·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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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)