Posted: (08/26/2010)
California Approves Large-Scale Solar Thermal Plant
After a two-and-half year environmental review, California regulators have approved a license for the 250-megawatt Beacon Solar Energy Project, reports The New York Times. The project is said to be the nation's first large-scale solar thermal power plant in two decades. NextEra Energy Resources filed an application in March 2008 to build the Beacon project on 2,012 acres of former farmland in Kern County, which would feature long rows of parabolic mirrors, but some rural residents objected to the 521 million gallons of groundwater the project would consume annually in the Mojave Desert, according to the article. Through negotiations, NextEra agreed to use recycled water that will be piped in from a neighboring community. This is one of several big solar farms that are expected to receive approval from the California Energy Commission in the next month, according to the article The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) also is fast tracking several solar projects. As an example, Chevron Energy Solutions' proposed 45-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) plant on 516 acres of federal land managed by BLM in the Mojave Desert moved one step closer to being build after clearing its final environmental review by BLM. The Lucerne Valley Solar Project is one of BLM's "fast-track projects" that demonstrate that they have made sufficient progress to formally start the environmental review and public participation process Click on the link to read the complete article at Environmental Leader.
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Posted: (08/26/2010)
Vice President Biden Announces 200,000 Homes Weatherized Under the Recovery Act
At an event with homeowners and workers who benefited from the program, today in Manchester, New Hampshire, Vice President Joe Biden announced a major Recovery Act milestone--the weatherizing of 200,000 homes under the Recovery Act. As a result of the Administration's unprecedented commitment to energy efficiency, more than 200,000 low-income families have been able to save money on their energy bills while saving energy, and thousands of people have been put to work. "Thanks to the Recovery Act, thousands of construction workers across the country are now on the job making energy-saving home improvements that will save working families hundreds of dollars a year on their utility bills," said Vice President Biden. "From replacing windows and doors to adding insulation, these are small changes that are making a big difference for American workers, manufacturer and consumers. We've hit the accelerator on the weatherization program, making over 200,000 homes more energy-efficient already, and are now full speed ahead to meet our original target of weatherizing 600,000 homes nationwide. " "The weatherization program under the Recovery Act--one of our signature programs--is successfully delivering energy and cost savings for hundreds of thousands of American families while creating thousands of clean energy jobs in local communities," said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Vice President Biden today visited the Manchester, New Hampshire home of the Dumont family to announce the milestone. The Dumont family is expected to save over $600 a year on their utility bills once their weatherization project is completed and Southern New Hampshire Services, the local organization weatherizing their home, has already hired 7 new full-time employees and an estimated 68 subcontractors as a result of the Recovery Act weatherization funding. Click on the link to read the complete story.
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Posted: (08/25/2010)
Paving 'Slabs' That Clean the Air
ScienceDaily (Aug. 18, 2010) -- The concentrations of toxic nitrogen oxide that are present in German cities regularly exceed the maximum permitted levels. That's now about to change, as innovative paving slabs that will help protect the environment are being introduced. Coated in titanium dioxide nanoparticles, they reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide in the air. In Germany, ambient air quality is not always as good as it might be -- data from the federal environment ministry makes this all too clear. In 2009, the amounts of toxic nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere exceeded the maximum permitted levels at no fewer than 55 percent of air monitoring stations in urban areas. The ministry reports that road traffic is one of the primary sources of these emissions. In light of this fact, the Baroque city of Fulda is currently embarking on new ways to combat air pollution. Special paving slabs that will clean the air are to be laid the length of Petersberger Straße, where recorded pollution levels topped the annual mean limit of 40 micrograms per cubic meter (¼g/m3) last year. These paving slabs are coated with titanium dioxide (TiO2), which converts harmful substances such as nitrogen oxides into nitrates. Titanium dioxide is a photocatalyst; it uses sunlight to accelerate a naturallyoccurring chemical reaction, the speed of which changes with exposure to light. The "Air Clean" nitrogen oxide-reducing paving slabs were developed by F. C. Nüdling Betonelemente. Proof of their effectiveness has subsequently been provided by the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME in Schmallenberg, where researchers also determined the risk to the environment posed by the resulting nitrates. Their work was funded by the German Environment Foundation. Dr. Monika Herrchen, a scientist at the IME, says: "Experiments in Italian cities had already shown that photocatalytic paving slabs can improve the air quality. We wanted to see if they would also be effective here in Germany, where we have lower levels of light intensity and fewer hours of sunshine. Of course, the more intense the sunshine, the quicker the degradation of harmful substances, so our aim was to identify the formula with the highest photocatalytic efficiency rating." Click on the link to read the complete article at Science Daily
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Posted: (08/25/2010)
U.S. Energy Use Fell 4.5% in 2009
Americans are using less energy overall and making more use of renewable energy resources, according to a report released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). According to the report, the U.S. used significantly less coal and petroleum in 2009 than in 2008, and significantly more wind power. There also was a decline in natural gas use and increases in solar, hydro and geothermal power according to the most recent LLNL energy flow charts. "Energy use tends to follow the level of economic activity, and that level declined last year. At the same time, higher efficiency appliances and vehicles reduced energy use even further," said A.J. Simon, an LLNL energy systems analyst who develops the energy flow charts using data provided by the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration. "As a result, people and businesses are using less energy in general." Estimated U.S. energy use in 2009 declined by approximately 4.5 percent from 2008, LLNL reported. Energy use in the residential, commercial, industrial and transportation arenas all declined by 1.95, 1.06, 9.92 and 3.27 percent, respectively. Wind power used for primary power generation increased dramatically in 2009 by 37.25 percent from 2008 levels. Most of that energy is tied directly to electricity generation and thus helps decrease the use of coal for electricity production. "The increase in renewables is a really good story, especially in the wind arena," Simon said. "It's a result of very good incentives and technological advancements. In 2009, the technology got better and the incentives remained relatively stable. The investments put in place for wind in previous years came online in 2009. Even better, there are more projects in the pipeline for 2010 and beyond." Click on the link to read the complete article at Environmental Leader
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Posted: (08/23/2010)
10 Lessons from the Road to a Greener Fleet
Owning the world's largest vehicle fleet isn't a responsibility Enterprise Holdings takes lightly. It's a commitment that has driven us to develop a comprehensive environmental stewardship platform that guides our operations and helps bring new technology to our customers. We don't pretend to have all the answers; on the contrary, we view this as a journey. Along the way, however have learned a few things that we hope may be useful to others as they pursue their own paths to sustainability: 1. Align Your Sustainability Strategy with the Overall Mission of Your Business 2. Play to Your Strengths 3. Embrace the Forces of the Free Market 4. Understand -- and Anticipate -- What Customers Want Read the complete article at GreenBiz
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Posted: (08/23/2010)
How to Build Successful Green Teams
This study, "Generating Sustainable Value: Moving Beyond Green Teams to Transformation Collaboratives," offers five key factors for successful green teams and shares insights culled from examinations of 14 leading firms. The research published by Sabre Holdings, Dominican University and Paladin Law Group LLP explores the extent to which green teams have been able to harness their energy to help drive product and service innovation by adding enterprise value. Download the document at GreenBiz by clicking on the link
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Posted: (08/20/2010)
EPA Releases Draft Strategy for Clean Water
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting the public to comment on the agency's draft strategy to protect and restore our nation's lakes, streams and coastal waters. The strategy, "Coming Together for Clean Water: EPA's Strategy for Achieving Clean Water," is designed to chart EPA's path in furthering EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's key priority of protecting America's waters. The strategy was developed by considering the input and ideas generated at the April "Coming Together for Clean Water" forum as well as comments received through the online discussion forum. Participants shared their perspectives on how to advance the EPA's clean water agenda focusing on the agency's two priority areas: healthy watersheds and sustainable communities. EPA is now inviting the public to consider and provide their comments on the approaches outlined in the strategy. Public comments on the draft strategy should be submitted by September 17. EPA will review all comments and post a final strategy later in the year.
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Posted: (08/18/2010)
EPA Chief Cites E-Waste as a Top Priority
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's administrator Lisa Jackson said that the prevention and proper management of e-waste is one of the agency's top six newly announced global priorities. The other five priorities were reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality, improving water quality, reducing toxics exposures and building stronger institutional frameworks. Jackson's comments follow the release of a report from the Government Accounting Office entitled Electronic Waste: Considerations for Promoting Environmentally Sound Reuse and Recycling. The report addresses the management and trade of hazardous electronic waste, urging EPA to stem the massive flow of U.S. e-waste overseas. Read the complete article at Environmental Leader
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Posted: (08/18/2010)
EPA to Reconsider Final Rule on Stormwater Discharges for Construction Sites
WASHINGTON, D.C. --Today the Office of Advocacy applauded the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to reexamine its final rule for stormwater discharges for construction sites. The Office of Advocacy had estimated that the regulation had the potential of costing business $10 billion annually, with minimal environmental improvement and would adversely affect housing affordability for millions of Americans. Small firms make up 97.7 percent of the construction and development industry. "EPA's decision to review its rule should be viewed as a step towards finding the appropriate regulation that protects our environment and doesn't overburden small business," said Susan M. Walthall, Acting Chief Counsel for Advocacy. "A regulation that is based on accurate data, with the opportunity for public input, will benefit us all." On April 20 of this year the Office of Advocacy issued a letter petitioning EPA to reconsider the final rule for stormwater discharges for construction sites. The petition identified errors in EPA's data review and analysis that contributed to a stringent numeric standard of 280 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU). The petition also stated that providing the opportunity for public comment on the data and methodology would have improved the rule. A significant concern that Advocacy included in its April 20th petition was that EPA misinterpreted vendor data from a construction site in Seattle, Washington, as representing 15, instead of 3, pretreatment systems. This correction alone would drive the limit to approximately 500 NTU. For more information and a complete copy of the letter, visit the Office of Advocacy website:
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Posted: (08/17/2010)
Choosing the right product is easy when you have the City's help.
In keeping with San Francisco's commitment to the Precautionary Principle, the Board of Supervisors passed legislation in 2005 requiring that all City department purchasers adhere to an approved list of environmentally preferable, or "green," products. The San Francisco Department of Environment created the SF Approved List to share the very best in authoritative green purchasing information within City government and with the world at large. To create the List, we review ingredients, recycled content, energy efficiency, and many other factors, along with collecting reports on product performance. This is your one-stop shop for over 1,000 green products. Click on the link to read more:
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Posted: (08/17/2010)
EPA Launches Web Forum on How to Best Protect America's Drinking Water
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a web-based discussion forum to gather public input on how the agency can improve protection of drinking water. The information will be used in implementing EPA's new drinking water strategy announced by Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in March. "We look forward to reviewing the ideas and feedback from the public," said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Water. "This online discussion is for anyone who wants to share their input on protecting drinking water and improving public health." EPA seeks input from water professionals, advocates, and anyone interested in drinking water quality issues about best solutions for issues facing our nation's drinking water--planning, developing scientific tools, controlling water pollution and use of resources. The discussion forum will feature a series of topics based on the four segments of the drinking water strategy: addressing contaminants as groups rather than one at a time, fostering development of new technologies, using the existing authority of several statues to protect drinking water, and partnering with states to share more complete data. The forum will be open for discussion for about a month, with each topic area being discussed separately. Addressing contaminants as groups will also be discussed separately at a web-based meeting at the end of July. To join the discussion: http://blog.epa.gov/dwstrat More information on the new Drinking Water Strategy:
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Posted: (08/16/2010)
How to Conduct Internal Audits of Your Environmental Management System
If an environmental management system is a living, breathing organism, then internal audits are the central nervous system and, well crafted and supported, they tell top management what processes are working throughout the organization and what are not. Think of it this way: if all pollution is waste and all waste is pollution then anywhere you can reduce, reuse, recycle or use more environmentally friendly material you have improved your environmental impact and your sustainability as an organization. If you implement a purchasing policy that all office furniture has to be made from certified sustainable forests, for example, then you have stepped out of the crowd that destroys forests and the creatures therein. If you streamline a bureaucratic data processing system, you have saved electricity, time and manpower. If you install a wind-turbine on the back lot, solar panels on the roof, cisterns under the parking lot, geothermal heat pumps, and paint the building a cheery bright green with photo-catalytic paint then you've done even more. Read the complete article at Environmental Leader.
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Posted: (08/04/2010)
Pollution Prevention Week 2010 Video Contest
What if everyone..... made one small effort to lessen their environmental impact? For the 20th Anniversary of the Pollution Prevention Act, the CA Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and the Western Sustainability and Pollution Prevention Network (WSPPN) are asking everyday people to make a short video that shows how making small changes in our daily lives can have a big impact on the environment. Some of the winning entries will be featured on the DTSC website during Pollution Prevention Week and all of the winners will be given recognition during WSPPN Conference on October 28. The contest deadline is September 13. For full rules and guidelines on the contest, click on the link:
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