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Tuesday, September 20, 2005
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Via Sustainablog:
Ideopolis links to an interesting new briefing paper from the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Titled "Four Economic Issues That Environmentalists Should Care About," the paper argues that the following four economic issues have important environmental ramifications that receive little attention. The economic issues are:
1. The energy consumption ramifications of choosing an American economic model over a European one.
2. The language of free trade and free markets versus protectionism.
3. Falling birth rates in high-income countries.
4. The cost of reducing global climate change. After reading the paper, I believe it brings up important ideas concerning items 1 and 3; items 2 and 4 are certainly important for environmentalists to consider, but I'm not convinced that this paper does an adequate job of spelling out the arguments in terms of environmental impact. For instance, I think it's fairly obvious that the term "free trade" is little more than a marketing slogan, but what does that mean in terms of environmental impact, or the counterarguments that the environmental community needs to make on this issue? Similarly, I don't think it's enough to demonstrate that military spending may well create negative economic effects and use that as a parallel to spending on climate change -- that seems like an approach that will set us up for an "apples and oranges" rebuttal -- and little else. All of these issues need consideration, and I'll be very interested to see what kinds of follow-up articles come from CEPR or other progressive think tanks. [sustainablog]
4:54:08 PM Google It! 
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Via sustainablog:
From Scotsman.com, an overview of Edinburgh's new council headquarters, which will incorporate green features like rainwater collection that will be used in city street cleaners.
Recycling rainwater is just one of several ways the council plans to make its base one of the most innovative and eco-friendly buildings in Edinburgh.
Maureen Child, the city's sustainability and finance leader, said: "We are very serious about becoming the most sustainable city region in Northern Europe by 2015 and we've set ourselves the highest standards at the council's new HQ in order to achieve this goal. Water collected will be used for street cleaning in the area.
"Recycling rainwater is an innovative approach to sustainability and just one of the many environmentally friendly approaches we have taken."
Other "green" aspects of the design include environmentally sound solar panels on the roof of the building at the east end of the New Street car park.
Building materials from sustainable sources, including local stone and timber, will be used in the development. Waterless urinals will be installed, while a turfed roof will cut flooding by soaking up rainwater instead of sending it into sewers.
The HQ's open plan design and widespread use of glass will provide high levels of natural daylight. And a ventilation system which stabilises the building's internal temperature will function through vents that can be opened at night to allow its exposed beams to cool. On hot summer days, solar window shading on the windows will minimise heat. The building will save the council money not only on energy, but also on the purchase of "expensive purified water." Let's hope this building becomes a model for other public facilities.
4:35:07 PM Google It!
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Reuters recently published an article reporting on the results of the work of the London-based Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). The CDP has over the past three years sent questionaires to the world's largest companies asking them to quanify their greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in a database of global corporate greenhouse emissions. The database can be accessed at http://www.cdproject.net. A related article published by Greenbiz.com on how investors are asking companies to mitigate their climate risk can be found at Greenbiz.com. [ChemAlliance Environmental News]
4:30:37 PM Google It!
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A new website with a Geographic Information System will provide valuable information for assessing environmental hazards caused by Hurricane Katrina. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health, created the website to provide the most up-to-date data to public health and safety workers on contaminants in flood waters, infrastructure and industry maps, as well as demographic information for local populations.
The NIEHS Hurricane Katrina Information Website accessible at http://www-apps.niehs.nih.gov/katrina/ provides information on assessing and evaluating hundreds of potentially hazardous environmental pollutants that may pose a risk to human health. The website draws from information that NIEHS has acquired from a variety of sources including its research programs, as well as through its Superfund Basic Research Program, Worker Education and Training Program, and Environmental Health Science Centers.
The website also includes a link to a new Geographic Information System (GIS) that NIEHS is developing with several academic partners. The GIS will contain layers of data, including the locations of refineries, oil pipelines, industrial facilities, Superfund sites, Toxic Release Inventory Data, agricultural operations, as well as maps and satellite images of schools, neighborhoods, and medical facilities, that will help assess the short and long-term effects of Katrina on the Gulf region.
"With a disaster of this magnitude, people need many things, including easy access to science based information so they can make informed decisions to further reduce their risk of harm," said NIEHS Director Dr. David Schwartz. "Consolidating information in this new website is one vehicle that NIEHS is using to help our fellow citizens."
Information in the GIS, such as the demographics of populations before Katrina will be helpful as health officials treat displaced citizens who may have been previously exposed to toxicants. Subsequent phases will provide more in-depth information to fully assess exposures and make informed decisions about risk of disease.
"This GIS has the capability of being a powerful tool to fully assess and evaluate the short- and long-term environmental health effects of Hurricane Katrina. It will help us all make informed decisions about the uncertainty of risk of exposure and potentially enable us to better understand the links between exposure and disease," said William A. Suk, Ph.D., Director of the NIEHS Superfund Basic Research Program.
Other partners working with NIEHS in the development of the various phases of the GIS include Duke University, University of California at San Diego, University of Kentucky, Johns Hopkins University, University of Arizona, Boston University, Columbia University, Research Triangle Institute and Harvard University.
The Hurricane Katrina Information Website also provides other ongoing NIEHS efforts related to recovery efforts, including collaborations with other federal agencies to address environmental impacts and cleanup.
The NIEHS, a component of the National Institutes of Health, supports research to understand the effects of the environment on human health. For more information on environmental health topics, please visit our website at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/. [ChemAlliance Environmental News]
4:29:55 PM Google It!
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The Ohio EPA will be hosting the first annual Compliance Assistance Conference: Successfully Navigating Reporting, Permitting and Inspections on October 18, 2005. Conference topics include:
- Overview of Hazardous Waste Requirements
- Used Oil and SPCC Plans
- Storm Water Permits
- Identifying Whether you Need An Air Permit
- Air and Water Permits: Typical Reporting Requirements
- How to Prepare for an Ohio EPA Inspection
- What's on the Horizon at Ohio EPA … and more.
This conference will be particularly helpful for small and medium size businesses needing to know more about how to comply.
Due to an overwhelming response, the conference is full, however, there is a waiting list and they are taking names for future conferences to be scheduled. For more information, go to the weblink listed below. [ChemAlliance Environmental News]
4:28:29 PM Google It!
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The Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA) yesterday announced the launch of the new environmental, health, safety and security program, ChemStewards. The program offers a three-tiered approach to participation: Fundamentals, Enhanced Performance, and Excellence. Each level consists of a set of core principles, metrics, security, and implementation of a third-party verified management system. In a news release issued yesterday, SOCMA President Joseph Acker said that the program offers a "fit-for-purpose approach that gives companies the freedom to ensure the program can be implemented and tailored to best meet a company's individual needs."
SOCMA had originally planned to implement a strengthened version of the Responsible Care® initiative, the American Chemistry Council's EHS and security performance program. SOCMA had entered into a licensing agreement with ACC in October of 2003, however the agreement will expire the 1st of October which will conclude SOCMA's participation in Responsible Care® (see ACC news).
In order to assist members with the transition to the ChemStewards program, SOCMA has developed a ChemStewards program schedule. This schedule includes key events over the next several months. For more information on the program and schedule, visit ChemStewards.com. [ChemAlliance Environmental News]
4:27:40 PM Google It!
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CHICAGO -- Lake Michigan receives more mercury pollution than any of the four other Great Lakes, according to a draft of a government report released Monday. By The Associated Press. [Stateline.org RSS - Environment]
4:26:43 PM Google It!
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"RealClimate is a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists. We aim to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary. The discussion here is restricted to scientific topics and will not get involved in any political or economic implications of the science." Google-based translations available for several other languages. [Librarians' Index to the Internet]
4:13:49 PM Google It!
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Green marketing remains a tough sell, despite recent survey results still showing consumers want products from greener and more responsible companies. But there are successes. Here are three such stories and 17 takeaways. [Joel Makower: Two Steps Forward]
4:12:43 PM Google It!
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The American Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) announced a trademarked program, Green Building Engineers, designed to help reduce energy use by 10 percent or more. AEE's program, developed in partnership with EPA through its Energy Star Challenge, will help educate energy engineers about ways to improve energy efficiency in buildings. The program also provides certification for engineers with knowledge of energy efficiency principles and practices that improve building energy management. The program will serve as a valuable resource for building owners looking to improve their building's energy efficiency and apply for EPA's Energy Star, the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. AEE represents 8,500 energy engineering management professionals across the United States. [U.S. EPA Air News]
4:11:13 PM Google It!
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New Jerseyans will soon get their chance to spend a little extra on electricity to keep the planet a little greener. The Newark Star-Ledger's Tom Johnson explains how it works, 9/20/05. [SEJ Environmental Journalism Today]
3:47:10 PM Google It!
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Firefighters and paramedics say hybrid vehicles like the Prius, which use high-voltage batteries to power electric motors, worry them because they present unfamiliar challenges when a rescue team reaches the scene of an accident. Tim Moran of The New York Times explains, 9/18/05. [SEJ Environmental Journalism Today]
3:42:08 PM Google It!
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The Newark Star-Ledger's Sam Ali reports buildings consume 39 percent of the energy used in the U.S., more than cars or manufacturing plants. So with oil and natural gas prices going through the roof, many companies are starting to awaken to the gospel of "going green" -- designing and constructing buildings to be energy efficient, 9/15/05. [SEJ Environmental Journalism Today]
3:41:17 PM Google It!
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Linda Barnett loves to recycle -- but it's what she does with the items that is so unique. The New Albany resident has the ability to transform "bits and pieces" of glass, china, beads, shells, flatware and other items into magnificent works of art. She makes picture frames, garden ornaments, mirrors, light-switch covers, candle holders, serving trays, suncatchers -- you name it, she makes it -- all from recycled and found materials. [Source: New Albany (IN) Tribune]
3:38:23 PM Google It!
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Via Gil Friend:
Communicating Sustainability. UNEP: A roving 'Environment Train' exhibition in Algeria, a radio series on pesticide pollution in Viet Nam and a novel ozone layer-awareness campaign in Costa Rica are among 16 innovative public campaigns featured in a new guidebook from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The guide, Communicating Sustainability -- How to produce effective public campaigns, provides national and localgovernments with professional advice on how to implement communications campaigns on environment and development issues.
(Alternate download site: http://www.futerra.org/publications)
I just got the announcement, haven't read it yet.
But I did just spend an hour with Director of Marketing of a fairly large company - one with serious sustainability chops - discussing how to effectively communicate their sustainability commitments, trajectory and results - both externally AND internally - in a way that is coherent, consistent and compelling. (In some ways, this is a more difficult challenge than the technical challenges of 'greening' their products, production systems and supply chains.)
If any of you have read the UNEP report, and have opinions - either on the report, or the broader MarComm challenge, and nuturing the conversation that is 'sustainability' - please let us know. (Just click the 'Comments' link, below.)
1:53:05 PM Google It!
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© Copyright
2005
Laura L. Barnes.
Last update:
10/25/2005; 12:11:49 PM.
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