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 TwitterThe 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 LaboratoryAmericans 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.”
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.
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.
