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WASHINGTON – Recognizing the importance of clean water and healthy watersheds to our economy, environment and communities, the Obama administration released a national clean water framework today that showcases its comprehensive commitment to protecting the health of America’s waters. The framework emphasizes the importance of partnerships and coordination with states, local communities, stakeholders and the public to protect public health and water quality, and promote the nation’s energy and economic security.

For nearly 40 years, the Clean Water Act, along with other important federal measures, has been a cornerstone of our effort to ensure that Americans have clean and healthy waters.  The administration’s framework outlines a series of actions underway and planned across federal agencies to ensure the integrity of the waters Americans rely on every day for drinking, swimming, and fishing, and that support farming, recreation, tourism and economic growth.   It includes draft federal guidance to clarify which waters are protected by the Clean Water Act nationwide; innovative partnerships and programs to improve water quality and water efficiency; and initiatives to revitalize communities and economies by restoring rivers and critical watersheds.

“Clean water and healthy waterways are vital to the health and vibrancy of our communities and the strength of our economy,” said Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.  “Working with our partners across communities, governments and sectors, we are taking comprehensive action to ensure Americans have the clean and healthy waters they need and deserve.”

”The steps we’re outlining today will be instrumental to protecting the waters of the United States, and ensuring that the vital natural resources our communities depend on for their health and their economy are safeguarded for generations to come,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “After four decades of progress on clean water, there is still work to be done to address unfinished business and tackle new threats to our waters. American families and businesses are counting on us to maintain and improve the rivers, lakes, streams and other waters that support thousands of communities and millions of jobs across the country.”

“Healthy rivers and clean waters are fundamental to our economy, our health, and our way of life,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “With growing pressures on our natural systems, we must work to secure cleaner, safer, and more reliable water supplies for our communities.”

“As our nation’s foremost conservationists, farmers, ranchers and forest owners have a values system rooted in rural America that recognizes we cannot continue to take from the land without giving something back,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “At USDA, we are working with farmers, ranchers and forest owners to conserve land, plant stream buffers for cleaner water, and install other conservation practices. We also will continue to invest in rural water and community facility projects that help small towns ensure their citizens have access to safe and reliable drinking water. The draft Clean Water Act guidance released today reflects USDA’s work with our federal partners by maintaining existing exemptions for ongoing agricultural and forestry activities, thereby providing farmers, ranchers and forest landowners with certainty that current agricultural and forestry activities can continue.”

“The Army is very proud of our ecosystem restoration efforts across the nation,” said Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy.  “The proposed joint EPA and Army guidance will clarify Clean Water Act jurisdiction and help the Corps and its partner agencies protect important aquatic resources and watersheds that communities rely on for their quality of life and essential services.”

Clean water provides critical health, economic and livability benefits to American communities. Since 1972, the Clean Water Act has kept billions of pounds of pollution out of American waters, doubling the number of waters that meet safety standards for swimming and fishing.  Despite the dramatic progress in restoring the health of the nation’s waters, an estimated one-third of American waters still do not meet the swimmable and fishable standards of the Clean Water Act.  Additionally, new pollution and development challenges threaten to erode our gains, and demand innovative and strong action in partnership with federal agencies, states, and the public to ensure clean and healthy water for American families, businesses, and communities.

The Obama administration is safeguarding clean water by:

Promoting Innovative Partnerships

Federal agencies are partnering with states, tribes, local governments and diverse stakeholders on innovative approaches to restore urban waters, promote sustainable water supplies, and develop new incentives for farmers to protect clean water.

Enhancing Communities and Economies by Restoring Important Water Bodies

The Obama administration is dedicating unprecedented attention to restoring iconic places like the Chesapeake Bay, California Bay-Delta, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico and Everglades, investing in action and helping states, local governments and stakeholders find pollution control solutions that are tailored to their specific needs.

Innovating for More Water Efficient Communities

The administration is working with policymakers, consumers, farmers and businesses to save water – and save money – through 21^st century water management policies and technology.

Ensuring Clean Water to Protect Public Health

The Obama administration is aggressively pursuing new ways to protect public health by reducing contaminants in Americans’ drinking water.  We are updating drinking water standards, protecting drinking water sources, modernizing the tools available to communities to meet their clean water requirements, and providing affordable clean water services in rural communities.

Enhancing Use and Enjoyment of our Waters

The administration is promoting stewardship of America’s waters through innovative programs and partnerships.  These efforts include expanding access to waterways for recreation, protecting rural landscapes, and promoting public access to private lands for hunting, fishing and other recreational activities.

Updating the Nation’s Water Policies

The administration is strengthening protection of America’s waters and American communities.  We are modernizing water resources guidelines, and updating federal guidance on where the Clean Water Act applies nationwide.  The draft guidance will protect waters that many communities depend upon for drinking, swimming, and fishing, and provide clearer, more predictable guidelines for determining which water bodies are protected from pollution under the Clean Water Act. The guidance is open for 60 days of public comment to all allow all stakeholders to provide input and feedback before it is finalized.

Supporting Science to Solve Water Problems

The administration is using the latest science and research to improve water policies and programs and identify and address emerging pollution challenges.

More information and to read the Obama administration’s clean water framework:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/clean-water

 

The drive for newer, faster, better technology is generating dramatic gains in productivity – but serious environmental impacts as well. Due in large part to high-profile media coverage, most people have seen images of children playing in smoldering, toxic e-waste dumps in developing countries. Since about 80 percent of e-waste collected for recycling ends up in these dumps – much of it from businesses – keeping discarded electronics out of this toxic trade is key issue for ensuring corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability.

Donating surplus PCs – when properly managed – helps reduce the environmental impact of IT by extending the useful life of equipment. At the same time, effective donations of used PCs magnify philanthropic giving by helping people, schools and community organizations that desperately need technology – but can’t afford it.

Taking action to address the “digital divide” is an important CSR priority. In today’s digital society, a home computer plays the role of library, post office, tutor, bank, newspaper, employment agency, medical advisor, match maker and much more. Yet one in four U.S. homes – or 28 million households – lacks a PC. And more than 13 million PCs are needed by U.S. nonprofits to streamline operations and expand services.

Directing even a small portion of surplus IT to this cause could have a dramatic impact. According to Gartner, U.S. businesses replace approximately 40 million computers every year – and about 75 percent of this equipment is four years old or less, meaning it has plenty of useful life remaining. Yet more than half is stowed away in warehouses and closets or discarded. Only 3 percent is donated, and many of these computers are “gifted” to charities without proper testing, repairs and legally-licensed software.

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader

 

Philips Lighting is launching a range of incandescent light bulbs that it says comply with impending energy-efficiency regulations.

The EcoVantage range has the same look, shape and feel as common household bulbs, available in soft white, true-color natural light and crystal clear options, and starts at $2.97 for a two-pack, Philips said. EcoVantage uses halogen technology to offer energy savings of at least 28 percent, the company added.

The lights are available in 29-watt, 43-watt and 72-watt versions, replacing 40-watt, 60-watt and 100-watt traditional incandescents. The bulbs will be sold exclusively at Home Depot, starting on Earth Day.

Philips says that if every American were to replace a traditional 100 watt bulb with an EcoVantage bulb, it would prevent emissions equivalent to 590,588 cars, saving $388 million in energy costs and eliminate the need for 3000 MW of power.

The company said the bulbs meet or exceed efficiency standards established in the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, and are some of the most environmentally friendly incandescent bulbs on the market.

The acts’ regulations have often been described as a ban on incandescents, but the legislation does not outlaw the bulbs outright. Instead, it enacts efficiency standards that most incandescents are unable to meet.

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader

 

by Gil Cavada, Senior Designer

George Guffey, Product Development Technologies

 

From inside your home to inside your car, manufacturers are changing what it means to be “green.” Eco-friendly products certainly aren’t a new trend; however, the definition of what makes a product ‘eco-friendly’ is changing. Companies are figuring out that the driving force for many consumers to buy “greener” isn’t necessarily the environment- it’s about saving green. While consumers seem more driven to save money than the environment, pairing them together makes the latter very attractive.

There is a new interest in being a more efficient consumer of energy, particularly in the home appliances market. Brands like LG, Samsung and Kenmore are creating appliances that relay to the consumer the best times to use electricity and allow them to make an educated decision on when and how they consume energy. These products gather information about energy consumption rates and empower consumers to make better choices about their energy use.  For example, a laundry machine might have a display that shows energy consumption trends in the area, helping them determine the best time to run the machine and use less energy, saving money on their energy bill.  Ultimately, the decision on how money and energy is being spent lies with the consumer.

Mobile applications, like Power Stoplight, can also help consumers monitor the energy consumption in their home.  Applications such as these make it easy for consumers to be green by making information easy to access and understand, helping homeowners reduce their energy costs and avoid wasteful energy usage. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there will be a 19% increase in domestic energy use over the next 25 years, making innovations like the Power Stoplight app timely to meet this rising demand. Applications like this one can help prevent megawatts of energy from being wasted by making consumers more judicious in running their home appliances.

Read the complete story at Environmental Leader

 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing for public comment a draft permit that will help improve our nation’s waterways by regulating the discharge of stormwater from construction sites. Stormwater discharges during construction activities can contain sediment and pollutants that harm aquatic ecosystems, increase drinking water treatment costs and pollute waters that people use for fishing, swimming and other recreational activities.

The proposed Construction General Permit (CGP) includes a number of enhanced protections, including enhanced provisions to protect impaired and sensitive waters. Some of the significant proposed permit modifications include new requirements for:

• Eligibility for emergency-related construction
• Required use of the electronic notice of intent process
• Sediment and erosion controls
• Natural buffers or alternative controls
• Soil stabilization
• Pollution prevention
• Site inspections
• Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans
• Permit termination

Many of the new permit requirements implement new effluent limitations guidelines and new source performance standards for the construction and development industry that became effective on February 1, 2010. These requirements include a suite of erosion and sediment controls and pollution prevention measures that apply to all permitted construction sites.

The permit will be effective in areas where EPA is the permitting authority, including four states (Idaho, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Mexico); Washington, D.C.; most territories; and most Indian country lands.

The public will have 60 days to comment on the draft permit. EPA anticipates that it will issue the final construction general permit by January 31, 2012.

The current permit is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2011; however, EPA is proposing to extend the current permit until January 31, 2012 to provide sufficient time to finalize the new permit.

More information on the proposed construction general permit: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/cgp.cfm

 

 

 

by Jeff Sharfstein, CEO, The Strive Group

If you look on the shelves in just about any store today, you are hard pressed to find a product that is not emblazoned with some form of “green” label on it. And it’s no accident. CPG companies know that sustainability is no longer just a fad; consumers’ demand for environmentally-friendly products is not waning. In fact, it has grown so strong that consumers no longer just want green products, they also want to know the companies that make—and sell—those products are doing good for the world across their operations. Retailers have been quick to take note of this and make adjustments at all levels of their businesses—Walmart and Ikea are two examples among the many that have implemented changes in areas of their supply chains, expansion efforts, marketing and so on.

As both CPGs and retailers prepare to operate in this new-normal environment, merchandising supply chain companies can serve as a critical missing link that can not only enable better collaboration between the brands and stores, but also can leverage their understanding of consumer habits to get the maximum value—fiscally and environmentally—out of each and every sustainability effort.

There are several simple, yet impactful ways merchandising supply chain company are working with their clients to increase sustainability with limited additional work. This joint-value model is becoming common-place, not just for sustainability but across strategic initiatives.

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader