·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Read the full story at GreenBiz.com.

My last post covered the Dean Foods announcement about their Horizon Natural line … this post covers another, quieter announcement:  Green Seal recently announced they’re rolling out a certification program for personal care products.

This is a good move, and I’m starting to think Green Seal may be the certification program to watch in the coming years. They have now established standards for 40 product groupings in seven categories, ranging from paints and coatings to alternative fuel vehicles and, now, to soaps and shower products. Their process is fairly stringent, manufacturers seem to respect them, and they appear to be in this for the long haul.  They’re also going after the right product categories. Sixty percent of the population told us in our Eco Pulse study they’re looking for greener products.  When we asked in what categories they’re looking for greener options, personal care products was the No. 3 category, chosen by a little over half the population.

Read the full post at Green, Inc.

The process of making textiles can require several dozen gallons of water for each pound of clothing, especially during the dyeing process. Amid tightening environmental regulations and a push to save money, companies are working to reduce the waste.

Read the full story in Scientific American.

A study linking a pesticide in fish to diabetes adds to the growing chorus of studies suggesting that environmental contaminants may play a role in the widespread disease.

Read the full story in Scientific American.

Daniel Smith remembers when he first tried to sell a bamboo floor. The San Francisco entrepreneur thought his woodlike product was attractive and durable, but when he took samples to a Dallas trade show in 1994, the reaction wasn’t quite what he had hoped for. No one believed the plant’s round stalks—then most familiar in the U.S. as the stuff of backyard torches—could be turned into a smooth, lasting floor.

Read the full story in Scientific American.

The National Association of Governors is the latest legislative group to support the American Institute of Architects‘ goal of zeroing out new and renovated buildings’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

The NGA — which is convening in Biloxi, Miss., for its annual meeting — endorsed the AIA goal as part of a resolution on energy efficiency and conservation. The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Association of Counties have also endorsed the AIA goal by vowing to integrate provisions related to the built environment in their energy policies.

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

Over the last month, I have traveled extensively visiting manufacturers across a wide spectrum of industries. During these discussions, there has been a recurring theme: Manufacturers have become more aware of the potential liabilities involved in making green claims.

Since the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed three complaints against retailers in early June, manufacturers have certainly taken notice and are re-evaluating the way they introduce environmental claims.

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

In Las Vegas, the [second-]biggest desert city in the U.S., and still one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation, the local water utility is offering cash incentives to replace water-sucking lawns with drought-resistant landscapes.

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

Concrete — the main downstream product for cement — is the world’s second most consumed material behind water, but its recycling rate varies wildly by region.

The Netherlands, for example, banned concrete waste from entering landfills so nearly all concrete is recycled. On the other end of the spectrum, data suggest Spain and Portugal recover just a fraction of the construction and debris waste generated in the two countries.

A coalition of cement companies called the Cement Sustainability Initiative wants to reduce the concrete landfill rate to zero by boosting awareness of the benefits of reusing concrete in a new report, “Recycling Concrete.”

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

Window film is cool stuff. Literally. It reflects the sun and insulates buildings. It is used to keep buildings cool on hot, sunny days, and to keep heat from escaping in cold climates.

According to an article published on FacilitiesNet in 2006, window film can reduce heat penetration up to 80 percent and improve insulation by as much as 32 percent for single-pane windows, or as much as 23 percent for double-pane glass. Anecdotal evidence repeatedly notes increased employee comfort from the decreased solar glare and better insulation.

Given these benefits, several of this year’s Climate Corps fellows have been looking at the possibility of installing window film at our sites. [Editor's note: Katie is assigned to Sodexo.]

Read the full story in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Ask any student on a college campus where the “green crowd” hangs out, and she will be able to tell you.

At the University of Pennsylvania, she might point you to the aspiring poets of the Kelly Writers House, the artistic students in the Furness Library, or maybe the earthy adolescents at the Lovers & Madmen Coffee Lounge down the street.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

An unusual collaboration of marine ecologists and fisheries-management scientists have produced a global assessment of the world’s saltwater fish stocks.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

The program, which offered cash to people who traded in old cars for ones with higher fuel economy, was said to have exhausted its available funds, leaving its future in question.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

With a steelmaking history that dates to the days of the railroad barons, Pueblo may be heading to a second act.

Read the full post at Green, Inc.

In May, Amazon introduced the electronic book reader Kindle DX, touted as a new way to read textbooks, newspapers and other large documents. This fall, six colleges and universities will test the technology in a pilot, which includes making the textbooks for certain courses available online.

The Kindle DX (for “deluxe”) is searchable and portable, a plus for students accustomed to toting heavy backpacks. But there is another reason that some institutions jumped at the chance to try it out: the technology could substantially reduce their use of paper.

Read the full post at Green, Inc.

While the phrase R and D is familiar to most readers, the path from idea to innovation to established technology almost always involves two more D’s — with the full cycle being research, development, demonstration, deployment. Now an intensifying fight is brewing over just how many D’s are included in President Obama’s pledge to invest $150 billion over 10 years to propel energy innovation.

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

Wisely directing climate change policy and investment toward energy efficiency has the potential to cut as much as half of the recommended greenhouse gas emissions reductions through 2050 while also generating saving for consumers and businesses, according to the latest analysis of proposed climate legislation.

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

I have been thinking for some time about companies including sustainability credentials in picking who they want as their customers.

I know, I know, readers who are sustainability practitioners are thinking now that they would get laughed out of town (or the office) if they went out to the sales force and told them not to do business with certain companies. But bear with me on this.

It is not a concept without precedent. Most companies ask about sustainability credentials in RFPs and many go on to include those credentials as a component of selecting vendors. With BT, in our capacity as a vendor, we certainly get asked about it all the time by potential customers and, as a subject matter expert, I am often called upon by potential customers to talk about our activities.

Obviously companies feel in a stronger position to state requirements as a potential customer than as a vendor, but from a sustainability perspective why shouldn’t it be important both directions?

Eighty Chicagoans will receive critical job training funded by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced today at a Chicago press conference. These workers will be trained for various environmental jobs, including the clean-up of so-called “brownfields,” which may be contaminated by hazardous chemicals or pollutants, turning sites from rundown eyesores to revitalized, productive properties. Workers will also be trained to weatherize buildings, lowering energy costs and reducing wasteful energy usage.

“The Recovery Act is not only helping to train individuals for good jobs in their communities, it’s helping them rebuild a lasting foundation for prosperity.  By restoring undeveloped lots through the Brownfields program, or weatherizing buildings to lower energy costs, these workers will generate new economic possibilities, bringing new opportunities and jobs here,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.  “EPA is providing solutions in these challenging economic times, and making clear that – in Chicago or anywhere else in the country – protecting our health and our environment is a great way to rebuild our economy.”

OAI, Inc., a Chicago non-profit, will receive a $499,047 grant to train 80 workers for green jobs. The grant is provided through EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Program. OAI plans to place at least 75% of its graduates in environmental technician jobs. OAI will work with an Employer Advisory Council, including the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, the Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation, and DNR Construction, Inc., to place graduates in environmental jobs.

EPA established the Brownfields Job Training Program to help residents take advantage of jobs created by the assessment and cleanup of brownfields and to ensure the communities reap the benefits from brownfields redevelopment. The target areas for this grant include the 9th and 24th wards in Chicago’s South Side and seven south-Chicago suburban communities, according to OAI. After evaluating the local labor market, the City of Chicago identified a need to fill a growing number of positions in weatherization and site clean up.

Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant, including mine-scarred lands or sites contaminated by petroleum or the manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs. EPA’s Brownfields Program encourages redevelopment of America’s estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites.

EPA expects to announce additional brownfields and job training grants across the country in the coming days.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009, and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at Recovery.gov.

Additional information on EPA Region 5 brownfields activities is available at http://www.epa.gov/r5brownfields.

Information on ARRA brownfields job training grants and other EPA Brownfields activities under the Recovery Act: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/eparecovery/index.htm

Information on brownfields job training grants: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/job.htm

Read the full post at Green, Inc.

Aside from its environmental benefits, solar energy is frequently touted for its job creation potential. But for solar manufacturers themselves, machines — not employees — may be the key to their long-term survival.

Take, for example, photovoltaic solar panels — the most common form of solar technology. As Roger Efird, the managing director of the United States branch of Suntech Power, a solar energy company based in China, the process of making these cells is already largely automated.

But, he added, the process of taking the individual solar cells and connecting them to create a solar panel is sometimes done by machines, and sometimes by hand, depending on the company and the factory.

Read the full post at Green, Inc.

American retailers looking to save energy are aiming high — just below the roof rafters. That’s where a small revolution is underway to replace 70-year-old magnetic-ballast lighting technology with efficient electronic circuitry. By using electronic ballasts — the transformers that regulate the current and voltage needed to operate the lamps — and a software-based energy management system, Wal-Mart, Publix and other retailers say they can typically cut a store’s lighting costs in half.

Read the full story at Green, Inc.

Each day, more companies claim to have slashed their carbon footprints or achieved other sustainability goals. But how meaningful are these claims, and are they independently verified?

The short answer: It’s murky.

Read the full post at Dot Earth.

Here’s Part 2 of an interview I taped with Andrew Hargadon, who studies the conditions that trigger technological breakthroughs ( part one here). I asked him what he’d recommend that President Obama do to spark a productive energy quest.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

Light emitting diodes could decrease carbon dioxide emissions by up to 50 percent in just over 20 years.

Read the full story in Scientific American.

Just as Wal-Mart’s plan to start eco-labeling its products is splashing down into the summer corporate news kiddie pool, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is in talks about making companies do some serious environmental reporting of their own.

The SEC may eventually require all publicly traded companies to let consumers (that is, investors) know what kinds of risks—financial and otherwise—climate change may pose to the bottom line.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

Recently, wind turbines have become familiar features of the American landscape.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

The restoration of the Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul is part of an expanding environmental effort to “daylight” rivers and streams.

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

Walmart’s move to include green labels on all of its products that detail such things as the amount of energy used to make them is an excellent model for what should be done for Green IT. To date, although there are several green standards for computers and IT, none really hit the mark.

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

There is a new Walmart emerging.

From the moment when I stepped into the renovated Home Office reception area, its cork floors, bamboo and recycled countertops and energy efficient lighting signaled the start of the next phase of Walmart’s sustainability journey. With any journey, there are times we turn back to what is known and comfortable. But Walmart is not going back. Now at the end of the beginning of this effort, Walmart is asking suppliers to join the journey and share along the way.

At the company’s Milestone Meeting today in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart unveiled its Sustainability Index: a set of 15 questions broken up into four focus areas of energy and climate, material efficiency, nature and resources, and people and community.

Read the full story in the Winnipeg Free Press.

Health Canada scientists have found bisphenol A leaching into liquid in plastic baby bottles marketed to parents as being free of the toxic chemical.

The study says “traces” of the toxin were found in “BPA-free” bottles while internal correspondence between a department official and the lead scientist went further, characterizing the amounts in two brands as “high readings.”

Manufacturers of non-polycarbonate plastic baby bottles, however, were quick to challenge the “shocking” results, saying there must be a problem with the way the agency conducted the research.

Read the full story at ClimateBiz.

A new United Nations report suggests advisors to institutional investors may end up in court if they ignore environmental and social concerns.

Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission may reportedly consider whether to force public companies to tell their investors about the financial and physical risks they face from climate change.

Read the full story at ClimateBiz.

Tops and tails are becoming much more than garbage at Gills Onions, an onion processor in Oxnard, Calif. Today marks the unveiling of the company’s onion-powered electrical system, a first-of-its-kind initiative to turn onion waste into energy.

Read the full story at Scientific American.

What careers could become available from the federal emphasis on environmentally friendly projects?

Read the full story in Scientific American.

Climate models of the past, present and future seem to be in no short supply these days. But a new and dynamic picture of climate change appears in this week’s Science, one that could affect the way future conditions are predicted.

Read the full post at Scientific American.

Editor’s Note: Scientific American’s George Musser will be chronicling his experiences installing solar panels and taking other steps to save energy in 60-Second Solar. Read his introduction here and see all posts here.

This year, I’ve been spared the annual ritual of lugging the window air conditioners out of the closet. Not only has it been one of the mildest summers on record in the New York area, but our house has a spiffy new cool white roof, so our attic is no longer the hothouse it once was. Reflective window blinds, compact fluorescent and LED bulbs, and an attic fan have also helped to keep the house cool. In past summers, there usually came some days in August where we vowed to upgrade to a whole-house air conditioning system, but so far we’ve just sweated them out.

Ever on the lookout for other ways to save energy, I sought advice from Gordon Wuthrich of Trane, a leading air-conditioner manufacturer. Obviously, a more efficient air conditioner helps. Units are ranked by their seasonal energy efficiency rating (SEER), which is a charming hodgepodge of a number: the cooling output in Imperial units divided by the electricity input in metric units, multiplied by a factor that accounts for the on-off cycling. Doubling the SEER value halves your electric bill.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

The U.S. secretaries of energy and commerce ended a visit to Beijing with an agreement seen as another incremental step to address China’s contribution to climate change.

The US Forest Service has a new publication for fourth grade teachers and students. Called “The Investigator,” this free item can be downloaded at http://www.scienceinvestigator.org/Northern-States-Edition-i-2.html. The first issue focuses on leaf color change, how ozone levels affect tree growth, protecting the environment through policies and what happens in soil in the winter.

Download the publication at GreenerComputing.

It isn’t always easy to know where to begin in moving to greener and more efficient operations. With that in mind—along with Microsoft’s commitment to share best practices with the rest of the data center industry—this paper presents the top ten best business practices for environmentally sustainable data centers.  The items in this list were submitted by senior members of Microsoft’s Global Foundation Services (GFS) Infrastructure Services team. Their backgrounds include expertise in server and chip development, data center electrical and mechanical engineering, power and cooling architecture and design, research and development, and business operations and administration.

Read the full story in Greener Computing.

Collective concern from businesses, municipalities, environmentalists and manufacturers over the hazards of e-waste has led to a search for ways to reduce its environmental impact. With a greater need for programs that handle collection and disposal of used electronics products in a way that is safest for the environment, product stewardship is emerging as a viable and cost-efficient strategy for doing so, placing the responsibility for a product’s proper disposal on the shoulders of the company that makes or sells the product, or even upon the purchaser. The concept can be applied to a range of products, from paints and prescription medication to batteries and computers.

Read the full story at GreenerComputing.

Dell unveiled an energy savings calculator today that goes beyond what most others offer.

More than just monitoring energy usage, this tool allows a customer to view power consumption for individual components, such as monitors or graphics cards, and compare the current savings to older configurations. It can establish aggregate savings for an entire year in a variety of currencies.

Via Docuticker.

U.S. energy use drops in 2008
Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Americans used more solar, nuclear, biomass and wind energy in 2008 than they did in 2007, according to the most recent energy flow charts released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The nation used less coal and petroleum during the same time frame and only slightly increased its natural gas consumption. Geothermal energy use remained the same.

The estimated U.S. energy use in 2008 equaled 99.2 quadrillion BTUs (“quads”), down from 101.5 quadrillion BTUs in 2007. (A BTU or British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy, and is equivalent to about 1.055 kilojoules).

+ Annotated Chart (PDF; 816 KB)

Read the full post at Green, Inc.

Idaho has lately made a strong showing in energy efficiency: the state was rated “most improved” in a recent energy-efficiency survey, and also topped a Pew survey last month for fastest green job growth.

One innovative program that Idaho is pursuing is paying several hundred farmers to not water their crops on some late afternoons, when the demand for electricity is at its peak. The savings come from not using electric pumps, which consume a great deal of energy ferrying water from, say, a river to a plateau. The Idaho Power Company estimates that on a hot summer afternoon, it can save slightly more than 5 percent of its electric demand.

Read the full story at Edie.net.

The widespread introduction of bio-fuels in the aviation industry would result in carbon cuts worth billions to Europe, a think tank report says.

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, or free electricity. But green buildings, when designed right, can operate without monthly utility bills.

They’re known as zero net energy buildings, and they are generating lots of talk these days.

Read the full story at GreenerDesign.

One of the most common complaints in the car rental industry is the smell of some vehicles, which can make you wonder what went on behind the wheel before you were handed the keys.

The Hertz Corp. is tackling the dilemma with a biodegradable, non-toxic product that saps the stench from stinky rental cars without comprising air quality or aggravating allergies — and so safe that the sales team of its maker, OMI Industries, will spray into their own eyes to prove a point. Hertz is rolling out its odor-free fleet program with Fresh Wave IAQ, a product that will be used at 72 North American airport rental locations, 1,000 off-airport locations and 170 licensee locations in the U.S.

Read the full story at GreenerDesign.

Unilever’s new Cleaner Planet Plan is encouraging consumers to switch to concentrated versions of the company’s laundry detergent brands and will give advice on how to reduce the water and energy impacts of laundry.

Read the full story at GreenerDesign.

A New England startup claims it has found a way to make ethanol using solar power and carbon dioxide — without agricultural land or fresh water.

Read the full story at GreenerComputing.

Greenpeace activists showed their disdain for a major computer company in a demonstration that is characteristic of the non-profit organization. In a direct action this morning, several Greenpeace activists scaled the campus of Hewlett Packard in Palo Alto, Calif. and painted “Hazardous Products” in non-toxic children’s finger paint on the roof.

The San Francisco-based environmental organization criticized HP for delaying commitments to remove toxic chemicals — such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) — from its line of computer products. The company postponed removal of these chemicals, which are considered toxic, from the end of this year until 2011…

On HP’s website, the company published this statement regarding use of materials:

“We still use certain BFRs in printed-circuit boards because suitable alternatives are not yet available. As technologically feasible alternatives become readily available that will not compromise product performance or quality and will not adversely impact health or the environment, we will complete the phase out of BFR and PVC in newly introduced personal computing products in 2011.”

Read the press release.

Former Senator John Warner (R-VA) and the Pew Environment Group have announced a new project to listen and share with the public viewpoints on the critical links between national security, energy and global warming. The Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate will bring together science and military policy experts to examine new strategies for combating climate change, protecting our national security, increasing our energy independence and preserving our nation’s natural resources.

Read the press release.

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) has entered into an agreement with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), a project of the William J. Clinton Foundation, to develop programs to help hospitals and healthcare facilities reduce their environmental impact, particularly in the area of carbon reduction. HCWH will work with CCI to develop building energy efficiency retrofit projects and other carbon reduction strategies in healthcare facilities.

Listen to the story and read an excerpt from the book at NPR.

When it’s time to fill up the gas tank, many fear the price of gas will return to the $4-a-gallon days of last summer.

But according to author Chris Steiner, our lives would be a lot happier and healthier if gas prices rose into the double digits.

Steiner explains himself, and the title of his book: $20 Per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline Will Change Our Lives for the Better.