FEATURES AND NEWS
A computer refurbishing and recycling pilot project, supported by Microsoft, PC Rebuilders and Recyclers, and SERI has launched. The R2 Ready for Reuse label project will provide purchasers of used computers assurance that the used devices have been responsibly refurbished. The program provides participating R2 Certified computer refurbishing and recycling ... Read more »
There are three main ways to use solar energy to supplement data center powering, according to Srikanth Murugan, the Global Director Sales Engineering at Flexenclosure. Mururgan writes at Clean Technica that the methods are to buy energy from a local solar utility or build a solar farm as a primary or secondary energy source. ... Read more »
A fire station in Washington cut its energy use by almost 80 percent, according to Jonathan Heller, the principal and lead mechanical engineer for Ecotope, the company that led the retrofit. Writing at The Daily Journal of Commerce in Seattle, Heller pointed to the special conditions that make cutting energy ... Read more »
ExxonMobil is under investigation by the New York attorney general for possibly lying about the risks of climate change, the New York Times reports. The newspaper cites people with knowledge of the investigation and says New York attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman issued a subpoena Wednesday evening to Exxon that ... Read more »
The biobased solvents market is expected to reach $13 billion globally by 2020, according to a new report from Allied Market Research. Market volume is expected to reach 3.3 million tons by 2020, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3 percent during 2015–2020 forecast period. The paints and ... Read more »
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Water treatment plants can save money on chemicals and efficiently achieve low-level phosphorus objectives with the IntelliPro Filtration Optimization System. The PC-based control system for Aqua-Aerobic cloth media filters uses real-time data to optimize chemical addition to meet phosphorus removal objectives. The system features automatic, optimal-dose selection for metal salts, ... Read more »
A Drexel University study found that buildings are by far the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Philadelphia, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. The report, which was commissioned by the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, found that buildings created 60 percent of emissions. Motor vehicles were a distant second place ... Read more »
The Green Communities Fund, a program from the Georgia Cities Foundation, is offering rebates for energy improvements in structures in the downtown of any city in the state. The rebate will be 25 percent of the pre-approved improvement costs, from a minimum of $2,500 to a maximum of $100,000. The ... Read more »
Tubelite’s 400TU Series thermal curtainwall, which is aimed at medium- and low-rise commercial buildings, features aluminum framing, dual thermal struts and high-performance insulated glass, according to the company. The 400TU has a U-Factor of 0.30 for thermal transmittance and a frame condensation resistance factor of 81. ESa, formerly Earl Swensson ... Read more »
“For too long, the value has been simply put on recycling with no concern for what that material is and if it has a valuable second or even third life,” says Stacy Glass, vice president, built environment, Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. “Recycling is dealing with the problems of ... Read more »
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Liberty Global, an international cable company, is addressing regional reporting differences and improving the consistency and visibility of its global sustainability reporting, thanks to sustainability software firm cr360. Using cr360’s reporting tools, Liberty Global developed templated social and environmental reports — collaboratively designed with cr360 — to display specific pre-determined ... Read more »
ASARCO has agreed to a settlement with the EPA and US Department of Justice that requires the company to spend $150 million to install new equipment and pollution control technology to reduce emissions of toxic heavy metals at a large copper smelter in Hayden, Arizona. The company will also fund ... Read more »
Telecommunications network providers will spend more than $31 billion in distributed generation and energy storage (DG and ES) from this year through 2024, according to Navigant Research. Power requirements for the growing demands for telecommunications services are driving overall demand for power. In addition, the reliability of these supplies makes ... Read more »
OriginClear’s Electro-Oxidation (EO) Toolkit effectively removes — without chemicals — 96 percent of bacteria and 97 percent of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from produced water. The company reported the results after the Toolkit was used to lab and field test produced water from the Eagle Ford shale formation. Cost and water ... Read more »
FleetMind Solutions has launched new smart truck features that it says further enhance waste collection safety, customer service responsiveness and billing capabilities. Martin Demers, CEO of FleetMind, says the waste and recycling industry is increasingly demanding smart truck technologies as more municipalities and waste hauling organizations want to know what’s ... Read more »
Siemens will be the long term partner on water and energy infrastructure projects at the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), according to the vendor. The company was awarded the $24 million energy savings performance contract (ESPC) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering and Support Center. The release says ... Read more »
The take-make-waste model has served companies well for decades but taking has its limits. Net positive has emerged to inspire a movement toward a restorative economic model that centers on giving back. Like the activist company discussed above, companies with net positive goals go beyond the boundaries of their operations ... Read more »
This article was co-authored by Emily Barkdoll. With Congressman Paul D. Ryan (R-WI) becoming Speaker of the House, his seat as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee is up for grabs. Both Representative Pat Tiberi (R-OH) and Representative Kevin Brady (R-TX) have thrown their hats into the ring to succeed ... Read more »
Construction of energy efficient homes cuts costs by both reducing energy expenditures and enables the builder or buyer to qualify for tax incentives, according to a story at The Independent Record in Helena, MT. The story focuses on Habitat for Humanity. The group built a 768 square-foot home in Helena last ... Read more »
Demand management firm Comverge and Apogee Interactive are partnering on a product that the companies say will provide multiple data streams and analytics that will generate “relevant, personal and actionable energy efficiency insights and tips to consumers.” Apogee’s customer engagement and energy analysis software will be integrated into Comverge’s IntelliSOURCE customer engagement ... Read more »
Long Beach, CA, this week launched an LED streetlight retrofit program that officials said will cut carbon emissions by 7,297 tons and save $1 million annually in energy and maintenance costs. The story at the Press-Telegram says that the first phase of the project will be the replacement of 1,750 ... Read more »
Apple, Microsoft and Google made the CDP 2015 Climate A List, which includes companies that received an A grade for their actions to mitigate climate change. CDP published the list as part of its annual Climate Change Report. The A List features brands from around the world including BMW, Nissan, ... Read more »
But, Castellani cautions, businesses acting alone to reduce their carbon footprints can’t solve the issue. Government policy is essential, “which is why companies care about a strong outcome at the COP21 talks.” Economic Benefits of Emissions Cuts General Mills is one of the recent American Business Act on Climate Pledge ... Read more »
The Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) has approved plans to transition the GRI G4 Guidelines to GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards (GRI Standards). The existing G4 content will be transitioned into a new, modular format. In the future, the GSSB will no longer issue generations of Guidelines as it has done ... Read more »
Volkswagen has admitted that even more cars — some 800,000 vehicles from the VW Group — are involved in the emissions scandal and this number includes gas-powered cars, not just diesel. The automaker yesterday issued a statement saying that the VW internal investigation found “irregularities … when determining type approval ... Read more »