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The bremen partnership award – to be conferred in April 2001- rewards partnerships between businesses and municipalities around the world that make cities more livable and better places to do business. Awards span the range of sustainability issues such as efficiency, resource protection, global responsibility, social justice, diversity, citizens’ participation, and built and natural environment of urban settings. The award ceremony takes place at the 2nd International Conference on “Business and Municipality – New Partnerships for the 21st Century” to be held in Bremen, Germany, April 4-7, 2001. Closing date for applications is January 15, 2001. You can download forms at: [sorry this link is no longer available]. Contact Jana Ludmann for more information.
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Three landmark studies released this month underline the urgency of preserving the world’s ecosystems. The World Conservation releases the 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species every four years, the most authoritative and comprehensive status assessment of global biodiversity. This year, it shows that grim prospects for our planet’s animal and plant species are rapidly worsening. The number of critically endangered species has increased – mammals from 169 to 180; birds from 168 to 182. Primates are at the top of the list for mammals, lowland and mountain tropical rainforest habitats are the most threatened habitats. Indonesia, India, Brazil and China, respectively, have the most threatened species. The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is a new $150 million fund established by Conservation International, the World Bank, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) that targets the word’s 25 most threatened biological hotspots for conservation. Each partner will contribute $25 million and the group will raise another $75 million from other agencies. During the first year, the fund will focus on Madagascar, West Africa and the Tropical Andes. At least five additional hotspots will be added in each subsequent year. Together, the 25 hotspots harbor over 60 percent of the worlds terrestrial plant […]
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A multimedia directory of 850 Canadian companies that provide solutions for problems related to water, air, soil, energy, and research and development is available through Industry Canada. Users can sort 2,000 environmental problems and their corresponding solutions to find appropriate Canadian companies. Another database connects companies who want to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions with Canadian technologies and services that can help them. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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Natural Resources Canada (NRC) reports the use of solar photovoltaics in Canada has grown at an average annual rate of 29 percent over the past seven years. In1999, installed capacity broke the 5 megawatt level with total revenues estimated at $40 million. The industry provided 250 jobs in 1999. Primary markets are remote installations, highway departments, and oil companies for powering remote devices that monitor oil and gas flows through Canadian pipelines. Their report covers the sale of PV modules larger than 40 watts, and notes that there is also a strong retail market for smaller modules used in solar lanterns and garden lights. Exports represent only 6 percent of PV sales in Canada. U.S. solar manufacturers report that 1999 shipments were over 50 percent higher than 1998. This is the 14th consecutive annual increase, due largely to a strong export market that accounts for three quarters of shipments. The primary U.S. market has traditionally been remote stand-alone units, but grid-connected projects doubled from 1998-1999, to 25,000 kW. The average price of PV cells declined by a third, dropping to $2.01 per peak watt. Module prices also declined. The total value of shipments increased by 21 percent last year, to […]
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A draft of the World Bank’s five year environmental strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean is open for your comments through early October. The draft emphasizes: protecting health from indoor and outdoor air pollutants, dirty water and toxic substances; enhancing livelihoods of the poor through sustainable natural resource management; and reducing the poor’s vulnerability to natural disasters. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The City of Chicago and 47 other local governments will be buying its energy as a group from a single supplier. The bulk purchase of about 400 megawatts (enough to power 65,000 homes) of electric power will save millions of dollars; about half the energy is used by the City of Chicago and a fourth by the Chicago Transit Authority. Other members of the Government Power Alliance are Chicago Park District and City Colleges. Last year the group reduced their electric bills by over $10.6 million, or about 10 percent. For a company to win the group’s business, it must lower costs for each member of the purchasing group and generate 20 percent of the power from renewable sources. It must also submit plans to reduce pollution from its conventional power generation. This will be the largest renewable energy contract in the U.S. by a non-utility customer. It will reduce the region’s reliance on coal-fired plants, another step elected officials expect will improve regional air quality.
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A new manual explains PROPER and why it is so powerful. PROPER (Program for Pollution Control, Evaluation, and Rating) is an environmental rating tool that was initiated by Indonesia’s environmental ministry, BAPEDAL, in 1995. Companies receive a color-coded rating signifying whether their environmental performance is acceptable or poor. A “gold” rating indicates world class environmental performance while a “black” rating points to a polluter that violates regulations. When ratings are supplied to the news media, PROPER proves to be a very effective mechanism for improving performance. PROPER has been adopted in the Philippines, China and South America. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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Although the U.S. EPA has reduced its resources for environmental prosecutions and the U.S. Department of Justice reports the total number of environmental convictions is down for the second year (from 511 to 446), there have been recent landmark penalties. Portland-based Willamette Industries Inc., a plywood manufacturer with 13 factories in four states, settled its air violation charges for $93.2 million. In the largest settlement to date with a single company, it was charged with failing to install proper pollution controls and failing to obtain permits at 13 facilities. Penalties will be used for Willamette to install upgraded pollution control equipment, improve municipal sewer systems, acquire parkland and build ethanol fueling stations for alternative fuel vehicle fleets. Over the last few years, the EPA has settled with companies comprising half the wood products industry – Louisiana-Pacific, Georgia-Pacific and Weyerhaeuser – and is still pursuing Boise-Cascade. Chevron USA, the second largest U.S. oil company, agreed to pay a $6 million fine and spend $1 million on environmental improvements to settle a federal lawsuit over Clean Air Act violations at a California offshore oil terminal. The settlement is the largest ever imposed against one facility. EPA’s criminal investigations are almost evenly divided […]
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The Universidad Virtual del Sistema Tecnologico de Monterrey just started a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management and Planning. Its goal is to develop professionals that can make decisions for environmental prevention, protection and management, and to develop education and communication programs within the framework of sustainable development and globalization of the economies. The program employs telecommunications, electronic networks and multimedia information technologies. Students can study at any campus or sites that is registered with the Virtual University system. pgit@campus.ruv.itesm.mx http://www.ruv.itesm.mx
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The Blackfeet Tribe of Montana, U.S., and the Peigan Nation in Alberta, Canada are constructing the first utility scale wind energy projects on tribal lands to generate energy for their peoples and for sale. SeaWest WindPower, Inc signed a development agreement for the 22 megawatt Blackfeet project, scheduled to begin operating in October, 2001. It will provide enough energy to electrify over 6,000 homes. “Gaining electricity from the winds here on the Reservation has been talked about for many years.” says Earl Old Person, chairman of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council. The project provides highly skilled employment opportunities on the Blackfeet Reservation and a commercially viable export business. The Peigan Nation is gearing up for a $200 million, 101 MW grid-connected wind farm. Peigan Utilities Inc. and Advanced Thermodynamics Corporation – which holds the exclusive licence to market Nordex turbines in Canada – formed a joint venture called Weather-Dancer Wind Power. They plan to serve the 3000 Peigan Nation residents and then sell the rest to the Alberta Power Pool, as well as many other potential customers.
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