What's New in P2?

10 Ways to Reduce Energy Use and Costs in Your Building (09/02/2010)
Here are 10 ways you can reduce your energy usage and costs without sacrificing comfort or building functionality.
www.greenbiz.com/business/research/tool/2010/09/01/10-ways-reduce-energy-use-and
-costs-your-building

First users of Oregon solar pilot program up and running (09/02/2010)
Like almost all Oregonians, Jeff Ramp has paid utility bills for years to power his home, which sits on an onion farm near Salem.
www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/09/first_users_of_oregon_solar_pi.htm
l

Here comes a flood of stricter stormwater rules (09/02/2010)
As we enter the fall rainy season (which is not to be confused with the summer rainy season), most business owners in this region probably have a lot of other things on their minds than how much it might be raining. But once the precipitation lands on an industrial facility or construction site, it becomes stormwater that must be handled properly under regulations issued by the Washington Department of Ecology.
www.djc.com/news/en/12021257.html

Metal-Mining Bacteria Are Green Chemists (09/02/2010)
Microbes could soon be used to convert metallic wastes into high-value catalysts for generating clean energy, say scientists writing in the September issue of Microbiology.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100901191137.htm

Canada bans BPA. Why haven't we? (09/01/2010)
Environment Canada -- our northern neighbor's version of the EPA -- has officially declared bisphenol A (BPA) toxic. The ubiquitous chemical, found in the lining of nearly all cans used by the food and beverage industry, will have to be phased out in Canada.
www.grist.org/article/food-canada-bans-BPA-why-havent-we

Community College Training for Managing Green Jobs (09/01/2010)
Beyond "green-collar" jobs, like retrofitting a home to conserve energy or helping build a wind farm, an energy-conscious economy will need a new generation of environmentally smart managers, and that's where community colleges are stepping up with new courses and degree programs.
www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/education/26GREEN.html?_r=1

New Findings on Carbon Dioxide Release from World's Oceans (09/01/2010)
Carbon Dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, is intricately linked to global warming. The largest store of CO2 is the world's oceans. How the oceans sequester or release CO2 to or from the atmosphere is important to understand as mankind alters Earth's climate with the burning of fossil fuels. A new report from researchers at the University of California, Davis offers clues on how that mechanism works by analyzing the shells of plankton fossils.
www.enn.com/top_stories/article/41715

10 Ways to Make Your Message Resonate with Green Consumers (08/27/2010)
So many businesses want to jump on the green bandwagon -- but too often there's a lot of room for improvement in the ways they focus their messaging.
www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/08/26/10-ways-make-your-message-resonate-green-consum
ers

San Francisco shares its green products database (08/27/2010)
In Thursday's New York Times, I write about a new guide to green products vetted by the city of San Francisco, which in 2005 instituted strict purchasing standards:
thegreenwombat.com/2010/08/26/san-francisco-shares-its-green-products-database/

FTC To Release New Green Guidelines for Marketers (08/26/2010)
The Federal Trade Commission is considering a new set of "Green Guides" that could have a huge effect on the marketing efforts of companies nationwide, according to a report in Advertising Age.
www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/20929

The switch is on - Americans using less energy, more renewables (08/26/2010)
Americans are using less energy overall and making more use of renewable energy resources. The United States used significantly less coal and petroleum in 2009 than in 2008, and significantly more wind power. There also was a decline in natural gas use and increases in solar, hydro and geothermal power according to the most recent energy flow charts released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?codi=190919&lr=1

Going Carbon Neutral: Does It Pay? (08/25/2010)
There is a growing trend among businesses to measure, report and neutralize the carbon footprint of their products. The first step to carbon neutrality is a product life-cycle assessment (LCA). This thorough assessment provides a comprehensive view of the carbon footprint of a product throughout its life, but it is worth the upfront time and cost?
www.environmentalleader.com/2010/08/26/going-carbon-neutral-does-it-pay/

Coming Soon: A Corn-Based BPA Replacement (08/24/2010)
BPA, a toxic compound found in everything from store receipts to water bottles, has been a hot topic as of late. That's because most industries have been slow to adopt alternatives to the petroleum-based estrogenic compound, which is used in the plastic manufacturing process, among other things. Enter isosorbide, a corn-based industrial ingredient that the Archer Daniels Midland Company is touting as a safe, renewable alternative to BPA.
www.fastcompany.com/1682423/coming-soon-a-corn-based-bpa-replacement

Chevy Eliminating Consumer Barriers to Electric Cars (08/18/2010)
Driving range is a huge barrier for consumers regarding all electric cars. Granted, 90% of us drive 100 miles or less per day. But "what if" is always a barrier to enticing consumers to try a new technology.
www.triplepundit.com/2010/08/eliminating-consumer-barriers-to-saying-yes-to-elec
tric-cars-chevy-volt/

Sustainable packaging promises to deliver $140bn market (08/18/2010)
Demand for sustainable packaging is set to grow exponentially over the next five years, according to new figures that suggest the global market for packing materials that have a minimal impact on environment will reach $142bn (£89bn) by 2015.
www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2268263/sustainable-packaging-promises

EPA Proposes Requiring More TSCA Chemical Data More Often (08/17/2010)
As part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's commitment to strengthen and reform chemical management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing several actions to improve reporting on chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
eponline.com/articles/2010/08/16/agency-proposes-requiring-more-tsca-chemical-da
ta-more-often.aspx

New Method for Estimating Cost of Small Hydropower Projects (08/17/2010)
In developing countries such as India, small hydroelectric power (SHP) projects represent a potentially large but largely untapped source of energy, primarily because the cost of constructing the sites is thought to be higher per kilowatt of generated power than the cost of large plants.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100817090800.htm

Snohomish County PUD to probe for sources of geothermal energy (08/17/2010)
This fall, the Snohomish County PUD will be one step closer to knowing if geothermal energy could be tapped here.
www.heraldnet.com/article/20100816/NEWS01/708169924/-1/

US Green Data Center Market To Hit $13.81 Billion By 2015 (08/17/2010)
From 2010 to 2015, the U.S. green data center market is projected to increase from $3.82 billion to $13.81 billion, according to the latest issue of EL Insights. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29% during this time period.
www.environmentalleader.com/2010/08/17/us-green-data-center-market-to-hit-13-81-
billion-by-2015/

Delayed Reaction: The Fetal Basis of Adult Disease (08/16/2010)
Exposure to certain chemicals or stressors in utero can cause immediate health effects for fetuses and babies including lowered birth weight, birth defects, and impaired neurodevelopment. New lines of research are now showing that prenatal exposures may also contribute to health problems that typically arise later in life--such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Parkinson disease--via changes to DNA transcription and the hypothalamic--pituitary--adrenal axis.
ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%
2Fehp.trp070110

Executives, Consumers Doubt Most Companies Really Going Green (08/16/2010)
Fortune 1000 executives and the general public believe just a fraction of businesses are embracing green practices, a new survey found.
bit.ly/9YoXJd

P&G Brings Sugarcane Packaging to Pantene, Covergirl (08/16/2010)
Procter & Gamble is bringing sugarcane to shampoo and makeup with new packaging that will be on shelves next year. The company will start using sugarcane-based plastic packaging for certain products from its Pantene Pro-V, Covergirl and Max Factor brands.
bit.ly/csH8U2

Are Email Attachments Bad for the Environment? (08/13/2010)
At one of my first jobs ever, there was a guy who would print out every single email he received. Then, to make matters worse, he would forget about his printed emails and leave them on the printer. Occasionally, just to give him a hard time, we would hand deliver his emails to him and announce their contents. "Your wife says pork chops for dinner and she loves you!"
motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/08/are-email-attachments-bad-environment

Department of energy announces 15 projects aimed at secure CO2 underground storage (08/13/2010)
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today the selection of 15 projects to develop technologies aimed at safely and economically storing carbon dioxide in geologic formations. Funded with $21.3 million over three years, today's selections will complement existing DOE initiatives to help develop the technology and infrastructure to implement large-scale CO2 storage in different geologic formations across the Nation. The projects selected today will support the goals of helping reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, developing and deploying near-zero-emission coal technologies and making the U.S. a leader in mitigating climate change.
www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?codi=188271&lr=1

Providing Data On Chemicals (08/13/2010)
Chemical makers would have to provide data about production, processing, and use of their compounds every four years rather than the current five-year cycle, under a proposal the Environmental Protection Agency announced Aug. 11.
pubs.acs.org/cen/news/88/i33/8833news4.html

10 Stops on the Road to Carbon Management (08/12/2010)
There's no denying that managing carbon has become table stakes in today's business world. Organizations of all shapes and sizes need to manage their carbon footprint -- and they know it. However, what some don't know is where to begin.
www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/08/12/10-stops-road-carbon-management

Filling the Glass Recycling Void in Kansas City (08/12/2010)
Recycling glass used to be challenge in Kansas City, but a non-profit, brewery and insulation maker have turned that around with Ripple Glass, a company that has its sights set on doubling the city's glass recycling rate.
www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/08/12/filling-glass-recycling-void-kansas-city

Generating the clean energy future of the Northwest (08/12/2010)
The Northwest is blessed with an abundance of potential clean energy resources. Decades of ideas and discussions among energy stakeholders have given way to a significant upsurge of investments in renewable energy policies and projects throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. This growth has paved a path toward a cleaner and more sustainable energy future. But the work has only begun. Together, we can learn from our experiences and plan, act and realize a vision for a new energy economy.
sustainableindustries.com/articles/2010/08/generating-clean-energy-future-northw
est

Chemical Regulations and the Modern Mattress: The Stuff of Nightmares (08/11/2010)
I've spent the last 30 years as an environmental engineer, but it wasn't until I became a grandfather that I fully understood the extent to which industrial chemicals had invaded the American home.
www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/08/11/chemical-regulations-and-modern-mattress-stuff-
nightmares

Communication is the #1 Skill for Sustainability Professionals (08/11/2010)
The sustainability profession is in development. Spurred by environmental necessity and societal imbalances, a new field is emerging. Recognizing the need to bring clarity and cohesion to this growing concern, our friends at the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), formed in 2008, released a comprehensive, survey-based report highlighting the primary competencies needed by sustainability professionals. While all of the reported skills are important, good communication is without a doubt the most vital ability.
www.triplepundit.com/2010/08/communication-is-the-1-skill-for-sustainability-pro
fessionals/

How to Use Sustainability Metrics to Drive Business Performance, Innovation and Stakeholder Satisfaction (08/11/2010)
Environmental metrics were not much of an issue when I started as a young environmental coordinator at a Utah coal mine 30 years ago. The few environmental metrics I used were mainly driven by regulatory-agency permits, inspections and audits.
www.environmentalleader.com/2010/08/11/sustainability-metrics-drive-business-per
formance-innovation-and-stakeholder-satisfaction/

Breaking through the Barriers to Biofuels (08/10/2010)
Cheap, renewable gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels from agricultural leftovers and other biomass sources would improve our nation's energy and environmental security; however, economical processes of converting biomass into fuels don't exist, yet.
www.pnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=806&groupid=756

EPA limits mercury and other pollutants from cement plants (08/10/2010)
The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday completed regulations limiting the release of mercury and other toxic air pollutants from cement plants, a move the Obama administration said would save lives but that cement makers warned could drive jobs overseas.
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cement-epa-20100810,0,4379482.stor
y

How to Win Street Credibility For Your Sustainability Reporting (08/10/2010)
As more businesses publish sustainability reports, I worry that the practice has become little more than a box-ticking exercise to some companies. The reports come in all shapes and sizes, with a few quality offerings scattered among many that I would argue aren't worth the paper on which they are printed. Their only saving grace is the growing trend for them to be made exclusively available in the virtual world, reducing the need for shredding.
www.triplepundit.com/2010/08/how-to-win-street-credibility-for-your-sustainabili
ty-reporting/

Sewage-cleaning device produces electricity, too (08/10/2010)
Small units that purify household sewage could provide a source of electricity for urban and remote communities in the developing world, according to researchers.
www.enn.com/top_stories/article/41626

Honolulu might cancel contract to ship its garbage up the Columbia gorge (08/06/2010)
The city of Honolulu and a Seattle-based contractor may cancel their agreement to ship Hawaii garbage up the Columbia River Gorge to a Washington landfill in light of a federal judge's strongly worded order last week temporarily barring the shipments.
www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/08/honolulu_might_cancel_contrace.
html

Solar power now cheaper than nuclear (08/06/2010)
According to the Energy Collective, a historic era is upon us. Solar power has become affordable. More specifically, according to the article, solar power has become cheaper than nuclear power.
www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/stories/solar-power-now-cheaper-than-nuclear

2011 Ford Explorer 85% Recyclable (08/05/2010)
The 2011 Ford Explorer is 85% recyclable. The new SUV leverages Ford's use of bio foam and recycled fabric in its interior, as well as recycled steel in select exterior parts.
www.greencarcongress.com/2010/08/2011-ford-explorer-85-recyclable.html

Exposure to Toxic Chemicals (08/05/2010)
It is not surprising that the CDC report confirms that the U.S. population is exposed to more than 200 chemicals found in the environment. What is surprising is that the report has identified a number of chemicals for the first time in the U.S. population.
socyberty.com/issues/exposure-to-toxic-chemicals/

Facebook Doubles Down on Green Data Center Plans (08/05/2010)
Social networking giant Facebook last week said it was already planning to expand its not-yet-completed data center in Prineville, Ore., and Greenpeace took the opportunity to yet again call the company out for not being greener.
www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/08/05/facebook-doubles-down-green-data-center-plans

Oregon Waters Smoothed For Wave Energy Pioneer (08/05/2010)
A company hoping to build the first commercial wave energy project on the West Coast has cleared a major hurdle. The developer has reached a preemptory settlement with concerned parties and government environmental agencies.
news.opb.org/article/10518-oregon-waters-smoothed-wave-energy-pioneer/

Intel tops EPA's Green Power List, Again (08/04/2010)
Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC) remained atop the EPA's list of top green power purchasers released this week. Intel purchased more than 1.4 billion kWh of green power, reducing CO2 emissions equivalent to those of nearly 125,000 average American homes.
www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/20793

Local Governments Push for Product Stewardship (08/04/2010)
The City of Roseville, California became the 100th local government, agency or association to adopt a local resolution for extended producer responsibility (EPR)--otherwise known as product stewardship.
www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/20792

Cashiers may face special risks from BPA (08/03/2010)
"People working at places that use thermal paper can have continual contact with bisphenol A. And if they knew, I think they would be horrified," notes Koni Grob, an analytical chemist with an official government food laboratory in Zurich, Switzerland. He's describing the thermal paper commonly used throughout Europe and North America to print store receipts.
www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/61740/title/Cashiers_may_face_special_risks_
from_BPA

EPA announces nation's top 50 Green Power Organizations (08/03/2010)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named the 50 green power partners using the most renewable electricity. The Green Power Partnership's top purchasers use more than 12 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the electricity use of more than 1 million average American homes. Green Power helps to prevent emissions from conventional power sources that are linked to harmful air pollution and climate change.
www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?codi=185965&lr=1

WWII Liberty Ships meet a green end in Tacoma (08/03/2010)
If Scott Sloan felt any regret as he watched the last of two remaining Liberty Ships cut into scrap, he concealed it well. The expression on his face looked more like pure relief.
www.thenewstribune.com/2010/08/02/1286990/wwii-liberty-ships-meet-a-green.html

September 14, 2010
A CONVERSATION ABOUT SUSTAINABLE DESIGN with Ash Awad, Vice President of Energy & Facility Services at McKinstry; and Daniel Friedman, Dean of the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington (Seattle, WA)


September 20, 2010
Water Efficiency for the Hospitality Sector (online)


September 22, 2010
13th Annual Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show (Plainfield, IN)


September 22, 2010
Sustainable Purchasing Webinar: Decks and docks, fiber-reinforced concrete and asphalt, spill booms and barriers and more (online)


September 21, 2010
Resourceful Use Event (Portland, OR)


September 23, 2010
Sustainable Industries: Economic Forum Series - Seattle (Seattle, WA)


October 6, 2010
Environmental Managers Bootcamp (Seattle, WA)


October 5 - 6, 2010
2010 Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention(P2) Regional Roundtable: "Emerging Trends in Climate Change and Toxics Reduction: Tools for Business and Industry" (Poulsbo, WA)


July 13 - December 17, 2010
Energy Conservation Training Company Classes (Portland, OR)