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Tuesday, November 01, 2005
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EPA has awarded seven grants totaling $1,042,152 to help increase the number of physicians, nurses and public health workers able to address the broad spectrum of children's environmental health issues, whether in their private practices, in the institutions which they work, in academia, or in their communities. [U.S. EPA Grants News]
4:24:52 PM Google It! 
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EPA has awarded $9 million in grants to establish two environmental bioinformatics centers that merge computer science, biology, and toxicology to predict hazardous outcomes and advance the field of human health and ecological risk assessment. [ENN Business Headlines]
4:22:35 PM Google It!
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LONDON, Oct. 31, 2005 - There is a clear link between the environmental friendliness of a building and its market value, according to an international study led by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. [GreenBiz.com]
4:21:16 PM Google It!
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LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 31, 2005 - Rising fuel prices have prompted UPS to accelerate a fuel conservation program that's now saving more than $1 million each month in fuel costs while reducing the airline's impact on the environment. [GreenBiz.com]
4:20:01 PM Google It!
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It's amazing how something as simple as cleaning our homes creates environmental challenges. Jerry Kay spoke to Linda Mason Hunter, co-author of Green Clean: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home. [ENN Business Headlines]
4:18:10 PM Google It!
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An interview with Heather Rogers, the author of a new book about our ever-increasing 'waste stream' and the people and corporations that feed it. [Source: AlterNet]
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The ultra-fine particles created for cosmetic, industrial and high-technology uses could prove to be as deadly in the future as asbestos is today, according to groups calling for a moratorium on "nanotechnology". [Environmental Health News]
4:10:52 PM Google It!
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Ethanol
Source: Congressional Research Service (via National Council for Science and the Environment)
Fuel Ethanol: Background and Public Policy Issues (PDF; 93 KB)
"The current size of the ethanol industry depends significantly on federal laws and regulations that promote ethanol use for air quality and energy security purposes, as well as tax incentives that lessen its cost to consumers. Without these, it is likely that the industry would shrink substantially in the near future. However, if fuel ethanol process costs can be decreased, or if gasoline prices increase, ethanol could increase its role in U.S. fuel consumption." [ResourceShelf's DocuTicker]
4:06:48 PM Google It!
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State officials suspended Minnesota's month-old law requiring diesel fuel to be blended with a soybean-based additive after workers at fuel-blending terminals found that some fuel didn't meet quality standards. Workers discovered late Thursday that some of the biodiesel was not up to specifications required in state law. By the Associated Press. [Stateline.org RSS - Energy]
4:03:52 PM Google It!
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Biodiesel's time is coming as gas prices rise. [Source: Washington (DC) Examiner]
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Via sustainablog:
Picked up a Sunday paper this morning, and was pleased to see this article on green building on the front page of the Post-Dispatch's Business section. The overview of rating systems such as LEED, as well as general ideas on what makes a house or building "green," is basic stuff for sustainablog readers, but I'm encouraged to see more news on green and sustainable development in the local mainstream press.
3:42:00 PM Google It!
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Via sustainablog:
Ireland's Farming Life asks "Will Renewable Energy Crops Drive Future Of Farming?" and takes a look at the multiple ways Irish farmers can incorporate renewable energy production into their operations in order to either power themselves or produce energy as yet another "crop." While the article focuses on a variety of means that farmers can turn current wastes into fuel sources, it also promotes the cultivation of oilseed rape. Growing crops for fuel can provide another source of income for farmers, and does encourage them to look more to the market rather than subsidies; I have to wonder, though, if this doesn't promote the fallacy that we can grow our way out of dependence on oil.
3:40:11 PM Google It!
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Via sustainablog:
The Future is Green points us to an article from October's Popular Mechanics that profiles five technologies that can "...help ease the pressure on fossil fuels." Now, these aren't pie-in-the-sky technologies like the Freedom Car, but workable solutions that are "near implementation." I and others have discussed many of these -- the PM piece, however, does a nice job of demonstrating the range of technological alternatives out there, and also of highlighting human capacity for innovation. Each overview also provides a summary of criticism of the technology; there are also sidebars on nuclear power and its limitations. An inspiring read...
3:38:19 PM Google It!
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Via sustainablog:
Granted, it's been difficult (obviously) not to focus hard on Wal-Mart's recent announcements concerning social and environmental responsibility, but, as this article from ENN demonstrates, many retailers are moving towards more energy-efficient and sustainable stores.
Retailers are among the busiest builders on the American landscape, and they receive criticism for everything from the style of the structures to the traffic they attract. Driven by a mix of reasons from public relations to saving money to a desire to be more responsible, a growing number are experimenting with more environmentally sensitive and energy efficient stores. From my own perspective, I have to remember not to criticize too loudly when a business' motivations are less than "pure." One of the things we're trying to demonstrate to the business world is the value of a triple-bottom-line approach, and as long as the corporate sector is making genuine efforts, we ought to encourage them regardless of their motivation. I'm still skeptical about corporate behemoths like Wal-Mart and McDonald's that have such long histories of less than responsible behavior and business models that are inherently unsustainable; I'm very encouraged, though, by smaller businesses and chains that are laying much more on the line by heeding the call of "going green," even if they primarily see public relations value in such moves.
3:24:59 PM Google It!
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Via sustainablog:
Treehugger Warren McLaren makes a very cool find with The Art Gallery of Renewable Energy, a site that "...explores some of the art found on the internet that use or discuss renewable energy, specifically solar and wind energy." A project of Canadian artist Lope, the Gallery serves as inspiration to other artists about the role they can play in promoting a more sustainable future:
There are many roles for the artist to play in the emergence of a renewable energy economy. Artists influence and can help introduce clean technologies to people, educate them in their potential use, explore the ways in which renewables interact with everyday life, and stir people to action. Artists make things beautiful - their work catches the eye and draws one in - it creates impressions and stirs emotions. It is the job of the artist to make solar and wind power beautiful, more beautiful than the life promised by fossil fuels. Artists also look toward the future and help inspire dreams of what might be, capture a future world where there is hope. Let's hope this does inspire more visual artists, as well as writers, musicians, filmmakers, etc., to examine the aesthetics and meaning of sustainable technology and design. As Bill McKibben argued recently at Grist , art could be one of the most effective mediums available for spreading the concept of living more sustainably.
3:22:07 PM Google It!
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Governor Edward Rendell launched the grand opening of the East Coast's first biodiesel injection blending facility owned by Independence BioFuels, Inc, a wholesale distributor of biofuels, located at the Petroleum Products Corporation terminal in Highspire, PA [ENN Business Headlines]
2:53:14 PM Google It!
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Intel's Community Environmental Working Group hosted a presentation on technology that has the potential to reduce water use at the microchip plant by up to 80 percent and virtually eliminate harmful solvents. [ENN Business Headlines]
2:52:13 PM Google It!
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McDonald's Corp. is giving a jolt to the New England coffee market. Starting next week, the fast-food chain will replace its brew in all 600 New England stores with Newman's Own Organics Blend produced by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. in Waterbury, Vt. [ENN Business Headlines]
2:51:05 PM Google It!
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An Augustana College junior recently found himself in the midst of the nation's competitive mad dash to develop a hydrogen fuel cell that will efficiently and affordably power automobiles. [Source:Argus Leader via FuelCellWorks.com]
1:35:15 PM Google It!
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Toyota Motor Sales is temporarily suspending model year 2006 Prius sales to government and rental fleets and cancelling existing order agreements due low inventories and an anticipated surge in retail demand. [Green Car Congress]
1:30:05 PM Google It!
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The Standard. Hong Kong's Secretary for Environment Works and Transport, Dr. Sarah Liao, countered criticism that not enough is being done to battle rising air pollution by pointing to the long-term promise of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. [Green Car Congress]
1:28:37 PM Google It!
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Kansans are using more ethanol in their vehicles, and more stations are set to start offering ethanol-blended fuels in the next year. According to fuel reports from the Kansas Department of Revenue, Kansans consumed more than 4.3 million gallons of... [Green Car Congress]
1:27:29 PM Google It!
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NWAnews. The Eastman Chemical Co. plant near Batesville, Arkansas has begun producing biodiesel from soybean oil, the first facility in Arkansas to do so. [Green Car Congress]
1:26:11 PM Google It!
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GM and SAIC Motor Corp signed a Memorandum of Understanding today in Shanghai that builds on earlier agreements to explore opportunities for the local application and production of energy-efficient and environmentally clean vehicles in China. [Green Car Congress]
1:25:18 PM Google It!
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E3 Biofuels is building a 20-mgpy (million gallons per year) ethanol plant at a cattle feedlot in Mead, Nebraska, that will be powered by methane from the cattle manure, greatly reducing energy costs while making environmentally sound use of animal waste. [Green Car Congress]
1:23:20 PM Google It!
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Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 10/28/05. On Friday, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson signed and sent to the White House the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force report highlighting activities accomplished by the task force since its creation by President Bush in May 2004. [Great Lakes Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) News]
1:10:27 PM Google It!
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From the San Jose Mercury News (10/24/05)
Hazardous electronic waste dumping has spread from East Asia to Africa under the guise of bridging the so-called digital divide in poverty-stricken societies, an environmental advocacy group contends in a new report released today.
Seattle-based Basel Action Network documented scenes of e-waste dumping and burning in Lagos, Nigeria, in its report, ``The Digital Dump: Exporting Re-Use and Abuse to Africa.'' The group said as many as 500 shipping containers filled with discarded computers enter the port of Lagos primarily from North America and Europe every month. Most of this material is not reusable and gets dumped or burned, posing environmental and human health hazards, the report said.
The report is available at www.ban.org.
1:08:32 PM Google It!
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The Toyota USA Foundation is committed to improving the quality of K-12 education by supporting innovative programs that improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and science. Priority is given to systemic math and science programs that are broad in scope and incorporate interdisciplinary curricula, "real-world" classroom applications and high student expectations. Grants are made to accredited higher education institutions, community colleges and vocational or trade schools, and to nonprofit organizations engaged in pre-collegiate math and/or science education. K-12 public and private schools may not directly apply to the Foundation. Applications are accepted throughout the year.
1:05:07 PM Google It!
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© Copyright
2005
Laura L. Barnes.
Last update:
12/2/2005; 9:58:39 AM.
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