Green Works Links

Lights Out Savings as Lincoln Tunnel to Save $283k Annually with LED Retrofit

2014-02-18T20:49:00.000-05:00

A lighting retrofit to be completed this month in the Lincoln Tunnel will save the Port Authority of New Yorkand New Jersey more than $283,000 in annual energy savings. The cost of the $2.1 million project will be paid from the accrued energy savings.

Gone are the existing 70-watt high-pressure sodium and 100-watt metal halide fixtures that are being replaced with 2,300 45-watt light-emitting diode (LED) lights. The LED lights will halve energy use in the Lincoln Tunnel resulting in net energy savings of 1.2 million kilowatt-hours annually.

The work is part of a broader $8.7 million energy conservation initiative by the Port Authority to reduce costs in the Lincoln Tunnel and at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. Altogether, the initiatives will save the Port Authority $1 million in annual energy cost savings over the next 15 years.

Committed to reduce energy use at all of it's operations, the Port Authority's energy conservation program uses benchmark energy data in its buildings and facilities to implement energy efficiency projects.

United Airlines to Introduce Recyclable Cups

2014-02-10T17:14:00.000-05:00

Airline recycling efforts in America began with flight attendants.

It may be the most cliched line in the airline industry but when a United Airlines flight attendant asks you whether it's, "coffee or tea?" they'll soon be handing it to you in a recyclable cup as the airline announced that they are doing away with Styrofoam cups on their flights effective next month.

The Styrofoam replacement, known as the InCycle cup, is made from 50 percent post-consumer recycled content. One recycled plastic bottle can produce four and a half of these environmentally friendly coffee cups.

As the airline industry is most susceptible to volatile energy pricing it is constantly looking for ways to trim costs. When an airline undertakes a cost saving measure that also has environmental benefits it should be applauded.

It's small initiatives such as the new coffee cup that have helped United recycle 23.5 million pounds of aluminum cans, paper and plastic from waste generated on board aircraft and in its facilities in the last six years.

United is not alone in its recycling efforts. American, Delta and Southwest all have environmental programs in place dealing with in-flight waste management. Curiously, the first environmental programs for most majorairlines were voluntary recycling efforts initiated by flight attendants.

American's flight attendants began the industry's first on-board recycling program in 1989 and have since recycled more than 12 million aluminum cans each year. American Airlines says that on-board waste diversion represents the weight of four new Boeing 737 aircraft.

Launched in 2007, Delta’s "In-flight Recycling Program" stemmed from voluntary efforts by its flight attendants. Since the start of the program 3,504 tons of passenger material have been recycled by Delta Airlines waste management services.

Efforts at Southwest Airlines since August 2008 to recycle co-mingled waste (paper, plastic, aluminum and cardboard) from all its operations has diverted more than 9,800 tons of material from landfills.

United Airlines, much like its competitors, has learned that green business is good business. United continues to review its green initiatives and updates its on-board recycling policy and procedures to further simplify the recycling process for its front-line crew. The flight attendants.

Nine Green Things You Should Know About Hemp

2014-02-05T10:04:00.001-05:00

A farm bill passed by the House of Representatives includes an amendment to grow hemp for academic or agricultural research purposes in states where industrial hemp farming is already legal. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), instrumental in getting the hemp bill provision included on the Senate Farm Bill said, "We are laying the groundwork for a new commodity market for Kentucky farmers." Kentucky is one of the 10 states that can now benefit from the passing of the hemp amendment.

Hemp is grown around the world in any climate and any soil. In fact more than 30 countries grow hemp for many industrial and commercial uses. With more than 75 percent of the global hemp market, China continues to devote more acreage to hemp agriculture. Industries worldwide are looking at hemp's sustainable and eco-friendly processes as a way to reduce costs and meet corporate climate change objectives.

While the United States is taking its first baby steps on the road to hemp legalization what are the environmental benefits to hemp production?

Here are nine reasons why a move to full scale hemp cultivation would be good for the environment:

Land Optimization
Whether it is used to replace wood-based paper products or textiles such as cotton, hemp is grown in dense rows and its stalk can be harvested within 100 days. An acre of hemp produces as much paper as four acres of woodland.

Woodland Preservation
With global deforestation occurring at an annual rate of approximately three percent per year, hemp offers an alternative to our vanishing woodlands. Hemp averages four times the yield of a forest, yielding anywhere between three and eight dry tons of fiber per acre.

Paper Production
All manner of paper products are being produced today from hemp owing to its strength and durability. Hemp also has low lignin content which allows it to be pulped with less chemicals. It's long fibers allow hemp-based paper to be recycled twice as much more than wood-based paper.

Fiber
Ten times stronger than cotton, hemp fiber for clothing is one of the fastest growing industries related to hemp. Typically compared to cotton, hemp-based clothing requires a fraction of the water to grow than cotton. More absorbent and mildew-resistant than cotton, hemp clothing also protects against harmful UV rays.

Herbicides/Pesticides
As a weed itself, hemp out-muscles other invasive weeds precluding the use of herbicides. With few enemies from within the insect world, pesticide use is at a minimum in hemp agriculture. By comparison, half of the planet's pesticide use is sprayed on cotton and flax.

Food
Oils extracted from its seeds are less expensive than extracting protein from soybeans. Hemp milk is also making inroads on grocery store shelves and hemp based nutritional supplements are jockeying for space at health food stores.

Energy
Hemp waste product — biomass — generated from one acre of crop yield can produce 1,000 gallons of clean-burning ethanol fuel. Theoretically, energy produced from hemp biomass could eventually supply all of the energy needs in the United States.

Construction
Fiberboard made from hemp-based composites are stronger and lighter than those made from wood. Beyond wood, hemp is also becoming a sustainable alternative for concrete. Mixing hemp with lime, produces soundproofing and insulating materials that are stronger and lighter than concrete. A hemp form of fiberglass may one day replace plastic piping.

Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Hemp's speedy grow cycle avoids the build-up of carbon dioxide. Dioxides released into the atmoshpere are absorbed by the next crop.

The Hemp Industries Association (HIA), estimates that retail sales of hemp food and body care products set records in 2012, reaching $156 million. The HIA also reviewed sales of clothing, auto parts, building materials and various other products, estimating the total retail value of hemp products sold in the U.S. in 2012 to be at least $500 million.

With more than 25,000 known products that can be made with hemp, it is encouraging that The House has taken these first steps that will undoubtedly benefit the environment with the passing of House Resolution 525. The bill was originally introduced as an amendment by Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).

A fully realized hemp industry will produce an economic boost while providing home grown jobs for American workers.

UN Secretary-General Appoints Michael Bloomberg Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change

2014-02-01T14:00:00.001-05:00

NEW YORK — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced January 31, 2014 the appointment of Michael Bloomberg of the United States as his Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change.

Mr. Bloomberg will assist the Secretary-General in his consultations with mayors and related key stakeholders in order to raise political will and mobilize action among cities as part of his long-term strategy to advance efforts on climate change, including bringing concrete solutions to the 2014 Climate Summit that the Secretary-General will host in New York on 23 September.

The Secretary-General has invited leaders from Governments, businesses, finance and civil society organizations to bring bold announcements and actions to the 2014 Climate Summit to raise the level of ambition through new and more robust action on climate change. Cities play an essential role in developing and implementing actions and driving ambition, translating to significant impacts on climate change.

Mr. Bloomberg served as the 108th Mayor of the City of New York from 2002 to 2013. He began his career in 1966 at Salomon Brothers, and launched the financial news and information company Bloomberg LP in 1981. In 2007, Mayor Bloomberg addressed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia.

He currently serves as President of the Board of the C40 Climate Leadership Group, a network of large cities around the world committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate-related local actions that will help address climate change globally.

Offshore Energy in New York? Forum Tonight to Discuss Merits of Port Ambrose Project

2014-01-30T09:55:00.000-05:00

With natural gas prices in the Northeast at an all time high and temperatures at an all time low you would think that a plan to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) port off of Jones Beach would be met with much applause. A forum tonight on the future of offshore energy in New York City is sure to get tempers flaring, blood boiling and the discussion will certainly be heated.

Officially known as the Port Ambrose project, the proposed $300 million transfer station to be be built by Liberty Natural Gas would be situated 17 miles offshore from Long Island. Once completed the deep water port would receive re-gasified LNG at the rate of 400 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. The natural gas would then be transferred via a 22 mile sub-sea pipeline to New York City.

At the only public hearing into the project in Long Island this past summer Liberty Natural Gas CEO Roger Whelan stated that, “We will bring down natural gas prices. We will help convert from fuel oil to natural gas because no one can afford to pay what you have to pay in January, February and March,”

Critics such as Clean Ocean Action argue that, "the port would discharge 3.5 million gallons of chemically-treated seawater used for pipe tests, generate significant underwater noise pollution, and dredge up over 20 miles of seafloor."

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the original plan in 2011 as the potential risks to fishing and tourism outweighed the benefits.

The revised and renamed Port Ambrose proposal is currently making its way through environmental impact studies and more public hearings. The first public forum in New York City is to be held tonight at Rutgers Presbyterian Church on the Upper West Side at 6:30 pm.

Presentations will be made by Sean Dixon of Clean Ocean Action on the LNG port, David Alicea of Sierra Club on wind energy and the offshore wind farm, and Al Appleton, former Commissioner of NYC Department of Environmental Protection, on sustainable energy policy.

Obama’s 2014 State of the Union Address has Climate Change on Frontburner

2014-01-29T08:36:00.000-05:00

President Obama addressed the nation last night and discussed climate change as an opportunity for America going forward. It has been a while since the president spent as much time discussing climate change in a State of the Union address.

In his intro, the president made mention that autoworkers are producing the "most fuel efficient cars in the world", that America is weaning itself off of foreign oil and that for the first time in 20 years America is producing more oil at home than it imports.

He later devoted 10 paragraphs to climate change and climate change innovation!

"Now, one of the biggest factors in bringing more jobs back is our commitment to American energy. The "all the above" energy strategy I announced a few years ago is working, and today America is closer to energy independence than we have been in decades.

"One of the reasons why is natural gas. If extracted safely, it's the bridge fuel that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change. Businesses plan to invest almost a hundred billion dollars in new factories that use natural gas. I'll cut red tape to help states get those factories built and put folks to work, and this Congress can help by putting people to work building fueling stations that shift more cars and trucks from foreign oil to American natural gas.

"Meanwhile, my administration will keep working with the industry to sustain production and jobs growth while strengthening protection of our air, our water, our communities. And while we're at it, I'll use my authority to protect more of our pristine federal lands for future generations.

"Now, it's not just oil and natural gas production that's booming; we're becoming a global leader in solar too.

"Every four minutes another American home or business goes solar, every panel pounded into place by a worker whose job can't be outsourced. Let's continue that progress with a smarter tax policy that stops giving $4 billion a year to fossil fuel industries that don't need it so we can invest more in fuels of the future that do.

"And even as we've increased energy production, we've partnered with businesses, builders and local communities to reduce the energy we consume. When we rescued our automakers, for example, we worked with them to set higher fuel efficiency standards for our cars. In the coming months I'll build on that success by setting new standards for our trucks so we can keep driving down oil imports and what we pay at the pump.

"And taken together, our energy policy is creating jobs and leading to a cleaner, safer planet. Over the past eight years the United States has reduced our total carbon pollution more than any other nation on Earth.

"But we have to act with more urgency because a changing climate is already harming western communities struggling with drought and coastal cities dealing with floods. That's why I directed my administration to work with states, utilities and others to set new standards on the amount of carbon pollution our power plants are allowed to dump into the air.

"The shift to a cleaner energy economy won't happen overnight, and it will require some tough choices along the way.

"But the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact. And when our children's children look us in the eye and ask if we did all we could to leave them a safer, more stable world, with new sources of energy, I want us to be able to say yes, we did."

As most of the nation sits in below freezing temperatures and snow falls on the south, it is heartening to hear that climate change issues are back on the nation's radar. While the president touched on tangential successes he avoided mention of the Keystone pipeline and other hot button energy issues.

America needs a president to say more than, "Yes, we did." America needs to always hear a president say, "Yes, we are!"

— Mark Butkus

Holocaust for Dolphins and Sharks in Peru

2013-10-17T12:35:00.000-04:00

Mass Slaughter of Dolphins for Shark Bait Documented

Lima, Peru -- As many as fifteen thousand dolphins are killed yearly for use as shark bait and human consumption by Peruvian fishermen.

An expedition conducted by the marine conservation organizations BlueVoice, based in USA, and Peru-based Mundo Azul has returned with video and photographic evidence of a massive hunt for dolphins carried out by Peruvian fishermen. This expedition follows an earlier expedition conducted by the two groups in collaboration with UK-based Ecostorm.

Both expeditions brought back graphic video and photographic evidence of massive dolphin killing by Peruvian fishermen. Dolphins are harpooned, clubbed to death and then butchered to be used as shark bait. Dolphins are also killed for human consumption.

The president of Mundo Azul, Stefan Austermuhle who boarded a Peruvian fishing boat to gather evidence, reported “We videotaped from the boat and in the water and what we saw was unimaginably horrific. I just went numb looking at the pitiful dolphin being battered with a club. All I could do was continue recording the event in the hope that making the world aware of this tragedy can somehow bring an end to it.”

Based on the number of boats in the fishing fleet and testimony of fishermen, Austermuhle estimates up to fifteen thousand dolphins are killed for bait and human consumption in this manner. In addition, an unknown additional number of dolphins are killed in the driftnet fishery off Peru.

“Killing dolphins is illegal in Peru. The laws are difficult to enforce on the high seas, however dolphin meat is sold in markets on shore and could be controlled at that point, if police were willing to do so,” said BlueVoice executive director Hardy Jones

Blue sharks and mako sharks were taken by the Peruvian fishing vessel, whose name must remain confidential. The process involves unbelievable cruelty and it can take as long as an hour for them to die.

“Though it is well known that Peruvian fishermen take hundreds of sharks, until now the world has been unaware of the vast slaughter of dolphins off Peru” said Jones. “Many are keenly aware of the dreadful killing of dolphins at Taiji, Japan and assume that is the largest slaughter of dolphins in the world; far from it. In fact, the killing of dolphins for food, called dolphin bush meat, is a worldwide problem and may be growing as traditional fisheries collapse.”

Jones has spent three decades exposing the slaughter of dolphins in Japan and elsewhere.

“Stefan Austermuhle spent three weeks aboard a sordid little fishing boat putting himself at grave personal risk. And he brought back the evidence we need to bust this tragic process,” said Jones.

BlueVoice and Mundo Azul announced Thursday the initiation of a worldwide campaign to end this barbarity. The first step will be presenting the evidence before international bodies concerned with marine conservation and animal welfare.

Walgreens to Build Nation’s First Net Zero Energy Store

2013-03-09T15:33:00.003-05:00

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens announced on March 7, 2013 plans to build what the company believes will be the nation’s first net zero energy retail store, which engineers predict will produce energy equal to or greater than it consumes. Walgreens plans to achieve that by utilizing solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal technology, energy-efficient building materials, LED lighting and ultra-high-efficiency refrigeration.

“We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and leading the retail industry in use of green technology,” said Thomas Connolly, Walgreens vice president of facilities development. “We are investing in developing a net-zero store so we can learn the best way to bring these features to our other stores. Because we operate 8,000 stores, we believe our pursuit of green technology can have a significant positive impact on the nation’s environment.”

The store will be located in Evanston, Ill., at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Keeney Street, where demolition of an existing Walgreens store now is under way. The Chicago-area location will allow convenient access for Walgreens engineers based at the company’s headquarters in Deerfield, Ill., to measure the store’s performance for an entire year to determine if the store reaches its goal of net zero energy use.

Walgreens plans to generate electricity and reduce its usage by more than 40 percent through several technologies in the store including:

more than 800 roof-top solar panels,
two wind turbines,
geothermal energy obtained by drilling 550-feet into the ground below the store, where temperatures are more constant and can be tapped to heat or cool the store in winter and summer,
LED lighting and daylight harvesting,
carbon dioxide refrigerant for heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment,
and energy efficient building materials.

Engineering estimates — which can vary due to factors such as weather, store operations and systems performance — indicate that the store will use 200,000 kilowatt hours per year of electricity while generating 256,000 kilowatt hours per year.

“This planned building development reflects the City of Evanston’s ongoing commitment to the constant improvement of sustainable practices in the natural and built environment and will serve as an excellent example of how responsible development and the environment can be harmoniously combined,” said Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl. “Green building is important to Evanston as it is good for business, good for the environment, good for our health and essential to our future. We are honored that Walgreens has chosen our community to build the nation’s first net zero energy retail store that will be LEED certified as well.”

Walgreens will attempt to have the store achieve LEED Platinum status, which is the most stringent green designation by the U. S. Green Building Council, and plans to enter the store into the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge. The store will be Walgreens second showcase project in the Department of Energy Better Buildings Challenge. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, Walgreens has committed to a chain wide 20 percent energy reduction by 2020.

“Partners in the Better Buildings Challenge are leading by example, showing firsthand how energy efficient buildings save money by saving energy,” said David Danielson, assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy at the Department of Energy. “The investments made through the Better Buildings Challenge are helping to cut energy waste while saving millions in energy costs, creating jobs nationwide and helping to position the United States to lead in the global economy.”

The project is the latest of many green initiatives for the company. Walgreens currently operates two stores that have achieved a LEED certification level of gold and certified; 150 stores utilizing solar power; a store in Oak Park, Ill., using geothermal energy; a distribution center in Waxahachie, Texas, that generates energy though the use of wind; and 400 locations with electric vehicle charging stations. Walgreens stores use 25 watt fluorescent lamps (lowest wattage in the industry), LED cooler and freezer lighting and energy management systems in more than 5,000 locations. In addition, 15 Walgreens distribution centers have achieved net zero waste, which means revenues from recycling exceed waste expense.

Health, Social and Economic Benefits of Global Leaded Gas Phase-Out

2011-10-29T11:11:00.000-04:00

New York (UN) - Improvements in IQ, reductions in cardiovascular diseases, and decline in criminality are among the annual US$2.4 trillion benefits linked to ridding the world of leaded petrol.

These economic benefits, outlined in a new scientific study, may prove to be even higher if other diseases and factors such as cancer and rising urbanization, where the impacts of lead pollution are higher, were brought into the calculations.

"When the first draft report came out we all felt that these numbers were too high - how can removing lead from petrol result in benefits equal to four per cent of the GDP. It was too good to be true. However, we found independent corroboration of our approach in the literature, and we have had our work peer-reviewed by some of the leading experts in the field. When viewed over the decades of progress in phasing out leaded fuel, it is more appropriate to speak of the global benefits in trillions of dollars, not billions, but trillions," stressed Professor Thomas Hatfield, Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the California State University, Northridge, who co-wrote with researcher Peter L. Tsai the study, the Global Benefits of Phasing Out Leaded Fuel.

The phase-out of leaded petrol began in developed countries such as the United States in the 1980s but in developing countries the additive was still being used until recently.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), as an outcome of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, was tasked with leading the final elimination of leaded petrol through a public-private partnership that helped most developing and transitional countries go unleaded.

The Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV), involving civil society, governments and the private sector including major oil and vehicles companies, has supported over 80 countries to phase-out lead in transport fuel.

Under the initiative, involving 120 partners, the small handful of countries still using small amounts of leaded petrol, are expected to make the switch over the next year or two.

"Yet again, here is a clear body of analysis that demonstrates that far from being a burden on economies, acting on environmental challenges generates multiple Green Economy benefits right across countries and economies. Although this global effort has often flown below the radar of media and global leaders, it is clear that the elimination of leaded petrol is an immense achievement on par with the global elimination of major deadly diseases. This will go down in history as one of the major environmental achievements of the past few decades. It is a triumph of diplomacy and public-private collaboration," said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director.

"This successful partnership has all but completed the lead phase-out and in time-scales perhaps presumed overly ambitious in 2002. But its work is far from over and action is now underway to tackle other health hazardous vehicle emissions, such as the unacceptably high levels of sulphur still found in fuels on continents like Africa," he added.

Background
Lead poisoning has been one of the world's most serious environmental health problems, with impacts including increased blood pressure, higher risk of cardiovascular disease, delayed mental and physical development, reduced attention span (including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (or ADHD) and increased crime rates.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that between 15 and 18 million children in developing countries currently suffer from permanent brain damage due to lead poisoning and, according to the results of the research, leaded petrol was responsible for some 90 per cent of human lead exposure.
Lead pollution, even in very low concentrations, is seen as one cause for developmental impairment in children. Furthermore, the use of lead in petrol prevents the introduction of vehicles with emission controls, such as catalytic converters, that can reduce harmful emissions by up to 90 per cent. Catalytic converters are now standard in all new petrol vehicles worldwide.

The UNEP-led campaign over the past decade has resulted in a near-global elimination of leaded fuel and the new study from California State University shows the massive benefits of these efforts:

. Health Benefits - Over 1.2 million premature deaths avoided per year (of which 125,000 are children) and blood testing has shown that the elimination of leaded petrol results in lead in blood levels dropping dramatically. 90 per cent or more, particularly in cities.
. Social Benefits : lower crime rates: 58 million less crime cases and higher IQs. Research has indicated that children with lots of lead in their blood are much more likely to be aggressive, violent and delinquent.
: Economics : US$2.4 trillion (or 4 per cent of global GDP) costs saved per year.

Developed countries, including the United States and parts of Europe, banned the use of leaded-vehicle fuels in the 1980s and 1990s when it was found that inhalation of lead particles released from vehicle tailpipes is extremely toxic. Moreover, leaded petrol prevents the introduction of cleaner-vehicle technology.

However, the majority of developing countries have continued using leaded fuel until recently with major negative health, environmental and economic impacts.

"Although much work needs to be done to look at all of the impacts and benefits to society (for example, we may actually find additional benefits through reduced cancer and hearing problems), these are the best estimates we can come up with at the moment based on current research and data," said Professor Hatfield.

The study will be published in the Journal of Environmental Health in December 2011.

MGM Highest Ranking Casino on Newsweek's List of Greenest Companies

2011-10-21T11:06:00.000-04:00

LAS VEGAS - For the second consecutive year, MGM Resorts International has been listed among Newsweek Magazine's 500 most environmentally responsible companies in the United States, and also as the highest ranking company in the casino resort industry.

The company ranked as the third most highly rated hotel company on the list, and was one of only two hotel companies to move up in this year's rankings.

"Environmental responsibility is a core company value that is woven into and throughout our culture and business operations," said Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International. "For our customers, environmental stewardship is a key area of awareness. Our guests are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their expectations, and we are proud to be a leader in demonstrating that environmental responsibility and a superior guest experience go hand-in-hand with world class hospitality and entertainment," Murren added.

Murren noted that MGM Resorts recently issued its first Environmental Responsibility report detailing the Company's efforts to reduce its environmental impacts over the last four years.

"We're focused on reducing energy and water consumption, increasing recycling and reducing waste," said Cindy Ortega, the Company's Senior Vice President of Energy Environment Services Division. "One of the best examples of MGM Resorts' comprehensive approach to sustainability was the 2009 opening of CityCenter, the world's largest environmentally responsible development. The Company has also worked with its suppliers to develop sustainable purchasing practices focused on raw materials, logistics and an assessment of the environmental impact of products," Ortega said.

MGM Resorts is also among a select group of leading international hotel companies that are collaborating to standardize carbon footprint measurement and communication within the hospitality industry. The Carbon Measurement Working Group includes members of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

Newsweek's rankings were produced with two leading environmental research firms, Trucost and Sustainalytics and the Green Rankings were created in 2009. MGM Resorts moved from #174 overall in 2010, to #157 in this years rankings.

New York Students to Survey Neighborhood Trees

2011-10-18T14:32:00.000-04:00

New York City high school students will survey neighborhood trees next week as part of a program to teach students to think about the urban environment.

The students hail from the NYC iSchool. The iSchool program is geared to engage students in meaningful work in real world situations and provide the in-house classroom structure to support that development.

Sponsored by Trees New York the neighborhood survey will encourage students to explore the environment beyond being a topic of study. It is hoped that through this experience participating students will begin to look at the environment as a viable and compelling career path going forward.

The Young Urban Forester program by Trees New York brings together high school students with environmental professionals in New York City. Students receive hands-on training and use the technologies commonly used in environmental analysis including GPS and GIS. These tools will help the 23 students develop their mapping skills while identifying community tree priorities in and around the Hudson Square survey area.

"Having local organizations like Trees New York participate in National NeighborWoods Month (NNM) helps us show the cumulative effect of a burgeoning urban and community forestry movement," said Alliance for Community Trees Executive Director Carrie Gallagher. The Alliance sponsors NNM and Trees New York is a member of the Alliance.

The event is one of hundreds of re-greening efforts throughout the country being promoted during October.

Center for Sustainable Energy Opens in Brooklyn Park

2011-10-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

Center for Sustainable Energy Opens in Brooklyn Park

Wax On Wax Off: New Enviro Surf Wax

2011-09-28T10:13:00.000-04:00

As a surfer, it is your responsibility to be aware of your impact on the environment. It is every surfer’s obligation to protect and care for the place that gives us so much enjoyment. After all, without a healthy ocean ecosystem, surfing would be nonexistent. Everything from driving in search of waves, wetsuit production (and disposal), surfboard foam and resins, and even wax, have an impact. Surf wax is the only product in surfing which is truly disposable, yet is required by every surfer, for every session. The goal of wax is to displace water, while remaining sticky, and petroleum-based products are extremely effective at accomplishing those goals.

Traditionally, surf wax has been produced using paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, petroleum jelly, Vistanex (petroleum-based adhesive), and scents/dyes. Every time you paddle out, a small amount of wax is released into the marine ecosystem and absorbed by the local species. Although the amount of wax that falls off of your board may be small, the accumulation of the thousands of surfers does equate to a significant amount, not to mention the effects of bioaccumulation.

It was only a matter of time before better alternatives became available. Envirosurfer offers some outstanding surf waxes that are not only petroleum-free, but made of 100% natural, organic, non-toxic, and biodegradable ingredients. The surfing industry is highly dependent on oil to produce most mainstream products, and by using a natural surf wax, you are taking a step towards cutting that
umbilical cord. You are also avoiding the environmental damage which results from the slow release of wax into the ocean. To top it off, you are supporting the responsible wax companies through consumer sovereignty.

Besides using organic and biodegradable ingredients, here are some specifics on how the natural wax companies are using responsible sourcing and production methods: Matunas wax is made from organic products from a small, 25-acre farm in Santa Cruz, CA. Their product is entirely soy-free, and uses leftover strawberries, raspberries, and jasmine to scent their wax, instead of artificial or oil-based scents. Matunas, Sticky Bumps (soy), and Famous Green Label are all packaged in recycled paper and printed with soy ink (Matunas is printed with soy-free, recycled ink). Famous takes it a step further and donates a portion of every sale to the SIMA Environmental Fund, which works to keep breaks clean and accessible. All three of these companies are based out of California, which not only means you are
supporting local jobs, but you are minimizing the carbon dioxide used in the transportation of these items.

Go ahead and give it a try. The ocean has been good to you. It’s time you return the favor.

Corey Chin
Envirosurfer Team

NYC Reduces GHG Emissions by Almost Five Percent in One Year

2011-09-23T11:43:00.000-04:00

In conjunction with Climate Week NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that NYC was well on its way to meeting the commitments of the four-year-old PLaNYC.

Mayor Bloomberg said that, “We cut City government’s greenhouse gas emissions 4.6 percent during the 12 months ending June 30th, compared to the previous fiscal year. That keeps us on course to hitting our 2017 goal."

That 2017 goal as defined in PlanNYC is a carbon footprint reduction of 30 percent by 2017 against a 2005 baseline. Overall, the City seeks to reduce its total GHG emissions by more than 30 percent by 2030 using the same 2005 baseline.

“With the stakes as high as they are, just doing nothing is no option," stated Mayor Bloomberg in highlighting the efforts of New York City to date and the targets yet to be achieved.

To achieve these objectives the City has relamped more than 250 000 traffic signals and street lights with low wattage lighting and LED alternatives. The lighting changes alone have resulted in a 25 percent reduction in energy consumption. Methane emissions at wastewater treatment plants have been reduced by 15 percent through capture initiatives.

If New York City looks a little greener it could be due to the near half million trees planted that suck up and store CO2. The City expects to plant another half million trees to meet its PlaNYC target of one million
newly planted trees in New York City.

The PlaNYC Inventory of New York City Greenhouse Gas Emissions September 2011 update also notes that citywide GHG emissions were 1.1 percent lower in 2010 from 2009 due to energy efficiency efforts in electric use, steam generation and cleaner, imported hydro-electric energy.

“We’ve also passed a landmark ‘green buildings’ law that will cut energy costs and create up to 17,000 new jobs for New Yorkers," Bloomberg added with regards to the 2009 Greener, Greater Buildings Plan that is one of the most comprehensive environmental plans in the country.

The legislation also closed a loophole that had developers and building owners skirting around energy efficiency components to their buildings and plans. Due to its footprint New York City buildings account for approximately three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Plan states that, "By focusing primarily on 16,000 of the city's largest properties, which constitute roughly half of citywide square footage and 45 percent of citywide greenhouse gas emissions, the Greener Greater Buildings Plan will result in an emissions reduction of almost five percent. It will also reduce citywide energy costs by $700 million annually by 2030."

European Parliament Calls for Fast Action to Cut Non-CO2 Climate Forcers

2011-09-18T06:52:00.001-04:00

Washington, DC – The European Parliament is calling for fast action to reduce non-CO₂ climate forcers including black carbon soot, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), methane, and ground-level ozone, which together are responsible for nearly half of climate forcing. The Parliament's call for action came in a Resolution passed today by an overwhelming majority (578 to 51 with 22 abstentions).

The Resolution calls for a comprehensive climate policy and “stresses that in addition to considering CO₂ emission reductions, it should place emphasis on strategies that can produce the fastest climate response,” specifically strategies to cut black carbon soot, HFCs, methane, and ground-level ozone. Because these climate forcers are short-lived, reducing them produces a fast climate response. This is in contrast to long-lived CO₂, where a significant portion remains in the atmosphere for thousands of years. Even cutting CO₂ emissions to zero today will not produce cooling for a thousand years.

"Cutting just two of the short-lived climate forcers — black carbon soot and ground-level ozone — can cut the rate of global warming in half and by two-thirds in the Arctic for the next 30 to 60 years, assuming we also make progress on CO₂," said Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development. Zaelke testified before the Parliament in March 2011 (see written testimony here, and video here). He added, "Cutting the short-lived forcers is not a substitute for cutting CO₂, which controls long-term climate temperature. But if we don’t cut the non-CO₂ forcers now and slow the rate of warming in the next few decades, we risk passing tipping points for abrupt and catastrophic climate impact."

The risk of passing tipping points includes the loss of Arctic sea ice, which currently acts as a defensive shield reflecting heat back into space, the disintegration of the Greenland ice sheet and the world’s other glaciers, as well as the die off of the Amazon and other forests. Current climate impacts are already causing significant harm, contributing to extreme weather events. This year has already seen record floods and droughts around the world including in the Horn of Africa where millions are facing starvation. Emissions of black carbon and other short-lived climate forcers can be reduced quickly using existing technologies and existing laws, according to a recent assessment by the U.N. Environment Programme and World Meteorological Organization.

The EU Resolution follows the first-ever ministerial meeting on short-lived climate forcers held 12 September in Mexico City, hosted by Mexico and Sweden, along with the United States and the United Nations Environment Programme. A follow-up technical meeting will be hosted by Bangladesh in October, with further ministerial meetings likely in the future.

Eco Art by Christopher Rodrigues @ NYC's RARE Gallery

2011-06-28T02:55:00.000-04:00

New York City's RARE Gallery is pleased to announce ". . . all of you on the good Earth," an exhibition of Planets, a series of otherworldly photo-collaged digital images by British/Canadian artist Christopher Rodrigues. The show, which runs from June 30 to August 12, marks Rodrigues' solo debut at RARE.

The exhibition's title directly references the Apollo 8 crew's 1968 Christmas Eve address that was broadcast live from the Command Module during lunar orbit as the Earth came into view over the Moon's horizon. Much like the televised images beamed back to Earth during the mission, Rodrigues' focus is on a planetary view of nature, where the entire solar system is home to isolated, Eden-like environments, inherently sick places, and those made uninhabitable because of human interference.

With his Planets series, of which nine of the nineteen images are being shown at RARE, Rodrigues seeks to promote the healing of our planet. Each world focuses on a different stage our planetary landscape has passed through or can potentially inhabit. While a small group of planets portrays a balanced setting of water, land, and atmosphere, others reflect a manipulation of these components to create more aqueous, gaseous, or green realms, as well as ones marked by pollution, waste, and scarring. Some planets are more elemental, hardly formed at all, seeming to mimic the birthing process of stars, pure and unadulterated.

". . . all of you on the good Earth" connects the artist's evolving concept of landscape depiction with the environmental issues that concern him. Rodrigues' artistic methods have progressed over the years from traditionally focused painting, drawing, and collage to the utilization of digital imagery and Photoshop which have allowed him to create a unique, pop-up book aesthetic that resembles, yet breaks with, traditional practices for making art. His process is one of searching the Internet for images from which he can borrow pixels of color, manipulating the pixels in a painterly fashion using Photoshop to generate a library of elements (e.g., trees, flowers, rocks, water, clouds), and then assembling them in a collage-like manner to build his planets.

The Planet series of "photographs" honors nature while celebrating technology, an important concern in an age when humans are struggling to find a balance with the planet that sustains them. Rodrigues believes that through the proper use of computers we can organize and facilitate solutions to a fair share of today's global crises. According to the artist, while computers have been vehicles for greed that are partially responsible for many of the problems of our time, such as pollution, over-industrialization, and war, they can also be tools for positive change and evolution.

Rodrigues studied art at the University of Toronto from 1994 to 1995 and from 1999 to 2001, and at Ontario College of Art & Design from 1995 to 1996. He exhibited twice in 2011 at the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art and the Vivarium Gallery, a window-front gallery he co-founded in Vancouver. In 2010, Rodrigues showed at Port Moodie Arts Centre in Vancouver, the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, the Hunterdon Art Museum in New Jersey, and The Rymer Gallery in Nashville, TN.

The opening night reception is being sponsored by Grolsch Premium Lager.

Bank of America to Invest $2.6 Billion in Rooftop Solar

2011-06-23T18:43:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK - Rooftop solar generation takes a giant leap forward as a consortium of companies led by Bank of America Merrill Lynch to build the largest distributed rooftop solar generation project in the world. The loan guarantee - from the Department of Energy - supporting $1.4 billion of debt facilitates a total project size of about $2.6 billion, which is being financed entirely by the private sector over the next four years.

This distributed solar project will generate employment across 28 states and will create the equivalent of more than 10,000 full-year jobs. Once fully funded and completed, these installations are expected to provide approximately 733 megawatts (MW) of distributed solar energy, which is enough clean, renewable energy to power approximately 100,000 homes.

Of this first phase, 15 MW of solar capacity is ready immediately for construction and installation in Southern California, where the power generated will be sold to a local utility under long-term power purchase agreements that have been approved and executed. NRG Energy has committed to be the lead investor for the first phase of the project over the next 18 months.

Bank of America is acting as sole financial and structuring advisor and sole lender on this transaction, which is being executed under the Department of Energy's Financial Institutions Partnership Program (FIPP). Through FIPP, the DOE will guarantee 80 percent of the $1.4 billion debt financing for this transaction.

"By harnessing the full capabilities of our platform we're able to deliver this innovative transaction that brings together many parts of our Global Banking and Markets franchise," said Tom Montag, president of Global Banking and Markets. "This important accomplishment transforms the dynamics of distributed solar generation, delivers a significant source of clean energy and creates thousands of jobs across the U.S."

Prologis, the leading owner, operator and developer of industrial real estate, will provide site access to rooftops and will also act as developer, construction manager and program sponsor, in addition to making an equity investment. This effort is the most recent example of the company's long-standing and industry-leading commitment to renewable energy.

This transaction also is a part of Bank of America's 10-year, $20 billion environmental business initiative, which focuses on addressing climate change by aligning its global financial products and services to help advance energy efficiency and low-carbon energy markets.

ISO Launches ISO 50001 Energy Management Standard

2011-06-15T21:32:00.000-04:00

With energy one of the most critical challenges facing the international community, the publication on 15 June of the ISO International Standard ISO 50001 on energy management systems is an eagerly awaited event because it is estimated the standard could have a positive impact on some 60 % of the world’s energy use.

ISO 50001 will provide public and private sector organizations with management strategies to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs and improve energy performance.

The standard will be available on the ISO Website www.iso.org on 15 June. In addition, ISO is launching the standard on 17 June at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG). Presentations on the following themes are planned:

ISO 50001 within the context of ISO standards in general and how they can contribute to solving global problems
A description of ISO 50001 and its benefits
How the standard was developed, who was involved and how they overcame challenges
What ISO 50001 can do for developing countries.

ISO Secretary-General Rob Steele comments: “Energy is critical to organizational operations and can be a major cost to organizations, whatever their activities. An idea can be gained by considering the use of energy through the supply chain of a business, from raw materials through to recycling.

“Individual organizations cannot control energy prices, government policies or the global economy, but they can improve the way they manage energy in the here and now. Improved energy performance can provide rapid benefits for an organization by maximizing the use of its energy sources and energy-related assets, thus reducing both energy cost and consumption. The organization will also make positive contributions toward reducing depletion of energy resources and mitigating worldwide effects of energy use, such as global warming.”

ISO 50001 is intended to provide organizations with a recognized framework for integrating energy performance into their management practices. Multinational organizations will have access to a single, harmonized standard for implementation across the organization with a logical and consistent methodology for identifying and implementing improvements. The standard is intended to accomplish the following:

Assist organizations in making better use of their existing energy-consuming assets
Create transparency and facilitate communication on the management of energy resources
Promote energy management best practices and reinforce good energy management behaviours
Assist facilities in evaluating and prioritizing the implementation of new energy-efficient technologies
Provide a framework for promoting energy efficiency throughout the supply chain
Facilitate energy management improvements for greenhouse gas emission reduction projects
Allow integration with other organizational management systems such as environmental, and health and safety.

Expedition to Study Gulf of Mexico EcoSystem

2011-06-09T13:00:00.000-04:00

BATON ROUGE, LA - Ocean Alliance, the University of Southern Maine and Albemarle Corporation launched a 14-week scientific voyage on June 8, 2011 to study the impacts of recent oil spills and natural disasters on the Gulf of Mexico, one of the world's most important ocean habitats.

The scientific mission left Key West, Florida with a ten-person team aboard the 93-foot floating laboratory, Odyssey. The team will collect samples from fish, squid, krill, sperm and Brydes whales, and the water from depths of up to 3,000 feet to try to monitor and gauge the health of the Gulf ecosystem. The expedition, set to leave on World Oceans Day, is supported by a number of foundations and individuals as well as by primary sponsor Albemarle.

"The oceans are downhill from everything, so ultimately, everything washes down into our oceans," said Iain Kerr, D.H.L CEO, Ocean Alliance. "Nowhere else in America can we better see the impact of recent events than in the Gulf of Mexico, which receives all the runoff from the Mississippi river as it meanders through the heart of America. Recent flooding and the oil spill in 2010 have put the Gulf species under enormous habitat pressure recently, and our expedition will strive to find ways to appropriately address the long-term effects on the Gulf ecosystem."

The expedition will follow the 3,000 ft depth contour line into the Gulf of Mexico, spending considerable time working within 5 to 100 miles of the Deepwater Horizon site. Each expedition leg will last around 2 weeks, with students and scientists joining the Odyssey for different legs.

"Albemarle is dedicated to using scientific research to find safe, sustainable solutions to environmental challenges," said Mark Rohr, Albemarle Chairman and CEO. "We are proud to support the voyage of the Odyssey as its team seeks to better understand the impacts of society on our important ecosystems."

The data collected on the expedition will be taken to the University of Southern Maine and analyzed by researchers at the Wise Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology. The report of the impacts is expected to assist scientists in better understanding how and what can be done to lesson or reduce the impacts these recent events have had on this ecosystem that is the home of so many important species of whales.

Daily blog updates on the voyage will be posted at www.oceanalliance.org, http://www.usm.maine.edu/toxicology/gulf/index.php and via links on www.albemarle.com.

NHL Makes Stanley Cup 2011 Water Neutral

2011-06-02T19:52:00.001-04:00

NEW YORK – NHL Green, the National Hockey League's sustainability initiative, unveiled the NHL Water Restoration Project on June 1, an unprecedented commitment to balancing the League's water footprint that will make the 2011 Stanley Cup Final the first ever water-neutral series in League history.

Through the project, the NHL has pledged to restore at least one million gallons of water to Oregon's Deschutes River, replenishing an important resource in a critically dewatered ecosystem. Total water used throughout Rogers Arena and TD Garden, from the faucets to the ice surface, will be tracked and its equivalent restored through Bonneville Environmental Foundation's Water Restoration Certificates™.

"This is a monumental statement on the part of the NHL, its fans, teams, and players," says Todd Reeve, Vice President of Watershed Programs at the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. "This commitment to match water used on the ice and in the arena with an equal amount restored to a critically dewatered river represents a cutting edge commitment to sustainability."

The portion of the river that runs between the City of Bend and Lake Billy Chinook is known as the Middle Deschutes River. It is a scenic gem with the potential to support world-class recreation and functioning aquatic ecosystems. However, water rights holders, individuals who in addition to property ownership possess a legal right to remove river water for "beneficial economic use", divert most of the river's water at Bend. These disruptions of stream flow have degraded habitats, resulting in poor water quality and a decline in the overall health of the river. The NHL Water Restoration Project will help return the Middle Deschutes to the vibrant watercourse it once was.

Water not only is essential to the planet, but it's key to business -- especially when your business is hockey. Many NHL players learned to play the game on outdoor ponds. NHL Green is committed to keeping those bodies of water available for the next generation of hockey stars. As droughts, water rationing and water pollution become more prevalent, water stewardship is developing into a top priority among the League's sustainability plans.

Innovative Market Solution to Water Sustainability

Historically, water rights holders have had to adhere to policies that foster a "use it or lose it" model for water use, resulting in waste, overconsumption and the deterioration of watercourses. New, progressive water laws now consider water left in rivers and streams to be a "beneficial use", meaning water may be restored to rivers and streams without forfeiting the landowner's water rights.

In 2009, Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) created Water Restoration Certificates (WRCs), to provide an economic incentive for water rights holders to contribute to restoration efforts. BEF's WRC program is the first national-level, market-based solution that restores flow to deteriorating fresh water resources in the United States. BEF's WRCs help critically dewatered rivers and streams become healthy and flowing again.

The NHL Water Restoration Project provides financial support for BEF in its collaboration with the Deschutes River Conservancy, the organization facilitating negotiations with local water rights holders and managing construction of stream flow restoration projects in the Deschutes basin. The State of Oregon assures compliance by both parties.

Standards and criteria for the program have been certified by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to ensure water is returned in ways that provide the greatest environmental benefit to rivers, streams and fish and wildlife populations. The League's purchase of each WRC is officially recorded and available for view online through Markit Environmental Registry.

The National Hockey League partnered with Bonneville Environmental Foundation for the 2011 NHL Winter Classic and 2011 NHL All-Star Game, purchasing 426 Renewable Energy Certificates to support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the development of new renewable energy facilities. In 2009 and 2010, BEF was recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Department of Energy and the Center for Resource Solutions as Green Power Supplier of the Year.

Bicycling from Canada to New York City...Almost

2011-05-23T13:29:00.000-04:00

May is Bike Month across America with many cities hosting events. New York City hosts many rides and activities. This is just one New York biking story. The bike pictured above is the bike that took the following journey.

My bicycle trip to New York City from Ottawa, Canada was supposed to start in Ottawa. It didn't. The bicycle trip was my 40th birthday present to myself and as I didn't think I'd be able to get my bicycle over the border I had my son drive me down to Ogdensberg, sans bike.

Since I wasn't bringing my own bike, I needed to find one in New York State. I could have picked one up at Wal-Mart in Watertown but I wanted my bicycle to have character, to have a history. Bike's from Wal-Mart have neither.

What I needed was a second hand bike that had its own character. It didn't have to be 40 years old like me. I didn't want it to be 40 years old like me. As the bike was going to be my best friend until we pedaled into Manhattan together it needed human qualities that only a bike with a history could provide.

There was no bicycle to be found in Pulaski. There were bikers however - not bicycle bikers but real bikers - and over the course of a few beers we mapped out my route to New York City. The next morning I said goodbye to my son, and started walking down the road. I had heard that there was a yard sale "a couple of miles down the road" with lots of bikes. Surely one of them would have the character and strength I needed for my ride into the Big Apple.

Williamstown is where I finally found my bike. I had walked into town just as the late June skies opened up. Fortunately the skies opened as I was passing the one bar in town and so I sought refuge and a cold beverage. The one patron at the bar couldn't believe that I had walked from Pulaski to there.
"That's 25 miles," he said incredulously. I shrugged, mileage didn't matter to me, I was on a quest. I told Mr. Incredulous my story and why I was walking. I had to find that one particular bike. An hour later and the barfly had sold me his 10 year old Huffy for $50. He had stopped riding it after his eighth heart attack two years before. My bicycle trip had officially begun.

As most of the day was behind me I only managed to make it to Rome that night, just as the skies opened again. But it was a good start - I didn't over-exert myself and I got a good night's sleep.
The next couple of days consisted of pedaling up some hill (in my mind it was a mountain) for 20 minutes then racing down the other side of that hill (in my mind it was a mountain) in 20 seconds. There was no time to catch my breath - 20 minutes up a hill, 20 seconds down - repeated ad nauseum.

Beaten from yet another day of little progress - I had expected to average between 14-20 miles per hour and I had been averaging closer to seven owing to the hills (in my mind they were mountains) - I checked into a rundown little motel in the middle of nowhere.

The elderly owner shook his head at me when I told him what I was doing. He wasn't impressed. "A couple of years ago we had this 80-year-old guy on a bike spend the night here. And he was coming from California," he said shaking his head in disdain for me. The old guy wanted to charge me $107 for my room. Until then I had been paying between $30-40 per night on the road.

"There's another motel 20 or so miles down the road," he offered with a wicked smile. We both knew I didn't have another 20 miles of cycling in me and it was now 9PM. I paid his rate and cursed both old men under my breath before falling asleep in my $107 bed which was as comfortable as the backseat of a '78 Camaro.

Fittingly, it was the Fourth of July when I crossed the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan. I quickly found Broadway and started to cycle down America's Main Street towards Greenwich Village and the end of my journey. My body was beaten up after five days of riding over the Adirondacks and the Catskills but I had a grin from ear-to-ear. I was 40 and I had just completed the longest bicycle ride of my life.

EPA Launches Climate Awards Program

2011-05-19T14:58:00.000-04:00

Washington, DC – The Climate Registry (The Registry), the Pew Center on Global Climate Change (Pew Center) and the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO) announced that they will jointly sponsor a new national awards program with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to recognize exemplary corporate, organizational and individual leadership in response to climate change.

By showcasing voluntary action on climate and energy under a unified banner, EPA, The Registry, Pew Center and ACCO are sending a strong signal that innovative and sustained leadership in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) management will be recognized in the United States.

"The co-sponsorship of this new recognition opportunity reflects EPA’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and recognizing leadership on climate change," said EPA Assistant Administrator Gina McCarthy. "We are pleased to be partnering with three non-profit organizations that have demonstrated expertise in GHG emissions management."

An event to honor award recipients will be held in early 2012. Specific award categories will include:

Sustained Excellence in Public Reporting –Recognizing companies that continually raise the bar in the area of public disclosure of GHG emissions data. This would include regular public reporting and verification of corporate GHG inventories, GHG goal setting and achievement of GHG emissions reductions.
Supply Chain Leadership –Recognizing companies that have their own comprehensive GHG inventories and emissions reduction goals and can demonstrate that they are at the leading edge of managing carbon in their supply chain.
Organizational Leadership –Recognizing companies that have “mainstreamed” climate change across their operations and can demonstrate that they factor climate change into their business decisions.
Individual Leadership –Recognizing individuals exemplifying extraordinary leadership in leading their organizations’ response to climate change and/or affecting the responses of other organizations.

These award categories provide a legacy for EPA’s Climate Leaders program, which provided support to private sector corporations who voluntarily set and achieved greenhouse gas reduction targets, and ACCO’s Climate Leadership Awards, which recognized exemplary leadership by organizations in industry, government, academia and the non-profit community.

“Corporate leadership is essential to advancing climate and energy solutions,” said Eileen Claussen, President of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. “In growing numbers, companies and their employees are working tirelessly in pursuit of cost-effective solutions that reduce carbon and benefit consumers. Recognizing these great accomplishments serves to motivate and accelerate efforts throughout the business community toward a cleaner, more efficient energy future."

“The Climate Registry is delighted to partner with EPA, the Pew Center and ACCO on this important program, which will build on the work of Climate Leaders as well as our own carbon management program,” said Denise Sheehan, Executive Director of The Climate Registry. “Together we look forward to continuing to provide the tools, resources and recognition that organizations need to take their climate and carbon leadership to the next level.”

"Amongst ACCO’s primary missions is bringing together climate executives from across sectors to collaborate and establish best practices," said Daniel Kreeger, ACCO's Executive Director. "We look forward to undertaking such a timely and important effort with our partners - The Climate Registry and the Pew Center - who have been on the cutting edge of climate response, and of course EPA, whose Climate Protection Awards inspired ACCO’s 2010 Climate Leadership Awards program and whose Climate Leaders program has been so instrumental in driving climate response."

More information is available online at www.epa.gov/climateleaders. Additional information on the award categories and nomination process will be made publicly available in the next few weeks.

The Green Grid Completes Energy Efficiency Recommendations

2011-05-18T14:20:00.000-04:00

Portland, OR – The Green Grid Association together with The Data Center Metrics Coordination Taskforce, delivered its latest recommendations for energy efficiency measurement and reporting earlier this week.

The new report, titled “Recommendations for Measuring and Reporting Overall Data Center Efficiency: Version 2 – Measuring PUE at Data Centers” completes the guidelines for applying the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE™) metric, created and promoted by The Green Grid. The new information includes specific recommendations for how to measure and calculate PUE in mixed-use data center facilities and introduces a condenser water source energy weighting factor.

Alignment on these methodologies across the industry will lead to consistent and repeatable measurement strategies that allow data center operators to monitor and improve the energy efficiency when operating their existing data centers, or when designing new facilities.

For a dedicated data center, the total energy in the PUE equation will include all energy sources at the point of utility handoff to the data center owner or operator. For mixed-use data centers, the total energy will be all energy required to operate the data center, similar to a dedicated data center, and should include cooling, lighting, and support infrastructure for the data center operations.

“The task force has accomplished a tremendous amount of work to help the data center industry have a common understanding of energy efficiency metrics to improve data center efficiencies and reduce energy use,” said Dan Azevedo, Symantec representative and Board member of The Green Grid. “We are looking forward to working with our colleagues on the next steps for the industry, including identifying a roadmap for future efficiency programs such as IT productivity and carbon accounting.”

The task force intends to continue collaborating in the years ahead to ensure that data center resource efficiency and productivity is delivered as consistently as possible across regions. The Green Grid, which encourages worldwide industry collaboration, is actively working on dozens of strategic and tactical projects to improve data center resource efficiency.

Montreal Protocol Celebrated for Ozone Success

2010-09-16T13:49:00.000-04:00

Washington, DC – Today marks the 23^rd anniversary of the Montreal Protocol, the international treaty that was created in 1987 to protect and restore the ozone layer. The treaty has not only achieved each of its goals over the last several decades, including this year’s major milestone which marks the complete phase-out of CFCs, it has also become the world’s best climate treaty, to date.

Aggressively phasing out CFCs translated not only to major ozone protection, but also to significant climate protection: 222 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO₂-eq.) in mitigation which has delayed climate change by 7 to 12 years.

The Montreal Protocol Parties began actively protecting the climate system in 2007 with an agreement to accelerate HCFCs, the chemicals that replaced CFCs. This agreement will avoid up to 15 billion tonnes of CO₂-eq. by 2040, another potential big win for climate, albeit with a caveat:

“The Montreal Protocol Parties took unprecedented action in 2007 to protect the climate system, in addition to the ozone layer, but their well-meaning actions will be quickly undone if we don’t pay attention to the alternatives that will replace HCFCs,” warned Durwood Zaelke. “The HFC substitutes for HCFCs are big, bad greenhouse gases that need to be taken out of circulation now.”

HFCs – many with hundreds to thousands the global warming potential of CO₂ – are currently the main coolants used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, as well as blowing agents for insulating foams. However, now that new ozone- and climate-friendly alternatives are available and more are emerging, HFCs are an unnecessary climate burden. Should the HFC problem go ignored, there is a price. The growth of HFCs is skyrocketing and if they are not controlled, their climate impact could equal that of CFCs at their peak, according to the new Executive Summary of the 2010 Ozone Assessment by the Montreal Protocol’s Scientific Assessment Panel, which was released today. Over 300 scientists were involved in the preparation on the assessment.

“Air conditioning and refrigeration are huge industries, and HFC emissions are expected to grow dramatically over the next few decades without serious regulation – this would essentially wipe out progress achieved so far under the Kyoto Protocol,” added Zaelke.

The solution? Getting rid of HFCs – gases that are very similar to CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances – by phasing them down under the Montreal Protocol. Taking this action has a big reward: up to 100 billion tonnes of CO₂-eq. in climate mitigation by 2050.

The Federated States of Micronesia, with backing from other island Parties, is determined to make this happen at this November’s Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Kampala, Uganda. The small island nation, increasingly vulnerable to sea level rise and other climate impacts, submitted a proposal on HFCs in April, for the second year in a row, in the hopes of making a major dent in greenhouse gas emission that will help delay near-term consequences from climate change. Mexico, the US, and Canada, followed suit, with their own joint proposal, but more leadership is needed.

“There’s a general feeling of ‘yes, this is a good idea’, but it’s not being backed up with the kind of high-level political support that we need,” said Zaelke. “The Montreal Protocol strategy is fast, cost-effective, can achieve major mitigation, and has the backing of 196 Parties, a strong financial mechanism and 23 years of experience and expertise. In comparison with other available options right now, this is a damn good deal.”

In his remarks for International Ozone Day, United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon recognized the Montreal Protocol’s key role to play in achieving climate success, encouraging the treaty to continue its important efforts, ". . .Because ozone-depleting chemicals are also greenhouse gases, the Protocol is instrumental in the fight against climate change. . .and will continue to play an important role. . .I encourage Parties to the Montreal Protocol to continue to build on this model and to explore synergies that could help address other environmental challenges, especially climate change."

The Blessing of the Waves in Surf City USA

2010-09-01T07:01:00.000-04:00

ORANGE, CA – Southern California is home to many world-class surf breaks and the majority of these are in Orange County. Many people spend much of their time surfing and enjoying the natural beauty of the coast line and recognize the spiritual importance of this natural asset. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange will, in solidarity with other faith traditions, host the third annual Blessing of the Waves at the iconic Huntington Beach Pier (400 Pacific Coast Highway) October 3, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

The goal of the event is to bring together surfers and ocean-minded people, regardless of their faith tradition, to show spiritual appreciation for the ocean and all that it gives the planet and its population. This gathering demonstrates concern for a cherished environment already compromised by the effects of climate change, toxic emissions, and other pollution.

“In Orange County our beaches are more than simple geography; they are a cultural and spiritual center of our community. It is important that we recognize this common element in all our lives, regardless of faith tradition,” said Most Rev. Tod D. Brown, Bishop of Orange.

The Diocese of Orange organized this first of its kind inter-religious event in 2008 drawing more than 400 participants to the Huntington Beach pier to take part in this community activity. The second annual event held in 2009 drew more than 1,000 participants to the iconic pier for this spiritual observance. Participants called attention to the immeasurable importance of our oceans and beaches, and took a deeper look at their spiritual significance. The third annual interfaith event will feature a pledge to protect our oceans and beaches, acknowledgment of marine safety representatives, and close with surfing priests and other religious leaders. Tongan and Samoan choirs will perform traditional ocean songs, giving thanks to God for our ocean environment.

“It is fitting that this blessing will be held on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. Our coast line and its diverse ecosystem are under constant strain and increased environmental pressures,” said Rev. Christian Mondor, OFM, PhD, Vicar Emeritus Sts. Simon and Jude. “I am excited to join with members of our diverse faith community here in Huntington Beach to bless waves, those who ride on them, and the lifeguards who protect ocean goers.”

California’s coastal region is under significant threat due to pollution and global climate change. California will lose an estimated 41 square miles of coastline due to erosion by 2100, according to the California Climate Change Center. Wave height and wave shape – requisites for surfing are adversely affected by sea floor conditions influenced by silt and other detritus entering the ocean. Our beach water quality is already dangerous to the health of swimmers and others – between April 2009 and March 2010, more than 100 beaches in California were closed because of the presence of toxic waste and other hazards.

(An unedited version of this release including video can be found by clicking here.)