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Norm Thompson Catalogs Undergo Life Cycle Analysis

Norm Thompson Inc., one of Oregon’s oldest “Northwest style” clothing retailers, is working with students at the University of Portland to conduct a Natural Step-based environmental audit of the 50 million catalogs the company annually distributes. They are tracing the life of a catalog, beginning with a living tree. The team will develop ways to significantly reduce the environmental impact of the company’s three catalog divisions. FROM The Compass: The Natural Step News

Partnership Will Develop International Greenhouse Gas Measurement Standards

An international partnership has formed to develop an international protocol for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions from business. The protocol will help businesses simplify reporting, and improve the credibility, comparability, and usefulness of information. Standardized measurement and reporting is an important first step toward reducing emissions and responding to global climate change. The group includes Arthur D. Little, BP Amoco PLC, CERES, CEO Coalition to Advance Sustainable Technology, Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Climate Neutral Network, Enron International, Global Environmental Management Initiative, Global Reporting Initiative, Interface Research Corporation, Norsk Hydro, The Pew Center on Global Climate Change, PowerGen, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Public Service Enterprise Group, Royal Dutch Shell, ThermoRetec, Tokyo Electric Power Company, Trexler and Associates Inc., United Nations Environment Programme, World Wildlife Fund, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), and the World Resources Institute (WRI). It aims to reach agreement on unresolved reporting issues, such as how a reporting entity is defined, which reporting formats, units, and conversion factors to use, how to define measurement and reporting boundaries, and how to relate to national reporting and emissions inventory schemes.

All Ford SUVs will be Low Emission

Ford Motor Co. announced it will voluntarily sell only low-emission SUVs in the U.S. and Canada by next year, with no added cost to customers. On a total fleet average basis, Ford’s LEV trucks will be about one-third cleaner than they are today, equal to removing 350,000 SUVs from the road. “Last year, when we announced our LEV Sport Utility initiative, we said that when the technology allowed, the cost to the customer was affordable, and we could do it in volume we would proceed with environmental actions without regard to regulation or regulatory timetables,” said Jacques Nasser, president and chief executive officer. We are finding other efficiencies so that no cost from this action is passed to the customer.”

With 35,000 facilities, and 500-700 new ones going up each year, the USPS has an enormous building program. A wide range of green building features are being tested in a series of showcase facilities. The first to be completed is the 25,500 square foot Eighth Avenue Post Office in Fort Worth, Texas, which opened for business early this year. The budget for the Eighth Avenue Post Office allowed for a cost premium of up to 10 percent to cover experimental green strategies, for a total budget of $93.50 per square foot. Among the environmental strategies at this facility are rainwater catchment, daylighting, high-efficiency lighting and HVAC, native plantings, and the use of various low-impact, certified wood and recycled materials. Interpretive signage explains these features to visitors. Recycled materials are used in: — Mulch: recycled cellulose and yard scraps — Base aggregate (for paving and under slab): recycled concrete & stone — Concrete: waste fly ash — Toilet partitions: recycled plastic — Dock bumpers: recycled tires — Wall bumpers: recycled plastic — Acoustical ceiling tiles: recycled cellulose — Sheathing/millwork panels: recycled cellulose The drinking water rainwater catchment system is rare in non-residential buildings. As a semi-private federal agency, the Postal Service […]

U.S. EPA is Accepting Comments for Emissions and Gasoline Standards

You can call the EPA toll-free or email them your comments on the proposed new rules for tailpipe emissions from autos and sulfur levels in gasoline. This proposal significantly reduces emissions from cars and light trucks, including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), minivans, and pickup trucks. Automakers will be required to sell cleaner cars and refineries will be required to make cleaner gasoline. 888-TELL-EPA (888-835-5372): 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Listen to the instructions and leave a message (up to two minutes long). It will be transcribed and included in the official docket. You can Email them or submit comments from the

Germany Abandons Nuclear Power

Germany will disclose its timeframe to close 19 nuclear power plants by July 1, as part of its decision to abandon nuclear power. By September, the country will amend laws that promote nuclear power as an energy source. Utility companies, however, will be allowed to shut down their plants when “economic conditions” permit.

Certified Pulp & Paper in the U.S.

The Lyons Falls Pulp & Paper company in upstate New York is the first mill to produce FSC-certified paper in North America. Working closely with the Wilderness Society, which initiated the project, Lyons has produced the world’s first certified printing and writing paper. (AssiDoman of Sweden produces certified kraft, wallpaper and toilet tissue since early 1998). According to Spencer Phillips, the Wilderness Society economist who spearheaded the venture, “Certification is not just for lumber anymore. Now the FSC system can be applied to any forest product.” The first paper run comes from pulpwood from the Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve in Ontario, Canada, which received FSC certification in 1997. Lyons will continue to also produce recycled-content paper. Many papers require the strength of some virgin fiber, and certification assures the fiber will come from well-managed forests. Several years ago, Lyons was the first mill to produce chlorine free-paper. http://www.lyonsfalls.com FROM Understory

Farmland Should Be For Farming

17 members of the Farmland Acquisition, Research and Management Limited Liability Co., (Farm LLC), in Washington state are raising funds to buy farmland and demonstrate that the “highest and best use of farmland is farming.” The group, which consists of wealthy Microsoft employees, writers, doctors, and other professionals has raised $1 million to purchase 80 acres. Their goal is to preserve farmland, produce organic products and lease/sell small parcels to new or small farmers. Source: Natural Foods Merchandiser

DoE Approves P-series Fuels

The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) added a new category of fuels to the regulatory definition of “alternative fuel,” the P-series. These are blends of ethanol, methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF), natural gas liquids and butane. The ethanol and MTHF will be derived from renewable domestic feedstocks, such as corn, waste paper, cellulosic biomass, agricultural waste and construction wood waste. The P-series fuels’ emissions are generally below those for reformulated gasoline and are well below federal emissions standards. The fuels have the potential to replace a billion gallons of gasoline annually by 2005. Pure Energy Corporation, a New York-based company, holds the exclusive world-wide license to manufacture and distribute the P-series fuels.

Wild Oats Buys 11 More Stores

Wild Oats Market (NASDAQ:OATS), the second largest natural products retailer (after Whole Foods) is adding 28 new stores this year, bringing its total to 105. The company has markets in 19 states and British Columbia. 11 of the new stores are acquisitions – Nature’s Northwest, a 6-store chain in the U.S. Northwest and three stores in the East from distributor, United Natural Foods. The acquisitions will add about $100 million in revenue. Wild Oats will also open 17 new stores this year. [sorry this link is no longer available]

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