Tuesday, August 16, 2005

[Schools] Coming to campus: E-books with expiration dates When students at Princeton University, the University of Utah and eight other colleges start combing their school bookstore shelves for fall semester textbooks, they'll find a new alternative to the hard-covered tomes they're used to buying. [Source: C-NET News.com via Library Link of the Day] 12:07:20 PM Google It!    [Green lifestyle] Wearing Your Values: Eco-Fashions are on Today's Runways During New York’s famed Fashion Week last February, there was one show that drew environmentalists along with the trendy regulars and entertainment celebrities. Such well-known designers as Diane von Furstenberg, Halston and Oscar de la Renta participated in FutureFashion, a show featuring outfits made from eco-friendly fabrics and materials. It was an unusual marriage of upscale elegance with sustainability. [Source: E: The Environmental Magazine] 12:06:14 PM Google It!    [Biofuels] Biofuels Start to Make Their Mark "Biofuels" such as ethanol and biodiesel account for only about three percent of all transportation fuel sold in the U.S., but they are coming on strong, with domestic consumption doubling just since 2001. With a little extra help from Congress in the form of strong biofuel incentives in the new omnibus energy bill, ethanol and biodiesel could eventually emerge as key players in the high-stakes fuel wars. [Source: E: The Environmental Magazine] 12:05:18 PM Google It!    [Grants] Environmental Leadership Program The Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) seeks to transform public understanding of environmental issues by supporting a network of visionary, action-oriented emerging leaders. The ELP Fellowship provides training, project support and a vibrant peer network to 20-25 talented and diverse individuals each year from all sectors of the environmental field, including nonprofits, business, government, and higher education. The Fellowship targets newly established environmental and social change practitioners eager to connect their specialized work to larger environmental and social concerns. Fellows receive travel and accommodations for four fellowship retreats, access to funding for leadership-building projects, and national recognition through the program. The application deadline is October 1, annually. 12:04:03 PM Google It!    [Grants] Youth Service America: Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants The State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award, administered by Youth Service America, enables youth and educators to bring the positive benefits of service-learning to more young people. Schools and organizations use service-learning as a tool to help youth build stronger academic skills, foster civic responsibility, and develop leadership skills. One hundred grants of $1,000 each will be awarded to teachers, youth (ages 5-25), and school-based service-learning coordinators to implement service-learning projects for National Youth Service Day, April 21-23, 2006. The application deadline is October 17, 2005. 12:03:20 PM Google It!    [Mercury] Little-Noticed Plants A Major Pollution Source In a two-part series, Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reports on one of the nation's top, but little-noticed, sources of mercury pollution -- chlor-alkali plants, 8/14/05. By kward@wvgazette.com. [SEJ: Environmental Journalism Today] 12:00:31 PM Google It!    [Green building] McKinney, Texas: America's New Green Heartland? Wal-Mart has just opened a "green" store there. Now, Toyota says it wants to build the first certified "green" auto dealership in the same city. What's going on down there in McKinney, Texas? [Joel Makower: Two Steps Forward] 11:46:27 AM Google It!    [Solar energy] Solar Power Tower? NASA has a revolutionary vision for Hangar One, the toxics-coated hulk that once housed a dirigible at Mountain View's Moffett Field: Wrap the 200-foot-high landmark with a solar-paneled skin that pumps out electricity. [Environmental Health News] 11:34:01 AM Google It!    [Brownfields] When brown beats green Contaminated industrial sites that have been cleaned up may be superior places to develop than so-called "greenfields." At the least, they are often less expensive to build on, already have water lines and roads installed and don't contribute to sprawl. [Environmental Health News] 11:23:01 AM Google It!    [Air pollution] US EPA EnviroFlash This free service provides you with information about air quality in your geographical area via a daily email. Produced through a partnership between EPA and State and local air quality agencies, it notifies you about air quality action days, forecasts of air quality for the upcoming two days, and lets you select your level of air quality concern. [SEJ: Useful links] 11:21:52 AM Google It!    [Environmental health] US EPA Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators RSEI is a computer tool that compares toxic chemicals released to the environment from industrial sources, allowing you to weigh how much potential harm to human health a local facility or group of facilities may really be causing. Examine rankings and trends, and set priorities for further action. Information can be sorted in numerous ways such as by chemical, media, geographic areas, and can be viewed as tables, graphs, or maps. As of August 2005, the tool is available only on CD-ROM; however, plans are in the works for an electronic/online version (offering 3 perspectives: pounds of releases, hazard-based results, and risk-related results). [SEJ: Useful links] 11:20:30 AM Google It!    [Energy savings] As gasoline prices rise, businesses get creative As gasoline breaks the $2.50 a gallon barrier, creative energy-saving ideas are beginning to flow from US business that could help Americans spend less at the pump. [Environmental Health News] 11:13:10 AM Google It!

© Copyright 2005 Laura L. Barnes. Last update: 10/25/2005; 12:11:32 PM.