Category: News

Source: Energy Manager Today.com

The US Department of Energy Technical Assistance Program (TAP) has published a resource with tools and tips for public sector organizations to use in developing a benchmarking plan.

Benchmarking — comparing a metered building’s current energy performance with its energy baseline — can help building managers compare performance over time or between similar types of building, or document savings from conservation measures. Whether benchmarking as a part of an energy management plan or to meet requirements of a policy or program, having a benchmarking plan helps organizations implement their efforts.

Designing a Benchmarking Plan provides an 11-step outline through the planning process with resources to help organizations at each step. Continue reading How To Design a Benchmarking Plan

Source: Environmental Protection Online.com

A team of graduate students from Concordia University have developed a new tool that rates the level of compliance between environmental impact and the urban planning goals of development projects, which will also help increase the potential for long-term sustainability.

In the new study, researchers used this tool to evaluate early proposals for the redevelopment of the Turcot highway interchange. They found that the proposal adopted in 2009 was inadequate for long-term sustainability.

Undiné-Celeste Thompson, lead author of the study said, “Government agencies often produce statements about their plans, policies, and programs to protect the environment and promote sustainable development. So we began by examining such statements to create a list of environmental goals that were relevant to the Turcot redevelopment.”
Continue reading New Tool for Environmental Compliance in Construction

Reno, NV. – Local non-profit GreenUP, is seeking nominations of individuals and organizations for the annual Golden Pinecone Environmental Awards that take place on March 28th at the Peppermill.  The awards are presented yearly to outstanding organizations and individuals for their achievements toward improving and sustaining the environment.  Winner will be chosen in each of the following categories:

• Individual
• Non-profit Organization or Federal/State Agency
• Business
• Public Figure/Servant (elected or appointed official)/ Agency Representative (staff person)
• Youth Leadership
• Educational Programming

Nomination forms are available online at http://greenupnow.biz/golden-pinecone/.  Previous winners are not eligible, but updated resubmissions are encouraged for previous nominations.  The same individual or organization may be nominated for more than one category.

Nominations must be received by 5 p.m., Friday, March 8.  Nomination forms may be emailed to greenupreno@yahoo.com. For questions, contact Vanessa Browne at (775) 287-8407, or email any concerns to greenupreno@yahoo.com.

The awards recognize individuals and organizations for their efforts to make our community environmentally healthy and safe, and to promote sustainable living practices.

The awards will be presented on March 28th at the Annual Pinecone Ball.  Winners will be selected by a panel composed of community environmental experts and leaders.

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GreenUP was organized in 2007, by community environmental advocates as a resource of sustainability expertise, networking, and inspiration to foster a greater sustainable business culture and economy in the Truckee Meadows.  GreenUP promotes voluntary sustainable business, government, and nonprofit organizational strategies that fit the needs of our unique environment.  It currently operates as a chapter of the Sierra Green Building Association.

Source: U.S. EPA Enforcement & Compliance History Online

The ECHO State Comparative Maps provide a quick interactive way to review national trends and compare states and territories.
Select an environmental topic area (Water, Hazardous Waste, or Air) by clicking on the tab above the map. Choose the piece of information that you would like to see on the map using the left navigation bar, then click “Refresh Map” to see the data that you selected.
Click on a state for summary level information and direct access to the state’s dashboard for additional information.
Visit the project homepage.

Summary of All EPA and State Activities in Nevada for 2011:

Total Facilities: 1,798
Facilities with Inspections: 774
Facilities with New Violations: 89
Facilities with New Significant Noncompliance: 3
Facilities with Formal Enforcement Actions: 10
Total Penalties Assessed: $216,770.00

Source: Science Daily.com

Feb. 27, 2013 — In experiments mimicking a natural environment, Duke University researchers have demonstrated that the silver nanoparticles used in many consumer products can have an adverse effect on plants and microorganisms.

Fifty days after scientists applied a single low dose of silver nanoparticles, the experimental environments produced about a third less biomass in some plants and microbes.

These preliminary findings are important, the researchers said, because little is known about the environmental effects of silver nanoparticles, which are found in textiles, clothing, children’s toys and pacifiers, disinfectants and toothpaste.

“No one really knows what the effects of these particles are in the environment,” said Benjamin Colman, a post-doctoral fellow in Duke’s biology department and a member of the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEINT).

“We’re trying to come up with the data that can be used to help regulators determine the risks to the environment from silver nanoparticle exposures,” Colman said.

Previous studies have involved high concentrations of the nanoparticles in a laboratory setting, which the researchers point out, doesn’t represent “real-world” conditions.
Continue reading Silver Nanoparticles May Adversely Affect Environment, Researchers Demonstrate

Source: Environmental Leader.com

It’s no accident that New York City, the largest economy in the United States, was built between two rivers, with access to water reservoirs, an ocean and eventually the Great Lakes via the Erie Canal. Reliable access to water has always been silently essential to strong economies for what it enables, from supply to transportation. Any country or industry that wants to stay competitive must properly manage its water to ensure a long-term supply and to avoid exposure to crises like Hurricane Sandy.

Companies around the world have been making this connection for a long time.  Yet it’s only getting more difficult given greater societal demands, economic competition, population growth, climate fluctuations, competing needs and fiscal pressure.

Water-intensive companies making operation location decisions increasingly consider the reliability of local water management when determining long-term strategic investments. Water and its availability can singularly propel economic success or, as history has witnessed, establish certain doom.
Continue reading If We Want Competitive Economies, We Must Manage Our Water Better

Source: Federal Register: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-02-20/html/2013-03838.htm

SUMMARY: EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR) is holding public meetings in Arlington, Virginia; Chicago, Illinois; and Denver, Colorado to discuss and obtain public input from stakeholders on a national electronic manifest (“e-Manifest”) system to capture information regarding the shipment of hazardous waste from the time it leaves the generator facility where it was produced, until it reaches the off-site waste management facility that will store, treat, or dispose of the hazardous waste. Specifically, the purpose of these meetings is to engage the states, industry, communities, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders on what expectations and technical requirements EPA should consider as the agency begins the planning stage of the e-Manifest system development process. EPA envisions that e-Manifest will facilitate the electronic transmittal of manifests throughout the hazardous waste shipping process, including enabling better transparency by sharing data with the public at appropriate stages. Each meeting will be approximately one and one-half days. In order to meet the goals of the meetings, we encourage meeting participants from a variety of professional backgrounds to attend, such as state governmental staff, hazardous waste handlers (generators, transporters, waste management firms) staff, and each of their information technology (IT) staff. EPA will use stakeholder input gathered during these meetings to finalize e-Manifest requirements and prepare for eventual system development.

DATES: EPA will conduct three face-to-face public meetings. The dates and locations for each meeting are as follows:

• February 25-26, 2013: Arlington, Virginia, EPA Headquarters, One Potomac Yard, 2777 S. Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202.
• March 14-15, 2013: Chicago, Illinois, EPA Region 5, Ralph Metcalfe Federal Building, 77 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604-3590.
• March 21-22, 2013: Denver, Colorado, EPA Region 8, 1595 Wynkoop Street, Denver, CO 80202-1129.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Gunthardt, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, Program Implementation and Information Division (5303P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460, telephone number: (703) 347-8955; email address: gunthardt.kristen@epa.gov.