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Wind Power Stirs Up Canadian Debate

The province of Prince Edward Island (PEI) plans to introduce renewable tariffs later this year, the first jurisdiction to do so in North America. The tariffs will be used to develop community-owned wind generation on the island. The renewable tariffs are part of a comprehensive proposal to produce 100% of the island's electricity with wind energy by 2015. Wind turbines at North Cape currently produce 5% of Prince Edward Island's electricity, the highest percentage of wind generation within a province in Canada, according to Paul Gipe, acting executive director of the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA). Prince Edward Island's ruling Progressive Conservative Party endorsed the renewable energy proposal at its recent caucus. The caucus will table enabling legislation this fall. "This is the most far-reaching proposal of its kind in North America," said Gipe, an expert on the topic. "I hope that the federal political parties make note of what PEI is doing." Canada is in the midst of a bitter election campaign where wind energy has become part of the debate. The ruling Liberal Party has been dueling with both the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Quebecois over who will do more for wind energy. Neither the Conservative […]

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Chicago Mayor Announces all New Public Buildings to be LEED Certified

Mayor Richard M. Daley announced today that all new construction for the City of Chicago public buildings will be LEED Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Mayor made the announcemnent at the American Institute of Architects' national convention, saying that Chicago will strive to be the most environmentally-friendly city in the United States. As a credit to the city's commitment to green, the Chicago Center for Green Technology received a Platinum rating – the highest LEED rating – from the USGBC. The project was built on a former brownfield site with recycled materials and includes a rooftop garden, rainwater cisterns and smart lighting systems. The building uses the earth's temperature to heat and cool itself. Mayor Daley hopes that with these green building strategies put into place for public buildings, it will influence the private sector to adopt many of the same practices. Daley also stated that by ensuring all new construction and major renovation projects become LEED Certified, it will serve to save the tax payer money. About LEED The LEED" (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is a feature-oriented rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. […]

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Europe Cultivates Organic Foods and Organic Farmers

The circle of stars EU logo is about to blossom on packages of organic fruits, vegetables, breads, meat, dairy products, and possibly, even on wine bottles. On Thursday, the European Commission adopted the European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming – 21 concrete policy measures aimed at getting more people to produce and eat organic foods. More funding will flow to organic producers, a greater amount and variety of information about organic foods will reach the public to stimulate consumer awareness, and organic standards will be harmonized across Europe, the Commission said. Commenting on the new plan, Franz Fischler, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries said, "Promoting environmentally friendly, quality products is one major objective of the new, reformed Common Agricultural Policy. This is why we want to boost organic farming by stepping up information for consumers, strengthening the control system and improving research." The action plan was crafted in response to a rapid increase in the number of farmers producing organically and to a strong demand from consumers during the last several years. It is based on extensive consultations with Member States and stakeholders including an online consultation in 2003, a hearing in January 2004, and meetings […]

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G8 Nations to Stem Nuclear Proliferation, Encourage Recycling

While much of this year's G8 summit on Sea Island, Georgia concerned Iraq and combatting terrorism, the leaders of the world's eight most industrialized nations signed off on several measures to safeguard the environment and stop the spread of nuclear materials. The leaders of the United States, Germany, France, Japan, Italy, Canada, United Kingdom, and Russia pledged to reduce waste, encourage recycling, and reduce trade barriers for recycled and remanufactured products. Winding up their meeting on Thursday, the G8 leaders adopted an action plan on nuclear nonproliferation that advances what they called "an ambitious global nonproliferation agenda." President George W. Bush said, "G8 nations have agreed to my proposal to establish a special committee within the International Atomic Energy Agency that will focus intensively on safeguards and verification. We're calling on all nations to sign and implement the additional protocol which will expand the IAEA's ability to inspect nuclear activities and facilities." "We agreed that over the next year, our nations will not initiate any new transfers of uranium enrichment and reprocessing technology to additional nations, as we work toward a permanent means to keep these materials out of the hands of outlaw nations seeking nuclear weapons," the President said. […]

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