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The U.S. EPA is working on tough new pollution standards for cars, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), minivans and pickups. These standards will impact our air quality well into the next century. One in four cars sold in the U.S. are gas-guzzling SUVs, many getting only 13 mpg. The great increase in miles driven in the U.S. has all but wiped out the gains made through cafe standards. EPA Administrator Carol Browner needs to hear from you. She’s being inundated with letters against stronger standards generated by the oil industry. EPA plans to slash sulfur levels in gasoline nationwide. Sulfur in gas damages pollution control equipment so that they pollute even more. In California, gasoline has only 30 parts per million of sulfur. In the rest of the US, gasoline has about 340 parts per million! Cleaner gasoline will reduce as much pollution as taking 54 million vehicles off the road…it will also allow cleaner and more efficient vehicles to hit the road. The oil industry would like to sell dirty gasoline west of the Mississippi. Anyone from California or the east who drives through a state with dirty gasoline goes home with a poisoned pollution-control system. Carol Browner: browner.carol@epa.gov 202.260.4700
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Environics International of Canada conducted its second annual International Environmental Monitor in association with polling firms in 30 countries. More than 35,000 people – at least 1,000 in each country – participated in both urban and rural areas. The countries surveyed contain two-thirds of the world’s population. Participants were asked if they thought environmental laws in their countries “don’t go far enough,” “strike the right balance,” or “go too far.” More Latin Americans responded that current laws don’t go far enough than did citizens of any other region. In Argentina, 88 percent answered this way, second only to Greece, with 91 percent. People in all 30 countries were asked to describe their level of concern about the environment. In nearly all the Latin American countries surveyed, a majority replied that they cared “a great deal.” In fact, Venezuelans ranked highest of any nation, with 69 percent answering this way. Mexicans were second highest, with 62 percent. Environics International: [sorry this link is no longer available] Contact Corinne Fontaine: corinne_fontaine@environics.ca Source: El Planeta.com: http://www.planeta.com
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To help preserve the ancient forests of the world, 27 large U.S. corporations announced they will not sell products or use packaging made from old-growth trees. The companies committed to survey their suppliers to ensure they do not purchase products made from old growth, reduce overall consumption of virgin wood-related products, and increase use of certified, recycled and tree-free alternatives. According to Coastal Rainforest Coalition, a coalition of well-known environmental groups leading the campaign, these companies account for over one billion dollars of the annual U.S. market for paper, pulp, and packaging. Here are the companies: 3M CorporationAdvanced Micro Devices Inc. Bristol Myers SquibbDell Computer Corp. Estee LauderHallmark Card Hewlett-PackardIBM Corporation Johnson & JohnsonKinko’s, Inc. Levi Strauss & Co.Liz Claiborne Lockheed MartinMcGraw Hill Mitsubishi Electric of AmericaMitsubishi Motors Sales Mother Jones MagazineMutual of Omaha Insurance Co. National Geographic MagazineNIKE, Inc. Pacific Gas & ElectricPatagonia Quantum CorporationSeventh Generation Starbucks Coffee CompanyUnited Stationers Supply Utne Reader Svetogorsk, a major pulp and paper mill in Russia, also announced it will completely phase out ancient forest wood in its production. Satellite image maps produced by Greenpeace and Biodiversity Conservation Center showed that 80 percent of the large ancient forest areas are gone. “People are […]
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If you’re as confused and concerned about Y2K as many people are, take a look at these websites: The Berkana Institute:: Includes the Petersen, Wheatley, and Kellener-Jones articles. http://www.berkana.org/y2k.html Y2KToday: extensive information, news, resources. [sorry this link is no longer available] ZDNet: news and articles. http://www.zdnet.com The Cassandra Project: Checklists, sample documents, links to community resources. [sorry this link is no longer available] DFIY2K.org: Community planning site. [sorry this link is no longer available] Public Technology Inc.: for local government. [sorry this link is no longer available] President’s Council on Year 2000 Conversion: Overview of federal government efforts, with links. [sorry this link is no longer available] Small Business Administration: Good links, checklists, and steps to take. [sorry this link is no longer available]
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After two years of debate, farmers, conservationists, workers, and researchers in Brazil reached agreement on a voluntary certification program for growing sugar cane. As the world’s largest producer of sugar cane plantations have replaced rainforests along Brazil’s Atlantic Coast, considered by biologists to be one of the most biologically diverse — and most threatened — habitats on Earth. Sugar cane fields cove 15 million acres, or about six percent of the nation’s farmland. The forum was coordinated by Imaflora, a leading conservation group in Sao Paulo, with support from key social groups, agricultural and scientific institutions, and government agencies. The Dutch government provided financial support. The standards address a number of tricky issues. For example, sugar cane fields are customarily burned before each harvest. The fires clear the thick foliage and Ginzu-sharp leaves, allowing machete-wielding workers easier access to the cane stalks. When sugar fields are aflame, soot rains on sugar country. Prohibiting burning may be good for residents’ lungs, but poses a threat to workers, since the only alternative is to harvest cane with large machines. Thousands of cane cutters depend on harvest-season wages. The new standards call for a gradual phase-out of burning, to allow farmers and workers […]
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How environmentally conscious are the nation’s top 50 business schools? Almost nine in 10 have one elective course in environmental management – but only 16 percent have integrated the topic into core requirements. Only 21 percent offer a degree in environmental management (as a dual degree with natural resources or forestry). Those are the findings of a study by the Management Institute for Environment and Business (MEB), a program of the World Resources Institute. The study ranked eight schools as offering the best environmental focus: George Washington University New York University (Stern) Northwestern University (Kellogg) University of Michigan University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler) University of Tennessee/Knoxville University of Virginia (Darden) University of Washington To order the report, Grey Pinstripes With Green Ties: [sorry this link is no longer available] To see the survey results: [sorry this link is no longer available] FROM Business Ethics Ford Motor Co. Receives Recycling Award Keep America Beautiful Inc. presented Ford with the 1998 Vision for America award which honors achievements in recycling and use of recycled-content materials and for innovative reuse of cast-off and scrap materials. Recycling initiatives established by Ford include a “Carpet to Car Parts” project, where recovered carpeting is screened, […]
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A variety of environmental businesses are leasing space at the Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center in Minneapolis, MN., which is in the process of being built. The 64,000 square foot office and manufacturing center is located on a former brownfield, and is a project of The Green Institute. The center will be a model green building with 100 percent daylighting, ground source heat pumps, a wind and solar energy system, and a 4800 square foot rooftop garden. At least 10 percent of the materials come from salvaged sources. The Green Institute mission is to create self-sufficient models of economic development with a focus on the emerging green business sector. Green Institute: 612-874-1148
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Thanks to a $14 million renovation, the Sheraton Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia will be at the forefront of environmental design in the hospitality market. Set to open by the end of this year, the 192-room hotel will occupy part of the 72-year old, 17-story mixed use Rittenhouse Regency building. The hotel is making indoor air quality (IAQ) one of its hallmarks. Its ventilation system will provide filtered outside air to occupied rooms 24 hours a day. Smoking will be prohibited throughout the hotel. Materials were selected with IAQ in mind, including paint and carpeting. Furniture is made from certified wood and only water-based glues are used. The bed sheets and curtains are made from organic cotton. At the center of the six-story atrium will be 60-foot bamboo trees. Bamboo was chosen because they take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen at a 35 percent higher rate than most other plants. “When a person is having breakfast in the atrium, the high amount of oxygen makes it feel like a ski mountain,” says Barry Dimson, president of EcoSmart Properties, one of developers. Lobby flooring is also made from bamboo. Dimson says because they were able to market these features, the hotel […]
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Managed care and reduced costs are encouraging a return to reprocessing surgical instruments instead of throwing them away. Health care facilities cleaned and sterilized most instruments in-house until the 1970s, when manufacturers started producing single-use medical devices. This eliminated labor costs involved in internal reprocessing. Now, HMOs are changing the routine. Healthcare facilities are looking for ways to reduce costs associated with providing services. One way is to use reprocessed medical instruments. Surgical nurses separate the instruments, grossly decontaminate them, and ship them to a decontamination plant. They are sold back to the hospital at a significant discount. Brown-Ferris Industries (BFI) and Alliance Medical Corp. have entered into an agreement to serve hospitals nationwide. Alliance decontamination facilities will be located at or near BFI treatment and transfer locations. Recycling is slated to begin near Orlando, Florida. With the addition of this service, BFI can offer hospitals the full spectrum of recycling services.
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Profiles Inc., a certified wood products brokerage firm, and Upstream Associates, a contracting company, based in Westport, are collaborating to build the first three houses entirely with certified forest products. The houses, which total over 52,000 square feet, incorporate certified framing lumber, exterior and interior trim, siding, roofing, windows, doors, flooring and architectural millwork. The project has taken over two years of research and development. When a project specified wooden roofing shingles, aromatic cedar, or engineered products such as glue laminates – none of which were available certified – Profiles Inc. would have to find a certified producer of the raw product and a manufacturer willing to process the material, and broker a deal between the two. As part of the brokering process, the company often paid for the costs of a manufacturer to get chain-of-custody certified. “If they’re willing to work with us, we’ll take care of the costs,” remarked Harry Page of Profiles Inc. The companies’ aggressiveness in pursuing and developing a full range of certified forest products is paying off. “Our phones are ringing off the wall,” says Page. “We’re getting calls from contractors, suppliers, architects, individual home builders. People are realizing this can be done.” None […]
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