Posted: (03/03/2010)
Room for Improvement in e-Waste Recycling
The rising sales of consumer electronics in developing countries will have dire consequences on their environment and public health, according to a report from The United Nations Environment Programme, reports GEEP Michigan. The report finds that over the next decade there will be a significant increase in e-waste created by and sent to developing countries, rising 500 percent in India and increasing between 200 to 400 percent in South Africa and China. Despite these numbers, recyclers in North America continue to beef up their services and grow their recycling rates. Click on the link to read the complete story:
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Posted: (03/01/2010)
Rulings Restrict Clean Water Act, Foiling E.P.A.
Thousands of the nation's largest water polluters are outside the Clean Water Act's reach because the Supreme Court has left uncertain which waterways are protected by that law, according to interviews with regulators. As a result, some businesses are declaring that the law no longer applies to them. And pollution rates are rising. The Clean Water Act was intended to end dangerous water pollution by regulating every major polluter. But today, regulators may be unable to prosecute as many as half of the nation's largest known polluters because officials lack jurisdiction or because proving jurisdiction would be overwhelmingly difficult or time consuming, according to midlevel officials. Click on the link to read the complete story:
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Posted: (02/26/2010)
Hospitals Saved $138M in 2008 By Reprocessing Medical Waste
More than 25 percent of U.S. hospitals are taking advantage of reprocessing single use medical devices as a means of reducing landfill waste, according to a new report from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 2008 alone, hospitals served by one major reprocessor saved $138 million nationwide by diverting 4.3 million pounds of medical waste from local landfills, according to the report (PDF), which appeared in the March issue of Academic Medicine. Click on the link to read the complete story:
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Posted: (02/24/2010)
Highly Absorbing, Flexible Solar Cells With Silicon Wire Arrays Created
Using arrays of long, thin silicon wires embedded in a polymer substrate, a team of scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has created a new type of flexible solar cell that enhances the absorption of sunlight and efficiently converts its photons into electrons. The solar cell does all this using only a fraction of the expensive semiconductor materials required by conventional solar cells. The light-trapping limit of a material refers to how much sunlight it is able to absorb. The silicon-wire arrays absorb up to 96 percent of incident sunlight at a single wavelength and 85 percent of total collectible sunlight. Click on the link to read the complete article:
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Posted: (02/22/2010)
Apply Now for 2010 Awards Energy Star® for Small Business
The 2010 ENERGY STAR Small Business Awards are open to any small business that has increased the energy efficiency of its facility through energy management improvements during the last two years. Preference will be shown to businesses that have used ENERGY STAR tools and resources to achieve success. Who is Eligible? " Any small business, congregation, private school or non-profit which has increased the energy efficiency of their facility(s) through upgrades or energy management improvements " Winners will demonstrate success in achieving energy efficiency as well as active involvement with the ENERGY STAR program and the use of ENERGY STAR tools and resources " Applicants must submit a completed application including a narrative on the upgrades, improvements, operational changes and/or products installed Click on the link to access an application.
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Posted: (02/22/2010)
Improving Big Rig Fuel Efficiency Takes Center Stage
Two recent developments illustrate the effort that is being put into improving fuel efficiency in the trucking industry. The American Transportation Research Institute is collecting data about fleets that use truck speed limiters, reports Truckinginfo. The goal is to document the benefits of fuel management techniques. In other news, Navistar is working NASA's Ames Research Center, the Lawrence Livermore National Lab and the U.S. Air Force to develop methods for reducing the drag coefficient of big rigs, reports The Trucker. Click on the link to read the complete story. To learn more about Fleets and their pollution prevention activities, please visit www.wsppn.org/fleet/
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Posted: (02/04/2010)
Smart meters save energy, water, and dollars
While I was out and about in Berkeley, a worker from my utility, PG&E, slipped in the side gate and gave my old gas and electric meter a digital upgrade. So-called smart meters allow the two-way transmission of electricity data and will eventually let me monitor and alter my energy consumption in near real-time. I'll be able to fire up an app on my iPhone and see, for instance, a spike in watts because my son has left the lights on in his room and a laptop plugged in. Click on the link to read the complete article:
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Posted: (02/03/2010)
Web Site Offers Companies Chance to Recycle Unused Chemicals
Under the notion that one company's trash is another's treasure, a new Web site aims to help companies be rid of unused or discarded chemicals. The Chemical Recycling Solutions exchange site allows other companies to agree to take on unwanted chemicals, according to a press release. Posting unwanted chemicals is free, but registration is required. The site has listings for acids, bases, solvents, acrylics, paints, surfactants, inks, oils and greases. The site accepts out-of-date chemicals, as well. The site eventually will add an industry forum and tips for recycling chemicals. The Obama Administration has made a point of increased scrutiny over chemicals. For instance, the EPA has rejected the right of businesses to file a confidentiality claim, known as Confidential Business Information (CBI) on the identity of chemicals. The move is expected to increase the public's access to information on chemicals. Click on the link for additional information:
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Posted: (01/26/2010)
EPA Puts in Tough NO2 Pollution Limits
New air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are expected to help limit exposure to smog produced by industrial plants and automobiles. The new one-hour standard for NO2 is set at 100 parts per billion, reports Reuters. The goal is to prevent short-term exposures in urban communities and areas near roadways, said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. The American Petroleum Institute accused the EPA of over-regulating air quality standards for political reasons, stating that "there is no significant evidence" that the new short-term standard is necessary to protect human health. The limits apply to communities of more than 500,000. The EPA will put smog monitors near roadways in such locations. Earlier this month, the EPA began considering a standard that would limit pollution concentrations in the range of 0.60 to 0.70 parts per million, as measured over an eight-hour period. That compares to 0.75 parts per million standard as applied by the Bush Administration. The Obama Administration directed the EPA to reconsider the smog rules in September. Regional efforts to reduce NO2 emissions appear to be working. In 2009, summertime nitrogen oxide emissions from power plants and large industrial sources were down by 62 percent compared to year 2000 levels and 75 percent lower than in 1990 thanks to a cap-and-trade program in 20 eastern states and the District of Columbia, according to a report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Click on the link to read the article:
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