Monday, October 18, 2004

[Schools] Schools adopt recycling habits Students in Agawam do not simply learn about the importance of recycling in school. They recycle almost everything used in school every day as part of a citywide recycling initiative that officials hope will serve as a model for communities throughout the Northeast. [Source: Springfield (MA) Republican] 4:50:51 PM Google It!    [Energy efficiency] Building energy efficiency into home adds to value Whatever climate you live in, there are things you can do to make your house more comfortable, more valuable and more enjoyable to live in -- usually at little cost, if any, from more traditional building practices.[Source: Orlando Sentinel] 4:41:56 PM Google It!    [Green purchasing] Institutional Purchasers Rally in Support of 'Cleaner' Computers Large institutional purchasers, representing over $140 million of sales, are urging the computer industry to improve the environmental performance of computers. More than 50 agencies and organizations developed the "Principles for Purchasing Environmentally Preferable Computers, Monitors, and Peripherals" to send industry a clear message that consumers want safer products. With these principles in hand, institutional purchasers can identify cleaner computers in the marketplace and award contracts to companies making the greatest difference in lessening the environmental and health consequences of the high-tech industry. 4:39:02 PM Google It!    [Schools] Cold House, Hot House, Green House The way you heat or cool your home has a big effect on the Earth, says John Carmody, director of the Center for Sustainable Building Research at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. For additional information, visit http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20041020/refs.asp. A related activitty for teachers to use in the classroom can be found at http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20041020/TeacherZone.asp. [Source: Science News for Kids] 4:32:40 PM Google It!    [Alternative energy] Change in the Weather? Wind farms might affect local climates Large groups of power-generating windmills could have a small but detectable influence on a region's climate, new analyses suggest. [Source: Science News] 4:28:56 PM Google It!    [Green purchasing] Precautionary Mister Rogers, Part 1 Rachel's Environment and Health News begins a new series in which they present ideas about how to use the precautionary principle at the local level. This article deals with precautionary (least harm) purchasing by local government. 4:25:29 PM Google It!    [Endocrine disruptors] Male Bass in Potomac Producing Eggs Discovery in West Virginia is latest example of an emerging national problem: Hormones, drugs and other pollutants appear to be interfering with the chemical signals that make fish grow and reproduce. By David A. Fahrenthold. [washingtonpost.com - Science] 4:19:25 PM Google It!    [Amphibians] Worldwide Report Says Amphibians in Danger As many as 122 species have disappeared since 1980, and 1,900 are in danger of becoming extinct. By Juliet Eilperin. [washingtonpost.com - Science] 4:12:31 PM Google It!    [Water quality] Bottled Water in the Carry-On? Recent tests by the Environmental Protection Agency suggest there might be problems with drinking water on airplanes. By By SUSAN STELLIN. [The New York Times > Health] 3:53:18 PM Google It!    [Green building] Report Disputes Extra Cost of Building Green Do sustainable buildings cost more to construct? A report compiled by Lisa Fay Matthiessen and Peter Morris of cost-management firm Davis Langdon concludes that building green can have minimal affect--if any--on construction costs if sustainability goals are discussed and integrated early in the design process. In “Costing Green: A Comprehensive Cost Database and Budgeting Methodology,” Matthiessen and Morris dissect the U.S Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design guidelines for New Construction (LEED-NC), version 2.1, indicating which areas of the rating system architects most frequently target, the cost of pursuing each of the system’s points, and why some projects do not meet the system’s certification standards. In the report, the pair also detail other factors that influence construction costs, such as a building’s type, size, and location, and compare the budgets for LEED- and non-LEED-certified projects. 3:46:39 PM Google It!    [Solvents] Remanufacturing: Increase Profits through Better Cleaning Processes The National Center for Remanufacturing and Resource Recovery (NCR3) at the Rochester Institute of Technology seeks to assist manufacturing companies and remanufacturing companies to improve productivity while reducing their impact on the environment. A particularly critical aspect of remanufacturing is surface cleaning, which can represent a large portion of the cost of remanufacturing a product. Alternative cleaning systems can be identified through a process known as a cleaning assessment. 3:22:26 PM Google It!    [Solvents] Solvent Substitution – Part 2 : The Elimination of Flammable, RCRA and ODC Solvents for Wipe Application Efforts are being made within the nuclear weapons complex (National Nuclear Security Administration) of the Department of Energy (DOE) to replace Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulated solvents, (flammable, toxic, corrosive and reactive) and ozone-depleting chemicals (ODC) with more benign alternatives. See part 1 of this series at http://www.cleantechcentral.com/Magazine/Past-Issues/sep2004/1.asp. 3:03:02 PM Google It!    [Alternative energy] Renewables could reduce U.S. power emissions by 10% by 2020, says EPRI Non-hydro renewable energies offer “the greatest potential for future growth” of low-emission power in the United States, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. The 2003 Electricity Technology Roadmap is on the web at http://www.epri.com/roadmap/default.asp. 2:14:40 PM Google It!

© Copyright 2005 Laura L. Barnes. Last update: 10/25/2005; 12:07:09 PM.