Is being held on October 1-3, will generate a series of exclusive interviews and articles which will be available by clicking on the following link:
http://www.reuters.com/summit
http://www.reuters.com/summit
Sep 28, 2007
Sep 27, 2007
Additives: Diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease have become the big killers.
"There is good reason to think that certain additives create harm well beyond hyperactivity in children -- they may also play an important role in disease and mental illness in adults.... these dangerous chemicals have remained legal for use in food.
It is true that some additives are required for food production.
Nonetheless, we must demand that our government adopts the precautionary principle.
This was described by the Guardian as "an embarrassment" to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which approved the use of the following chemicals, well known for their adverse effects on many children: sunset yellow (E110), quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine (E122), allura red (E129), tartrazine (E102) ponceau 4R (E124), and sodium benzoate (E211).
All but sodium benzoate, an antibacterial preservative, are colours with natural replacements available. The purity of the chemicals involved is controlled for industrial use but not for their use in foods.
The issue now is connected with the scapegoating of young people -- the FSA's response to the University of Southampton report which was the basis for the recent newspaper scares was called "Hyperactivity And Colours: Advice To Parents".
Read more from Rachel's
It is true that some additives are required for food production.
Nonetheless, we must demand that our government adopts the precautionary principle.
This was described by the Guardian as "an embarrassment" to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which approved the use of the following chemicals, well known for their adverse effects on many children: sunset yellow (E110), quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine (E122), allura red (E129), tartrazine (E102) ponceau 4R (E124), and sodium benzoate (E211).
All but sodium benzoate, an antibacterial preservative, are colours with natural replacements available. The purity of the chemicals involved is controlled for industrial use but not for their use in foods.
The issue now is connected with the scapegoating of young people -- the FSA's response to the University of Southampton report which was the basis for the recent newspaper scares was called "Hyperactivity And Colours: Advice To Parents".
Read more from Rachel's
Sep 26, 2007
Frog Deformities Blamed on Farm and Ranch Runoff
WASHINGTON - Horrific deformities in frogs are the result of a cascade of events that starts when nitrogen and phosphorus from farming and ranching bleed into lakes and ponds, researchers said on Monday.
To examine the role of nitrogen and phosphorus runoff on the process, the researchers created 36 ponds in Wisconsin and stocked them with snails and frog tadpoles. They added nitrogen and phosphorus and observed the consequences.
The ponds with added nitrogen and phosphorus had their snail population, parasitic worm egg production and infection rate of frogs increase greatly, according to the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Read full here
Sep 17, 2007
Joel Makower-What's Behind the Green Consumer Research?
I've seen enough research data on Americans' green buying habits over nearly twenty years that I've become immune to much of it. It's not that I think such research is shoddy; it's just that I've found consumers' credibility on the issue wanting, as I've noted in several . . . previous . . . posts.
Consider: A 1989 survey by the Michael Peters Group, a now-defunct consulting firm based in New York and London, found 89% of Americans saying they were concerned...
Sep 12, 2007
Biofuels Offer Cure Worse Than the Disease - OECD
Biofuels, championed for reducing energy reliance, boosting farm revenues and helping fight climate change, may in fact hurt the environment and push up food prices, a study suggested on Tuesday.
"The current push to expand the use of biofuels is creating unsustainable tensions that will disrupt markets without generating significant environmental benefits," the OECD said.
"When acidification, fertiliser use, biodiversity loss and toxicity of agricultural pesticides are taken into account, the overall environmental impacts of ethanol and biodiesel can very easily exceed those of petrol and mineral diesel," it added.
The OECD therefore called on governments to cut their subsidies for the sector and instead encourage research into technologies that would avoid competing for land use with food production.
"Governments should cease to create new mandates for biofuels and investigate ways to phase them out," it said.
"Governments should cease to create new mandates for biofuels and investigate ways to phase them out," it said.
The OECD said tax incentives put in place in many regions, including the European Union and the United States, to encourage biofuel output could hide other objectives.
"Biofuel policies may appear to be an easy way to support domestic agriculture against the backdrop of international negotiations to liberalise agricultural trade," it said.
"Biofuel policies may appear to be an easy way to support domestic agriculture against the backdrop of international negotiations to liberalise agricultural trade," it said.
"A litre of gasoline or diesel conserved because a person walks, rides a bicycles, carpools or tunes up his or her vehicle's engine more often is a full litre of gasoline or diesel saved at a much lower cost to the economy than subsidising inefficient new sources of supply," it said.
Biofuels, made mainly from grains, oilseeds and sugar, have been accused of being responsible for a recent surge in farm commodities prices, along with other factors such as lower output and tight stocks.
The OECD, which said in July that it saw biofuels keeping prices at high levels into the next decade, said it would lead to an unavoidable "food-versus-fuel" debate.
"Any diversion of land from food or feed production to production of energy biomass will influence food prices from the start, as both compete for the same input," it said.
Story by Sybille de La Hamaide REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
"Any diversion of land from food or feed production to production of energy biomass will influence food prices from the start, as both compete for the same input," it said.
Story by Sybille de La Hamaide REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
Sep 11, 2007
ETHANOL REDUCING FOOD FASTER THAN GLOBAL WARMING
Land that was once used to grow food is increasingly being turned over to biofuels. This may help us to fight global warming - but it is driving up food prices throughout the world and making life increasingly hard in developing countries. Add in water shortages, natural disasters and an ever-rising population, and what you have is a recipe for disaster. . .
The era of "agrofuels" has arrived, and the scale of the changes it is already forcing on farming and markets around the world is immense. In Nebraska alone, an extra million acres of maize have been planted this year, and the state boasts it will produce 1bn gallons of ethanol. Across the US, 20% of the whole maize crop went to ethanol last year. How much is that? Just 2% of US automobile use. . .
The Indian government says it wants to plant 35m acres (140,000 sq km) of biofuel crops, Brazil as much as 300m acres (1.2m sq km). Southern Africa is being touted as the future Middle East of biofuels, with as much as 1bn acres (4m sq km) of land ready to be converted to crops such as Jatropha curcas (physic nut), a tough shrub that can be grown on poor land. Indonesia has said it intends to overtake Malaysia and increase its palm oil production from 16m acres (64,000 sq km) now to 65m acres (260,000 sq km) in 2025. . . JOHN VIDAL, GUARDIAN
The era of "agrofuels" has arrived, and the scale of the changes it is already forcing on farming and markets around the world is immense. In Nebraska alone, an extra million acres of maize have been planted this year, and the state boasts it will produce 1bn gallons of ethanol. Across the US, 20% of the whole maize crop went to ethanol last year. How much is that? Just 2% of US automobile use. . .
The Indian government says it wants to plant 35m acres (140,000 sq km) of biofuel crops, Brazil as much as 300m acres (1.2m sq km). Southern Africa is being touted as the future Middle East of biofuels, with as much as 1bn acres (4m sq km) of land ready to be converted to crops such as Jatropha curcas (physic nut), a tough shrub that can be grown on poor land. Indonesia has said it intends to overtake Malaysia and increase its palm oil production from 16m acres (64,000 sq km) now to 65m acres (260,000 sq km) in 2025. . . JOHN VIDAL, GUARDIAN
ARTIFICIAL ADDITIVES FOUND TO CAUSE DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR IN YOUNG
New research made public for the first time confirming the link between artificial additives and disruptive behavior in children is splashed across many of the front pages. The study, the biggest of its kind, found that after consuming a drink containing a mix of additives that reflected the daily intake of a British child, the children in the study became more boisterous and lost concentration.
The government's Food Standards Agency has responded by issuing revised guidance to consumers, recommending that they steer clear of products containing certain E-numbers if their children show signs of hyperactivity.
The Guardian says this move has "confounded" experts who believe the government has missed an opportunity to take a tougher line by banning the additives completely, instead of placing the burden on parents. . . .
The government's Food Standards Agency has responded by issuing revised guidance to consumers, recommending that they steer clear of products containing certain E-numbers if their children show signs of hyperactivity.
The Guardian says this move has "confounded" experts who believe the government has missed an opportunity to take a tougher line by banning the additives completely, instead of placing the burden on parents. . . .
Source VIA-GUARDIAN
HOW NEIGHBORHOOD WALKABILITY AFFECTS WEIGHT
MIKE STOBBE, ASSOCIATED PRESS - [A] study examined whether a community's walkability affected obesity rates. The research showed that exercisers had a similarly low obesity rate whether they lived in walkable neighborhoods or not. It was 12 percent for those in walkable areas versus 15 percent in non-walkable neighborhoods, a difference that was not statistically significant.
Among those who prefer to drive, however, about 21.5 percent were obese, and it also didn't matter whether they lived in walkable or non-walkable neighborhoods.
The distances driven were also noted. Exercisers in walkable neighborhoods drove 26 miles a day, while those in non-walkable neighborhoods drove about 37 miles.
Among non-exercisers, those in walkable neighborhoods drove 26 miles, and compared to 43 miles in areas that were mostly car-friendly.
Among those who prefer to drive, however, about 21.5 percent were obese, and it also didn't matter whether they lived in walkable or non-walkable neighborhoods.
The distances driven were also noted. Exercisers in walkable neighborhoods drove 26 miles a day, while those in non-walkable neighborhoods drove about 37 miles.
Among non-exercisers, those in walkable neighborhoods drove 26 miles, and compared to 43 miles in areas that were mostly car-friendly.
POLLUTION CONTRIBUTES TO 40% OF GLOBAL DEATHS
ANDREA THOMPSON, LIVE - Water, air and soil pollution, along with other environmental factors, contribute to 40 percent of deaths worldwide each year, a new study concludes. In a review of research into the effects of environmental pollutants and other sources of environmental degradation, Cornell University ecologist David Pimentel estimates that 62 million deaths per year (40 percent of all that occur) can be attributed to environmental factors, particularly organic and chemical pollutants that accumulate in the air we breathe and the water we drink. . . With an estimated 1.1 billion people in the world lacking access to clean water (according to WHO estimates), it is little wonder that waterborne infections account for 80 percent of all infectious diseases in the world. . .
Water contaminated with untreated sewage and fecal matter can facilitate the transmission of diarrheal diseases such as cholera (bacteria that live in feces), intestinal infections (which can compound health issues by causing malnutrition) and other diseases—all of which kill millions every year, especially children. A 2004 study by the Population Resource Center found that 2.2 million infants and children die each year from diarrhea, caused largely by contaminated water and food.
Water contaminated with untreated sewage and fecal matter can facilitate the transmission of diarrheal diseases such as cholera (bacteria that live in feces), intestinal infections (which can compound health issues by causing malnutrition) and other diseases—all of which kill millions every year, especially children. A 2004 study by the Population Resource Center found that 2.2 million infants and children die each year from diarrhea, caused largely by contaminated water and food.
Sep 5, 2007
Coke Launches Lighter Bottles That Use Less Plastic
Coca-Cola Co said Tuesday it launched a new 20-ounce plastic bottle for its cola drinks that uses 5 percent less plastic, in a bid to please some critics of the beverage industry who claim its reliance on plastic aides global warming.
Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that Coke was planning to build a plant that will be able to recycle as many as 2 billion 20-ounce bottles a year, but that Coke declined to say exactly where the plant would be or when it would open.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
Haase Comments: Better late than never... Now what do you think Coke will do about the millions of tons of CO2 pumped into bottling soda ;-)
A Bar-Ilan professor's invention may revolutionize the use of solar energy.
A Bar-Ilan nanotechnology expert has invented a photovoltaic cell - which produces electricity from the sun's rays - that could be dramatically cheaper to produce.
"Initially, we created linked arrays of very small cells, which led to a loss of efficiency because the sunlight hitting the space between the cells was not converted to electricity," Zaban explained. With much more surface area, the new array actively captures the sun's energy and becomes "a practical choice for solar energy production," he said.
Zaban's cells feature a sponge-like array of microscopic "nanodots" arranged on flexible plastic sheets. The key to his system is the use of standard semiconductor material injected with an organic dye, which makes it become energy absorbent.
Orionsolar, a Jerusalem-based company that has entered into a partnership with Bar-Ilan, is developing commercial applications for inexpensive, dye-based photovoltaics based on Zaban's work.
"Given the state of the technology, I believe that the new solar cells will be available commercially within the next five years," he said. "This will mark the beginning of a whole new path that combines independence from fossil fuels with a greener, more sustainable future."
Another of his recent discoveries involves reducing the amount of platinum used in photovoltaic cells, another important step towards reducing production costs. "We've found a way to produce platinum nanodots ... [which] reduce the amount of platinum needed by a factor of 40," he said.
Aug 21, 2007
UCS asksIs Bottled Water Better?
Bottled water manufacturers' marketing campaigns capitalize on isolated instances of contaminated public drinking water supplies by encouraging the perception that their products are purer and safer than tap water. But the reality is that tap water is actually held to more stringent quality standards than bottled water, and some brands of bottled water are just tap water in disguise. What's more, our increasing consumption of bottled water—more than 22 gallons per U.S. citizen in 2004 according to the Earth Policy Institute—fuels an unsustainable industry that takes a heavy toll on the environment.
Environmental Impact
Environmental Impact
Fossil fuel consumption. Approximately 1.5 million gallons of oil—enough to run 100,000 cars for a whole year—are used to make plastic water bottles, while transporting these bottles burns thousands more gallons of oil. In addition, the burning of oil and other fossil fuels (which are also used to generate the energy that powers the manufacturing process) emits global warming pollution into the atmosphere.
Water consumption. The growth in bottled water production has increased water extraction in areas near bottling plants, leading to water shortages that affect nearby consumers and farmers. In addition to the millions of gallons of water used in the plastic-making process, two gallons of water are wasted in the purification process for every gallon that goes into the bottles.
Waste. Only about 10 percent of water bottles are recycled, leaving the rest in landfills where it takes thousands of years for the plastic to decompose.
The Simple (and Cheaper) Solution
The next time you feel thirsty, forgo the bottle and turn to the tap. You'll not only lower your environmental impact but also save money—bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water. And because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standards for tap water are more stringent than the Food and Drug Administration's standards for bottled water, you'll be drinking water that is just as safe as, or safer than, bottled.
The next time you feel thirsty, forgo the bottle and turn to the tap. You'll not only lower your environmental impact but also save money—bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water. And because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's standards for tap water are more stringent than the Food and Drug Administration's standards for bottled water, you'll be drinking water that is just as safe as, or safer than, bottled.
If, however, you don't like the taste of your tap water or are unsure of its quality, you can buy a filter pitcher or install an inexpensive faucet filter to remove trace chemicals and bacteria. If you will be away from home, fill a reusable bottle from your tap and refill it along the way; travel bottles with built-in filters are also available. Finally, limit your bottled water purchases for those times when you're traveling in countries where water quality is questionable.
WDNR - Water Conservation News
Research to probe groundwater, lake level connections
Low water levels in Central Sands area to be studied MADISON -- New state-funded research is getting underway in central Wisconsin to better understand how groundwater, lakes and rivers are ... Read Full Article
Tips for doing your part to conserve water
MADISON - Drier than normal conditions have heightened concerns over residents' water usage and outdoor burning activities across the state. In fact, several suburban communities are ordering ... Read Full Article
Low water levels in Central Sands area to be studied MADISON -- New state-funded research is getting underway in central Wisconsin to better understand how groundwater, lakes and rivers are ... Read Full Article
Tips for doing your part to conserve water
MADISON - Drier than normal conditions have heightened concerns over residents' water usage and outdoor burning activities across the state. In fact, several suburban communities are ordering ... Read Full Article
WDNR - New studies find changing levels of mercury in fish and PCBs in people
MADISON - Wisconsin's updated fish consumption advisory booklet, "Choose Wisely, A Health Guide for Eating Fish in Wisconsin," arrives as studies show mixed trends in contaminant levels in ... Read Full Article
Imported asbestos containing products
"Given the abject lack of Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement of asbestos product labeling requirements, there is a real concern that some imported asbestos products are not even labeled with the required health warnings."
Environmental consultant Barry Castleman, speaking to a Senate committee
Nuclear Power Can't Curb Global Warming - Report
Specifically, that would require adding on average 14 plants each year for the next 50 years, all the while building an average of 7.4 plants to replace those that will be retired, the report by environmental leaders, industry executives and academics said.
WHY DON'T WE RECYCLE BUILDINGS AS WELL AS WE DO SODA BOTTLES?
During the 2006 World Planners Congress in Vancouver, delegates raised an important question during a round-table talk on sustainable urbanization. They asked, if we have policies to recycle items as small as pop bottles and tin cans, why don't we have strategies to reuse or recycle items as large as buildings and even whole parts of cities?*
It is a vital question. It's also a good starting point for this issue of Alternatives because discussion on sustainability has largely neglected the environmental implications of decisions to demolish old buildings. .
It is a vital question. It's also a good starting point for this issue of Alternatives because discussion on sustainability has largely neglected the environmental implications of decisions to demolish old buildings. .
Every brick in a building required the burning of fossil fuel in its manufacture, and every piece of lumber was cut and transported using energy. As long as the building stands, that energy is there, serving a useful purpose. Trash a building and you trash its embodied energy too. Furthermore, we burn new fuel to replace the structure. It has been estimated that the embodied energy that is lost with the demolition of a typical small urban house is equivalent to the energy saved by recycling 1.34 million aluminum cans. .
Aug 20, 2007
Non-Stick Chemical Exposure Tied To Small Babies
Exposure to the chemicals perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) harms development in animals, senior author Dr. Lynn R. Goldman, from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and colleagues note.
Whether this holds true in humans, however, was unclear. To investigate, the researchers tested cord blood samples from 293 pregnant women for PFOA and PFOS and then examined the levels in relation to pregnancy outcomes.
In adjusted analyses, cord blood levels of both chemicals were inversely related to birth weight and head circumference.
Previous reports have shown that these chemicals can alter blood lipid levels, which could adversely affect fetal development, the authors note. However, in the present study, the association between PFOA and PFOS exposure and birth weight or size was independent of cord blood lipid levels.
Further research is needed to verify the findings and better understand if the relationship is causal, the authors conclude.
SOURCE: Environmental Health Perspectives 2007 (VIA REUTERS)
Aug 13, 2007
COMMON PLASTIC INGREDIENT MAY BE CAUSE FOR CONCERN
"This might be a time for the application of the precautionary principle," said panel chair Robert Chapin of Pfizer Inc.
GULF dead zones - no mystery.... ETHANOL: (
The corn harvest is expected to be up 24 percent to meet ethanol goals. That takes lots of fertilizer. The summer dead zone off Louisiana's coast, caused by farm runoff, is spreading down the Texas coast; the price of corn is pushing up the price of beef; and hunger grows in poor areas of Mexico where corn tortillas are a staple. Found at http://www.bobpark.org
FREE ENERGY: ALL THAT'S NEEDED IS A "WATER SPLITTER."
A WN reader sent me the URL of a YouTube video about a device that uses water as fuel by splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen and then burning the hydrogen. Back in the 1970's Sam Leach drove a car that ran on water across the country. The oil barons bought him off. In his 2004 State-of-the-Union address, President Bush announced that Freedom Car, which runs on hydrogen, would give us energy independence. Uh, where is that car?
Found at http://www.bobpark.org
Aug 8, 2007
We're all downwind of our own emissions (thanks hugg.com)
So, it's OK for Portland to complain about Chinese mercury in the Willamette River (via treehugger), yet we are all downwind of the chemical soup we're all spewing.
When we islanders send our WalMart money to China for cheap goods, we also get their coal dust. How's that for a feedback loop » original news
Jul 27, 2007
OSHA - we don't want them to die saving a piece of property...
OSHA - Quote of the day:
"We pay firefighters to be brave and to protect us, but we don't want them to be reckless. And we don't want them to die saving a piece of property."
Editorial, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, on Fed-OSHA's report on the deadly 2006 Esperanza fire
Wisconsin DNR DNR News
Forestry operations improve protection of water quality
MADISON - Practices to protect water quality while harvesting timber were correctly applied over 94 percent of the time on federal and industrial timber sales in 2006, based on the results of a ... Read Full Article
Great Lakes beaches water quality information available online
MADISON - People looking to cool off from the summer heat by taking a dip at a Great Lakes beach can find daily online updates on water quality at 120 public beaches along Wisconsin's shores of ... Read Full Article
MADISON - Practices to protect water quality while harvesting timber were correctly applied over 94 percent of the time on federal and industrial timber sales in 2006, based on the results of a ... Read Full Article
Great Lakes beaches water quality information available online
MADISON - People looking to cool off from the summer heat by taking a dip at a Great Lakes beach can find daily online updates on water quality at 120 public beaches along Wisconsin's shores of ... Read Full Article
Jul 26, 2007
EPA Economics - "nothing is free," but called the impact "manageable and affordable."
US EPA Sees Little Economic Impact from CO2 Cuts
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43285/story.htm
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/43285/story.htm
Lieberman also said the EPA analysis found that his plan would hold US carbon dioxide levels below 500 parts per million by the end of the century, a key level that international scientists say will allay the worst global warming impacts.
The EPA analysis also found that US gasoline prices would rise by 26 cents a gallon in 2030 and 68 cents a gallon by 2050, and electricity and natural gas prices would rise slightly.
Cap-and-trade regimes envisioned in many legislative proposals in Congress would create a multi billion-dollar market for trading emissions credits.
If the McCain-Lieberman bill is enacted, the EPA found the market for credits and offsets would be US$25 billion in 2030 and US$57 billion in 2050.
Haase Comments: I am not sure where this "analysis" is getting numbers.... a simple inflation model will put the price of gas nearly double that with just cost of living increases???
I can also prove with very solid data, electricity and natural gas prices will also double in the same time frames (2030).
Hey maybe the "analyst" should try a inflation calculator. www.westegg.com/inflation
Simple math: In 23 years (2030) $3 dollar a gallon gas will be $6 (Double) and by 2050 a gallon of gas should be $19.
I am not sure why they are minimizing the cost of environmental protection or the MASSIVE impact of what our energy demands will cost the U.S. in just ten years.
My guess is that a lot of people are planning to line pockets on the $25-50 BILLION dollar Cap-and-trading racket.
After this report, I hardly think I would let the this EPA analyst run my 401k.
While there is currently enough federal funding is in place to resolve that vast majority of Environmental problems in the U.S. .... I have know idea how bad the energy wars will get, but it will be much worse that the 70's and at a minimum quadruple our current energy costs by 2020.
I would bet my 401k on that ;-)
Jul 24, 2007
China taking all U.S. resources, not even turtles are safe
China needs our coal, metal, cotton, corn, wood... now turtles?
..one section of the Rio Grande river that had been a trap site, an adult turtle has not been seen in 10 years.
'They are taking them so fast the scientists can't study them,' Jones said.
Now some varieties including the Texas river cooter could have some protection because the TPWD commissioners on May 24 approved a measure to prohibit the collection of wild turtles on public land."
Turtles need protection from overharvesting because they are slow to mature and their young have a high mortality rate, said Lee Fitzgerald, an associate professor of herpetology at Texas A&M University who has published research on the Texas turtle trade.
"Their population can't take the removal of adults," said Fitzgerald. "If it continues, the population will collapse."
For example he said it takes a female box turtle 15 years to reach sexual maturity. Once at that stage she lays four or five eggs, and most of the hatchlings will not survive.
Read more from Planet Ark : Texas Turtles Ending Up in China Soup Pots
..one section of the Rio Grande river that had been a trap site, an adult turtle has not been seen in 10 years.
'They are taking them so fast the scientists can't study them,' Jones said.
Now some varieties including the Texas river cooter could have some protection because the TPWD commissioners on May 24 approved a measure to prohibit the collection of wild turtles on public land."
Turtles need protection from overharvesting because they are slow to mature and their young have a high mortality rate, said Lee Fitzgerald, an associate professor of herpetology at Texas A&M University who has published research on the Texas turtle trade.
"Their population can't take the removal of adults," said Fitzgerald. "If it continues, the population will collapse."
For example he said it takes a female box turtle 15 years to reach sexual maturity. Once at that stage she lays four or five eggs, and most of the hatchlings will not survive.
Read more from Planet Ark : Texas Turtles Ending Up in China Soup Pots
Planet Ark : US Fines Du Pont US$4.125 Mln Over Plant Emissions
"NEW YORK - Chemical company E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co has settled with the government and agreed to pay a US$4.125 million civil penalty for harmful emissions at four of its plants, the Department of Justice said Friday.
Du Pont will also spend at least US$66 million on air pollution controls at the sulfuric acid production plants in Louisiana, Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky, the DoJ said.
It said the settlement, which also involved the US Environmental Protection Agency, is expected to reduce more than 13,000 tons of harmful emissions annually from the plants.
The states of Louisiana, Virginia and Ohio joined the federal government in the agreement and will receive shares of the civil penalty.
FROM - REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
Du Pont will also spend at least US$66 million on air pollution controls at the sulfuric acid production plants in Louisiana, Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky, the DoJ said.
It said the settlement, which also involved the US Environmental Protection Agency, is expected to reduce more than 13,000 tons of harmful emissions annually from the plants.
The states of Louisiana, Virginia and Ohio joined the federal government in the agreement and will receive shares of the civil penalty.
FROM - REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
EHS Blogger blackout or just busy?
I have not posted a whole lot the last few months here or on the hugg.com.
While most of us could excuse ourselves out of existence. I have no excuses just a lot of work.
The same goes for ESS, where we were nominated again for this years presidential green chemistry award (but eluded us again).
People are always amazed when they meet us and see were only a "handful of guys changing the world".... However, it takes a lot of hours to pull it all off.
In the next few months I will be posting details on the revolutionary projects ESS and I have been hard at work on.
So stay posted and thanks for reading.
gostats.com update were back and better
I already liked gostats.com... but after yesterday, I am formally impressed. Minutes after posting issues regarding my site stats disappearing, I received a nice email mentioning that the site was upgrading and that "no data was lost". Woohooo!
Thanks gostats.com!
Thanks gostats.com!
Jul 23, 2007
Gostats.com - thanks for the counter & visit
While my various servers have great logs.... all the traffic it is nearly impossible to view day to day activity.
The odds that my site stats disappear while my stat company is visiting the same site appeared suspicious and at best a 1 in a billion chance.
Summary: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:33:44 I.P. # 66.98.152.48 gostats.com
But whose "oppps" deleted all my stats or was someone hiding their tracks?
What does all this mean? We'll find out ;-)
Radical environmentalists on decline
First, Stanislas Meyerhoff: "I was ignorant of history and economy and acted from a faulty and narrow vision as an ordinary bigot," Meyerhoff said, in May.
"A million times over I apologize ... to all of you hardworking business owners, employees, researchers, firemen, investigators, attorneys and all citizens whose property was destroyed, whose holidays were ruined, whose welfare was thwarted, and whose sleep was troubled." Quiet, shy, his hair turning gray at 30, the slightly built Meyerhoff was dwarfed by the angular expanse of the courtroom.
And so a violent chapter in the environmental movement ended - with a whimper. Once feared by some and admired by others for their willingness to use any means necessary, these militants are in decline.
"Radical environmentalism failed," said James Johnston of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics. "Whether radical environmentalists admit it or not, they failed."
Taiwan's 1.68 trillion kilowatt, Ocean Power System
The government is now discussing the possibility of large-scale ocean current power generation, using the strong Kuroshio current off the east coast of Taiwan to generate up to 1.68 trillion kilowatt-hours per year, officials at cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said Monday.
According to the estimates of the project task force, a given site of 25 square kilometers located in the "shallow, high-speed zone" could support the deployment of 1,000 one-megawatt marine turbines, which would have a peak capacity of 1,000 megawatts: equal to the output of Taiwan's second nuclear power plant.
Read more: http://cryptogon.com/?p=1051
Jul 17, 2007
And so it has come to pass... China tops U.S. in CO2 emissions
As autobloggreen.com noted back in April, China was due to pass the United States in amount of CO2 emitted earlier than the previously-expected 2010 date. As our sister site travel blog Gadling noted the other day, that unfortunate mark has come to pass. What an unwinnable race.The main culprit, of course, is China's economy and the masses of factories that produce tons of consumer goods for the rest of the world. Remember, each product on the store shelf - made in China or not - has a carbon footprint. One way to lighten that load is to buy less. Or drive less, as the increasing number of cars on the road in China might make one want to do.
That said, this is a complex issue. With China manufacturing prowess, it's clear there is a lot of green car potential in China. Here's a short list of recent posts we've had:
- Chinese academy develops big electric motors - 50,000 electric cars might come soon
- AFVI Show: Miles Automotive on the $30,000 Javlon XS500 all-electric sedan
- It's Official Chrysler and Chery deal signed in Beijing
- GM working on new small global four cylinders in Korea and China
- ZAP! vehicles on display at International Environmental Conference in China
So much for green consumerism
New market research finds: The majority of consumers really don't care all that much about the environment. Green simply doesn't has not captured the public imagination. ... The fact is, the amount of media interest given to the environment far exceeds the amount of consumer interest.
Joel Makower has more.
Solar... not any time soon.
"Solar Power Wins Enthusiasts but Not Money" "The trade association for the nuclear power industry recently asked 1,000 Americans what energy source they thought would be used most for generating electricity in 15 years. The top choice? Not nuclear plants, or coal or natural gas. The winner was the sun, cited by 27 percent of those polled. ... But for all the enthusiasm about harvesting sunlight, some of the most ardent experts and investors say that moving this energy source from niche to mainstream -- last year it provided less than 0.01 percent of the countryAEs electricity supply -- is unlikely without significant technological breakthroughs. And given the current scale of research in private and government laboratories, that is not expected to happen anytime soon." One reason is that the government, while spending big bucks to subsidize research on ways to use fossil fuels and nuclear energy, is spending comparatively little on solar research. Andrew C. Revkin and Matthew L. Wald report in the New York Times 7/16/07.
Read it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/16/business/16solar.html
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