Category: News

Do no harm. The underlying tenet in health care applies to all hospital operations, not just those that take place within hospital walls. Saving lives and promoting community health are commendable undertakings. But to fully achieve their realization, hospitals need to be good environmental stewards.

Yet hospitals are in an unusual predicament. As community leaders and stewards of community health, the provision of care generates considerable waste — more than 6,500 tons per day — that consumes landfill space and ultimately impacts the environment. Sustainability programs help hospitals significantly reduce their environmental impact. They also can lower costs, improve organizational performance and enhance patient and employee experiences.

Implementing a sustainability program requires significant cultural change and time. A good place to start is by examining what comes out of the facility. Waste reduction involves the diversion of waste from landfills through recycling, source reduction, reuse, repurposing and composting. Eighty percent of hospital refuse is solid waste, about 50 percent of which is recyclable. Focusing on waste disposal will provide some easy gains that can build support for future efforts.

Read the complete article at Health Facilities Management

Could having better labels help out the environment?

By David Rand and Martin Nowak

Have you ever noticed a friend or neighbor driving a new hybrid car and felt pressure to trade in your gas guzzler? Or worried about what people might think when you drive up to the office in an SUV? If so, then you have experienced the power of reputation for encouraging good public behavior. In fact, reputation is such an effective motivator that it could help us solve the most pressing issue we face—protecting our planet.

Environmental problems are difficult to solve because Earth is a “public good.” Even though we would all be better off if everyone reduced their environmental impact, it is not in anyone’s individual interest to do so. This leads to the famous “tragedy of the commons,” in which public resources are overexploited and everyone suffers.

Public goods situations crop up all over the place, including decisions on maintaining roads, funding the police, and whether or not to shirk at work. This leads us to an important question: Is it possible to make people care enough about such problems to do their bit? To help answer this, researchers have developed a representation of such situations called the public goods game. The results give cause to believe that the tragedy of the commons can be overcome.

In the public goods game, each player is given a sum of money, say $10. They then choose how much to keep and how much to anonymously contribute to a common pool. Contributions are multiplied by some factor (less than the number of players) and then split equally among all players. If everyone contributes, the payout is higher. But making a contribution is costly, and causes you to end up worse off than if you did not contribute.

Read the complete article at Slate

Various warning signals can indicate that your underground storage tank (UST) may be leaking and creating problems for the environment and your business. You can minimize these problems by paying careful attention to early warning signals and reacting to them quickly before major problems develop.

You should suspect a leak when you discover any of the following warning signals:

• You, your co-workers, or customers smell escaped product or see anything like an oily sheen on water near the facility.
• Your neighbors complain of vapors in their basements or about water that tastes or smells like petroleum.
• Someone reports unusual operating conditions at your facility, such as erratic behavior of the dispensing pump.
• You receive or generate results from leak detection monitoring and testing that indicate a leak.

It’s Leaking, Here’s What You Do

If you suspect that a release may have occurred, you must immediately notify your state or local implementing agency. If your tank is in Indian Country, you must contact EPA’s regional UST program office. Quick action on your part can minimize the extent of environmental damage and the threat to human health and safety, and it can minimize your share of the high costs that can result from cleaning up extensive releases and responding to third-party liability claims.

Remember, federal law requires that all Class C operators must be trained on or before August 8, 2012 (or sooner in some states). Prepare your employees for their emergency response duties with the newest course from Employee Training Center: Class C UST Operator Training. With only a few minutes’ setup, your company will have a complete Web-based training program with professionally developed courses, employee testing capabilities, and systematic documentation of employee training sessions and scores.

Visit Enviro.BLR.com for more information.

ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2011) — Sustainability has not only become a science in the past 25 years, but it is one that continues to be fast-growing with widespread international collaboration, broad disciplinary composition and wide geographic distribution, according to new research from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Indiana University.

The findings, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were assembled from a review of 20,000 academic papers written by 37,000 distinct authors representing 174 countries and over 2,200 cities. Authors of the paper, Los Alamos research scientist Luís M. A. Bettencourt, and Jasleen Kaur, a Ph.D. student in Indiana University Bloomington’s School of Informatics and Computing, also identified the most productive cities for sustainability publications and estimated the field’s growth rate, with the number of distinct authors doubling every 8.3 years. The study covered research generated from 1974 through 2010.

Read the complete article at ScienceDaily

New protocols protect indoor air quality while enhancing home energy efficiency

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades to better integrate health protections into energy efficiency programs. This first-of-its-kind guidance will provide the home energy industry the ability to identify, manage, and reduce health risks during home energy upgrades, retrofits or remodeling.

“These protocols will help the home energy retrofit industry deliver high quality work while protecting the health of families,” said Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. “Homeowners, occupants, and the energy services industry will benefit greatly from this simple and clear guidance for addressing critical indoor air quality risks during home energy upgrades. Following these protocols will help families save money on utilities while safeguarding their health.”

EPA’s new protocols describe a step-by-step process for conducting assessments to evaluate indoor air conditions and the potential for risks that may arise during residential energy upgrades. The protocols include recommended minimum specifications and best practices to maintain or improve indoor air quality.

The protocols serve as a companion document to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) guidelines for Home Energy Professionals. The DOE guidelines are intended to foster the growth of a skilled work force that will increase the homeowner’s confidence in the retrofit industry and increase the demand for home energy retrofits. Together, the DOE guidelines and EPA protocols will help facilitate increased home energy efficiency, improve the quality of work performed and provide healthier homes for America.

By working with the home energy upgrade industry, other federal agencies, industry standard organizations, and state and local programs to implement these protocols, EPA and its partners will help improve indoor air quality and energy efficiency in homes around the country. The protocols were announced today at the Weatherization Plus Health Regional Conference in San Diego, Calif.

U.S. Department of Energy’s Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wip/retrofit_guidelines.html
EPA’s Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/homes/retrofits.html

Next phase in national program for light-duty vehicles will save consumers thousands of dollars at the pump while saving billions of barrels of oil, curbing pollution, enabling long-term planning for automakers

WASHINGTON – Building on President Obama’s historic national program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today formally unveiled their joint proposal to set stronger fuel economy and greenhouse gas pollution standards for model year 2017-2025 passenger cars and light trucks. Cars, SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks are currently responsible for nearly 60 percent of U.S. transportation-related petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of executive actions the Obama Administration is taking to strengthen the economy and move the country forward because we can’t wait for Congressional Republicans to act.  When combined with other historic steps this administration has taken to increase energy efficiency, this proposal will save Americans over $1.7 trillion at the pump, nearly $8,000 per vehicle by 2025. These combined actions also will reduce America’s dependence on oil by an estimated 12 billion barrels, and, by 2025, reduce oil consumption by 2.2 million barrels per day – enough to offset almost a quarter of the current level of our foreign oil imports. Taken together, these actions will also slash 6 billion metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the programs.

Today’s proposed standards alone will slash oil consumption by 4 billion barrels and cut 2 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution over the lifetimes of the vehicles sold in those years.

“These unprecedented standards are a remarkable leap forward in improving fuel efficiency, strengthening national security by reducing our dependence on oil, and protecting our climate for generations to come. We expect this program will not only save consumers money, it will ensure automakers have the regulatory certainty they need to make key decisions that create jobs and invest in the future,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We are pleased that we’ve been able to work with the auto industry, the states, and leaders in the environmental and labor communities to move toward even tougher standards for the second phase of the president’s national program to improve fuel economy and reduce pollution.”

“By setting a course for steady improvements in fuel economy over the long term, the Obama Administration is ensuring that American car buyers have their choice of the most efficient vehicles ever produced in our country. That will save them money, reduce our nation’s oil consumption and cut harmful emissions in the air we breathe,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This is an important addition to the landmark clean cars program that President Obama initiated to establish fuel economy standards more than two years ago. The progress we made with the help of the auto industry, the environmental community, consumer groups and others will be expanded upon in the years to come — benefitting the health, the environment and the economy for the American people.”

The proposed program for model year 2017-2025 passenger cars and trucks is expected to require increases in fuel efficiency equivalent to 54.5 mpg if all reductions were made through fuel economy improvements. These improvements would save consumers an average of up to $6,600 in fuel costs over the lifetime of a model year 2025 vehicle for a net lifetime savings of $4,400 after factoring in related increases in vehicle cost. Overall, the net benefit to society from this rule would total more than $420 billion over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in model year 2017-2025.

Today’s action builds on the success of the first phase of the Obama Administration’s national program(2012-2016), which will raise fuel efficiency equivalent to 35.5 mpg by 2016 and result in an average light vehicle tailpipe CO2 level of 250 grams per mile. These standards are already in effect and saving consumers money at the pump now. Combined with 2011 fuel economy standards and the standards in effect for 2012-2016, today’s proposal represents the most significant federal action ever taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy.   Taken together, these actions would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by half and result in model year 2025 light-duty vehicles with nearly double the fuel economy of model year 2010 vehicles.

The national policy on fuel economy standards and greenhouse gas emissions created by DOT and EPA provides regulatory certainty and flexibility that reduces the cost of compliance for auto manufacturers while reducing oil consumption and harmful air pollution. By continuing the national program developed for model year 2012-2016 vehicles, EPA and DOT have designed a proposal that allows manufacturers to keep producing a single, national fleet of passenger cars and light trucks that satisfies all federal and California standards. It also ensures that consumers will continue to enjoy a full range of vehicle choices with performance, utility and safety features that meet their individual needs.

The standards will rely on innovative technologies that are expected to spur economic growth and create high-quality jobs across the country. Major auto manufacturers are already heavily invested in developing advanced technologies that can significantly reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions beyond the existing model year 2012-2016 standards. In addition, a wide range of technologies are currently available for automakers to meet the new standards, including advanced gasoline engines and transmissions, vehicle weight reduction, lower tire rolling resistance, improvements in aerodynamics, diesel engines, more efficient accessories, and improvements in air conditioning systems. The standards should also spur manufacturers to increasingly explore electric technologies such as start/stop, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles. The model year 2017-2025 proposal includes a number of incentive programs to encourage early adoption and introduction of “game changing” advanced technologies, such as hybridization for pickup trucks.

The proposal released today follows President Obama’s announcement in July that the administration and 13 major automakers representing more than 90 percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. have agreed to build on the first phase of the national vehicle program. EPA and DOT worked closely with a broad range of stakeholders to develop the proposal—including manufacturers, the United Auto Workers, the State of California, and consumer and environmental groups.

There will be an opportunity for the public to comment on the proposal for 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. In addition, DOT and EPA plan to hold several public hearings around the country to allow further public input. California plans to issue its proposal for model year 2017-2025 vehicle greenhouse gas standards on December 7 and will finalize its standards in January.

More on the NHTSA and EPA’s notice of proposed rulemaking: http://www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are releasing the 2012 Fuel Economy Guide, providing consumers with information that can help them choose a more efficient new vehicle that saves them money and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. While fuel efficient vehicles come in a variety of fuel types, classes, and sizes, many new advanced technology vehicles debut on this year’s annual list of top fuel economy performers. Fuel economy leaders within each vehicle category—from two-seaters to large SUVs—include widely available products such as conventional gasoline models and clean diesels.

Full story

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered Jipangu International, Inc. to pay a $105,000 fine and correct reporting violations after the facility failed to correctly report toxic chemical releases and waste management activities at its Florida Canyon Mine and Standard Gold Mine processing facility near Imlay, Nev.

After a careful analysis of the mine’s records, EPA inspectors determined that Jipangu failed to submit timely, complete and correct Toxic Release Inventory reports in 2005, 2006 and 2007 for toxic chemicals, such as cyanide compounds, used to extract gold from the ore mined at the facility, and other toxic chemicals, such as lead and mercury compounds, produced during the extraction process.
“The chemicals used at the Florida Canyon Mine and Standard Gold Mine facility have the potential to pose a danger to employees, the surrounding community and the environment,” said Jared Blumenfeld, the EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “The EPA has been collecting information from facilities nationwide for 25 years to arm citizens and local governments with information about toxics in their area.”

Metal ore mining accounts for 97% of total toxic inventory releases reported to EPA in Nevada. This action is part of an ongoing effort began in 2008 to ensure compliance among this sector and to ensure the public has accurate and complete information about facilities in their communities.

The Jipangu International Gold Mining facility produces 1.5 to 1.7 tons of gold annually.  Within the next five years, the facility plans to increase production to 15.5 tons per year.

Under the settlement, Jipangu revised its TRI reports for 2005 through 2010 and complied with the Emergency planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.  There is no evidence to suggest that the mine’s violations posed any immediate danger to nearby communities or workers at the facility.

The EPA requires reporting of toxic chemical releases under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act, which requires certain facilities that manufacture, process, or otherwise use toxic chemicals over specified amounts to file annual reports estimating the amounts released to the environment, treated or recycled on-site, or transferred off-site for waste management.  These reports are submitted to the EPA and the State or Tribe having local jurisdiction over the facility.  The EPA compiles this information into a national database called the Toxics Release Inventory and makes it available to the public.

To find information on the Toxics Release Inventory program visit: http://www.epa.gov/tri.