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A 2,800-panel, 100 kW multi-celled thin-film PV system is now installed at the U.S. General Services Administration’s Suitland, Maryland Federal Center. Through the Million Solar Roofs initiative over 100,000 solar roofs have been installed since 1997 – nearly double the goal of 51,000 solar roofs by 2000. The federal government also exceeded the goal set forth in President Clinton’s Executive Order 13123, which requires 2,000 solar energy systems be installed on federal buildings by the end of 2000. 2,100 systems are operational now – the government plans to meets its goal of 20,000 PV system installations by 2010. In early 2002, the U.S. EPA’s Environmental Science Center – the federal government’s principal environmental laboratory – at Fort Meade, Maryland will be powered by the most efficient on-site power plant in the world. The fuel cell-gas turbine hybrid power system will be built by the Siemens-Westinghouse Power Corporation. Says U.S. DOE Secretary Richardson, “The Fort Meade project will preview a future of ‘good neighbor’ power generators that can be sited at or near the customer.” The power plant will combine a solid-state fuel cell (powered by natural gas) and a microturbine. It will generate 1,000 kilowatts of electricity at about 60% […]
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The world’s first commercial wave power station opened for business this month. LIMPET (Land Installed Marine Powered Energy Transformer) is connected to Britain’s national grid and will generate 500 kW of energy – enough to power 400 homes. It is located on the Island of Islay, off the West coast of Scotland. “To see a new renewable energy source reach this stage is an important day for all people involved since its beginning,” says Philippe Schild, a European Commission scientific officer. “LIMPET is there to prove energy can be extracted commercially from the ocean.” The EU financially supported the project which was developed by WAVEGEN and Queen’s University Belfast. Because a LIMPET station is simple to build and operate company officials believe it may help many coastal communities replace diesel generation. They estimate that UK’s coasts could supply the country’s entire demand through wave power. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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A long list of leading retailers, manufacturers and hospitals recently agreed to terminate sales of mercury thermometers. Health Care Without Harm and Walden Asset Management, a social investment firm, are asking Kroger, Medicine Shoppe, Safeway and other retail pharmacy chains to follow suit. Pam Powell, Group Vice President of Marketing for Albertson’s, a retailer with 2,500 stores, explains, “There was a time when mercury fever thermometers were all we had. Now we have options that are economically feasible, medically effective and environmentally friendly [digital thermometers].” Cathy Polley, Director of Pharmacy, Government and Trade Relations at Kmart, notes, “it is time to retire a product that is on retailer shelves out of habit, not necessity.” Mercury is a known neurotoxin that disrupts brain development in fetuses. According to a National Academy of Sciences National Research Council report, 60,000 babies a year may be at risk for lower IQ and learning disabilities because their mothers ate mercury-contaminated fish and seafood. Combustion of municipal solid waste is the second largest source of mercury pollution in the U.S.; mercury thermometers are the largest single source of mercury to municipal solid waste. 40 states have mercury advisories in one or more water bodies; 11 states […]
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At a conference near Kathmandu, Nepal, coordinated by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), 500 representatives of 11 world religions committed to ground-breaking environmental pledges. The 26 “sacred gifts for a living planet” they pledged include: * The Methodist Church worldwide will develop an ethical investment framework for up to US$30 billion of church assets; * Buddhists will re-instate a hunting ban to help protect Mongolias endangered snow leopard. * The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (representing 80% of U.S. Jews) – will implement policies and practices to counter climate change and influence consumer preference for sustainably managed forests. * The China Taoist Association (representing all 40 million Taoists in China) will ask members to stop using endangered wildlife in traditional medicine products. * Japan’s Shinto community pledged to purchase only sustainably grown wood for their 80,000+ shrines. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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Nike joined the group of 50 plus companies that endorse the CERES Principles – the ten commandments of environmental conduct. Endorsers commit to continually improving their beyond-compliance environmental performance in accordance with the principles. They submit annual reports and regularly engage in dialogue with special interest groups and individuals to improve performance. The endorsement process, led by CERES, comes after almost two years of intensive dialogue between Nike’s top management and members of the CERES Coalition, such as World Wildlife Fund, Fair Trade Foundation, New York City Comptroller’s Office, and the AFL-CIO. “We believe that Nike is making a conscientious attempt to improve its environmental and social performance, and we hope this commitment represents a trend toward improved environmental and labor conditions in the apparel industry,” states CERES Executive Director Robert Massie. “This announcement signifies a tremendous opportunity for environmental and social advocacy organizations to positively engage with one of the highest profile companies in the world on the issue of global responsibility.”
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The Council on Economic Priorities’s (CEP) Campaign for Cleaner Corporations ranks 200 U.S. companies in 14 industries on their environmental performance. CEP compares companies based on: environmental impact (46% of overall score); environmental management systems (34%); corporate environmental reports (10%); and compliance records (10%). Over a third of a company’s total score is based on toxic releases generated per dollar sales over three years. They also look at whether the trend in those releases is up or down during that time. Revlon, Westvaco, Archer Daniels Midland, Maytag, Ralston Purina, and Nabisco are among the worst-ranked companies. Top-Rated Companies are: Airlines: Delta Air Lines, American, United Beverages: PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch Chemicals: DuPont, Dow Chemical, Occidental Petroleum Computers: Compaq, IBM, Sun Microsystems Electronics: Rockwell International, Micron Technology, AMP Food Retailers: Great Atlantic & Pacific, Albertson’s, Giant Food Food Processors: Dole Food, Kellogg, H.J. Heinz Forest Products: Kimberly-Clark, Louisiana-Pacific, International Paper Petroleum: Sunoco, Chevron, Texaco Pharmaceutical: Allergan, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson Scientific, Photo, Control Equipment: Baxter International, Honeywell, Perkin-Elmer Semiconductors: Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Applied Materials Personal Care: Avon Products, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive Telecommunications: AT&T, Bell Atlantic, SBC Communications CEP: http://www.cepnyc.org
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SONY Electronics is launching the first plan in the U.S. to take-back its electronics equipment from individuals for recycling. During a successful pilot program they collected almost 600 tons of used equipment in Minnesota. The plan allows Minnesota state residents to recycle all their discarded Sony products at no cost for the next five years. Individuals will be able to drop off old Sony products at Waste Management Inc. sites around the state at least one designated day each month. Sony will cover the costs of recovering the equipment. The program may be expanded if other manufacturers participate and if retailers agree to act as drop-off sites. IBM Corp. has made electronics take-back available to large corporations since 1985. Now, for $29.99 (including shipping), individuals and small businesses can recycle any manufacturer’s computer equipment. The equipment will be sent to Envirocycle, a designated recycling center, where it will either be refurbished and donated to Gifts in Kind International – which donates to schools, libraries, charities – or it will be recycled. Customers will be given recycling information when they purchase an IBM computer. For now, information is also on IBM’s website Leading electronics manufacturers have been fighting the impending WEEE […]
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The general tone was deep disappointment as the COP-6 climate change negotiations closed unresolved. Unfortunately, 183 governments need more than two weeks to settle how the world will contend with such a complex issue. The next round of negotiations will continue in spring 2001 – in the meantime, the world keeps heating up. Much of the criticism focuses on U.S. intransigence – its insistence on using carbon sinks as a primary method to reduce emissions, rather than direct reductions. It has been shown over and over again that emission reductions are well within our means through simple measures such as energy efficiency standards. But, as Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change points out, it took about 10 years to pass today’s international trade rules and the U.S. Clean Air Act. Many observers indicate that much of the groundwork as been laid to settle the outstanding issues – sinks, supplementarity, compliance, and funding – in the next round of talks. Before the talks began, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change distributed a draft of the first full-scale update of the state of climate change since 1995. The report takes a stronger stand now on the cause […]
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A new Sierra Club report profiles an example of a smart growth development project in every state in the U.S. Although sprawl remains a difficult problem, “Innovative developers and forward thinking communities across the country are using smart growth techniques to build neighborhoods that are walkable, accessible to public transportation, and that strike a balance between access to jobs, shops and open space,” notes Sierra Club president Robert Cox. Developers are using these strategies to revitalize neglected neighborhoods, create affordable housing, and rejuvenate downtowns. The projects cited in the report were selected based on their score in a 42 question survey. It was developed by the Sierra Club’s Challenge to Sprawl Campaign Committee, which includes experts on transportation, land use planning and smart growth. Download the report: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The latest and greatest in greenhouse gas reduction technologies will be displayed at the ClimateTech 2000 Pavilion, alongside the upcoming COP 6 meeting (the Hague, the Netherlands, November 13 – 24). The Climate Technology Initiative and SUSTAIN are the organizers. There will be opportunities to present and participate in workshops on renewable energy, transport, energy efficiency emissions trading, and CO2 sequestration. Contact Adam Smith, Climate Technology Initiative [sorry this link is no longer available]
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