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National P2 News Archive    (From Last 14 days)      Browse by : Funding | Mercury | Tribal

MN: Anglers urged to switch to lead-free tackle (05/09/2008)
As anglers in Minnesota prepare their gear for the Saturday fishing opener, state officials are asking that only lead-free tackle be used.

Aging systems releasing sewage into rivers, streams (05/09/2008)
America's aging sewer systems continue to dump human waste into rivers and streams, despite years of fines and penalties targeting publicly owned agencies responsible for sewage overflows, a Gannett News Service analysis shows.

CA: eBay Inc. Opens New "Green" Building and Unveils Largest Commercial Solar Installation in San Jose (05/09/2008)
eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY) today announced the opening of an environmentally friendly building on its North Campus in San Jose. It is the first building in San Jose to be built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold standards for new construction, which is the second-highest LEED rating a building can receive. The building sits on a campus with the largest commercial solar installation in the city.

Research Reveals Silver Nanoparticle Impact (05/08/2008)
A University of Missouri-Columbia researcher has found that silver nanoparticles may destroy benign bacteria that are used to remove ammonia from wastewater treatment systems. The study was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

TX: Texas A&M Adds Users But Still Saves Water (05/08/2008)
Even with the addition of thousands of students and hundreds of faculty and new teaching and research facilities to support them, Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, has managed drastic drops in water and energy consumption, making the nation's sixth-largest university a campus conservation leader.

Smart Water Management: A Low-Risk Green Initiative with a Fast Payback (05/08/2008)
By gaining control over water use, companies help protect a precious resource, reduce runoff pollution and comply with new conservation legislation. Saving water also has a powerful multiplier effect by reducing the vast amount of energy expended in transporting it.

Target Turns to Submetering to Track Energy Use (05/08/2008)
More than 200 Target stores have been fitted with submetering systems so building managers can closely monitor how energy is used throughout their facilities.

Green HQ for Discovery's 'Choppers' (05/08/2008)
Made famous in the Discovery Channel show, "American Choppers," Orange County Choppers is now housed in a 92,000 square-foot building that sports exterior glazing upgrades, daylight harvesting, variable air volume system, efficient rooftop HVAC equipment, efficient lighting and demand-based garage exhaust, among other features.

Sustainability Gaining Interest in Landscape Architecture Industry: Survey (05/08/2008)
Nearly three-quarters of landscape architects said in a recent survey that their clients are very interested in sustainable issues. Top issues relate to water, energy efficiency, accreditation, habitat and green roofs.

Taco Bell Taking a Step into Sustainability (05/08/2008)
Taco Bell recently announced their plans to install new "Grill-To-Order" cooking machines in all of their locations. The company is making this step to not only reduce water and energy usage, but also improve cost efficiency. Each installation is estimated to save $5,900 a year in electricity cost per store. System-wide Taco Bell expects to save more than $17 million a year.

Green Giants: The World's Biggest Clean-Energy Projects (05/08/2008)
As climate change and renewable-energy policies level the playing field in the energy industry, alternative-energy companies are racing to assure investors, policymakers and the public that they can scale to meet the needs of energy-starved consumers. During the last few years, a clutch of clean energy projects have emerged on a scale never seen before. Forbes.com has identified the biggest and boldest projects among them.

Wal-Mart Weighs In On Packaging At FTC 'Green Guides' Workshop (05/08/2008)
Reducing the weight of Honest Kids organic juice drink pouch bulk packs sold at Wal-Mart is one of the success stories highlighted at the April 30 Federal Trade Commission "Eco in the Marketplace" public workshop on product packaging claims.

Measuring, Managing, Saving: Making Energy Efficiency Visible (05/08/2008)
At Yahoo! headquarters, we recently installed an interactive touch screen next to our corporate cafeteria. The Green Screen, as we fondly call it, tracks our electricity consumption by building over time. Employees can compare one building against another and translate it into kilowatt-hours, dollars, or (for those who want something more tangible) laptop-hours or compact florescent lightbulb-hours.

As gas prices rise, driving for business changes (05/08/2008)
Soaring gas prices are forcing employees -- and employers -- to adjust the way they plan and execute business trips within the USA.

Minnesota bans mercury in cosmetics (05/07/2008)
Minnesota is the first in the nation to ban intentionally-added mercury in cosmetic products. Minnesota will now have a more stringent standard than the federal government. The federal government currently allows a small amount of mercury as a preservative in eye makeup. The implications of this new law have already been felt on a national level, however. Many leading cosmetics companies are now being forced to adapt their formulations in order to comply with Minnesota's requirements. Minnesota lawmakers say they passed the bill with hopes that other states will also do so, thereby forcing the federal government to ban it nationwide.

Study: Americans Emit 20 Metric Tons of CO2 (05/07/2008)
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology class has studied the carbon emissions of Americans in a wide variety of lifestyles and estimated that people in the United States contribute much more than the global average.

CA: LA Requires Developers to Build Green (05/07/2008)
Taking action to combat climate change in Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed the Private Sector Green Building Plan into law setting Los Angeles, Calif., on course to cut carbon emissions by more than 80,000 tons by 2012.

IEC to Offer Quality Mark for Photovoltaics (05/07/2008)
As a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional energy sources, photovoltaic energy systems have exhibited steady growth over the past 20 years. Demonstrating its support and commitment to renewable energies, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is now the sole provider of a quality mark for the expanding global photovoltaic industry.

MN: Don't Forget To Get The Lead Out For The 2008 Fishing Opener (05/07/2008)
As you go through your tackle box to get ready for the 2008 fishing opener, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) encourages anglers to switch to lead-free fishing tackle. Lead is a toxic metal that has adverse effects on the nervous and reproductive systems of mammals and birds. Found in most fishing jigs and sinkers, this metal is poisoning wildlife such as loons and eagles.

New issue of Energy Matters now available (05/07/2008)
Energy Matters, the Best Practices quarterly of DOE's Industrial Technologies Program, is now available online. The issue focus is Resources to Save Energy Now.

Petrify, liquefy: new ways to bury greenhouse gas (05/06/2008)
Turn greenhouse gases to stone? Transform them into a treacle-like liquid deep under the seabed?

NJ: Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson recognizes environmental stewards (05/06/2008)
TRENTON - A program spearheaded by the Department of Environmental Protection to encourage businesses and other institutions to better protect the environment by exceeding regulatory requirements is paying dividends, Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson said today during a ceremony recognizing scores of companies and other entities that have taken steps to become environmental stewards. "These businesses, public institutions, government agencies and other members of the regulated community are at the leading edge of a new approach to environmental protection and are a clear sign that the concept of using positive reinforcement to stimulate stewardship is taking hold in New Jersey," Commissioner Jackson said during the ceremony at the Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst in Ocean County. The DEP's Environmental Stewardship Program offers public acknowledgement to those who adopt practices that exceed what is required of them by laws and regulations. The DEP then showcases these achievements as incentive for others to follow.

Air Pollution Impedes Bees' Ability to Find Flowers (05/06/2008)
Air pollution interferes with the ability of bees and other insects to follow the scent of flowers to their source, undermining the essential process of pollination, a study by three University of Virginia researchers suggests.

A Woman, a Village and a War on Plastic Bags (05/06/2008)
Rebecca Hosking's moment, when a happy English farm girl cried tears that changed her life, came on a speck of sugar-white beach in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

MD: Montgomery Aims to Make Green Homes Mandatory (05/06/2008)
New homes built in Montgomery County would have to meet federal energy efficiency standards under innovative legislation approved yesterday by the County Council over the objections of builders who said that the mandate would drive up costs for consumers.

NY: New "Green Living" feature on NYS DEC's website (05/05/2008)
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently launched a new feature on its website--"Green Living"--which offers tips, ideas and resource suggestions for making environmentally responsible choices in your life. The Green Living main page can be found under the category Public Involvement and News. One of the topics you'll find on the main page is '10 Things You Can Do to Help the Environment Right Now.' This section provides quick and easy suggestions relevant to the current season. Examples from this season's list include ideas for less toxic spring cleaning, how to combat crabgrass and what to do with old tires. Each season will highlight ten new tips, so be sure to check back often.

Small Businesses Tackle Big Environmental Issues (05/05/2008)
Small businesses can be the source of innovative ideas that change the way America does business on a huge scale. Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $1.6 million in funding for seven small companies to commercialize green technologies that promise to deliver BIG results. For example, Media and Process Technology will develop a ceramic membrane system that recovers both water and energy from boiler flue gas. Industrial boilers account for 35 percent of U.S. industrial energy consumption, and if this recovery system is implemented nationally, it's estimated it would recover 70 billion gallons of water annually and save 500 trillion BTUs of energy.

MA: Greening your life--the reality show (05/05/2008)
You could call it grass-roots green. The second season of Energy Smackdown, a TV show that challenges homeowners in the Boston area to "green" their lives, kicked off Sunday.

Start-up enlists algae for toxic clean-up, fuel (05/05/2008)
Algae may one day be the preferred feedstock for biofuels. But in the meantime, it can have a job cleaning up waste water.

Approaching Efficiency as an Investment (05/05/2008)
Cost is the perennial barrier to green corporate investments in energy efficiency, but a new approach from Economist Jerry Jackson, the author of "Energy Budgets at Risk," can help companies evaluate these expenditures using tools created by the financial industry.

Can Business Conferences Ever Be Green? (05/05/2008)
There are plenty of measures firms can take to limit the environmental impact of business conferences, even in the least-green of locations -- although ultimately holding fewer events may be most sustainable answer.

Greenwashing: Who's Winning the Green Race Online? (05/05/2008)
This presentation from Nielsen//NetRatings takes an in-depth look at which companies are "winning the green race" and what influential sustainability bloggers are saying about them. They review how the growing sustainability movement has spurred changes in consumers and corporations alike, and how the Internet itself has pushed the issue to the forefront.

EIA Launches Plain Language Series to Explain Energy Topics (05/05/2008)
Energy in Brief, released today, is a new series from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) that explains important energy topics using plain language.

Exxon to test new technology to remove CO2 from gas (05/04/2008)
Exxon Mobil Corp said on Monday it plans to spend more than $100 million to test a technology that could allow it to affordably remove carbon dioxide and other substances from natural gas.

U.S. eyes shift away from corn ethanol (05/02/2008)
America's love affair with corn-based ethanol is cooling -- at least in Washington.

Lean And Clean With Green Purchasing (05/02/2008)
At the recent Supplier Management conference hosted by eyeforprocurement, sustainability and green purchasing was a hot topic with executives. This article looks at green procurement initiatives and the results that make a "clean" difference.

EPA Proposes Stronger Air Quality Standards for Lead (05/02/2008)
Today, EPA is taking steps toward revising the nation's air quality standards for lead for the first time in 30 years, proposing to dramatically strengthen the standards to reflect the latest science on lead and health.

DOT Proposes Annual 4.5% Increase in Fuel Efficiency (05/02/2008)
Fuel efficiency standards for both passenger vehicles and light trucks would increase by 4.5 percent per year over the five-year period ending in 2015 -- a 25 percent total improvement that exceeds the 3.3 percent baseline proposed by Congress last year -- under a new proposal announced April 22 by U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters.

Study: Cap-and-Trade Won't Slow Economy (05/02/2008)
A new study released by Environmental Defense Fund finds a clear consensus among leading economic models that a cap-and-trade policy to cut global warming pollution is consistent with long-term economic growth. The anticipated cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions on the U.S. economy is small, even difficult to measure against projected economic growth, the study finds.

NY: LEEDING Manhattan to Sustainability (05/02/2008)
Businesses do business for profit. But today, some businesses are stretching their investment because the market is willing to bear the cost for sustainability. Take 545 Madison Ave., N.Y., for example. The building at this Manhattan address was demolished a little over a year ago but is being reconstructed as a high-end, 17-story office building for 8 to 10 percent more than a conventional Class-A building would cost. The extra investment is going toward Gold certification for the building's core and shell under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

Biofuels: the Good, the Bad and the Unusual (05/02/2008)
There are legitimate concerns about the sustainability of some biofuel sources and they have taken a lot of criticism. But it is important to put this in perspective, since, as is often the case, the truth probably lies somewhere in between the extreme viewpoints.

As Gas Costs Soar, Buyers Flock to Small Cars (05/02/2008)
About one in five vehicles sold in the U.S. in April was a compact or subcompact car, while sales of pickups and S.U.V.s fell sharply.

Race to algae-based biodiesel heats up (05/02/2008)
Can the lowly algae ease a growing food-versus-fuel debate? A growing number of start-ups are betting against the dominant biofuel crops--corn and soy--and looking to sidestep the backlash against biofuels, which are being blamed in part for higher food prices and deforestation around the world.

MI: Detroit hosts National Brownfields conference at Cobo Center May 5 - 7 (05/02/2008)
More than 6,000 environmental and economic development officials, finance and insurance providers, risk managers, planners, attorneys, civil engineers and students are expected to attend the 12th National Brownfields Conference, May 5 - 7, 2008, at Detroit's Cobo Center.

Petroleum Refineries to Take Steps to Reduce Air Pollution (05/01/2008)
EPA is requiring petroleum refineries to reduce air pollution emissions from new, modified, or reconstructed process units by using updated performance standards. These standards call for refineries to add technology controls shown to reduce emissions. The standards also include options for controlling emissions through work practices.

DC: Leading by Example, GSA Goes Organic (05/01/2008)
Spring is here, and the General Services Administration has begun using organic fertilizer on the grounds of all its federal buildings in the National Capital Region. The region, which is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, includes the District of Columbia, as well parts of Virginia and Maryland.

PA: Green design mandate gets look (05/01/2008)
Some State College Area school board members want the district to build green from now on, and they may take an action no other school board in the state has done. At the request of its new members, the board is mulling a resolution that would require school administrators to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifications for all future construction projects regardless of their size.

Goodwill Urges Congress to Create E-Waste Infrastructure (05/01/2008)
Goodwill Industries, Rockville, Md., has testified before the House Science and Technology Committee urging Congress to assist in the development of a recycling and reuse infrastructure for unwanted electronics. With an increasing amount of e-waste donations to local Goodwill agencies throughout the country, company officials say they are feeling the financial strain associated with the collection and environmentally safe disposal of e-waste donations.

Global warming could starve oceans of oxygen: study (04/30/2008)
Global warming could gradually starve parts of the tropical oceans of oxygen, damaging fisheries and coastal economies, a study showed on Thursday.

U.S. power cos could get CO2 credits worth billions (04/30/2008)
U.S. power companies could get free carbon credits worth billions of dollars under global warming legislation being considered by the U.S. Congress, according to report released on Thursday.

To green the Capitol, lawmakers follow tech titans (04/30/2008)
Washington lawmakers aiming to green both the Capitol dome and the laws made beneath it are turning to Silicon Valley for inspiration while pledging to help renewable energy start-ups get off the ground.

OH: New Ohio Law Expected to Spawn 5,000-7,000 MW Wind Market (04/30/2008)
Following unanimous Senate concurrence with an Ohio House bill, legislation to establish a 12.5%-by-2025 renewable electricity standard (RES) is headed to the desk of Governor Ted Strickland (D). The governor is expected to sign the bill on May 1st, but has offered no public statement regarding the final legislation.

Webinar: Green Chemistry and Chemicals Policy: Innovative Approaches to Addressing Occupational Hazards (04/30/2008)
Date: May 8, 2008. Part of the 2008 Safety WebExpo and Conference.

How Carbon-Heavy is Your Email? (04/30/2008)
New research from Sun Microsystems aims to allow firms to measure the carbon footprint of their emails.

NJ: DEP encourages public to green during air quality awareness week (04/29/2008)
(08/29) TRENTON -- Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson today marked the beginning of Air Quality Awareness Week by reminding residents that just a few simple changes every day can contribute to a cleaner, greener environment. "This special week offers an opportunity to focus more attention on the ways we directly affect the quality of our air and the steps we can take to improve our environment at home, at work and throughout our communities," Commissioner Jackson said. During Air Quality Awareness Week, which runs from April 28 through May 2, residents are encouraged to make environmentally friendly changes in the way they drive, use energy, purchase a host of products, and maintain their homes and yards. Embracing a greener lifestyle can be as easy as combining automobile trips, carpooling, using "green" cleaning products and manual lawn-care equipment, and switching to energy-efficient light bulbs, for example. Using special calculators, available on the DEP's Web site, residents and their families can gauge their impact on environmental quality and learn more about changing daily habits.

Microsoft funds research for computer energy efficiency (04/29/2008)
Microsoft Research has given out $500,000 to four universities doing research in more energy-efficient computing.

SC: Milliken Expands Methane Harvest Program (04/29/2008)
Milliken & Company continues to draw alternative energy from an unlikely source: landfills. Approved this week, just in time for Earth Day (April 22), the textile and chemical manufacturer has entered into its second methane harvesting initiative.

Top Ten Greenest Colleges in the U.S., 2007 (04/29/2008)
The Sierra Club selected the top ten most environmentally friendly colleges and universities in the country. Results are based on clean-energy purchases, green-building policies, bike facilities, food served in dorms, recognition by environmental organizations, among other factors.

MI: 14 Grants Awarded Across Michigan to Restore and Protect Water Quality (04/29/2008)
The Department of Environmental Quality announced today the award of 14 water quality grants totaling $3.5 million to support projects across the state that include addressing water quality concerns at Traverse City area beaches, implementing agricultural water quality practices in the Saginaw Bay and Lake Macatawa watersheds, establishing a forestry demonstration area at the Michigan Technological University, and implementing a basin to control storm water in the St. Joseph River watershed.

PA: Pennsylvania DEP Encourages Mid-State Commuters to 'Share the Ride' and Reduce Air Pollution (04/29/2008)
The Department of Environmental Protection urged Susquehanna Valley commuters to sign up for the Share the Ride Challenge today to reduce vehicle emissions that can threaten the publics health, cut highway congestion, and decrease local fuel consumption.

Aquarium, Company to Develop Sustainable Seafood Practices (04/29/2008)
Aramark of Philadelphia, Pa., has committed to help preserve the world's oceans and fisheries through a new partnership with Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program.

U.S. senator seeks to freeze ethanol requirement (04/28/2008)
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Texas Republican, is drawing up legislation that would freeze the U.S. renewable fuels requirement at 2008 levels - 9 billion gallons per year, her spokesman said on Tuesday.

NJ: DEP marks earth week by taking steps to reduce impacts of phosphorus on waterways (04/28/2008)
TRENTON - The Department of Environmental Protection is taking significant steps toward improving the health of New Jersey's lakes, rivers and streams by reducing the impacts of phosphorus, a nutrient that degrades water quality, Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson announced today in marking Earth Week "Thanks to decades of hard work and strong laws, our waterways have come a long way since the first Earth Day in 1970, but runoff pollution remains a threat to the overall ecological health of our lakes, rivers and streams," Commissioner Jackson said. "These measures, including a pledge by the fertilizer industry to reduce or eliminate phosphorus in lawn-care products, place New Jersey among the nation's leaders in combating this type of pollution." During an Earth Week event at a West Windsor home-improvement center, Commissioner Jackson signed a memorandum of understanding with members of the lawn-care industry, who pledged to reduce the amount of phosphorus released by fertilizers in the Garden State by 50 percent by 2010.

ISO launches project committee to develop international standard for energy management (04/28/2008)
ISO has just approved the creation of a project committee mandated to develop an international standard on energy management.

DC: Bicycle-Sharing Program to Be First of Kind in U.S. (04/28/2008)
Starting next month, people in Washington will be able to borrow a bicycle any time they need one with the swipe of a membership card.

CA: Home Brew for the Car, Not the Beer Cup (04/28/2008)
What if you could make fuel for your car in your backyard for less than you pay at the pump? Would you?

2008 Best Green Companies for America's Children (04/28/2008)
A communiqu? about the future of our planet was presented at a meeting of the United Nations late last year, issued by more than 150 companies--including several of our 2008 Best Green Companies for America's Children. Their mandate? Companies across all continents must unite to curb global warming. "Tackling climate change is the pro-growth strategy," they wrote. "Ignoring it will ultimately undermine economic growth." Our winning companies need no such convincing. From beauty and family products to retail and tech companies, they've already picked up the gauntlet, devoting financial resources and innovative thinking to create inventive and sustainable ways to restore and preserve the earth. Here, we profile these 20 progressive companies that are taking on the tough eco-challenges of business--and in the process building a greener world for our children.

Construction sites are mucking up rivers (04/28/2008)
Some home builders say the housing market is tough enough. They don't need environmental regulations that make it tougher on them. But some "green" builders say the housing industry can improve the environment, do the right thing for communities, and still make money.

Canada slow to turn to offshore wind (04/28/2008)
Canada has been slow to develop its great potential for offshore wind power, and is probably at least four years away from having any large scale projects up and running, a new report says.

Interview: Economics and the Environment (04/28/2008)
In the last few decades the economy of the US has grown faster than ever before. Corporations work hard to expand and to drive share prices higher. The author of a new book 'The Bridge at the Edge of the World' says in this process of growth, capitalism is not paying for its consequences. Lester Graham talked with Gus Speth, the dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale. Speth says since the environmental movement began in the 1970's, we've dealt with many of the symptoms of environmental damage, but not many of the causes.

Green burials go mainstream (04/28/2008)
An expert in natural burials offers insights on the industry, and simple tips for making funerals more eco friendly.

Queen's opens ?500,000 Petronas 'green chemistry' lab (04/25/2008)
A ?500,000 laboratory, which will see Queen's University Belfast build on world-leading 'green chemistry' research with the potential to impact on people's daily lives, is being officially opened today by Sir Reg Empey MLA, Minister for Employment and Learning. The new laboratory is based in Queen's University Ionic Liquid Laboratories (QUILL). It has been refurbished by the University to provide suitable accommodation for a ?5.25 million research contract from Petronas, the Fortune 500 oil and gas corporation owned by the Malaysian government.

MO: Missouri S&T researchers look to make environmentally friendly plastics (04/25/2008)
Every year, more than 30 billion water bottles are added to America's landfills, creating a mountainous environmental problem. But if research at Missouri University of Science and Technology is successful, the plastic bottles of the future could literally disappear within four months of being discarded.

Take Advantage of Federal Coupon Program for TV Converter Boxes and Avoid Unnecessary E-waste (04/25/2008)
These days everything seems to be going digital and television is no exception. Beginning February 17, 2009, all television stations are required by law to join the digital revolution. From that day forward, all programming will be broadcast in a digital format, more commonly referred to as high definition. There is no need to panic. And no, you don't need to buy a new TV. By following a few easy steps, you can convert your old faithful, rabbit-eared friend into a modern digital program receiver. Plus, the federal government will help cover most or all of the cost!

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