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Wednesday, March 15, 2006
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Zoning laws that encourage single family homes on large lots help boost
local tax revenues and limit school enrollments, but they are also
being criticized for promoting sprawl. [Source: Great Lakes Radio
Consortium, 3/13/06]
5:01:03 PM Google It! 
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Undergraduates at the University at Buffalo are four months into a
pilot project to make biodiesel from waste grease collected from dining
facilities, one of several biodiesel projects in the Buffalo area.
[Source: Buffalo Business First, 3/13/06]
4:53:45 PM Google It!
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In response to feedback from users, the National Library of Medicine
(NLM) has added new chemical and health-related data to its interactive
mapping site, TOXMAP (http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov).
Released in September, 2004, TOXMAP helps users explore the geographic
distribution of certain chemical releases, their relative amounts, and
their trends over time. This release data comes from industrial
facilities around the United States, as reported annually to the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Now, users can also use TOXMAP to find information about Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund sites and substances. The Superfund
program (http://www.epa.gov/superfund/index.htm) is part of a federal
government effort to clean up land in the United States that has been
contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the EPA
(http://www.epa.gov/) as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a
risk to human health and/or to the environment.
The substances found at Superfund sites have been designated as causing
or contributing to an increase in mortality or in irreversible or
incapacitating illness, or posing a substantial present or potential
hazard to human health or to the environment when improperly treated,
stored, transported, disposed of, or otherwise managed. More than 800
(http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/er/hazsubs/cercsubs.htm)
substances are currently designated as hazardous, and many more as
potentially hazardous.
TOXMAP has also added mortality data from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI),
as well as age and gender data from the US Census, and income data from
the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
TOXMAP links to NLM's extensive collection of toxicology and
environmental health references, as well as to a rich resource of data
on hazardous chemical substances in its TOXNET databases
(http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/). The resource also provides fact sheets
and summaries about the various chemicals, written by the Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and EPA progress reports on the
Superfund sites.
Since many users may not be experienced in reading maps or
understanding map data, TOXMAP provides a Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) (http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/help/faq.jsp) and a "Glossary
of Terms" (http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/help/glossary.jsp). Both
resources attempt to provide questions/answers to supplement the user's
ability to understand the map displays and the data.
4:51:53 PM Google It!
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Sun Microsystems is gearing up to stage a comeback, and CEO Scott
McNealy says the key is the company's new Eco-Responsibility
Initiative, which significantly improves the energy-efficiency of
server technology. By Celeste LeCompte [Source: GreenBiz.com, 3/13/06]
4:49:52 PM Google It!
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GreenBiz founder Joel Makower surveys the fast-growing green office-furniture scene. [Source: GreenBiz.com, 3/13/06]
4:48:37 PM Google It!
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In response to shareholder requests, two leading big-box retailers and
the nation's largest shopping mall company have agreed to significantly
expand reporting and disclosure on energy-efficiency performance, with
the two big-box retailers also agreeing to discuss greenhouse gas
emissions. [Source: GreenBiz.com, 3/6/06]
4:35:15 PM Google It!
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Grand Teton Lodge Company is one of the first lodging companies in the
U.S. to achieve International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
14001 certification for its environmental management program. [Source:
GreenBiz.com, 3/7/06]
4:33:48 PM Google It!
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The one-touch-assembly box does not require any staples, but can be
sealed by clamping the opening panels together. [Source: GreenBiz.com,
3/8/06]
4:32:10 PM Google It!
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In a time when many U.S. companies are placing manufacturing facilities
in places like India and China to save money, Texas Instruments has
built a highly efficient, cost-cutting new semiconductor fabrication
plant in Texas. [Source: GreenBiz.com, 3/10/06]
11:53:47 AM Google It!
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From the 3/9/06 edition of ResearchBuzz:
Science.gov, a search engine for science information provided by US
government agencies, is now offering Alerts 3.0, a new version of
their e-mail alerts. (You can run a search of Science.gov's search
engine of over 45 million pages of science information, and save the
search as
an "alert". You will be e-mailed when new
documents in the search
index match your query.) You'll need to be registered to receive the
alerts (registration is free and very simple.) Alerts are sent out once
a week, on Mondays. The new version of the Science.gov alerts supports complex
queries, with Boolean supports and nested parens.
When
it comes to the results sent with the alerts, there is a limit. You
will not get more than 35 items per alert in your e-mail. However, when
you register with Science.gov you'll get your own "Personal Archive"
that'll contain ALL the matching results for the last six weeks' worth
of alerts, not just the first 35.
11:45:30 AM Google It!
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The Illinois Lt. Governor’s Office in conjunction with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service is offering $500 grants for public organizations
and schools that are interested in planting a rain garden within their
local community. The benefits of rain gardens extend beyond flood
protection by providing educators with a valuable tool that can be used
to teach science, history and math classes.
To apply for a rain garden grant, contact: Sodiqa Williams,
Policy Assistant, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn,
Sodiqa_Williams@Ltgov.state.il.us or 312/814-5220.
11:42:21 AM Google It!
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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the availability of
$176.5 million in loan guarantees and almost $11.4 million in grants to
support investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency
improvements by agricultural producers and small businesses. Johanns
also noted Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman's announcement of $160
million in cost-shared funding over three years to construct up to
three bio-refineries in the United States.
The energy grant and loan funds were authorized under Section 9006 of
the 2002 Farm Bill to encourage agricultural producers and small rural
businesses to create renewable and energy efficient systems. Renewable energy grants can be used to fund a wide range of wind,
solar, biomass, and geothermal, anaerobic digester and conservation
technologies. Grants also can fund such things as more energy efficient
lighting, refrigeration, furnaces, grain driers and milk coolers.
The program has three funding components: grants for renewable
energy systems, grants for energy efficiency, and loan guarantees for
both types of projects. The minimum grant request for renewable
energy systems is $2,500 and the maximum is $500,000. For energy
efficiency improvements, the minimum grant request is $1,500 and the
maximum is $250,000. Rural development energy grants cannot exceed 25
percent of the eligible program costs. The maximum amount of a loan
guarantee made to a borrower is $10 million and cannot exceed 50
percent of the project cost. A federal loan guarantee greatly
increases the borrowers' chances of securing financing from lenders who
might otherwise be reluctant to invest in emerging technologies for
renewable energy.
Illinois applications for grants must be completed and submitted to the
Rural Development state office and postmarked no later than May 12,
2006. Guaranteed loans will be awarded on a continuous basis.
Applications should be submitted to the Illinois state office for
consideration by June 15, 2006. Any guaranteed loan funds not obligated
by August 1, 2006, will be made available for competitive grants. For
more information contact Patrick Lydic in the Illinois state office at
217.403.6211 or by email at Patrick.Lydic@il.usda.gov.
11:35:52 AM Google It!
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On April 19, 2006, the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council
will host the first annual Green Government Symposium at the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources Building in Springfield. The day's
sessions and panel discussions will focus on ways to make healthy and
environmentally sound communities and workplaces in Illinois. The event
is free and open to the public. State employees, local governments,
schools and members of the environmental community are encouraged to
attend.
11:32:45 AM Google It!
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On Monday, March 6, the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council
kicked off a new program called "Six Weeks to a Greener Illinois."
Every Monday through April 17, state employees will receive easy tips
from the Council on ways to make office operations more efficient and
environmentally friendly in Illinois.
The state employees who participate will be able to log into the
Council's website at GreenSolutions.il.gov to track their progress. At
the end of the program, a number of prizes and awards will be given out
to those who have helped make Illinois a greener, healthier place to
live and work.
11:29:50 AM Google It!
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© Copyright
2006
Laura L. Barnes.
Last update:
4/6/2006; 2:30:06 PM.
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