Author: admin

Posted: November 6, 2013
Source: This Old House

Wood pellets pack a lot of punch in a small package. Made of compressed sawdust, they burn cleaner than traditional firewood. That’s because they contain less moisture—typically between 3 and 8 percent compared with 20 to 50 percent for firewood. What’s more, they come in 20- and 40-lb. packages that are easier to store and transport than big stacks of cord wood. Burning pellets used to require a pellet stove, but New Hampshire-based Energex has created an add-on product, called Prometheus, that allows homeowners to convert any fireplace or wood-burning stove to pellets. The Prometheus is a steel basket with its sides and bottom covered by thousands of honeycomb-shaped airholes. This setup allows homeowners to use the clean-burning pellets. Four front-to-back channels on the unit divide the basket into sections, which allows combustion air to reach the middle of the fuel source; this ensures that all of the pellets burn. Baskets range in size from 10 to 26 inches and hold from 10 to 30 lbs. of pellet fuel. A fully loaded basket can burn unattended for 2 to 12 hours.

Posted: October 30, 2013
Source: Energy Manager Today

The Clark County School District (CCSD) in Las Vegas – the fifth largest school district in the nation – retrofitted lighting at 152 of the older schools in its 357-school district and is reaping savings of $12,500 per day, based on the 180-day school year.

Nevada’s primary utility NV Energy partnered with the school district for the upgrade, which replaced existing fluorescent lights and ballasts with new T-8 fluorescents and ballasts at 152 of the older schools that had the least efficient lighting. The project was completed in December 2011, and the school district has seen savings of 21.4 million kWh annually since the retrofit, which equates to $2.25 million per year, according to Dick Cuppett, energy manager with the Clark County School District.
Continue reading Las Vegas School District Saves $12,500 per Day from Lighting Retrofit

September 27, 2013
Announcement:
EPA is proposing an updated draft permit to regulate stormwater discharges from industrial activities to replace the current 2008 Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) when it expires later this year. The proposed permit will help protect our nation’s waterways from industrial sector pollutants, which can contribute to aquatic ecosystem degradation, increase drinking water treatment costs, and impair the recreational use and aesthetic value of waterways. The permit covers 29 different sectors of industrial activity and, once finalized, will be in effect in the four states and other territories and areas where the EPA is the permitting authority. The draft 2013 MSGP will be available for public comment for 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register.
More information: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/msgp.cfm.

Source: Environmental Protection Online.com

Puts lid on flushed and trashed prescription meds that poison the environment

About 30 percent of medicines sold today go unused and flushing them down the toilet has been a common means of disposal. But when flushed, controlled substances like OxyContin and other such medications flow directly to wastewater treatment plants, which are unable to remove or degrade the complex pharmaceutical compounds.

Pharmaceuticals thrown in the trash also find their way into the environment. The Cedar Hills landfill in Maple Valley, Wash., generates 200 million gallons a year of landfill leachate—the chemical ooze that seeps out of garbage. The leachate is pumped into a sewage treatment facility that was not designed to remove such complex chemicals, whose long-lasting and hazardous properties contributed to the contamination of Puget Sound.
Continue reading King County, Wash. Passes Rx Drug Take-Back Law

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a web-based tool, called ChemView, to significantly improve access to chemical specific regulatory information developed by EPA and data submitted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  

“This online tool will improve access to chemical health and safety information, increase public dialogue and awareness, and help viewers choose safer ingredients used in everyday products,” said James Jones, assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “The tool will make chemical information more readily available for chemical decision-makers and consumers.”
Continue reading EPA Web Tool Expands Access to Scientific, Regulatory Information on Chemicals

Source: Environmental Protection Online

The EPA finalizes a rule that requires companies to report chemical releases electronically

On Aug. 27, 2013, the EPA finalized a rule (originally proposed in March 2012) that will require companies to record and submit their chemical release reports through a digital reporting tool, according to Bloomberg BNA and Environmental-Expert.com. The new rule takes effect Jan. 21, 2014 and will be published in the Federal Register.

The EPA will provide the electronic reporting tool, called TRI-MEweb, to companies who report chemical releases through the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program. Reports will be due on July 1 of each year for the prior calendar year.

Though a big change, the new rule is expected to quicken companies’ reporting processes, as the software can pre-populate the form with information from prior years. The software can also help identify possible errors, decrease the EPA’s cost to process forms and allows the public to view TRI information faster. In addition, companies can revise or add to already submitted information with the new tool.

Companies that file trade-secret-related TRI reports are exempt from the new requirement.

Source: Body Shop Business.com

Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes has announced its latest courses and training sites for the fourth quarter (October through December), 2013.

Participants will learn through a combination of classroom, digital and hands-on settings at various metropolitan Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes training centers. Training is available to all shop owners, managers, painters and technicians.

According to Rod Habel, director of training operations for Sherwin-Williams, many of the new classes directly relate to the Sherwin-Williams philosophy of helping its customers through “lean thinking” – introducing concepts that support sustainable practices, which increases productivity while minimizing or often eliminating waste.

In particular, Habel noted that there will also be considerable curriculum emphasis on the company’s breakthrough AWX Performance Plus waterborne coatings technology as well as  its ATX refinish system.

A key sampling of courses also offered during the fourth quarter includes:

• Color Adjustment and Blending
• Estimating Solutions for Profit
• Achieving Service Excellence
• Express Scratch Repair Service
• Painter Certification

Further details regarding the 2013 fourth quarter schedule for training centers, dates, specific course descriptions, and locations are listed here.