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Fort Worth Post Office Tests Green Design

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]

Companies: Get a Cause

The 1999 Cone/Roper Cause-Related Trends Report, released in March, found that cause programs are not a passing ‘fad’ but rather are a must-do for brands seeking to strengthen relationships with customers, employees, communities and business partners. “Approximately two-thirds of customers, 130 million Americans, continue to say that if price and quality are equal, they are likely to switch to a brand or retailer associated with a good cause.” 90 percent of employees of companies involved with a cause feel proud of their company’s values, versus 56 percent of employees at companies without cause programs. Further, 87 percent of surveyed employees involved with causes feel a strong sense of loyalty to their company, versus 67 percent of employees at companies without cause programs. FROM Co-op America’s Connections

Computer Chip Makers to Cut Greenhouse Gas

During its April meeting in Italy, members of the World Semiconductor Council (WSC) agreed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases called perfluorocompounds (PFCs), to at least 10 percent below 1995 levels by 2010. The Council’s members produce over 90 percent of the world’s semiconductors and represent $125 billion in world sales for 1998. PFCs are the most potent and persistent of all greenhouse gases, having on average 10,000 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide over 100 years, and atmospheric lifetimes ranging from 2,000 to 50,000 years. The chemicals play a critical role in semiconductor manufacturing and reducing them will be a formidable technical challenge. Source: EarthVision Reports: [sorry this link is no longer available]

EarthShell Biodegradable Food Packaging Expands

EarthShell, a Baltimore-MD. company that makes biodegradable food service packaging is entering into a joint venture with Finland-based Huhtamaki Oyj, the largest maker of foodservice disposables outside North America. The companies plan to commercialize biodegradable foodservice packaging in Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. When the packaging is discarded in the presence of air and moisture it immediately begins to degrade. It is composed of about 80% potato starch, reclaimed from commercial operations that process potatoes and french fries, and limestone. Cafeteria services at the U.S. Department of Interior and the General Services Administration are testing the products, and EarthShell will supply hinged-lid containers to McDonald’s.

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