- Home
- Featured (Page 65)
Featured
by Danielle MurrayFrom farm to plate, the modern food system relies heavily on cheap oil. Threats to our oil supply are also threats to our food supply. As food undergoes more processing and travels farther, the food system consumes ever more energy each year.The biggest political action individuals take each day is deciding what to buy and eat. Preferentially buying local foods that are in season can cut transport and farm energy use and can improve food safety and security. Buying fewer processed, heavily packaged, and frozen foods can cut energy use and marketing costs. Eating lower on the food chain can reduce pressure on land, water, and energy supplies.Fossil fuel reliance may prove to be the Achilles heel of the modern food system. Oil supply fluctuations and disruptions could send food prices soaring overnight. Decoupling the food system from the oil industry is key to improving food security.The U.S. food system uses over 10 quadrillion Btu (10,551 quadrillion Joules) of energy each year, as much as France’s total annual energy consumption. Growing food accounts for only one fifth of this. The other four fifths is used to move, process, package, sell, and store food after it leaves the farm. […]
Read More
The William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park is the first project to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating in the State of Arkansas, and the first presidential library to be LEED rated. The library, designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, exemplifies various sustainable design strategies. The energy efficiency and LEED consulting were provided by Steven Winter Associates, Inc. (SWA).Located on the banks of the Arkansas River in the city’s River Market District, the 32-acre presidential center has more open space than any other presidential library. The library takes the form of a glass bridge symbolizing President Clinton’s theme of “Building a Bridge to the 21st Century,” reaching out towards the river. There are a number of sustainable design features throughout the center, reflecting the Clinton administration’s commitment to the environment. For example, the welcoming exhibition hall has flooring made entirely of bamboo – a sustainably harvested, renewable product. The building is equipped with a high-efficiency heating and cooling system, which was shown in energy simulation models to reduce the energy required to air condition a comparably sized museum building by more than 40 percent. There are also no CFC-based refrigerants used in the cooling system, […]
Read More
A broad counter-attack against corporate reform is growing. Could that be a sign of progress?
Read More
Whole Foods is on the way to reducing its waste to zero, while marketing its own compost at 162 stores.
Read More
Germany's on the way to 100% renewable energy - unfortunately, we simply don't have the ingredients here in the U.S.
Read More
News and Events Oregon and California Students Win Fuel Cell Model Car Challenge State Collaborative Offers $4.95 Million for Efficiency, Distributed Energy Long Island Power, FPL Energy Apply to Build an Offshore Wind Plant California Continues to Lead the Way with Large Solar Projects Arizona Passes, Colorado Vetoes Appliance Efficiency Standards Portland Aims for Gold with Revised Green Building Policy Energy ConnectionsDOE: Liquefied Natural Gas Imports Increased 29 Percent in 2004 News and EventsOregon and California Students Win Fuel Cell Model Car ChallengeHigh school students from Portland, Oregon, and San Jose, California, took top honors on Saturday at the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Model Car Challenge, part of DOE’s National Science Bowl competition. The team from the Woodrow Wilson High School of Portland took first place in the Grand Prix speed race, and the team from the Harker School of San Jose won the “King of the Hill” award by conquering a 20-degree incline with their hydrogen-powered model car. The two first-place teams will each receive $1,750 for their schools’ science departments. The Model Car Challenge is one of several hands-on activities in which the 63 National Science Bowl teams took part on Saturday. Eighteen teams, selected by lottery, used model […]
Read More
News and Events U.S. Air Force Leads the Nation in Green Power Purchases District of Columbia Adopts a Renewable Energy Requirement Iowa Governor Orders Greater Use of Efficiency and Renewable Energy North Dakota Adopts Incentives for Wind, Hydrogen, Alternative Fuels Idaho Provides Financing, Tax Rebates for Renewable Projects U.N. Finds Huge Solar and Wind Potential in Developing Countries Site News Ex-Im Bank’s Environmental Exports Program Aids Clean Energy Exports Energy Connections DOE and Oil Companies Search for Methane Hydrates in the Gulf News and EventsU.S. Air Force Leads the Nation in Green Power PurchasesThe members of the organization buying the most green power in the United States often wear green themselves?camouflage green, that is. In 2004, the largest U.S. buyer of green power was the U.S. Air Force, which bought more than 321,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy, with bases in California, Texas, New Mexico, Washington, and North and South Dakota leading the way. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) list of the top 25 buyers of green power participating in its Green Power Partnership, released last week, also includes the U.S. Navy, the EPA, DOE, the U.S. General Services Administration, and the World Bank. The top companies on the list […]
Read More
An increasing number of U.S. electric utilities are selling greater amounts of green power to their customers, and US EPA Green Power Partners are making good on their commitment to purchase renewables, racheting up clean energy use in the U.S.On the utility side, according to DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) analysis, almost 600 utilities in 34 states now offer green power to customers as a voluntary option at a premium price. Notably, several large utilities have lowered premiums on green power making it increasingly price competitive with conventional energy sources. In its annual ranking of utility green power programs, Austin Energy (Texas) ranked first for the third consecutive year, followed by Portland General Electric, PacifiCorp, Sacramento (Calif.) Municipal Utility District, and Xcel Energy. In 2004, sales of renewable energy through utility green power programs reached 1.9 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh). Partners in the US EPA’s Green Power Partnership, have pledged to switch to green power for a portion of their electricity needs in return for EPA technical assistance and recognition. The Green Power Partnership currently includes more than 550 Partners, including Fortune 500 companies, states, federal agencies, trade associations and universities.The U.S. Air Force leads the green power list, purchasing […]
Read More
The annual Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) Awards is the premier national recognition of environmental innovation in health care. This year, the H2E program awarded over 70 hospitals, health systems and healthcare organizations for outstanding achievement in reducing waste, virtually eliminating mercury, and minimizing the use of toxic products. From maintaining a phenomenal 40% recycling rate, to reducing regulated medical waste, to reducing water usage by 480,000 gallons by switching to microfiber mops, this year’s Environmental Leadership Award winners are increasing the environmental performance in health care. Health care institutions are: Reducing red bag waste Collecting mercury thermometers Purchasing recycled copy paper, toilet tissue and paper towels Cultivating organic gardens to grow herbs and vegetables for the cafeteria Closing incinerators Donating food to food banks Buying reusable wash basins and admission kits, eliminating disposables This year’s Environmental Leadership Award winners: Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Oakland, CA Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, MI Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH Foote Health System, Jackson, MI Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Region, Honolulu, HI Sparrow Health System, Lansing, MI St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI University of Michigan Hospitals & Health Centers, Ann Arbor, MI H2E is creating a national movement for environmental sustainability […]
Read More
Companies are rated on governance, total return to shareholders, community, diversity, employees, environment, human rights, and customers.
Read More
Loading...