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According to Danish wind consultants, BTM Consult ApS, world wind projects in the pipeline amount to $20 billion in revenue; leading installers come from Denmark, then Germany and Spain. They forecast that wind power capacity will more than triple over the next five years. Germany In 2001, private investors begin construction of the largest offshore wind farm in the world – it will rival the largest nuclear or coal-fired power station in size. It will produce a whopping 1,200 megawatts (Denmark’s offshore wind farm produces just 11 MW) and is scheduled to be completed by 2005. The park will cover an estimated 200 square kilometres (49,420 acres) in the North Sea. Wind energy is growing most rapidly in Germany. The industry is concentrated in the two northern states with the longest coastline, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. Both states have adopted a goal of installing 1,000 MW of wind capacity. UK Britain currently generates two percent of its energy from renewable sources; its goal is to expand the proportion to five percent by 2003 and to 10 percent by 2010. Research shows that more than 70 percent of residential customers are interested in buying green power and half would pay a […]
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The Danish government is instituting Europe’s first tax on PVC. A voluntary agreement with industry in 1991 failed to achieve its goals. The government wants to keep the products out of incinerators, where 40 percent of Denmark’s municipal waste goes. Other measures call for: use of alternative products when PVC products can’t be recycled; development of PVC recycling technologies; a ban on lead in PVC; and boosting PVC recycling where the products do not contain heavy metals. In a separate policy proposal, the amount of phthalates would be cut in half over the next ten years. This group of chemicals is on Denmark’s official list of 100 “undesirable” chemicals. The French Ministries of the Environment, Economy and Industry are calling for a tax on industrial carbon emissions, dubbed the pollu-tax. It would will be tied to Frances existing green tax, the General Tax on Polluting Activities. The ministries argue an energy tax will raise about $2 billion and reduce emissions through lower energy consumption. The French government is consulting with key industries and other stakeholders until October 31 to determine an implementation scheme. In UK, 30 top companies agreed to pilot a greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme that may running […]
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Despite intense lobbying by business, Philippine President Joseph Estrada signed a landmark Clean Air Act into law. Air pollution has reached alarming levels, according to the Asian Development Bank. The pollution in Manila is five times higher than the World Health Organization’s tolerable standard. The three major Philippine oil companies – Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell, and Caltex Philippines – estimate they will spend $158 million to upgrade their refineries to meet the new standards. With this law, the Philippines is the first country in the world to approve a nationwide ban on incinerators. Biomedical waste incinerators will be phased out over three years. Only cremation and agricultural burning practices, covered by existing laws, will continue. Greenpeace described the law as an environmental milestone. The law phases out leaded gasoline by next year and reduces aromatics in unleaded gasoline from 50 – 35 percent and benzene from 5 – 2 percent by 2003.
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MMA International Fund has been added to Charles Schwab’s MarketManager International Portfolio, a fund of funds. Cynthia Liu, Schwab SVP, describes Walter Oeschle, principle of MMA’s subadvisor, as “the equivalent of John Templeton,” the pioneer of international mutual funds. The Green Century Equity Fund earned Morningstar’s highest rating for overall performance in the growth and income category for the three years ending September, 1998. It also beat the average total return of growth funds tracked by Lipper for the one, three and five-year periods. In fact, 10 of the 14 largest screened SR mutual funds – with $100 million or more in assets – earned “A” or “B” ratings from Lipper based on one and/or three year returns. Morningstar gave five of the funds either four or five stars for three-year performance. FROM Co-op America’s Connections
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The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy reports that for the first year since 1991, energy-related carbon emissions did not rise. They remained flat in 1998 despite four percent economic growth. Emissions are 10.3 percent above 1990 levels. In comparison, the UK’s emissions declined 9 percent from 1990-1997; the U.K. emits less than half as much per capita as the U.S. ACEEE 1998 carbon emissions scorecard: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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In a June 3 Executive Order, President Clinton directed federal agencies to cut energy use 35 percent by 2010 compared to 1985 levels, expanding the current goal of 30 percent (of 1990 levels) by 2005. When the measures are fully implemented, taxpayers will save $750 million annually. Reportedly, about half the goal has been met. The federal government is the largest U.S. energy user, consuming 32 percent more per square foot than the average private sector building, and spends about $4.2 billion a year. The new policy covers about 500,000 government buildings, ranging from the Pentagon (which recently installed a 15 kW PV system) to local social security administration offices. The Defense Department accounts for 75 percent of the energy used. The Order also states that each agency must expand its use of renewable energy. As part of the Million Solar Roofs initiative, the President said the federal government is looking to install 2,000 solar energy systems at federal facilities by the end of 2000, and 20,000 solar energy systems at federal facilities by 2010. Provisions included in earlier drafts would have mandated the purchase of renewable energy to meet a minimum share of federal electricity needs. SMUD (Sacramento Municipal […]
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SGS International Certification Services Canada certified Toronto’s Pearson International Airport as the first in North America to receive 14001 environmental management certification. It’s 25th largest airport in the world and handles 28 million passengers per year. To meet certification standards, the airport’s plan calls for proper accounting and handling of fuel, de-icing chemicals, cars and taxis, and solid waste disposal. An environmental emergency contingency plan deals with substances such as jet fuels, dangerous goods in transit, deicing and maintenance chemicals and poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). At least once a year there is a mock environmental emergency exercise and the plan is updated annually. A state-of-the-art system called Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometry will monitor air quality. The information will be reported to all levels of government and will be used to keep passengers away from emissions. Aircraft and runway deicing requires spraying glycol solution, which can get into nearby storm water. Fuel and fire-suppression chemicals may spill, and occasionally there are spills while refueling. All this flows into storm water – a leading cause of contamination. Stormwater is monitored at five locations, with additional sites during the winter. About 60 percent of the waste generated by the airport is recyclable. The airport’s […]
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Just two weeks before appropriation committees of the U.S. House and Senate voted to cut DOE’s programs for renewable energy and energy efficiency, and increase funding for nuclear and fossil fuels programs, a survey showed that Americans want the opposite. For the fifth year in a row, the Sustainable Energy Coalition survey found that a majority of all Americans (62%) give the highest priority to funding DOE’s renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. 31 percent of respondents indicated that nuclear power R&D should be the first program to receive budget cuts, followed by fossil fuels (21%). Some of the other results of the survey are: — 78% support including a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard requiring 10% of electricity be generated from solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass sources as part of federal electric utility restructuring legislation. — 59% favor creating a Public Benefits Fund, supported by a 2-3% surcharge on utility bills, to fund energy efficiency, low-income energy assistance, and renewable energy R&D programs. — 89% believe electricity suppliers should be required to disclose to customers the type of fuel used and amount of air pollutant emitted. — 76% believe electric utility shareholders, not customers, should be responsible for paying off […]
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The Brazilian Agriculture Ministry approved five varieties of genetically modified soybeans made by Monsanto, a significant decision considering the country is the world’s second-largest producer of soybeans. The ministry claims the soy is more resistant to disease and less expensive. The southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, however disagrees and threatened legal action to prevent cultivation there. On the other side of the Atlantic, the British Medical Association called for an indefinite moratorium on planting GMO crops because of “the lack of scientific evidence on their long-term safety,” according to the London Telegraph. They believe GMOs should be labeled and processed separately from other foods. Source: UN Foundation: http://www.unausa.org
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The Alliance for Environmental Innovation and Dell Computer are partnering to address environmental solutions for the personal computer industry. The Alliance works with industry leaders to find environmentally preferable ways of doing business. Dell, the number two PC manufacturer in the U.S. is looking for ways to provide eco-efficient products and packaging that are economically viable and meet its performance and safety specifications. The partnership will also establish criteria for Dell’s suppliers, and will conduct market research for Dell to explore ways to expand markets for environmentally preferable computer systems. [sorry this link is no longer available] FROM EDF Letter
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