Wednesday, April 20, 2005

[Rivers] Putting ecology back into river restoration An ambitious plan is under way in the ecological community to agree a set of standards for ecologically successful river restoration. The plan is being led by the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology, which this month is publishing a special profile on river restoration. Opening the debate is a paper by 22 leading U.S. river ecologists proposing five criteria for ecologically successful river restoration. Their aim is to arrive at an agreed set of standards which would eventually be endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme. [Source: Water and Wastewater Products News] 12:33:31 PM Google It!    [Green building] Challengers Tennis Club for Boys and Girls: Facility Energy Efficiency The new facility incorporates a multitude of green design strategies. The community enjoys a green building that provides as much, if not more, functionality and comfort as a traditional design, while appreciating the preservation of resources for future generations. 12:32:04 PM Google It!    [Green building] Science Center: Planetarium Renovation In renovating its planetarium, the St. Louis Science Center incorporated 42,000 pounds of reprocessed carpet. 12:28:14 PM Google It!    [Energy efficiency] Stora Enso, Biron Facility: Energy Efficiency The papermaking industry is Wisconsin's largest manufacturing sector as well as one of the state's oldest. In recent decades this important industry faced its share of threats as stiff international competition and rising energy prices have caused mill owners to reconsider how their operations run. Stora Enso is a great example of a paper company successfully combating those challenges to remain a global market leader in the papermaking industry. The company is improving its efficiency, productivity and its bottom line by partnering with Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative. 12:23:19 PM Google It!    [Brownfields] Unlocking Brownfields: Keys to Community Revitalization This comprehensive and well-organized report includes more than 50 profiles of successful brownfields projects and programs along with four comprehensive findings which encompass the evolution of brownfields success in America, and the “10 Keys to Brownfields Success.” The authors -- the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals, and the Northeast-Midwest Institute -- say the report is the culmination of a decade of research and experience focused on brownfields reuse. [Source: GreenerBuildings.com] LB note: The WMRC Library owns this item. 12:22:19 PM Google It!    [Health care facilities] Healthcare Environmental Resource Center A joint project of U.S. EPA and the nonprofit Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E), this Web site features pollution prevention best practices and compliance assistance resources for health care facilities. 12:21:14 PM Google It!    [Alternative fuel vehicles] Green Cars Today, Blue Skies Tomorrow Toolkit Information about the Center for a New American Dream's Green Cars Today initiative. 12:18:48 PM Google It!    [Energy policyt] Bush Asks House and Senate to Send Him an Energy Bill Grist Magazine's spin on this story: American citizens -- or "consumers," as they're known these days -- are irritated about high gas prices, and many of them blame President Bush, whose popularity has hit new lows. Of course, presidents are hardly responsible for short-term swings in commodity prices. Nevertheless, Bush is rising to his fake responsibility with a fake solution. On Saturday, in his weekly radio address, he expressed sympathy about gas prices and said the solution is for Congress to pass his energy bill, which would, in fact, do nothing to affect short-term gas prices. Most analysts say the best way to reduce gas prices is to reduce demand by raising the fuel efficiency of America's vehicles. But the House blocked an effort to do that last week. Instead, the energy bill contains massive subsidies and tax breaks for the coal, oil, and natural-gas industries, legal protections for manufacturers of groundwater-polluting fuel additive MTBE, and less than $500 million in tax incentives for renewable energy and fuel-efficiency efforts. A cure for whatever ails ya! 12:15:39 PM Google It!    [EMS] Environmental Management Systems: From Burden to Opportunity Brian Kraus, CEO of ERM Certification and Verification Services, argues that those who focus their EMS implementation efforts on those factors which are fundamental to performance improvement (changing the behaviors of people who work within the organization) can achieve extraordinary performance gains for their organizations. [Source: GreenBiz.com] 12:12:58 PM Google It!    [Green purchasing] EPA's Final Guidance on Environmentally Preferable Purchasing EPA's "Final Guide" is probably not the last word on green procurement, but if you're an employee of the U.S. federal government you'll find this an invaluable resource. The guide is designed to help government agencies meet their obligations under Executive Order 13101 to identify and purchase environmentally preferable products and services. Find agency case studies, a catalogue of environmental products, and tips and instructions on implementing green-purchasing policies in your department. View the guide online or download from the OPPT Web site. 12:00:47 PM Google It!    [Chemical manufacturing] Integrating Sustainability Principles in a Small Chemical Company In spite of their size, small chemical companies bear as much responsibility to conduct their businesses in a financially, socially, and environmentally responsible way as large manufacturers do. Because of their smaller size, these manufacturers can find the thought of integrating sustainable development activities overwhelming. A myriad of benefits, including reduced costs, make the effort worthwhile. Commitment from top management and a thoughtful and practical approach can enable smaller companies to successfully transform their organizations. By Cynthia A. Challener [Source: ChemAlliance via GreenBiz.com] 11:58:14 AM Google It!    [Schools] Lead Levels in Invertebrates Lead Levels in Invertebrates Near Herculaneum, Missouri David John Westrich, 14, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Third Place, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2004 Project background: Last year, David's project demonstrated that lettuce could take up lead from the soil. He reasoned that animals would probably do the same. He wondered if animals close to a local lead smelter would have higher internal lead levels than animals farther away. 11:56:40 AM Google It!    [Grants] Foresight and the Future of Environmental Quality Application due date: May 31, 2005 Through a cooperative agreement, EPA’s Office of Research and Development will fund efforts (projects) that promote the learning and application of foresight techniques among a diverse group of environmental stakeholders to improve long-range planning, inform decision making and support policy development. 11:54:39 AM Google It!    [Water pollution] Study: Answering big questions on stream ecosystems Susan Ziegler, a professor of biological sciences, has shed some light on the ecology of a polluted and a pristine stream that feed the Mississippi River watershed, and found an unexpected source of change -- reactions due to differences not only in nutrient composition, but in light exposure. Ziegler's new way of looking at the ecology of microorganisms in streams recently won her a three-year, $307,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the function of pristine and polluted streams based on her initial findings. To minimize the impact of agricultural and industrial runoff, scientists must understand how healthy streams function and how pollution changes the way they function. However, little is known about the microscopic organisms that populate stream headwaters -- the unseen 'factories' that process nutrients in ways that are important to ecosystems far downstream. [Source: Water and Wastewater Products News] 11:53:14 AM Google It!    [Biofuel processing] Innovative turkey-to-oil plant eats money, spits out fowl odor The eyes of the world have been on this Missouri town for several years to see if a New York businessman can really turn turkey leftovers into oil. [Source: Kansas City Star -- need a login/pw?] 11:51:25 AM Google It!    [Grants] USEPA Great Lakes National Program Office FY2005-2006 Funding Guidance Application deadline: May 31, 2005 Under this FY2005-2006 Funding Guidance, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA's) Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) is requesting Great Lakes project submissions addressing one or more of the following topics: Pollution Prevention and Toxics Reduction, Habitat (Ecological) Protection and Restoration, Emerging or Strategic Issues (including Invasive Species), Remedial Action Plan (RAP) Priorities, and Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) Priorities. Some grants awarded under this announcement may involve geospatial information. 11:49:01 AM Google It!    [Pulp and paper industry] Wisconsin Paper Mills Cut Costs with Energy Efficiency, Hydropower Since 2001, Stora Enso has worked with Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program to make energy-saving improvements at its Wisconsin paper mills. The company is now saving millions each year through such changes as installing a dryer managment system and rewinding two hydropower turbines. [EERE Network News] 11:41:45 AM Google It!    [Energy efficiency] Commercial Windows Initiative The Commercial Windows Initiative, a project of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, works to increase the energy efficiency of windows used in small to medium-sized commercial and multi-family construction projects in the Northwest. [EERE Network News] 11:40:56 AM Google It!    [Green building] Washington State Approves Green Building Law Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed a bill into law in early April that requires new public schools and other state buildings to meet green building standards. A similar executive order in Arizona requires state buildings to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's Silver LEED standard. [EERE Network News] LB note: An energy conservation bill targeting sate government and schools never made it out of committee in Illinois during the spring Legislative session. See http://tinyurl.com/78e4v. 11:40:28 AM Google It!    [Greenhouse Gases] Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases 2003 - Summary Greenhouse Gases Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases 2003 - Summary "The Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program established a mechanism by which corporations, government agencies, individuals, voluntary organizations, etc., can report to the EIA, any actions taken that have or are expected to reduce/avoid emissions of greenhouse gases or sequester carbon." [ResourceShelf's DocuTicker] 11:28:09 AM Google It!    [LUSTs] Leaking Underground Storage Tanks: A Threat to Public Health & the Environment Underground Storage Tanks--Pollution Source: Sierra Club Leaking Underground Storage Tanks: A Threat to Public Health & the Environment "Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) are a grave threat to America's groundwater. Gas stations, industries and other entities use USTs to hold toxic material such as gasoline and oil that contain dangerous substances, including benzene, toluene and heavy metals that can cause cancer and harm developing children. USTs can threaten communities as their walls corrode by silently leaking toxins into our drinking water supplies, homes and businesses." Full Report (PDF; 655 KB) Individual state reports available for download in PDF. [ResourceShelf's DocuTicker] 11:27:09 AM Google It!    [Mercury] Fish Mercury May Not Harm Older Adults Study finds no link between toxin and learning [ScienceNOW] 11:26:20 AM Google It!

© Copyright 2005 Laura L. Barnes. Last update: 10/25/2005; 12:09:55 PM.