Environmental News

New York companies will be able to improve the energy efficiency of their manufacturing facilities and data centers with the addition of $100 million in funds from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA. Source: Environmental Leader, 3/17/10

In two separate initiatives, AT&T is making plans to reduce the overall paper associated with its billing system, as well as to help consumers save electricity with charging devices. Source: Environmental Leader, 3/18/10

Much conversation around the greening of information technology is, frankly, boring. Energy-efficient data centers, PCs that sleep automatically, cloud computing that uses server capacity more efficiently -- all important, to be sure, but dull.

What's more intriguing are the ways IT is being used to attack big environmental problems. Source: Greener Computing, 3/16/10

Intel yesterday unveiled its newest and most energy efficient 32-nm processors, giving hardware manufacturers and data center managers a big boost in their green IT efforts. Source: Greener Computing, 3/17/10

Three years before Walmart announced it would squeeze 20 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain, the retailer rolled out its Supplier Energy Efficiency Program with the goal of helping its suppliers save electricity and money, in turn bringing down the price of products. Source: GreenBiz, 3/17/10

Chemistry flows through every industry, so any discussion about green chemistry is about changing some part of how every business operates. Source: GreenerDesign, 3/16/10

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has chosen Chicago to receive a $500,000 federal grant to reduce energy use by hospitals as one of 20 Climate Showcase Communities nationwide. Chicago has partnered with Health Care Without Harm to create the Chicago Green Healthcare Initiative. According to Chicago's Comprehensive Climate Action Plan, energy use by hospitals and other buildings is one of the primary contributors to the city's greenhouse gas emissions. The funds will help the partnership improve energy efficiency across the entire Chicago health care sector by 5 to 15 percent. Source: U.S. EPA, 3/05/10

Entries are being accepted for the 2010 ConocoPhillips Energy Prize sponsored by ConocoPhillips and Penn State University. The program will award up to $300,000 for the best concepts that promote advances in energy diversity, improve energy efficiency, or combat climate change. The deadline to enter a proposal for the program is May 21. Source: HVAC&R Industry, 3/17/10

Americans are less worried about each of eight specific environmental problems than they were a year ago, and on all but global warming and maintenance of the nation's fresh water supply, concern is the lowest Gallup has measured. Americans worry most about drinking-water pollution and least about global warming. Source: Gallup, 3/16/10

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public input on how the agency can better protect and improve the health of our waters. For a two- week period, EPA is holding a Web discussion forum on how the nation can better manage some of the most significant water pollution problems facing our nation. The feedback received on the online forum will help shape the discussion at EPA's upcoming conference in April, Coming Together for Clean Water, where we will engage approximately 100 executive and local level water leads on the agency's clean water agenda. Source: U.S. EPA, 3/16/10

Wisconsin residents may soon pay more to flush the toilet but enjoy cleaner lakes, rivers and streams under a plan to more strictly regulate phosphorus pollution in state waterways. Source: Business Week, 3/15/10

Would power lines crossing the Great Lakes make sense? Could underwater cables be used to move renewable power from the windy Great Plains to cities like Chicago? Companies are exploring the opportunities. Source: New York Times, 3/16/10

Minnesota's Scandia Wind Offshore company proposed a $4 billion project to develop offshore and onshore wind farms on the West Michigan coast. Source: UPI, 3/17/10

Beginning April 1 and running through May 31, Hoosier businesses can apply for Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP) membership through the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). Source: Indiana Department of Environmental Management, 3/10/10

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management's (IDEM's) newest online E-service will eliminate paperwork and make the submission process easier for companies that must submit forms and periodic reports for clean diesel projects. Source: Indiana Department of Environmental Management, 3/16/10

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) joined Sens. George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.) on March 4 to introduce the Great Lakes Environmental Protection Act (S. 3073), which would reaffirm Congress' commitment to the groundbreaking Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and continued cleanup of Lake Erie. Source: Environmental Protection, 3/12/10

A new Great Lakes Alliance report calls for more research into the long-term effects of drugs in drinking water and points out the absence of tools available to limit their entrance into the lakes. Source: Environmental Protection, 3/12/10

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on March 4 proposed that EnergyGuide labels be required on televisions sold in the United States to help consumers know more about the energy consumption of different models. The yellow-and-black rectangular labels are already required on many consumer appliances, such as washing machines and refrigerators, and provide information such as the estimated yearly cost of operating the appliance and the cost range compared to other similar models. Source: U.S. DOE, EERE News, 3/17/10

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces an internal restructuring that brings EPA's international and tribal programs together under one umbrella organization called the Office of International & Tribal Affairs (OITA). This restructuring was initiated in response to a request from the tribes to reconsider the proper location of the American Indian Environmental Office (AIEO). Source: U.S. EPA, 3/16/10

Iowa has become the second state in the country to be federally authorized to administer and enforce the federal Lead-based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) program. Wisconsin was the first state to be certified. Source: U.S. EPA, 3/11/10

EPA is providing web access, free of charge, to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Substance Inventory. This inventory contains a consolidated list of thousands of industrial chemicals maintained by the agency. EPA is also making this information available on Data.Gov, a website developed by the Obama Administration to provide public access to important government information. This action represents another step to increase the transparency of chemical information while continuing to push for legislative reform of the 30 year old TSCA law. Source: U.S. EPA, 3/15/10

DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory intends to issue two funding opportunity announcements in March or April to provide funding for programs to retrofit residential and commercial property and to develop policies that promote energy efficiency. Source: U.S. Department of Energy

HUD is currently receiving feedback on this grant opportunity and will release a notice of funding availability the week of April 12, 2010. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The Illinois Recycling Association (IRA) will provide a scholarship to students enrolled in Sustainability, Environmental Science or related studies. This year's scholarship is $1,500.00. Deadline March 31, 2010 Source: Illinois Recycling Association

Support for green construction and LEED certification dipped slightly in 2009 but remains strong across the past three years despite the recession, according to the latest green building survey by Allen Matkins, Constructive Technologies Group and the Green Building Insider. Source: GreenerBuildings, 3/11/10

As consumers, we define ourselves by the brands we keep. Like totem poles, they tell the story of who we are and where our allegiances lie. It's disappointing to see those brands rest on their laurels. We believe in them, but they give us no new reasons to believe. Examples are everywhere. Yearly car updates that are little more than new chrome. Detergents "improved" by the addition of a spout. In times of plenty and prosperity, we seem content to accept this glacial progress. Like our brands, we're happy when nothing rocks the boat.

But in times of crisis, everything changes. Source: GreenBiz, 3/11/10

Pioneering French physicists Marie and Pierre Curie have the curie, a unit of radioactivity, named after them. Renowned inventor Nikola Tesla is honored with the tesla, which measures a magnetic field. And now, the Rosenfeld, proposed as a unit for electricity savings, will be named after the man seen by many people as the godfather of energy efficiency, Arthur Rosenfeld. Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 3/8/10

AASHE presents two Campus Sustainability Case Study Awards, one Student Sustainability Leadership Award, and one Student Research on Campus Sustainability Award annually. The awards are presented at an AASHE conference or other major gathering of the campus sustainability community. The deadline to apply for the 2010 Awards is July 1st, 2010. Source: AASHE

Call it the anti-"Amazing Race." Unlike the CBS reality show, which last October had its contestants dismantle electronics in the local fashion in Vietnam, the BBC program Inside Out this week offered the latest exposé of e-waste hazards.

The program, along with the launch of an e-waste redesign competition, mark the beginnings of what will likely become a flood of e-waste events and announcements in the run-up to the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22. Source: GreenerComputing, 3/10/10

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) signed into law a ban on the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles and sippy cups for young children. The law, which takes effect in June, makes Wisconsin the third state to keep the chemical out of children's products over safety concerns. The manufacture and wholesale of items containing BPA will be prohibited, and bottles and sippy cups will be required to be labeled "BPA Free." Source: Greenwire, 3/4/10

Officials from the Illinois Department of Public Health say that cancer rates are "significantly elevated" in Crestwood, a South Chicago suburb where residents unwittingly drank water tainted with cancer-causing chemicals for more than 20 years. Source: Greenwire, 3/5/10

American restaurant owners are concerned with environmental sustainability, but a report shows that they are more motivated by their public image than anything else. Source: Greenwire, 3/5/10

With 500 members in 42 states and 11 countries, the Eco-Dentistry Association has launched a certification program for green dental practices and named its two inaugural recipients. Source: GreenBiz, 3/9/10

Electronics giant Best Buy is attempting a new green feat by offering a recycling service for all customers, no matter where you bought your old electronics. Source: Environmental News Bits, 3/9/10