Friday, October 07, 2005

[Environmental quotations] Environmental quotation of the day We need to look at waste as a great economic and environmental opportunity. -- Jim Hightower, Texas commissioner of agriculture, Smithsonian, April 1990. [Source: Rodes, Barbara K. and Rice Odell, compilers. A Dictionary of Environmental Quotations. Baltimore, MD : Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992.] 1:44:11 PM Google It!    [Environmental health] When Your Job Makes You Sick -- Literally Each day an estimated 11 million workers in the U.S. are exposed to hundreds of agents associated with occupational asthma, including plastics and chemicals. Story by Cox News Service's Katherine Heine appears in The Waco (Texas) Tribune-Herald, 10/5/05. [SEJ Environmental Journalism Today] 1:35:23 PM Google It!    [Brownfields] New Growth Sprouts On Brownfields From tony suburbs to inner-city neighborhoods across the U.S., developers are snapping up brownfields, They're willing to clean them up to get their hands on land in prime locations. And consumers increasingly are willing to pay top dollar to live on land once not fit for habitation. More from USA TODAY's Haya El Nasser, 10/6/05. [SEJ Environmental Journalism Today] 1:34:09 PM Google It!    [Coal-fired power plants] Clean coal isn't climate-friendly yet NEW YORK (Reuters) - The world's first substantially cleaner coal plants are being planned in the United States, but they may do little to cut global warming risks until the U.S. forms climate regulations, experts said. [Reuters: Science] 1:30:07 PM Google It!    [Fuel efficiency] Ford Hybrid Owners Head to Fuel-Economy School; Motorists in 10 Cities Get 'Citations' for Saving Gas This weekend, hybrid vehicle owners from across North America converge at Ford's Research and Innovation Laboratory here as part of a nationwide effort to teach consumers how to improve fuel economy.  Beginning later this month, Ford and police officers in 10 cities will patrol the streets, issuing 'citations' (prepaid $25 gasoline cards from BP) to those who demonstrate fuel-saving driving techniques. Both efforts are part of a Ford Motor Company educational campaign on fuel economy. 1:26:35 PM Google It!    [Air pollution] Bill aims to reduce idling by big rigs Every evening, truck drivers oill into truck stops, climb into the back and go to sleep, but they have to leave their trucks running all night if they want air conditioning or heat, which burns a lot of fuel and spews tons of pollutants into the air. [Environmental Health News] 1:23:12 PM Google It!    [Energy efficiency] Energy Conservation Is Back. What's Your Company Doing? A directory of my 30 or so favorite energy-efficiency resources for companies, culled from the thousands that exist. [Joel Makower: Two Steps Forward] 1:20:20 PM Google It!    [Energy policy] Bush team searches for energy answers As the Bush administration searches for solutions to energy shortages exacerbated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it is running up against a major conflict between its new-found belief in global warming and relaxing environmental regulations. [Environmental Health News] 10:27:35 AM Google It!    [Biodiesel] Biodiesel Fueling Changes at Schools Jackson Public Schools is considering a switch to biodiesel fuel for its bus fleet, a move that some school districts are making to be more friendly to the environment and potentially save money. Although the blended fuel typically costs more than regular diesel by as much as 20 cents, a recent rise in fuel prices and a 20-cents-per-gallon federal refund available to industries using biodiesel are making the fuel alternative more mainstream, experts say. [Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) News] 10:26:39 AM Google It!    [Responsible investing] Goldman Sachs Adds Own Twist to Social and Environmental Assessment NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2005 - Socially responsible investing is showing signs of being memetic -- in other words, spreading like a cultural virus. [GreenBiz.com] 10:24:15 AM Google It!    [Climate change] Milliken Offsets 100% of GreenBuild Conference Emissions SPARTANBURG, S.C., Oct. 7, 2005 - Milliken & Company has donated enough carbon dioxide credits to offset 100% of the emissions associated with the U.S. Green Building Council's upcoming Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Atlanta. [GreenBiz.com] 10:23:23 AM Google It!    [Energy research] DOE Praises Opening of State-of-the-Art Battery Facility A new research and development facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, could help provide a key enabling technology for hybrid, electric, and fuel cell vehicles. The Johnson Controls facility will develop lithium ion batteries under an agreement with DOE and the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium. [EERE Network News] 10:21:41 AM Google It!    [SUVs] Who Drives 4WDs? SUVs--Drivers Source: Australia Institute Who Drives 4WDs? (PDF; 52 KB) "The data reported in this paper suggest that there is a self-perception of ruggedness amongst the drivers of large 4WDs in the city. They are also more inclined to a conservative, individualistic point of view. This suggests that relying on the social conscience of large 4WD owners to change to safer, less aggressive vehicles may be less effective than mandatory measures such as special licences and high taxes." [ResourceShelf's DocuTicker] 10:20:05 AM Google It!    [Energy policy] Kibbie proposes sales tax break for flex-fuel vehicles JOHNSTON, Iowa -- Iowa Senate co-president Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, said Thursday he is preparing a plan to eliminate the sales tax on flex-fuel and hybrid vehicles. By By Dan Gearino. [Stateline.org RSS - Environment] 10:15:31 AM Google It!    [Great Lakes] Great Lakes plan all washed up After a year of promises to make the Great Lakes a greater national priority, the Bush administration is pulling back from an ambitious $20 billion plan to restore and protect the world's largest source of freshwater. By By Michael Hawthorne. [Stateline.org RSS - Environment] 10:14:37 AM Google It!    [Green roofs] Green Roofs Can Save Green on Bills While some college courses may teach ways to earn green through the roof, one project at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville allows students to grow green on the roofs. A project titled Green Roof Environmental Evaluation Network, or GREEN, studies the effect of growing vegetation on roofs in the Midwest. [Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) News] 10:13:29 AM Google It!    [Green roofs] Green Roofs Save the Planet and Money in the Bronx. NEW YORK, NY — Installing plants on roofs as a way to save energy and cut down on pollution is gaining momentum across the city. Green roofs have begun to sprout in several New York City neighborhoods. In the South Bronx community activists, researchers and landscape architects are joining forces to try to convince property owners that green roofs will help their bottom line. [Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) News] 10:12:40 AM Google It!    [Renewable energy] Renewable Energy Solutions at Ohio U Reap Grants Ohio University has been awarded a $43,500 grant from Cinergy's Greenhouse Gas Fund, which invests in projects that can help reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 5 percent below 2000 levels by 2010, and keep them there. The recipient is the Dairy Lane Eco-House, which showcases and applies leading-edge green technologies designed to specifically conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a sustainable manner. [Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) News] 10:11:53 AM Google It!    [Land use] WI: Land Developers and DNR Team Up Under Environmental Charter A council of residential land developers affiliated with the Wisconsin Builders Association signed an environmental charter today with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources under the state's new Green Tier program. The charter formalizes the developers' commitment to provide a sustainable environment and quality housing. [Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) News] 10:10:57 AM Google It!    [Alternative transportation ] U.S. Gasoline Spike Fuels Surge in Bicycle Sales A spike in gasoline prices is fueling what could be the biggest year for U.S. bicycle sales since the Arab oil embargo more than three decades ago, a leading bike association said on Wednesday. [Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) News] 10:08:57 AM Google It!    [Building reuse] New Uses for the "Big Boxes" Julia Christensen began wondering about the thousands of big boxes that are left behind every year as major retailers, grocers and health clubs make adjustments. She asked: What are the best uses for them? To find out, she has been traveling the country in her 1999 Subaru since January 2003, taking pictures, interviewing big-box users and compiling what amounts to a database. Along the way, Christensen is speaking on the topic to civic groups, urban planners and anyone else who's interested. She hopes to publish a book on the topic in 2006. [Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) News] 10:08:10 AM Google It!    [Energy efficiency] DOE Launches New Energy Savers Booklet Web Site The new version of DOE's "Energy Savers" booklet, which provides tips for saving energy at home, offers both quick and easy tips and tips for long-term energy savings. The accompanying site could be invaluable as people look for ways to reduce their energy costs this winter. [EERE Network News] 10:03:58 AM Google It!    [Meetings] Training on the Illinois Energy Conservation Code for Commercial Buildings In a coordinated project supported by the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, the United States Department of Energy and the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, a broad range of training opportunities are available statewide on the Illinois Energy Conservation Code for Commercial Buildings. This new law, which will become effective on April 8, 2006, requires all new commercial construction for which a building permit application is received by a municipality or county to follow a comprehensive statewide energy conservation code. Renovations, alterations, additions and repairs to most existing commercial buildings must follow the Illinois Energy Conservation Code. Local governments are free to adopt stricter energy conservation laws. Specifically, the Law requires the Capital Development Board (CDB) to adopt the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) with the 2001 supplement for statewide use. These trainings will focus on assist with compliance of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and the A.S.H.R.A.E. 90.1 (ASHRAE) standard. Training will consist of three types of classroom training, on line training and on the phone training. The first training in each part of the state will be an overview of what you need to know on the new code provided by Building Media, Inc. The other training will be on the IECC 2004 supplement (International Code Council will provide the training) for code enforcement officials and on ASHRAE 90.1 2004 (ASHRAE will provide the training) for architects and engineers. All of these trainings can be attended by any interested parties. For more information visit the IL DCEO website at http://www.illinoisbiz.biz/dceo/Bureaus/Energy_Recycling/IECC.htm. If you would like to sign up for ICC training or view their brochure, the ICC training brochure can be found at  http://www.iccsafe.org/training/seminars/05033_brochure.pdf. The Building Media, Inc. training brochure can be found at http://www.buildingmedia.com/dceo/index.html. 9:55:55 AM Google It!    [Meetings] 2nd Annual Heartland Bioneers Conference Location: SIU Carbondale Dates: October 14-16, 2005 This weekend conference focuses on practical solutions and innovative strategies to address our most pressing socio-environmental challenges. Heartland Bioneers is a regional satellite conference partnering with the main event in San Rafael, CA (www.bioneers.org) Fifteen keynote speakers (listed below) will be viewed live via satellite in the SIUC Student Center Auditorium. Additional locally-produced workshops and other special activities, including an optional weekend camping retreat, are planned. Visit www.heartlandbioneers.org to learn more.  Online registration is available.  Very low rates for students, and group discounts available. For questions, contact coordinator Kris Schachel at sustain@siu.edu 2005 Bioneers Conference Speakers: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14th 1. Janine Benyus - "What Life Knows: New Ideas from Biology that Could Change the World" 2. Wil Bullock - "You Are Where You Eat: Growing Urban Food and Community" 3. Slava Trigubovich - "From Russia with Snow Leopards: The Future of Wilderness Protection" 4. Bill McKibben - "Global Warming: A Climate of Fear and Opportunity" 5. Diane Wilson - "An UnReasonable Woman: UnReasonableness and Where It Gets You" SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15th 1. Jeremy Narby - "Intelligence in Nature: A Predator's Inquiry" 2. Carolyn Raffensperger - "Bold Precaution: The Precautionary Principle Gains Traction" 3. Omar Freilla - "Greening the Inner City: Jobs, Health, Justice and the Environment" 4. Thom Hartmann - "Beyond Framing: How Deep Neuro-Linguistic Programming Communicates" 5. Rha Goddess - "Who's Got Next? Cultivating Feminine-Centered Leadership in a Hip-Hop Era" SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16th 1. Michael Ableman - "Field of Plenty: A Farmer's Journey to the Frontiers of American Agriculture" 2. Ohki Simine Forest - "Return of the Ancient Council Ways: Indigenous Survival in Chiapas" 3. Andy Lipkis - "Restoring Los Angeles: Healing the Nature of Our Cities" 4. David Orr - "The Fifth Revolution: The Evolution of Ecological Design Intelligence" 5. Bernice Johnson Reagon - "And, there are those of us who straddle..." 9:52:48 AM Google It!

© Copyright 2005 Laura L. Barnes. Last update: 11/1/2005; 1:07:38 PM.