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Thursday, July 07, 2005
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PubMed now offers RSS 2.0 (Really Simple Syndication) feeds. You can set up multiple PubMed searches for RSS feeds. PubMed RSS feeds will include citations retrieved by your PubMed searches since the last time you were connected to your RSS reader.
12:42:48 PM Google It! 
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute marked the opening of the Center for Future Energy Systems, a New York State Center for Advanced Technology. The new $20 million research center, in partnership with Cornell University and Brookhaven National Laboratory, seeks to meet the energy challenges of the 21st century by focusing on innovation in and commercialization of energy conservation and renewable energy systems. [Source: Renewable Energy Access]
12:27:55 PM Google It!
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The Worldwatch Institute and the German Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture have launched a new project on the global potential and implications of large-scale use of biofuels for transportation. [Source: Renewable Energy Access]
12:26:45 PM Google It!
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On-grid applications of solar power have eclipsed traditional grid-independent applications in recent years. As a result, the overall solar power market has grown consistently by around 30% per year, and the global solar industry's annual sales are in the $10 billion range. Most on-grid solar power applications use the roofs of homes and commercial buildings as platforms; meanwhile, in the US large numbers of scale model solar power systems are being deployed at schools by electric utilities for promotion and educational purposes. Can school-based solar power systems provide more tangible value? [Source: Renewable Energy Access]
12:25:10 PM Google It!
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Cornell University is forging ahead with its environmental programs in sustainable development. Indeed, projects from recycling to energy saving are now recognized as critical issues by the university's leadership and the campus is on the brink of emerging as a global leader in sustainability. For more information, see http://www.sustainablecampus.cornell.edu. [Source: Cornell University News Service]
12:10:21 PM Google It!
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Turning plants such as corn, soybeans and sunflowers into fuel uses much more energy than the resulting ethanol or biodiesel generates, according to a new Cornell University and University of California-Berkeley study. "There is just no energy benefit to using plant biomass for liquid fuel," said David Pimentel, professor of ecology and agriculture at Cornell. "These strategies are not sustainable."
Complete citation for the study:
David Pimentel and Tad W. Patzek (2005). "Ethanol Production Using Corn, Switchgrass, and Wood; Biodiesel Production Using Soybean and Sunflower." Natural Resources Research 14(1), 65-76. (Full text available to subscribers only)
[Source: Environmental Protection E-News]
12:09:33 PM Google It!
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Come hear Joan Embery, former conservation ambassador for the San Diego Zoo, talk about the highlights of her career working with wild animals and her insights about the future of conservation. She will be at the UIUC College of Veterinary Medicine Large Animal Clinic Auditorium on August 11 at 7 p.m. Parking will be available at 2001 South Lincoln. Free Admission.
12:05:44 PM Google It!
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Dates: November 2-3, 2005
Location: KI Convention Center and Regency Suites, Green Bay, WI
Join us in Green Bay for the Lake Michigan: State of the Lake - 4th Biennial Conference and the Great Lakes Beach Association - 5th Annual Meeting. This joint conference brings together scientists, resource managers, planners, policy makers, officials, students, and interested citizens working to improve and protect Lake Michigan, Green Bay and Great Lakes beaches.
All interested persons are invited to submit abstracts for consideration. Both oral and poster presentations will require an abstract. All abstracts must be received by July 22, 2005. Authors will be notified of acceptance/rejection by August 15, 2005. Authors of contributed papers and posters will be expected to cover all of their travel costs, as well as the conference registration fees.
State of the Lake sessions will focus on research, management, and remedial actions that address:
- Contaminants and Sediment Remediation
- Monitoring, TMDLs and the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study
- Eutrophication and Harmful Algal Blooms
- Fisheries, Food Webs and Aquatic Nuisance Species
- Coastal Habitat Protection, Restoration, and LaMP Targets/Indicators
- Coastal Dynamics
- Great Lakes Observing Systems and Remote Sensing Tools
- Sustainable Surface and Ground Waters
- Tourism and Economics
Great Lakes Beach Association Poster Session Topics:
- Source Tracking and Nonpoint Source
- Rapid Testing, Predictive Monitoring and Efficacy Evaluation
- Modeling
- Visitor Communication, Inter- and Intra-State Communication, and Progress Reporting
- Swimming Health Effects
- Policy Development
12:04:30 PM Google It!
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U.S. Department of Energy
Dates: Aug. 14-17, 2005
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Energy 2005 is the 8th annual training workshop and exposition for federal, state, local and private sector energy managers, energy service companies, utilities, procurement officials, engineers and other energy professionals. Workshop tracks will include topics such as building operations and maintenance best practices, energy project financing options, new and emerging energy technologies, green procurement strategies, and energy security and reliability improvements. The exposition will have over 150 technical product and service exhibitors, and a training session, entitled "How to do Business with the Federal Government", will be offered to exhibitors.
12:01:03 PM Google It!
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Housed in Goddard College's M.A. in Individualized Studies program, this concentration encourages individuals to pursue independent graduate work in areas such as social responsibility, business ethics, leadership studies, multiple bottom lines, alternative management, and building communities. Students attend an eight-day residency on the Goddard campus (located in Plainfield, VT) and design their own curriculum before returning home to work independently. [Source: GreenBiz.com]
11:52:05 AM Google It!
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Buying stakes in "alternative" brands is all the rage for multi-national companies these days. [Source: GreenBiz.com]
11:50:09 AM Google It!
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Reducing greenhouse gases from agriculture is the goal of Climate Friendly Farming, a five-year cooperative project involving the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Washington State University (WSU). [Source: GreenBiz.com]
11:47:50 AM Google It!
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The Wallace Genetic Foundation is committed to funding a variety of interests including agricultural research, preservation of farmland, ecology, conservation, and sustainable development. The Foundation supports organizations that believe in the long-term conservation of the soil and of the environment, rather than exploitation of natural resources for temporary profits. The Foundation is particularly interested in far-sighted groups and individuals with innovative ideas, and seeks to fund organizations whose work promises to provide long-term national or global benefit. Applications are accepted throughout the year.
11:46:13 AM Google It!
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The Tellabs Foundation focuses its grantmaking in areas of special interest to the company in furtherance of its mission to be a "leader in providing innovative solutions to the telecommunications industry worldwide." The Foundation supports education programs with emphasis on local and national programs and curricula for engineering, science, mathematics and technology. The Foundation also supports projects involving health and wellness-related research, education and treatment in the United States. In the environmental field, grants are made primarily to institutions which effectively allocate funds to local and national environmental protection/improvement programs. Priority is given to organizations where Tellabs has an employee population. Letters of inquiry may be submitted at any time.
11:44:24 AM Google It!
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The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) will launch a multi-year campaign to increase energy efficiency at 9 billion square feet of commercial properties. The association started the energy efficiency program on June 28 at its annual conference in Anaheim, Calif., with the first of six trainings on operational excellence. [U.S. EPA Air News]
10:43:04 AM Google It!
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Plastic lumber is a new reality in today's consumer market for decking, playground equipment, and other outdoor uses u but reporters can help their audiences separate the environmentally benign brands and grades from ... the rest. Today's building boom, coming on the heels of the phase-out of toxic pressure-treated lumber that took effect in 2003, has put these new products in the spotlight.
Now the Healthy Building Network has released the first environmental ratings of plastic lumber in a new study of some 38 products u a third of which earned top ranking. Download full report and related documents. Contact: Margie Kelly, 541-344-2282.
See also: Plastic Lumber Trade Association: Alan Robbins, President, 800-886-8990.
[SEJ: TipSheet]
10:41:08 AM Google It!
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Via the Society for Environmental Journalists' Tip Sheet service:
There's more to covering air pollution than "Clear Skies." In fact, some of the most aggressive activity to control air pollution is happening at the state level. A new report from US PIRG examines state actions to control air pollution from vehicles. It shows how CA policies are being adopted in other states. It also covers how the oil, auto, diesel, and trucking industries are challenging states' authority to surpass federal requirements. And it features an update on the National Academy of Sciences project, launched in 2004, to review the scientific and technical practices used by states in setting emission standards for mobile sources.
10:40:04 AM Google It!
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Via Gil Friend:
I've just posted the latest 'New Bottom Line' - my monthly strategic perspectives on business and the environment - at the Natural Logic website.
Eye of the Beholder summarizes the recent Cradle to Cradle design workshop in Silicon Valley, led by Michael Braungart and Bill McDonough of MBDC.
'We still have people talking about 'sustainability'! Nothing is more boring. Are you proud if your marriage is 'sustainable'? We feel guilty, and cut our hair to use less shampoo. It's guilt management and celebrating mediocrity.'
The key, Braungart advised, is the transformation of environmental issues into issue of quality. 'First be effective - do the right thing; then look for the right tools. Efficiency may be one of them, but there's no point being more efficient at producing a harmful outcome. Students and top management understand this,' he said. 'Middle management hates us.'
Read the whole article here - and subscribe to monthly email delivery.) [Gil Friend]
10:37:12 AM Google It!
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Reston, VA -- Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy, a new peer-reviewed, open access journal, has launched publication. Accessible at http://ejournal.nbii.org, the e-journal provides a platform for the dissemination of new practices and for dialogue emerging out of the field of sustainability By OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications Web Group). [USGS Newsroom]
10:26:10 AM Google It!
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THE INFLUENCE OF AMPHIPHILIC MOLECULES ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL FATE AND TRANSPORT OF PHARMACEUTICALS (R829005). Thousands of tons of pharmaceuticals are produced annually for human and animal use, and significant quantities ultimately find their way into the environment. A wide range of pharmaceuticals have been identified in the environment, including antibiotics, analgesics, psychiatric drugs, and natural and synthetic hormones. Human pharmaceuticals enter the environment through incomplete wastewater treatment of drugs either not absorbed by the body or intentionally discarded down the drain. Pharmaceuticals in animal wastes enter the environment directly though infiltration into groundwater or runoff into surface waters. Although the concentrations of pharmaceuticals identified in the environment are typically low, the potential for long term risks to human and ecological health are increasingly being recognized.
This work will evaluate transport processes affecting pharmaceutical movement in the environment, and will study the influence of amphiphiles (e.g., surfactants, phospholipids) on the fate and transport of pharmaceuticals in the environment. Amphiphiles are widely used in pharmaceutical products to stabilize emulsions and enhance drug delivery within the body. In addition, surfactants from detergents and other products are often present in wastewaters, and enter the environment with pharmaceuticals through wastewater discharges. Because of their surface active nature, amphiphiles can have a profound effect on the fate and transport of many contaminants. It is highly likely that the same will be true of their effects on the fate and transport of pharmaceuticals.
2004 Progress Report available at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.abstractDetail/abstract/1062/report/2004.
[Recent EPA Catalog Records.]
10:19:14 AM Google It!
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CPBR's ERTT mission is to support basic biotechnology research and the development of new, commercially valuable technologies supportive of the long-term strategic goals of EPA. The research projects selected will address these goals. It is anticipated that the projects will provide substantial environmental benefits through results such as:
- growth of bioenergy and other crops with lower use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides;
- production of commodity chemicals from renewables rather than from fossil fuels;
- more efficient processing of biomass-based crops and wastes into biofuels;
- new tools and techniques for to use in engineering or breeding desirable traits in crops;
- assessment of the effects of genetically engineered organisms on the environment;
- assessment of the transmissibility of genetically engineered traits; and remediation of polluted sites.
2004 Progress Report online at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.abstractDetail/abstract/5533/report/2004. Consortium web site is at http://www.cpbr.org/. [Recent EPA Catalog Records.]
10:16:56 AM Google It!
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The goal of this research project is to develop affordable, durable, and degradable bioplastics from starch and poly(lactic acid) (PLA). The specific objectives are to: (1) identify plasticizers that can enhance the flowability (processibility) of starch and PLA blends, while retaining strength and improving flexibility of the blends; and (2) determine degradability of the starch/PLA/methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) blends.
Final report available at http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.abstractDetail/abstract/6726/report/F
10:12:51 AM Google It!
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The goal of this Phase I research project is to demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative Acoustic Biodiesel Synthesis Reactor (ABSR) with a biodiesel production cost of less than $0.30 per gallon over the cost of feedstock. The target feedstocks are brown, yellow, tallow, restaurant recycled, and trapped grease with high free fatty acid (FFA). The final target biodiesel costs will total $1.00 per gallon for those animal fats and waste grease as raw materials. The proposed ABSR technology will: (1) enable one-step conversion of both FFA and triglycerides to fatty acid methyl ester (biodiesel); (2) eliminate the need for solvents or catalysts, which will avoid production of wastes and greatly simplify separations and purification; (3) enable the use of the low-cost agricultural byproducts, such as animal fats and spent grease that contains high FFA, as opposed to soya oil, which is preferred in conventional biodiesel processes; (4) enhance reaction rate and reduce reaction resident time; and (5) simplify the overall process and allow for significant capital and operational costs.
Currently, the United States produces 20 billion pounds of plant oils and 11 billion pounds of animal fat and recycled grease annually. Animal fat represents a potential biodiesel output of 1.5 billion gallons compared to the estimated current production of 230 million gallons. A truly competitive technology that can cost-effectively convert fats to biodiesel will enable Resodyn Corporation to capture a substantial portion of this untapped market. Concerns related to feeding animal byproducts (already banned in Europe) will increase the incentive to convert fats to biodiesel and further strengthen the market potential of the technology.
Resodyn has discussed the proposed ABSR with Kenosha Beef International, which has been funding biodiesel process development (conventional) by Resodyn at Resodyn's facilities. Kenosha Beef is one of the top 10 U.S. beef companies, with an annual production of 400 million pounds of beef. Kenosha has entered into a joint venture (JV) called BIOsource Fuels, LLC, with Resodyn exploiting the ABSR technology at its rendering facilities, should it prove successful. The JV has supported the development of a pilot plant (2 to 10 gallon per hour processing rate) to evaluate conventional and advanced biodiesel technologies. Demonstrating successful and economic production of biodiesel using the pilot plant will provide a solid platform to the JV, which will be used to market the technology throughout the rendering industry, as well as to the vegetable oil industry. [Recent EPA Catalog Records.]
10:09:06 AM Google It!
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© Copyright
2005
Laura L. Barnes.
Last update:
10/25/2005; 12:11:13 PM.
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