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The growth of investment in sustainable business programs will be between 50 and 100 percent higher in 2013 than in 2011, according to new projections by analyst firm Verdantix.

The firm predicts that the global sustainable business market will reach a “tipping point” in 2013, based on an analysis of the spending patterns of more than 2,500 global firms. Spend on sustainability programs by Australian, Canadian, U.K. and U.S. companies with over $1 billion in sales will hit $60 billion in 2013, Verdantix predicts.

Verdantix said its analysis is based on four years of research on sustainable business market trends and the firm’s proprietary Critical Moments market size and forecast models.

The analyst said that over the past four years, its research has shown the rise of the chief sustainability officer (CSO), who increasingly leads the strategic development of enterprise-wide sustainability programs. Firms including AECOM, Alcoa, Capgemini, Orange, SAP, Smithfield Foods, UPS and Vedanta Resources now have CSOs with budget and authority, Verdantix said.

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader

The Environmental Protection Agency has admitted that its newly proposed limits on mercury from power plants are based in part on mathematical errors, the New York Times reports.

In a letter to industry lawyers yesterday, EPA assistant administrator for air and radiation Gina McCarthy said the agency made a mistake in its calculation of what levels of mercury the maximum achievable control technology (MACT) can achieve.

But she dismissed claims by the Utility Air Regulatory Group, a coalition of power companies, that the EPA had underestimated mercury emissions of the cleanest power plants by a factor of 1,000.

McCarthy said that fixing the error would allow U.S. coal-powered plants to release an extra 1,000 pounds of mercury each year. This is 1.7 percent of the 29 tons of mercury that these plants currently release. She said that after the correction, power plants will still need to trap 90 percent of the mercury found in the coal they use.

Utility company attorneys are arguing that because of the error, the public comment period for the rule should be extended.

House energy and commerce chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the minority leader on the Senate environment and public works committee, have also asked the EPA to give utilities an extension.

But an EPA spokesman told the Times that the agency isn’t planning to change the schedule for the comment period, and he disputed claims that the final rules will be too expensive for utilities to adhere to.

The EPA announced the national standards on power plants’ emissions of mercury, arsenic and several other toxic air pollutants in March.

 

In a world full of excess- from energy consumption to environmental pollution- it is only natural that companies explore alternative sources of energy. It appears that most people outside of the energy industry view renewable energy as the panacea to saving the world. Yet in reality, the public support of ‘clean’ energy is not as absolute as the industry may hope for. One of the reasons that may cause this gap between theory and practice is the fact that common knowledge of renewable energy production is rather limited. The majority of the public understands the dangers of environmental pollution and, thus, supports any initiatives to prevent or at least minimize it. The problem is that while most people comprehend what renewable energy means in theory, they know very little about the process involved in its production. They fear it as the ‘unknown’, and that stigma can act as a strong motivation to oppose a renewable energy development.

The answer to this problem lies in educating the public. During the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, people were skeptical of many innovations. Yet with time, as they had become familiarized with the new ‘technology’, they began to appreciate the improvements it brought to their lives. The same thing needs to happen within the renewable energy industry. If information about clean energy becomes more accessible, people will probably feel less alarmed around wind farms and biodiesel plants. Luckily, with modern technology and decades of creative advancement in media and public relations, getting the message out is as easy as ever.

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader:

 

WASHINGTON – With summer around the corner, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program today issued its annual list of ideas to help the public cut cooling costs, protect their health and stay comfortable at home.

The average home spends almost 20 percent of its utility bill on cooling.  Increased energy production to run cooling systems not only raises costs, it also can contribute to pollution that adversely affects the quality of the air we breathe.  Here are seven simple things that can be done to help protect your wallet and the environment:

• Change to More Efficient Light Bulbs. Change out incandescent light bulbs with more energy-efficient lighting choices. Energy Star qualified lighting not only uses less energy, but also produces approximately 75 percent less heat than incandescent lighting, so cooling bills will be reduced, too.
• Find the Best Thermostat Settings. If you have a programmable thermostat, program it to work around your family’s summer schedule—set it a few degrees higher (such as 78 degrees) when no one is home, so your cooling system isn’t cooling an empty house.
• Use Ceiling Fans Optimally. Run your ceiling fan to create a cool breeze. If you raise your thermostat by only two degrees and use your ceiling fan, you can lower cooling costs by up to 14 percent. Remember that ceiling fans cool you, not the room, so when you leave the room make sure to turn off the fan.
• Maximize Shade. Pull the curtains and shades closed before you leave your home to keep the sun’s rays from overheating the interior of your home. If you can, move container trees and plants in front of sun-exposed windows to serve as shade.
• Reduce Oven Time. Use a microwave instead of an oven to cook, when you can. Ovens take longer to cook food and can make your house warmer, requiring your AC system to turn on to keep the house at a comfortable temperature.
• Check Air Conditioner Filters. Check your cooling system’s air filter every month. If the filter looks dirty, change it. A good rule is to change the filter at least every three months. A dirty filter will slow air flow and make the system work harder to keep you cool—wasting energy. Also, remember to have your system serviced annually to ensure it’s running at optimum efficiency for money and energy savings.
• Plug Duct System Leaks. As much as 20 percent of the air moving through your home’s duct system is lost due to leaks and poor connections. Seal duct work using mastic sealant or metal tape and insulate all the ducts that you can access (such as those in attics, crawlspaces, unfinished basements, and garages). Also, make sure that connections at vents and registers are well-sealed where they meet floors, walls, and ceilings. These are common locations to find leaks and disconnected ductwork.

Energy Star was started by EPA in 1992 as a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products, as well as new homes and commercial and industrial buildings that meet strict energy-efficient specifications set by the EPA. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved approximately $18 billion on their energy bills while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual emission of 33 million vehicles.

More information on ways to cut energy costs this summer:  http://www.energystar.gov/cooltips

 

Do you generate hazardous waste at your business? Are you sure?

Many small businesses manage and dispose of hazardous wastes every day but don’t even realize it.

Under certain circumstances, common materials, such as paints, cleaning chemicals, and solvents — used electronic equipment, aerosol cans and even fluorescent lamps — can be classified as hazardous wastes when generated by a business and not a residential homeowner.

If your business generates waste that could be considered hazardous, you must properly manage and dispose of them. Regulations often limit where and how you can store hazardous wastes on-site once they have been generated, and specify how to dispose of them.

If proper management and disposal rules are followed, then some commonly generated wastes, such as fluorescent lamps, used oil, oil filters, used antifreeze and automotive batteries can be exempted from the hazardous waste regulations.

Failure to follow the rules for managing, storing and disposing of hazardous wastes can result in costly fines and, in worst cases, even businesses being shut down.

The Business Environmental Program at the University of Nevada, Reno College of Business provides free and confidential assistance to businesses and government entities to help ensure that hazardous waste regulatory requirements are followed, and to look for opportunities to minimize hazardous waste production. The program seeks to help businesses reduce their liabilities, better protect the environment and save money.

Read the complete article at RGJ

Would you like to help develop the 20 year plan for our region’s transportation system?  RTC is seeking interested residents to participate in the Community Working Group for the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan update.  This group will meet one evening a month for about a year, starting in September.  More information is available at www.rtcwashoe.com – click on Hot Topics. If you would like to participate, please complete an application and submit it to the RTC by June 1.

Thanks very much,

Amy McAbee Cummings, AICP/LEED AP

Director of Planning

Regional Transportation Commission

600 Sutro Street, Reno, NV 89512

direct:  775-335-1825

main:  775-348-0400

acummings@rtcwashoe.com

www.rtcwashoe.com

By ERIC NAGOURNEY

Published: January 14, 2009

A checklist for surgical teams that includes steps as basic as having the doctors and nurses introduce themselves can significantly lower the number of deaths and complications, researchers reported Wednesday.

A Surgical Safety Checklist to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in a Global Population (NEJM)

“Surgical complications are a considerable cause of death and disability around the world,” the researchers wrote in the online edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.  “They are devastating to patients, costly to health care systems and often preventable.”

But a year after surgical teams at eight hospitals adopted a 19-item checklist, the average patient death rate fell more than 40 percent and the rate of complications fell by about a third, the researchers reported.

The senior author of the study, Dr. Atul A. Gawande of the Harvard School of Public Health, said it was hard to identify which items on the checklist had proved the most important.

But even a small change, like having surgical team members take a moment to say who they are and what they do before scalpel touches skin, can have important consequences later on should one of them develop a concern during the operation. Earlier studies have shown that communication problems are fairly common in operating rooms, with junior members of the team sometimes hesitant to speak up.

Read the complete article at the NY Times