Other Green News

National Recognition For Do Your Part Book

Terri Bennett recently published book, “Do Your Part: A practical guide to everyday green living,” just received the prestigious APEX award. The 24th Annual Awards for Publication Excellence is an international competition that recognizes outstanding publications from magazines to Web sites.

In “Do Your Part: A practical guide for everyday green living,” Terri explores the hundreds of ways we can create a sustainable way of living that is simple, convenient and cost effective. In the foreword, Laura Turner Seydel, environmental advocate, mother and chairperson of the Captain Planet Foundation says “In Do Your Part, Terri Bennett is calling for each one of us “to do our part” for our personal health and our environment – no matter how big or small the act – because together we can truly make a difference.”

Get your copy of the book by clicking here or as an e-book here.

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Team USA's Uniforms Made From Plastic Bottles

Team USA will be showing off more than their skills during the Olympics in London this summer. These basketball greats will also be showing off their green fashion sense  as they sport eco-friendly uniforms. Nike is behind this eco-friendly look. The company says the jerseys are made from 22 recycled plastic bottles and the shorts are made from recycled polyester. The uniforms weigh less than traditional ones and designed to keep athletes cooler.

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A Wind Farm Without The Blades

Take a look at this! It’s a proposed wind farm that’s probably unlike any wind farm you’ve seen. Discovery News is showcasing a new design by Atelier DNA which has come up with a concept that does away with the traditional blades in favor of what looks more like stalks. These stalks capture energy when they are blown by the wind and that energy is stored in batteries at the base of the stalk. The design created for a proposed no vehicle park site in Abu Dhabi. Among the potential benefits are less noise pollution and less chance of injury for wildlife and birds in the area.

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Bill Would Allow Agency To Ignore Environmental Laws

A proposed bill would give the U.S. Border Patrol the authority to ignore 36 environmental laws on federal land. If the legislation is approved, the Border Patrol would not have to comply with the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and other environmental laws. The proposal covers a 100-mile zone along the Canadian and Mexican borders including Olympic National Park and Glacier Park.

The proposed legislation would allow the Border Patrol to build fences, roads and offices, set up surveillance equipment and use vehicles to patrol parks and federal land in the zone along the borders. Backers of the bill say the Border Patrol is encumbered with layers of environmental legislation. Environmental groups are alarmed by the proposal. The director of public lands for the Pew Environment Group tells The Olympian the bill is a sweeping waiver of environmental laws that would allow a single agency to destroy wildlife habitat and wetlands and hurt water quality.

The sponsor of the bill, Representative Rob Bishop, R-Utah says the Border Patrol does not have enough access to millions of acres of federal land which he says makes it easier for illegals to enter the United States. The Border Patrol currently has access to federal land but must follow procedures set up by other agencies including the U.S. Department of Interior and the USDA.

The bill based the House Natural Resources Committee and a full vote by the House is expected soon. The Obama administration opposes the legislation and calls it unnecessary.

 

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Bike Share Programs Grow in Big Cities

September 16, 2011

10,000 communal bikes will be hitting New York City streets by next summer for one of the largest bike sharing programs in the world. Bike sharing encourages people to get around without hailing a taxi or driving a car by offering easy access to bikes at hundreds stations around the city. The goal is to promote health, quality of life and preservation of the environment. Users pay a one-time fee or annual membership to use the bikes and can return them at any station. In the last four years, New York City has rolled out 250 miles of bike lanes to prepare for more bikers.

The bike share program encourages riders to buy short or long term memberships that include an unlimited number of trips for 45 minutes. Alta Bike Share will develop and manage the 24 hour bike share system in New York City. The company also plans to use smart phone technology where users can get bike kiosk information in real time.

The bike share program in Washington, D.C. has been so popular bikes there are times bikes are in short supply. The Capital Bikeshare program offers more than 1,000 bikes at 110 stations across Washington, D.C. and Arlington, VA. 15,000 area residents are members of the program and have clocked more than 800,000 bike trips in the city. Bike sharing programs are popping up from coast to coast in cities like Denver, Boston, Sacramento, Miami and Minneapolis.

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State Capitals Get Green Makeover

August 30, 2011

The capital cities of five U.S. states are getting some help going green. The five cities were selected as part of the Greening America’s Capitals project. The chosen cities will now receive design assistance for cleaner, more efficient homes and transportation. The Environmental Protection Agency and private sector experts will assist the cities in green design, infrastructure and economic revitalization.

The capital cities of Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi, Nebraska and the District of Columbia were chosen for the green makeovers. Montgomery, Alabama will be redesigning a one-mile stretch of a national historic trail to create better connections for walking and biking between neighborhoods. Phoenix, Arizona will revitalize historic buildings in a commercial strip using green infrastructure. The District of Columbia will get help making three intersections near D.C.’s Metro Station safer and more effective for pedestrians, bicycles and cars.

The EPA will be sending out a team of urban planners, designers and landscape architects to come up with a customized design plan for each capital city project. The EPA hopes the green improvements will be a model for other cities looking to create sustainable designs for growth and development.

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Green Jobs Grow In Slow Economy

August 17, 2011

In the midst of a struggling economy and slow job market, the green job sector is one of the few areas showing growth. A recent report shows the clean economy is export and manufacturing intensive. The Brookings Institution report says on a per job basis, establishments in the clean economy export roughly twice the value of a typical U.S. job. The report also shows many cities have been able to add jobs as the result of green initiatives including renewable energy and public transit projects.

Green or clean jobs are defined as the sector of the economy that produces goods or services with an environmental benefit. The latest report shows the clean economy employes more than 2.7 million people in jobs across a diverse group of industries. Green jobs also provide more opportunity and better pay for low and middle skilled workers than the national economy as a whole. The Brookings report shows median wages in clean jobs are 13 percent higher than overall median wages in the U.S.

The report also shows the top cities with the highest growth of green jobs. Knoxville, Tennessee leads the pack with a green job growth rate of 14.6 percent a year, followed by Raleigh, North Carolina and Des Moines, Iowa. Overall, green jobs added 565,337 new jobs in America between 2003 and 2010.

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Dupont Recalls Herbicide Blamed in Tree Deaths

August 9, 2011

The chemical company DuPont says it is stopping the sale of an herbicide suspected of damaging and killing trees. DuPont says it is voluntarily suspending the sale of the herbicide Imprelis and will soon conduct a product return and refund program. The weedkiller is blamed for damaging or killing thousands of trees, mostly Norway spruce and white pine.

The Environmental Protection Agency approved the weedkiller for sale last October. Since then it has become the target of several lawsuits claiming the chemical, widely used to kill weeds on lawns and golf courses, was also damaging nearby trees. The EPA began investigating complaints into Imprelis last month.

Tree damage has been reported throughout the Midwest, in East Coast states and as far south as Georgia. A class action lawsuit filed against DuPont claims the company failed to warn clients that Imprelis could harm trees. The law firm handling the complaint says the thousands of trees that have died have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

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Princeton Review Ranks Green Colleges

August 5, 2011

The environment ranks right up there with reading and writing for some prospective college students who want more than just a degree. For some, the overall sustainability of a college campus is a factor in deciding where to attend school. The Princeton Review helps narrow down the choices with its annual Green Ratings of colleges.

The green ratings appear on the profiles of the 768 colleges that were ranked in the “Best Colleges-2012 Edition”. Colleges and universities were ranked on a scale of 60 to 99 based on a healthy and sustainable quality of life on campus, the school’s overall commitment to environmental issues and how well the school is preparing students for the world’s environmental challenges.

The Princeton Review gave special honor to the 16 schools that received a green rating of 99 in its Green College Honor Roll. The top green rated schools include American University in Washington, D.C., Virginia Tech, Harvard College, Oregon State University, University of Washington and Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina.

Princeton Review VP Robert Franek says there is a growing number of students looking for a green college. A recent survey by the group found 69 percent of college applicants said having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would impact their decision to apply or attend the school.

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NC Grows Green Industries

North Carolina is turning a new green leaf when it comes to eco-friendly industries in the state. The N.C. Sustainable Energy Association just released its Clean Energy Data Book which identifies the state’s clean energy projects and reports how many people are employed by those projects. This is the first comprehensive catalog of North Carolina’s clean energy initiatives to be compiled all in the same place. The book showcases several exciting green programs such as a large solar farm in the Triad to a wind turbine system at Appalachian State University. These initiatives have created roughly 12,500 jobs and were sparked by green job initiatives, new legislation, state tax credits, and more.

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