FEATURES AND NEWS
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Forge Nano – a company that claims to be “inventing the future, one atom at a time” – to commercialize NREL’s patented lithium-ion (li-ion) battery materials and systems capable of operating safely in high-stress environments.
Fiat Chrysler (FCA) has filed a motion to dismiss an emissions lawsuit that claims Dodge Ram trucks emit illegal levels of nitrogen oxides, which the car company has allegedly covered up with the use of “defeat devices” during emissions testing. Cummins, an engine manufacturer used by Chrysler, is also listed as a defendant. ... Read more »
The city of Boston hopes to cut down its $37 million annual waste hauling costs by pursuing zero waste. The city’s contract for hauling and recycling is up for re-bid next year, and the city chief of environment has said they will be exploring required compost pickup and tracking technology, ... Read more »
The US Navy’s submarine base in Groton, CT, will soon have long-term power supplied by two power plants from FuelCell Energy. The energy company is working with the submarine base via a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Connecticut Municipal Electric Cooperative, which in turn will work with Groton Utilities ... Read more »
Members of the Trump administration are meeting tomorrow to discuss the global climate treaty accord and whether the United States should remain involved.
Partner Content
As San Diegans start to crank up their air conditioners, the city and the San Diego County Water Authority are developing a way to store energy by using water. Water officials said it’s expected to save ratepayers money in the long run, according to a May 4 report by the ABC-TV affiliate KGTV San Diego.
A program designed to finance projects to make commercial buildings more energy efficient is growing in Rhode Island, according to a May 5 report by Rhode Island Public Radio. Thirteen more municipalities are working to participate in the Rhode Island Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program. They would join ... Read more »
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Angus King (I-Maine), Jeff Merkley ( D-Oregon), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) announced jointly on May 3 that they had introduced legislation to increase domestic production of low-carbon, renewable energy from the natural power in ocean waves, tides, and currents.
De Beers, the diamond unit of Anglo American, will attempt to capture carbon within the rock from which diamonds are extracted in order to offset its harmful emissions and reduce a tax it might have to pay on carbon emissions at its South Africa mines. De Beers plans to pilot ... Read more »
Joby Carlson, director of energy and operations sustainability for Walmart, discusses the retailer’s approach to addressing climate change.
Partner Content
Citigroup’s real estate portfolio covers millions of square feet in 160 countries. The investment banking and financial services corporation’s locations aren’t set in stone, though. “We’re constantly moving,” says Steven Avadek, director and global head of sustainability for Citi Realty Services at Citigroup. As a result, Citi has dynamic energy ... Read more »
The Environmental Protection Agency would like to give the states more flexibility when it comes to dealing with where to put coal ash.
On May 1, California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) on introduced an amended version of Senate Bill 100, The California Clean Energy Act of 2017, in the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, which would put the Golden State on the path to 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2045.
New York's Putnam Valley School District 'Comes Clean'
A dozen environmental advocacy groups, as well as Alaska Native groups, filed a lawsuit in district court in Alaska on May 3 against U.S. President Donald Trump – challenging his decision to jettison a permanent ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans
European fashion retailer C&A has debuted its line of “C2C Certified” T-shirts, which the company says are made of 100% organic cotton, produced using only chemicals that are designed for safe cycling as biological nutrients, and manufactured in a socially and environmentally responsible way. The clothing line will be available for consumers ... Read more »
Retailers and manufacturers have dictated that sustainable packaging is no longer just “nice to have,” but is something they expect from the packaging industry, according to a new study from Smithers Pira. Packaging materials are extremely visible to the consumer, and retailers, packaged product suppliers, governments, regulators, NGOs and environmental groups are ... Read more »
In a bid to adopt more efficient and sustainable processes, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has begun operating what it calls “green package” flights on its non-stop San Francisco-Singapore route, powered by sustainable biofuels produced from used cooking oils and conventional jet fuel. The flights – the first of which took off ... Read more »
Business energy advocacy group Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) lauded the Florida Legislature on May 3 for passing Senate Bill 90, Renewable Energy Source Devices, which provides tax incentives to commercial and industrial ratepayers that buy and install solar energy systems. Residential customer-generators already have those incentives.
On August 21, the first total solar eclipse to darken U.S. skies since 1979 will force utilities from Oregon through South Carolina to rely on contingency plans for an electric grid increasingly powered by the sun, according to a report this week by the Financial Times.
ON, Germany’s largest utility, and U.S. technology colossus Google are partnering in the solar market, according to a May 2 report by the European business daily Handelsblatt.
Steven Avadek, director and global head of sustainability for Citi Realty Services at Citigroup, discusses energy-as-a-service.
An “unprecedented cash drain” as a result of Volkswagen’s emissions-cheating scandal has required the automaker to strip costs and revive returns at its largest division, the VW brand (via Bloomberg). Despite the lingering fallout from Volkswagen AG’s emissions-cheating scandal, the automaker is reporting a sharp rise in first-quarter profit, according to ... Read more »
Coca-Cola and Amazon are leading the way in terms of sustainable packaging strides, according to the buzz leading up to Interpack trade fair in Germany this week. Coke’s bio-based PlantBottle, 100% bio-based recyclable container, is leading the buzz, per Packaging Digest. Coke’s sustainable packaging lead, Sarah Dearman, says sourcing plays a ... Read more »
Companies in the construction business in Illinois are arguing against tougher monitoring of porous rock quarries that are being reclaimed by being filled with “clean construction-demolition debris” (CCDD). Road builders, engineers and the like say Illinois has enough quarry regulations and that additional monitoring would place an undue financial burden ... Read more »