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The US Department of Energy, in cooperation with the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), has established the $1.25 million Hemispheric Sustainable Energy Fund (HSEF) to help governments throughout Latin America and the Caribbean meet their energy needs through clean energy projects. The fund enables the creation of a multimillion dollar “family of funds” to help commercialize sustainable energy projects. HSEF will help regional clean energy projects by financing their feasibility studies, market analysis, and project appraisals so clear the way for additional financing from the IDB or other financial institutions. Theresa Fariello, DOE’s deputy assistant secretary for international energy policy, says, HSEF is designed to encourage contributions from other donor countries and private organizations. The private sector stands to benefit greatly from HSEF because the fund will condition the markets for private sector investment and create new project opportunities throughout the region.” Priority will be given to projects that demonstrate the potential to attract future private investment and strengthen a country’s commitment to sustainable energy policies and reform. The IDB will administer the funds for eligible institutions such as national and local governments, non-governmental organizations, and regional organizations. The Energy Department will oversee the process. To be selected, a project must: […]
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Bass Hotels & Resorts has reduced its water and energy consumption and attending costs by as much as 50 percent in their hotels worldwide. How do they do it? They have produced a CD-ROM to share their experience: it covers engineering, laundry, kitchen and garden operations, renovating and building new hotels, energy audits, benchmarking, and case studies. It demonstrates how to make an environmental management program work for owners, operators, employees and the environment.The Hong Kong Hotels Association offers a CD-ROM and environmental training manual for hotels in Hong Kong. The package includes an environmental management manual and good practice guides to energy, water and waste management, indoor air quality and environmental legislation. It has been distributed free of charge to all members. It is endorsed by UNEP and the International Hotel and Restaurant Association as a cost effective way to get ISO 14001 certification. Bass Hotels & Resorts: Reiner Boehme, reiner_boehme@interconti.comHong Kong Hotels Association: James Lu, hkha@att.net.hk
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Help for Small & Medium-Sized BusinessesThe “Efficient Entrepreneur Calendar” looks like an ordinary hardcopy calendar with days and weeks and months. But to “smaller” businesses, it is much more. It guides you in implementing an EMS month-by-month, by introducing performance measures that are easy to assess and evaluate. Companies can measure where their inefficiences are (how much energy, water and raw materials they consume; how much pollution they produce), where costs can be reduced and employee and customer satisfaction improved. Companies can learn how to make simple process and product adjustments and how to communicate their achievements to their stakeholders.The calendar is available in English, French and Spanish. It was developed by UNEP’s Division of Technology, Industry and Environment and the Eco-Efficiency and Sustainable Enterprise Group at the Wuppertal Institute in Germany [sorry this link is no longer available][sorry this link is no longer available]In cooperation with the U.S. EPA, NSF-ISR has developed a set of practical EMS implementation guides and case studies. One report, geared toward small and medium-sized organizations, describes the experiences of 18 businesses and government agencies of various sizes and types. (Environmental Management Systems — An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-Sized Organizations.) On the other […]
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An on-line guide to designing and constructing green buildings has been produced by the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC). Although it is geared primarily for commercial and institutional buildings, it also includes resources for residential projects. It begins with an introduction to the economic, environmental and social benefits of green buildings, and the holistic approach to designing buildings.Each chapter consists of questions to consider for the particular topic and then a comprehensive set of links related to the topic. It covers all the important substantive areas from transportation to codes, from materials to energy efficiency, from indoor air to demolition. There are links to resources for technical assistance, financial assistance, software, and news about green buildings. It leads you to case studies covering commercial, municipal, residential, brownfields and hospitality applications. Check it out: [sorry this link is no longer available]A new book from the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council, Low-Energy, Sustainable Building Design for Federal Managers, is designed to help government personnel meet the ‘Greening the Government’ executive orders and to make informed decisions on sustainable design strategies, renewable energy options, water conservation, operation and maintenance, and resource-efficient materials. [sorry this link is no longer available]org The group will […]
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Fairmont Hotels and Resorts is well known for its efforts to “green” its operations and is now sharing its expertise with the hotel industry. An updated version of its manual, “The Green Partnership Guide: A Practical Guide to Greening Your Hotel,” details how hotels can protect the environment, increase profits and cut costs.The first step to greening a hotel or conference space, the Guide suggests, is to conduct careful audits of all departments – from housekeeping to purchasing to management. After determining current performance from the audit results, attainable environmental goals should be set in four key areas: waste management, water conservation, energy conservation, and purchasing policy. To purchase the guide, contact Fairmont’s Environmental Affairs Department. Hotel professionals can now use an Internet-based benchmarking tool to assess and improve environmental performance. Managers can monitor energy use, fresh water consumption, waste management, waste water quality, purchasing programs, community relations and biodiversity protection. Managers can compare their environmental performance with that of hotels with similar facilities in three major climate zones and design a program to reduce costs and environmental impact. All individual hotel data remains confidential.Reiner Boehme, recently retired VP of Engineering for Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts says, “The net reductions […]
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You can tour “Sustainable Sweden” with a group of 50 colleagues (at most), from August 4-19. Sustainable Sweden hopes to attract people from around the world to share their experiences as they get an inside look at the world’s leader in combining ecology and economy. The themes will be municipality planning, renewable energy, eco-tourism, and ecological business. The tour will be organized around what’s happening with Agenda 21, The Natural Step, and sustainability initiatives in Sweden. You can go for one of the 9 day segments or for the entire 16 day tour. In the first segment, the group will visit southern Sweden, including Stockholm, Gothenburg and smaller communities such as Hallefors. Hallefors is an example of a community which turned itself around using The Natural Step principles. The community also uses the “Factor 10” concept and Max-Neef’s Basic Needs as tools to make their activities more efficient. The second segment focuses on northern Sweden’s small, sustainable villages. In the mountain community, Sorsele, for example, the eco-municipality concept has been used to create hundreds of jobs. The tour group will also visit companies and educational institutes. A registration deposit is needed by June 2001. For more information: Ira Sundberg, ira@esam.seTorbj??Lahti, […]
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November was a month of alternative fuel car debuts. The first of 750 Ford demonstration TH!NK city vehicles arrived – they are currently for sale in Scandinavia, and will be sold in the U.S. in 2002. The electric 2-seaters are designed for urban driving, with a range of about 53 miles (85 km) and a top speed of 56 miles per hour (90 km/h). Hertz will offer the vehicles in San Francisco to BART (their subway system) shared-car subscribers and as daily rentals at Fishermen’s Wharf. Ford will use 40 vehicles in Dearborn, Michigan as part of its car pool fleet. At the opening of the new 50,000 square-foot California Fuel Cell Partnership Headquarters in Sacramento, California, Volkswagen, GM, and Hyundai showed off their fuel cell prototypes. Volkswagen unveiled its first hydrogen fuel-cell car – Bora HyMotion (known as the Jetta in the U.S.) with a range of about 350 km (217 miles) on 3 gallons of hydrogen. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/hour in 12.6 seconds reaching a top speed of 140 km/hour (87 mph). Hyundai’s entry was its prototype fuel cell-powered ”Santa Fe” SUV. And GM displayed the HydroGen1, a five-seat concept vehicle. It can reach a […]
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In an article in the Jan. 19 issue of Science, a U.S.-Brazilian team of biologists reported that as much as 42 percent of the Amazon River basin of Brazil will be seriously damaged or lost altogether in the next two decades if the country’s infrastructure development projects go forward as planned. The projects they refer to are part of the “Avanca Brasil” (Advance Brazil) program, which is intended to boost the industrial agriculture, timber and mining sectors of the economy by investing $40 billion in infrastructure projects from 2000 to 2007. William Laurance, a scientist with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, led a research team to systematically assess the effects of development trends and projects on the region. They developed comprehensive computer models that integrate current data on deforestation, logging, fires, mining, roads, parks and reserves with information about a host of existing and planned infrastructure projects, including the construction of railroads, highways and hydroelectric dams; the installation of power lines and gas lines; and the channelization of rivers. The authors suggest that “Rather than punching many new roads and highways into the remote frontier” that they invest in existing roads, public services and financial incentives that favor sustainable forest […]
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The outdoor industry has formed “Businesses for Wilderness” (B4W), a national initiative to support protection of important roadless areas throughout the U.S. It is being jump started with a $1 million grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts. “It’s a myth that protecting wilderness is bad for business,” says Frank Hugelmeyer, president of ORCA, the outdoor industry trade association representing 4000 businesses. “Wild and undeveloped lands are essential for the health of the $17.8 billion outdoor industry. We were one of the few business sectors that had double digit growth over the past holidays.” More than 111 million people participate in one of 14 activities that ORCA tracks. “Places for people to enjoy the outdoors are increasingly threatened,” notes Kathleen Beamer, vice president of public affairs for Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), one of the largest retailers and on-line merchants of outdoor gear, with 60 stores in the U.S. and Japan. “Our business and customers thrive when the outdoors is protected. Policy makers deserve to know about this.” [sorry this link is no longer available]
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Worldwatch Institute released its annual report, State of the World 2001. It notes that signs of accelerated ecological decline and loss of political momentum on environmental issues are emerging simultaneously. Scientific evidence indicates that many global ecosystems are reaching dangerous thresholds. The Arctic ice cap is thinner by 42 percent and 27 percent of the world’s coral reefs have been lost, suggesting that some of the planet’s key ecological systems are in decline. Natural disasters associated with environmental degradation cost $608 billion over the last decade – as much as in the previous four decades combined. The encouraging signs of progress include the worldwide treaty signed in December to severely restrict 12 persistent organic pollutants. Organic farming now has a worldwide annual market of $22 billion. But fossil fuel use must slow dramatically to avoid acute water shortages, declining food production, and the proliferation of deadly diseases such as malaria. State of the World 2001 calls for stronger enforcement of international treaties, and for increased North-South cooperation. A collective commitment by the E9 (China, India, U.S., Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, Japan, South Africa, EU) to renewable energy systems, for example, could have a dramatic impact on energy markets and reduce the […]
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