
underway with these projects, much progress is needed quickly, according to a
new report from Living Cities.

Washington State Adopts Ambitious Green Paper Law
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/07/washington-green-paper-law
In addition to requiring all government agencies and state colleges to purchase
100 percent post-consumer recycled paper, the law aims to help reduce paper and
printing use and spur investment in new technologies that will create jobs in
the state.

Biofuels Get a Boost
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/06/biofuels-get-a-boost
The Obama Administration established a Biofuels Interagency Working Group this
week in a move that carries implications for the industry on several fronts,
including regulatory and research and development.

China Explores Putting a Tax on Carbon
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/04/china-explores-carbon-tax
China’s Ministry of Finance is developing a study that explores the effects and
impacts of levying environmental taxes to curb overall emissions of greenhouse
gases in the country that currently emits the most GHGs per year.

Interest in Energy Efficiency Remains High, But Action and Investments Lag Behind
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/07/energy-efficiency-indicator
Results of an annual survey of North American business leaders reflect the
constraints that the troubled economy has imposed on operations and investments
in buildings: While the interest and importance accorded to energy efficiency
remain strong, actions and investments to improve buildings have declined for a
second year, research by Johnson Controls Inc. and the International Facility
Management Association shows.

Target Australia to Eliminate Plastic Bags, South Australia’s Bag Ban Begins
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/04/target-australia-plastic-bag-ban
The plastic bag ban in the state of South Australia goes into effect this month,
leaving customers to choose between reusable or compostable bags. Target
Australia has also pledged to eliminate plastic bags from all its stores in
Australia by June.

London Mayor to Launch ‘Flagship’ Low-Carbon Zones
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/05/london-low-carbon-zones
Mayor Boris Johnson has pledged £3 million to develop ten flagship low carbon
zones throughout the city, aimed at creating jobs and cutting carbon emissions.

Nine Chemicals Face International Ban
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/05/05/nine-chemicals-international-ban
Talks began this week on nine chemicals facing a worldwide ban. The chemicals,
used as pesticides and flame retardants, are persistent when released into the
environment and accumulate in human bodies.

How to Build a Green Team: The First Step to Sustainability
By Brandi McManus
http://www.greenbiz.com/feature/2009/05/05/how-build-a-green-team
Long-term sustainable growth is important to building a successful company. In
the final installment of her four-part series “Growing a Green Corporation:
Meeting the Next Great Disruptive Challenge of the 21st Century,” Brandi McManus
provides a blueprint for building a green team.

Curbing Our “Profound Waste” of Water
By Marc Gunther
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/05/04/curbing-our-profound-waste-water
There are about 60 million automatic irrigation systems across the U.S.,
operated by governments, real estate developers, suburban office parks and
retailers, and most of them operate on timers: They water the grass or plants
every few days for a set number of minutes, regardless of whether it has been
raining or not, writes Marc Gunther.

CITRIS: An Incubator of Green Tech Innovation
By Matthew Wheeland
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/05/06/citris-an-incubator-green-tech-innovation
At the University of California’s Center for Information Technology Research in
the Interest of Society, scientists are developing thermometers that can reduce
electricity demand by as much as a third, working to turn your cell phone into a
traffic-monitoring device or a medical aid, and much more.

The Power of Simplicity: Convenient Actions that Combat the Inconvenient Truths
By Tom Savage
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/05/05/power-of-simplicity-convenient
We’re constantly reminded that many of our planet’s environmental problems stem
from our relentless desire for growth. We’re told we have to stop consuming “for
the sake of the planet.” It’s a tired message, which often falls of deaf ears in
the absence of a personal incentive. As a result, we’ve yet to see real, lasting
change at the levels.

Desert Golf Courses Symptomatic of Arab Region’s Larger Water Problems
By Tilde Herrera
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/05/08/desert-golf-courses
Golf courses in the Arab region use enough water to satisfy the needs of
thousands of people. Yet their numbers are growing, illustrating the conflict
between economic development and depleting natural resources, according to a new
report.

The Secrets Behind ‘Design for Environment’
By Tilde Herrera
http://www.greenbiz.com/podcast/2009/05/07/secrets-design-for-environment
Joseph Fiksel spoke to GreenBiz Radio about the design principles behind his new
book, the companies already putting them to work, and advice for those new to
the game.

Building Green Cities and Green Jobs
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/green-cities-report
This report from Living Cities offers a three-pronged approach of building
retrofits, green jobs, and public transit overhauls as a way of stimulating
cities’ economies, creating green jobs, and reducing their environmental
footprint.

The Competitiveness Impacts of Climate Change Mitigation Policies
http://www.greenbiz.com/resources/resource/competitiveness-climate-change-policies
A close look at the historical relationship between energy prices and U.S.
production and consumption of energy-intensive goods suggests that
energy-intensive manufacturers are likely to face only modest “competitiveness”
impacts under a U.S. greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, according to this
report.