Category: Webinars

WSPPN WEBINAR SCHEDULE For First Quarter 2011

Date:  Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM PST

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/420613906

Starting in 2007, the printing industry was besieged with requests on how to become sustainable and recognize sustainable printing operations. As a response, the industry developed and launched the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership, which is a certification program for printers.

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership can serve as a model for other industry sectors and will reveal an industry sector moved forward, and most importantly, the benefits reaped by participating companies will be presented. It is the intent to provide a case study that provides tangible benefits, both environmental as well as economic. As a result, it is anticipated that future partnerships will be developed between the industry sector and others to move the sustainability message and industry program forward.

Presenter: Gary Jones, Director, EHS Affairs for the Printing Industry of America

Case Study:  Keeping up with the social thought process of honest transparent sustainable practices.  This study shows and proves that being more sustainable helps improve your triple bottom line.  Helps you stay viable and endears you to a broader public who is searching for sustainably produced products.  Keeping your social bank account full and creating a better work environment for yourself, your employees and your local environment.

Presenter: Thomas Ackerman, Spirit Graphics and Printing, Inc.

This session will provide a repeatable program that can be adopted by other industry sectors seeking to establish sustainability models.

WSPPN WEBINAR SCHEDULE For First Quarter 2011

Date:  Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Time: 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM PST

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/779407682

Automobiles are a source of many air pollutants. They are the second largest source of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the in the US, and CO2 represents over 80% of the greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming. More than half of our CO2 comes from vehicles. For every mile of driving eliminated, one pound of carbon dioxide is kept from the atmosphere.

Carol Perry, Trip Reduction Specialist for Regional Transportation Commission will give a presentation on “Walkability: What is it and why should you care?”  Learn how businesses can promote healthy lifestyles, save money, and increase morale and productivity among employees.  Learn how communities can reap numerous benefits of better planning for pedestrians. Learn how walkable communities reduce our carbon footprint.

WSPPN WEBINAR SCHEDULE For First Quarter 2011

Date:  Friday, March 18, 2011

Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PDT
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/227794603

Analyst Bob Tregilus, organizer of the Feed-in Tariffs for Nevada (FIT4NV) initiative, co-chair of the Electric Auto Association of Northern Nevada (EAANN), and steering committee member of the Alliance for Renewable Energy (ARE), will provide a basic overview of how a Feed-in Tariff (FIT) policy tool can create a predictable marketplace all along the renewable energy value chain.  Successful feed laws have been adopted in over sixty nations and jurisdictions including: Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, the Canadian province of Ontario, the state of Vermont, Hawaii, Oregon, and the city of Gainesville, Florida.

FITs reduce risk by paying any operator a fair ‘tariff’ (rate) to ‘feed’ renewable energy into the electric grid. The rate is scientifically differentiated by a variety of factors to assure the operator is paid for the actual cost of generation plus receives a reasonable rate of return on their investment. A FIT must also guarantee access to connect to the grid as well as a long-term contract.

Bob will explain the global phenomenon of FITs and talk about his experiences getting a FIT instituted in the state of Nevada.

Related websites: Feed-in Tariffs for Nevada (FIT4NV), Electric Auto Association of Northern Nevada (EAANN), Alliance for Renewable Energy (ARE).

Join us for a Webinar on January 20

Space is limited.

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/977868962

Purchasers and consumers are demanding goods and services with a lower environmental footprint, but the market is getting flooded with claims about constitutes a “green” product. This session will help participants sort through confusing claims about sustainable products. It will include a review of types of labels and what they mean, what to look for in labels and certifications, and new programs coming on line that will help all purchasers.

Representatives of the West Coast States Environmental Preferable Purchasing Collaborative will talk about how states are encouraging green products in state procurement solicitations.

Presenters:  Alicia Culver, Responsible Purchasing Network (RPN); Joshua Saunders, GoodGuide, Karin Kraft, Washington Department of Ecology

Date:                      Thursday, January 20, 2011

Time:                     11:00 AM – 12:30 PM PST

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

A few months ago I sat on a panel in front of a group of respected environmentalists and business leaders to answer the question: “How do we get people to care about the environment?”

My fellow panelists all gave great heartfelt answers about inspiring people and educating them about the damage we are doing to our planet. My answer was a bit more abrasive. “I don’t care if you care about the environment. I’d just like you to do something.” After some gasps and follow-up questions, which consisted of, “How can you say that?” and, “You really don’t mean that do you?,” the crowd finally simmered down and began to understand my point.

The truth is that opinions and beliefs aren’t all that important. What are important are the actions a person takes.  One would think that people who care more about a cause tend to do more, but a string of research shows otherwise. When a group was asked about their commitment to the environment and whether it was their responsibility to pick up litter, 94 percent of the 500 people agreed that this did, indeed, fall on their shoulders. To test their commitment, the research team scattered litter where the group would exit to find that a mere 2 percent of the group followed through with their agreement to pick up litter, according to a study in the Journal of Social Psychology. This isn’t activism, it’s “slacktivism.” Everyone likes to say they do the right thing but very few actually do it.

What’s the answer to this problem? Lather, rinse and repeat – repeat being the key word, here. Shampoo manufacturers figured out long ago that the word repeat is the key to increased action.

Sure we need more activists, and I’d love for everyone to care the way I do, but the truth is: It ain’t gonna happen. We need people to learn the right steps to take (lather), take action (rinse) and continue down a path of social responsible action (repeat). But how do you get someone to take action, to begin the shampoo ritual we are all more than familiar with, without having warm, fuzzy feelings toward the environment? Rewards and recognition.

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader

The Western Sustainability and Pollution Prevention Network (WSPPN) is a cooperative alliance of pollution prevention (P2) programs throughout Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Trust Territories, and Tribal Lands).

What are the top three environmental or sustainability issues that need to be addressed in our region and why?  Please identify which state you are referring to. 

Donna Walden

Regional Coordinator, WSPPN

University of Nevada Reno, Business Environmental Program

Greetings!  Please join us on October 20, 2010 from 1:00-2:30 pm (Eastern) for a free webinar sponsored by the Environmental Sustainability Resource Center on “Greening Your Hotel’s Laundry Operations.”  Learn from hospitality and water efficiency experts about opportunities to reduce operating costs, reduce water consumption, better manage and reduce chemicals in your laundry operations, and how to implement innovative programs to save money and water without diminishing the guest experience.  This webinar is the fifth in the “Sustainable Hospitality” webinar series.  Please share this information with your networks.  

US EPA and the Environmental Sustainability Resource Center would like to announce a free Webinar on Greening Your Hotel’s Laundry Operations.  Learn from experts in the hospitality industry about opportunities to reduce operating costs, reduce water and energy consumption, and how to implement innovative programs to save money, time and improve your laundry operations.  
 
This webinar is the fifth in a series of planned “Sustainable Hospitality” webinars for the Hospitality Industry.

 

Webinar date: October 20, 2010 – 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

PLEASE NOTE:

Registration is limited, so please register soon

Please register here.

Contact Jamie Ragan at 919-715-6519 with questions.

Hello All

I am the EPA Region 9 Green Hospitality Coordinator.  I provide these periodic newsletters in order to share information that may be of interest to lodging and other hospitality facilities.  Please feel free to forward this to any who may be interested.  I am available to help you address any challenges faced by hospitality businesses’ as they work to reduce their environmental impacts and move toward sustainability. Please feel free to reply and let me know how this e-mail newsletter can be more helpful for you, or if you have any questions or concerns.  I welcome items to include in the next newsletter and I welcome the opportunity to share your successes with others that may be facing similar situations.  Also let me know if you would prefer not to receive these messages. Wendi Shafir, LEED AP Pollution Prevention Coordinator US Environmental Protection

Agency, Region 9 75 Hawthorne Street (WST-7) San Francisco, CA 94105 415.972.3422
415.947.3530 fax
shafir.wendi@epa.gov
http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/p2
http://www.epa.gov/region09/greenbuilding/index.html

Disclaimer: Some of the events, articles and websites listed in this email
are not sponsored by EPA.  EPA is listing them for your information only.  EPA
is not responsible for their content and does not endorse any commercial product,
service, enterprise, or policy that may be included.

Contents
1.  Fluorescent Lamp Recycling, February 2009, EPA530-R-09-001
2.  Buildings Energy Data Book
3.  How Sustainability Can Be Incorporated into Executive Compensation
4. Take the Food Recovery Challenge
5.  Waste Reduction Model (WARM) NEW VERSION: Updated August 2010
6. Tax incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy
7. Travelocity, Expedia Add Hundreds of Sustainable Hotels
8.  Training Video Series Helps Facility Managers Track Energy Use 1.

Fluorescent Lamp Recycling, February 2009, EPA530-R-09-001.
The purpose of this document is to provide information to businesses, regulatory agencies, and the public interested in recycling spent fluorescent lamps.  Specifically, this document discusses safe practices for handling, storing, and recycling spent fluorescent lamps, as well as providing Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the storage of spent fluorescent lamps and the use of drum-top crushers (DTCs) for compacting waste lamps.  View the Fluorescent Lamp Recycling document at http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/wastetypes/universal/lamps/lamp-recycling2-09.pdf
For more information and a copy of Fluorescent Lamp Recycling http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/wastetypes/universal/lamps/links.htm

Buildings Energy Data Book
Statistics on commercial building energy consumption. Data tables contain statistics related to construction, building technologies, energy consumption, and building characteristics. The Building Technologies Program within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy developed this Buildings Energy Data Book to provide a current and accurate set of comprehensive buildings- and energy-related data.  The Data Book is an evolving document and is periodically updated. http://buildingsdatabook.eren.doe.gov/ChapterView.aspx?chap=3#10 Check out hotel/motel information in Chapter 3.  Some of the info is only current to 2007, other data are current to 2009. Direct link to hotel data is http://buildingsdatabook.eren.doe.gov/ChapterView.aspx?chap=3#10

How Sustainability Can Be Incorporated into Executive Compensation.
By Gina-Marie Cheeseman of Triple Pundit–People Planet Profit of April 29, 2010. President of Ceres, Mindy S. Lubber, says in a Harvard Business Review opinion piece that global problems like climate change “demand new business models.”  Lubber warns that not creating new models will result in more than “another financial-sector meltdown,” but environmental and social problems “on a scale never before seen.” She thinks that bringing pay “into the equation” is a quick way of grabbing attention. Several reports agree with Lubber.  A Ceres report, The 21st Century Corporation: The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability, says, “Sustainability performance results must be a core component of the evaluation of senior executive performance and compensation packages.”  A report by Pascual Berrone of IESE Business School, and Luis Gomez-Mejia of Arizona State University, published last year in the Academy of Management
Journal says firms need “incentive mechanisms to dissuade managers from avoidance.”  British utility company National Grid announced last year it would partly base executive compensation on meeting targets for reducing carbon emissions.  Joe Kwasnik, group head of climate change for the company, explains key points to Environmental

Leader on how the company is implements its scheme:

(1) Recognize that change is coming, and get ahead of the curve.  National Grid decided to “weave” into its internal budgets and operations, the fact that many governments are setting targets to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) 80 percent by 2050;

(2) Establish a baseline and internal metrics. National Grid first set a baseline measurement of its carbon footprint;

(3) Create a culture that rewards carbon reduction. National Grid had already reduced its GHG emissions by 30 percent
since 1990;

(4) Be ready to adjust to new policies, regulations and market information.  National Grid is ready to incorporate the cost of carbon in the U.S. into its decision making when a cap and trade program is in place.  To read the entire article: http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/04/how-sustainability-can-be-incorporated-into-executive-compensation/ (Courtesy of Practice Greenhealth listserve)

Take the Food Recovery Challenge,
Announced September 1, 2010 How much of your food and money are you literally throwing away?

In 2008, American businesses and households generated 32 million tons of food waste.  Of that, 31 million tons (97%) was thrown away into landfills or incinerators! Much of this “waste” was not waste at all, but actually safe, wholesome food that could potentially feed millions of Americans or discards that could be recycled (composted) into a nutrient rich soil amendment.  And since food is such an incredibly valuable resource that can be used to protect our soil and water or grow our next generation of crops, there are just so many better uses for it to consider before putting in a landfill or incinerator. Which is why the US EPA Food Recovery Initiative and the WasteWise Program have joined forces to challenge business, industry, and institutions to reduce, donate, and recycle as much of their food waste as possible – saving money and helping protect the environment.  And through the Food Recovery Challenge, participating organizations have the opportunity to receive national recognition for their outstanding Challenge achievements. Take the Food Recovery Challenge and together – let’s take a bite out of food waste!  To join us and to learn more – go to www.epa.gov/foodrecoverychallenge

To Join: If your organization is not already a WasteWise Partner, first contact the WasteWise Helpline at (800) EPA-WISE (372-9473) to join, or register online at https://my.re-trac.com/NewWasteWisePartner.pm

Once you have a ReTRAC account, follow the instructions below for existing partners. If your organization is already a WasteWise Partner, log onto WasteWise ReTRAC at https://my.re-trac.com/Login.pm.  You will see a banner at the top of the home page for the Food Recovery Challenge. Choose the link to your organization’s information page, where you will check the “Food Recovery Challenge” box to enroll. EPA also recently released updates to its Food Waste Web site at www.epa.gov/foodrecovery. Check out the site! To learn more about the WasteWise Program, visit the WasteWise web site at www.epa.gov/wastewise September is also Feeding America’s “Hunger Action Month”

To learn more, go to www.hungeractionmonth.org Additional resources * LeanPath and Jonathan Bloom both maintain terrific blogs specifically on food waste – you may want to check them out: Blog www.foodwastefocus.com
Blog: www.wastedfood.com

* Composting 10-Step Guide from Practice Greenhealth: http://blog.leanpath.com/wp content/uploads/2009/10/Composting_10StepGuide.pdf I hope the above information and resources are help to you in your efforts decrease food waste generation and increase food recovery.

Waste Reduction Model (WARM)
NEW VERSION: Updated August 2010 EPA created the Waste Reduction Model (WARM) to help solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from several different waste management practices. WARM is available both as a Web-based calculator and as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (355K WinZip archive).  The Excel-based version of WARM offers more functionality than the Web-based calculator. WARM calculates and totals GHG emissions of baseline and alternative waste management practices—source reduction, recycling, combustion, composting, and landfilling.  The model calculates emissions in metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE), metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E), and energy units (million BTU) across a wide range of material types commonly found in municipal solid waste (MSW). The August 2010 update (Version 11) includes new materials, updated data, and added functionality.  It’s available at epa.gov/warm.

Tax incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the N.C. Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. http://www.dsireusa.org/ Specific State Resources CA http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=CA

AZ http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=AZ
HI http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=HI
NV http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?re=1&ee=1&spv=0&st=0&srp=1&state=NV

Travelocity, Expedia Add Hundreds of Sustainable Hotels:
in August Travelocity announced it was adding hundreds of properties to its Green Hotel Directory that have been validated by Hilton Worldwide’s innovative sustainability measurement system, LightStay™.  To date, Travelocity has flagged more than 2,200 hotels across the globe with the eco-friendly leaf and the company works with an elite group of certification programs.  In September Expedia announced that it too is adding 300-plus properties using LightStay to the Expedia Green Hotel Program.  The Expedia.com Green Hotel Program launched in April 2008 and now features more than 2,000 supply partners and more than 80 green certification programs. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=75787&p=irol newsArticle&ID=1458861&highlight

http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_nshw.php?mwi=7709

Training Video Series Helps Facility Managers Track Energy Use.
Do you have a mandate for energy reduction?  Do you need to benchmark your facility or prove savings for an energy efficiency project?  Tracking and understanding electric meter data will better equip you to meet these demands and proactively manage energy use.  Through this five part video series, you’ll learn how to:

– Read and understand your facility’s energy bills – Obtain and interpret meter

data – Determine what to track Watch the training videos at http://betterbricks.com/DetailPage.aspx?ID=1162

Related Resources: Metering Best Practices: A Guide to Achieving Utility
Resource Efficiency, 2007 http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/mbpg.pdf
Operations & Maintenance Best Practices for Facility Managers at http://betterbricks.com/DetailPage.aspx?ID=489
This information is from the BetterBricks website