Browsing environmental news sources so you don't have to. Contact Laura Barnes (lbarnes@istc.illinois.edu) with questions, comments, and suggestions.
Follow ENB on TwitterRead the full story in Environmental Protection.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan have teamed up to help improve access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment through the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.
Radisson(R) Hotels & Resorts today announced the opening of the Radisson Plaza Mississauga Toronto Airport, a USD 24 million, 100-room, all-suite hotel located at 175 Derry Road East in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The hotel was recently recognized with a Four Key rating by the Eco Rating program from the Hotel Association of Canada as a hotel that has taken significant steps to protect the environment.
Read the full story at Hotelier.com.
Nanotechnology has a vital role to play in making hotels more sustainable, according to Claude Bérubé, design advisor to Sheikh Khaled Al Qassimi, director general of Sharjah Public Works.
Via WordSpy. Visit the WordSpy for citation and usage information.
n. An event where people support an environmentally-friendly store by gathering en masse to purchase the store’s products. Also: carrot mob.
—carrotmobber n.
—carrotmobbing pp.
Read the full story at How Stuff Works.
The intent of the Kyoto Protocol was to curb greenhouse gas emissions and thereby hopefully avert this disaster. It aimed for a combined effort that would bring emissions down to 5 percent below what they were in 1990. Of the nearly 200 nations that signed, only the 37 “developed” nations took on emissions-reduction goals; developing nations were given a pass so that environmental concerns didn’t interfere with their economic development. Instead, those nations were supposed to host projects that would further the emissions goals — projects paid for by the developed countries.
Of the 37 developed nations, one never ratified it. Ratification makes a country legally bound to the commitment it made when it signed the document. That one country is the United States, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. But many countries that did make commitments are failing to live up to them.
In this article, we’ll find out why Kyoto has so far failed in its purpose, and see what type of changes might make the next agreement (which will take effect when Kyoto expires in 2012) more successful.
Read the full story in the New York Times.
Two brothers plan to return a muddy river in northern Louisiana to its ancient floodplain by removing miles of levees.
Technology Transfer: Clearer Priorities and Greater Use of Innovative Approaches Could Increase the Effectiveness of Technology Transfer at Department of Energy Laboratories. GAO-09-548, June 16.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-548
Highlights – http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09548high.pdf
Polar-Orbiting Environmental Satellites: With Costs Increasing and Data Continuity at Risk, Improvements Needed in Tri-agency Decision Making. GAO-09-564, June 17.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-564
Highlights – http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09564high.pdf
Polar-Orbiting Satellites: With Costs Increasing and Data Continuity at Risk, Improvements Needed in Tri-agency Decision Making, by David A. Powner, director, information technology management issues, before the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, House Committee on Science and Technology. GAO-09-772T, June 17.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-772T
Highlights – http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d09772thigh.pdf
Did you know that a typical U.S. household spends about $2,200 a year on energy bills? EPA’s ENERGY STAR program offers a variety of tools and resources that can help utilities, state energy offices, local and tribal governments, and efficiency program sponsors educate consumers about how to reduce their energy bills through increased energy efficiency at home. ENERGY STAR tools and resources educate consumers about energy efficiency options — whether they are “do-it-yourselfers” or choose to hire a qualified professional.
- The Home Energy Yardstick tool allows homeowners to compare their energy use to others’ across the country to help them decide whether to improve the efficiency of their home. Users can learn how their home stacks up at http://www.energystar.gov/yardstick. Utilities, state energy offices, efficiency program sponsors, and others can embed the Yardstick into their own website by following the instructions at http://www.energystar.gov/ia/home_improvement/downloads/Home_Energy_Yardstick_Instructions.pdf.
- The Guide to Energy Efficient Heating and Cooling gives homeowners in-depth recommendations that can help them save on their utility bills. Users can access the guide at http://www.energystar.gov/hvacguide to start saving.
- The Home Advisor tool helps homeowners get specific recommendations on home improvement projects to increase energy efficiency. Users can go to http://www.energystar.gov/homeadvisor for more information.
- In typical houses, about 20 percent of the air that moves through ducts is lost due to leaks, holes, and poor connections. ENERGY STAR’s Duct Sealing Brochure helps homeowners improve duct performance in simple steps. The brochure is available at http://www.energystar.gov/ia/products/heat_cool/ducts/DuctSealingBrochure04.pdf.
- The Heating and Cooling Quiz asks homeowners five basic questions about their HVAC system to see if it is being properly maintained. The quiz is available at http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=hvac_quiz.showQuestions and can be hosted on your own website by following the instructions at http://www.energystar.gov/ia/home_improvement/downloads/Heating_Cooling_Quiz_Instructions.pdf.
- Home Performance with ENERGY STAR offers a new strategy to home improvement contracting that encourages whole-house energy improvements in existing homes that typically save homeowners 20 percent or more on their energy bills. The site is available at http://www.energystar.gov/hpwessponsors.
- The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Sealing and Insulating with ENERGY STAR offers homeowners step-by-step instructions for sealing common air leaks and adding insulation to the attic to improve energy efficiency and comfort. This guide is available at http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=diy.diy_index.
Hard copies of the brochures and guides listed above may be ordered at http://www.energystar.gov/publications.
Via The Scout Report.
Sure enough, there is a good deal of “waste” online, so it’s nice to learn about the Waste Online website which serves as a great repository for information about an entirely different set of waste-related matters. This British-based website has been funded by the New Opportunities Fund Digitise project. The project is overseen by Waste Watch, which is “the leading environmental charity dedicated to the reduction, reuse and recycling of household waste.” First-time visitors can get started by clicking on “Wacky waste facts”, which contains some basic facts about the nature of waste in the United Kingdom. In the same vicinity, visitors can dig deeper by looking into sections titled “The problem with waste”, “Waste in the workplace”, and “Waste at home”. Moving on, the “Search our library” area allows guests to
the site to look for specific items of interest related to dozens of topics, such as household recycling, office recycling, and metal recycling. Moving along, the “Information Sheets” area features almost two dozen fact sheets that can be used as guides to composting, battery recycling, and the history of waste.
Via The Scout Report.
Design for a Living World [Flash Player]
The Nature Conservancy commissioned high-profile designers such as Isaac Mizrahi, Kate Spade, and others to produce textiles, furniture, jewelry, handbags, and decorative objects that were sustainable and used materials and methods from local craftspeople around the world. Some of the innovative designs, found at the top of the page in the “Project” tab, include FSC-Certified Plywood Furniture”, “Chicle Latex Vases”, and “Bamboo Furniture”. The materials used for the projects can be found under the “Place” tab, and include such varied locations as Gondwana Link, Australia; Lava Lake Ranch, Idaho; and Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The website is well designed, and the user can view the projects by designer, project, or the place the materials originated. Once the user has chosen a mode of viewing,
a slideshow and accompanying description of either the place, designer, or project will appear on the screen. At the top of the screen are available links to the complementary methods of viewing these materials, either buying the book or visiting the exhibition in person.
