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Over the next two months, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will present a series of webinars about the Guidelines for Quality Work—Standard Work Specifications for Multifamily Homes currently under development. This effort is a component of the Home Energy Upgrade Professionals project. The webinars are intended to inform interested parties, such as the Weatherization Assistance Program and home performance industry, about the status of the project, and to encourage participation in the development and review process.

Please register to attend any of the following webinars:

• Tuesday, August 30, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. EDT:
  Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades Professionals—For Multifamily Property Managers and Building Operators
  Register now.
• Thursday, September 1, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. EDT:
  Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades Professionals—For Multifamily Developers, the Finance Community, and Affordable Housing Organizations
  Register now.
• Thursday, September 8, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. EDT:
  Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades Professionals—General Information
  Register now.
• Tuesday, September 13, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. EDT:
  Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades Professionals—For Multifamily Housing Industry Organizations and Professionals
  Register now.
• Tuesday, September 27, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. EDT:
  Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades Professionals—General Information
  Register now.
• Thursday, September 29, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. EST:
  Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades Professionals—the Multifamily Standard Work Specifications and Healthy Homes
  Register now.
• Thursday, October 6, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. EDT:
  Guidelines for Home Energy Upgrades Professionals—the Multifamily Standard Work Specifications Review by Worker Safety Experts
  Register now.

These webinars are free of charge, but you must register in advance to obtain the Internet address and password for logging on to the presentation and the phone number to connect to the audio.

American industrial facilities — including food processors — generate and dispose of more than eight billion tons of solid waste annually, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the food industry, waste includes everything from the obvious — greases, fats, oils, ingredients, byproducts and process wastewater — to less obvious, such as damaged goods, defective packaging or product overruns. Managing this waste is expensive and labor-intensive. Companies spend money on materials, manpower, cartage and disposal fees, and, in many cases, surcharges, fines and penalties. While many food manufacturers have adopted recycling strategies, most of these have been simple end-of-pipe solutions.

The Need for Green

With today’s increased environmental regulations and highly educated consumers demanding unprecedented eco-accountability, companies are being forced to rethink their existing waste management and recycling strategies. Further, a recent study by McKinsey & Company shows that 76 percent of executives believe that engaging in sustainability contributes positively to long-term shareholder value. That puts it near the top of the list for many corporate leaders.

The change reduces the facility’s carbon footprint and saves money in several ways.

• The farms receiving the water are much closer than the incinerator, reducing vehicle use and reducing their consumption of fossil fuels.
• The farm crops contribute positively to air quality by making oxygen from carbon dioxide.
• Water reuse lowers dependence on rapidly shrinking water resources and provides a way to replenish the ground water aquifer.

Read the complete article at Manufacturing.Net

NAC 444.8675 and NAC 444.8752 through 444.8788

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) is proposing to modify state hazardous waste regulations. The amended regulations will delete certain regulations which will make state regulations more consistent with federal regulations and eliminate obsolete regulations. The following workshop, described below, has been scheduled to solicit comments from persons interested in the amendments. The workshop agenda is on the reverse side of this announcement.

The proposed regulations and related materials are available on the NDEP website at: http://ndep.nv.gov/admin/public.htm#waste.  A copy of materials relating to the proposed regulations may also be obtained at the workshop or from Valerie Kauffman at NDEP, 901 S. Stewart Street, Suite 4001, Carson City, NV 89701-5249; or by calling (775) 687-9464; or email to vkauffman@ndep.nv.gov.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium will hold its Southwest Region Workshop on August 25 – 26 in San Jose, California. The City of San Jose is hosting the workshop—the Consortium’s final regional workshop in 2011—and welcomes designers, consultants, utility and city representatives, government agencies, and energy efficiency organizations that evaluate and implement light-emitting diode (LED) street lighting solutions.

The presentations will include an overview of the City of San Jose’s LED street lighting program, discussion of remote monitoring and adaptive lighting controls, guidance for understanding and using solid-state lighting standards, and more. In addition, a representative from the Clinton Climate Initiative will present their cost-benefit analysis tool, which the Consortium has adapted, that evaluates costs and environmental impact reductions associated with LED street light installations. The registration fee for this workshop is $175. Visit the event website for more information and to register.

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10 steps for upgrading a lighting system for energy savings

It’s estimated that hospitals use the most energy on a square-foot basis of any building type and that lighting comprises about 16 percent of the total load. What’s more, it’s likely to be a higher percentage in older facilities.

It’s not unusual for a large health care complex to build portions of its facility decades apart and therefore have different lighting technologies in place for each. For a large health care institution considering an energy retrofit of its lighting systems, a little planning can go a long way toward making the project run smoothly and successfully.

Following the steps

Retrofits can be as simple as a lamp and ballast change-out or they can involve replacing the old lighting system with a completely new one. Determining which job to undertake comes after initial analysis of the age of the system, the lamp and ballast technology in place, the quality of the existing light and the availability of incentive money through energy grants and tax deductions.

In general, the following 10 steps will provide health care facility professionals with the best results:

1. Conduct brainstorming sessions. Prior to beginning work, brainstorming sessions between the hospital stakeholders and a lighting design professional to discuss existing conditions, current technologies and future needs of the facility can begin to establish goals, bring out concerns and construct a reasonable timeline.

2. Establish goals. A summary report of the findings from the brainstorming sessions will establish the goals and expectations of the project and provide a roadmap from which to move forward. This is especially important if the work is to be executed in phases. This should include an executive summary that will highlight the lighting project’s scope, complexity and cost.

Read the remaining steps at HEALT FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

U.S. EPA approves collaborative bi-state plan

SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein today hosted the 15^th Annual Lake Tahoe Summit, at which California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Jared Blumenfeld signed a roadmap to return the lake to almost 100 feet of clarity within 65 years.

The water clarity of Lake Tahoe declined from a visibility level of 105 feet in 1967 to an all time low of 64 feet in 1997.  Ten years of scientific study ascertained that fine particulate matter is the prime factor in diminished clarity at Lake Tahoe. The Clean Water Act allows states and U.S. EPA to develop a “diet” for impaired waters like Lake Tahoe to help them recover.  This diet is called the Lake Tahoe TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load).

The TMDL represents a decade of collaborative effort between federal, state and local agencies and public stakeholders to better understand the pollutants and sources affecting the Lake’s clarity and to develop a cost-effective, workable solution for improvement.

“I am pleased that California and Nevada have demonstrated unprecedented levels of collaboration in crafting this agreement,” said Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval. “Years of hard work and scientific study have paid off, paving the way for much-needed future success at Lake Tahoe.”

“Lake Tahoe provides enormous environmental and economic value to California and the nation,” said California Edmund G. Brown, Jr. “These benefits are directly related to the quality and clarity of the Lake. It is incumbent upon all of us to protect and enhance Lake Tahoe’s clarity.  This historic agreement will ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy Lake Tahoe’s beauty and clarity.”

“The Total Maximum Daily Load offers a roadmap to improve Lake Tahoe’s clarity so future generations can enjoy this majestic lake,” said U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. “More than a decade of research went into this plan and I commend California, Nevada and the Environmental Protection Agency for coming together to implement it.”

“Common-sense regulations regarding water clarity at Lake Tahoe are critical to the health, preservation and restoration of this national treasure,” said U.S. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada.  “They will also ensure that Lake Tahoe remains a valuable economic resource that is helping put Nevadans back to work.”

“I commend Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the Lahontan Water Quality Control Board for developing a scientific plan to restore the clarity of Lake Tahoe.  The years of hard work and collaboration have paid off,” said U.S. Senator Dean Heller of Nevada.

“Lake Tahoe is one of the largest, deepest, and clearest lakes in the world. Its shimmering blue waters, biologically diverse alpine setting, and remarkable water clarity are legendary,” said Jared Blumenfeld, U.S. EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “By establishing rigorous benchmarks and accountability, this plan ensures that Lake Tahoe’s environment and economy will thrive long into the future.”

The lake contributes significantly to the economies of California, Nevada and the United States. The communities and the economy of the Lake Tahoe Basin depend on the protection and restoration of its stunning beauty and diverse recreational opportunities in the region.

Scientific analysis demonstrates that restoring lake clarity is possible if pollutant load reductions can be achieved in each of the four primary sources of these pollutants: urban stormwater runoff, forest runoff, stream channel erosion and atmospheric deposition.  The TMDL outlines measures to reduce each of these sources, with a focus on the urban stormwater runoff source, as it is both the greatest source and the best opportunity to control the pollutants.  The TMDL calls for advanced and innovative controls to achieve the needed pollution reductions.

“The water quality goals have long been agreed to. The TMDL makes it possible to go forward by knowing how much pollutant loads need to be reduced, where those reductions can be found, and the rate of improvement that will follow,” said Dr. Geoffrey Schladow, Director of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

Achieving the load reductions outlined in the TMDL will be challenging. California’s Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection are working closely with local jurisdictions including the counties, departments of transportation, the City of South Lake Tahoe, and other stakeholders to reduce the amount of fine sediment and nutrients entering the lake. The two state agencies are also collaborating with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to ensure that the Regional Plan, which will soon be updated, supports the local government actions needed to implement the TMDL.

“The Basin’s private stakeholders welcome the opportunity to help implement science-based strategies to protect and restore Lake Tahoe’s famed water clarity. Since much of the pollutants of concern are the result of a 50 to 60-year-old built environment, one opportunity for meaningful load reduction is to rebuild many of these older structures incorporating state-of-the art green technologies,” said Lewis Feldman, a local land-use attorney for businesses throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin.

For more information about Clean Water Act TMDLs, please visit:  http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/tmdl/

For more information about California’s TMDL for Lake Tahoe, please visit:

http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/lahontan/water_issues/programs/tmdl/lake_tahoe/index.shtml

For more information about Nevada’s TMDL for Lake Tahoe, please visit:

http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/tmdl/nevada.html and http://ndep.nv.gov/bwqp/tahoe.htm

Brent Haddad studies water in a place where water is often in short supply: California.

Haddad is a professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. About 14 years ago, he became very interested in the issue of water reuse.

At the time, a number of California’s local water agencies were proposing a different approach to the state’s perennial water problems. They wanted to build plants that would clean local waste water — a.k.a. sewage water — and after that cleaning, make it available as drinking water. But, says Haddad, these proposals were consistently shot down by an unwilling public.

From the perspective of the water engineers Haddad was talking with, this kind of reuse was a no-brainer. The benefits were clear and the science suggested that the water would be safe. Clean Water Action, an environmental activist group, also supports reuse for drinking water, though it thinks there should be national regulatory standards.

But according to Haddad, no matter what the scientists or environmental organizations said, the public saw it differently: They thought that directly reusing former sewage water was just plain gross.

Which is why Haddad turned to a nonprofit called The WateReuse Foundation for funding for a study. He wanted to figure out more about the public’s response to reused water, and for that he needed additional people. This was a job, Haddad concluded, for psychologists.

Psychological Contagion

Carol Nemeroff is one of the psychologists whom Haddad recruited to help him with his research. She works at the University of Southern Maine and studies psychological contagion. The term refers to the habit we all have of thinking — consciously or not — that once something has had contact with another thing, their parts are in some way joined.

Contagion thinking isn’t always negative. Often, we think that it is some essence of goodness that has somehow been transmitted to an object — think of a holy relic or a piece of family jewelry.

And according to Nemeroff, there are very good reasons why people think like this. As a basic rule of thumb for making decisions, when we’re uncertain about realities in the world, contagion thinking has probably served us well. “If it’s icky, don’t touch it,” says Nemeroff.

The researchers led by Haddad wanted to figure out more about how our beliefs about contagion in water work. And so they recruited more than 2,000 people and gave them a series of detailed questionnaires that sought to break down exactly what you would have to do to waste water to make it acceptable to the public to drink. The conclusion?

“It is quite difficult to get the cognitive sewage out of the water, even after the real sewage is gone,” Nemeroff says.

Around 60 percent of people are unwilling to drink water that has had direct contact with sewage, according to their research.

Read the complete article at NPR:

President Obama today announced that the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Energy, and Navy will invest up to $510 million during the next three years in partnership with the private sector to produce advanced drop-in aviation and marine biofuels to power military and commercial transportation. The initiative responds to a directive from President Obama issued in March as part of his Blueprint for A Secure Energy Future, the administration’s framework for reducing dependence on foreign oil. The biofuels initiative is being steered by the White House Biofuels Interagency Work Group and Rural Council, both of which are enabling greater cross-agency collaboration to strengthen rural America.

“Biofuels are an important part of reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil and creating jobs here at home,” said President Obama. “But supporting biofuels cannot be the role of government alone. That’s why we’re partnering with the private sector to speed development of next-generation biofuels that will help us continue to take steps towards energy independence and strengthen communities across our country.”

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