FEATURES AND NEWS
We will also require unified pathways which business can use to balance their books, or at least balance liabilities with positive environmental assets, where such liabilities can or have not yet been eliminated. It will therefore be essential to craft an expanded offsetting approach, including carbon, biodiversity and other offsets ... Read more »
A registered reviewer on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report has challenged the report’s findings on climate change’s economic effects. Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the London School of Economics’ Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, said a number of data in the ... Read more »
There is increasing recognition among both travel professionals and consumers of the importance of responsible travel and “strong evidence” that responsible travel is good for the economic bottom line, according to analysis by Center for Responsible Travel. CREST’s study, The Case for Responsible Travel: Trends and Statistics, examines a wide range ... Read more »
Ecova yesterday launched the Ecova Platform, an all-in-one product designed to help commercial and industrial clients manage, analyze and report on energy and resource usage. The Ecova Platform provides facility, accounting, cost, and resource consumptive data, and can be used by staff in sustainability, energy, facility and finance roles, the ... Read more »
A new study by a researcher with the University of Texas at Austin questions whether current gas drilling in Flower Mound, Texas, raises incidence of cancer in residents. The researcher, Rachael Rawlins, criticizes a Texas Department of State Health study from 2010 that found no link between cancer rates and ... Read more »
Partner Content
The EPA announced legal agreements with Clifton 2003, Hampshire Generational Fund and WEA Enterprises Co. to repay $2.1 million that the agency spent to clean up contamination at Abrachem Chemical, a former bulk chemical packaging facility in Clifton, N.J. The EPA says that when it began its investigation and cleanup of ... Read more »
TRC Companies, Inc., has been awarded a new patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office to support additional features in its cap design that prevents releases of liquid coal tar, petroleum and other non-aqueous phase liquids at contaminated sediment sites. TRC now holds two patents for cap designs that ... Read more »
Ecova rolled out a new platform that combines energy analytics and sustainability data in one dashboard – the Ecova Energy and Sustainability Management Platform for commercial and industrial clients. Ecova says it depth of experience coupled with its Ecova Data Warehouse guided it to build a scalable energy management platform ... Read more »
Sparked by a six-fold increase in complaints about unregulated natural gas suppliers in 2014, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) issued a warning for Chicago-area consumers to beware of bad deals in the gas market. The watchdog group is concerned that frigid winter weather and recent increases in rates offered by ... Read more »
Internet infrastructure provider Internap will equip its new hybrid data center in New Jersey with an array of technologies from Schneider Electric to enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs. Schneider will deploy its Symmetra uninterruptible power supply (UPS) modules, Square D Switchgear for protecting and controlling electrical currents, and Schneider Electric’s Building Management ... Read more »
Partner Content
Optimum Energy launched the OptiCx Platform to optimize energy usage for heating and cooling systems. The OptiCx Platform provides individualized energy management and energy efficiency solutions for large-scale HVAC systems through two subscription levels: Essentials and Expert. The Essentials subscription offers operational analytics on HVAC system electricity consumption and carbon ... Read more »
European Union policymakers have put forth an objective that promotes an increase in the use of renewable energy sources to achieve 27 percent renewable generation by 2030. In line with this goal, the EU’s wind industry has grown annually since 1995. However, despite this proposed benchmark for 2030, the EU ... Read more »
TSO Logic unveiled its Data Center Efficiency Console (DEC), a shareable, widget-style dashboard with data about application performance, power consumption and operating costs. Integrated with TSO Logic’s Application-Aware Power Management software, the DEC displays dozens of metrics to establish benchmarks and set efficiency targets company-wide, including: Cost per transaction, Power usage by ... Read more »
Ensupra Solar provides do-it-yourself kits for consumers to install their own solar PV panels. Ensupra says its PluggedSolar kits have been installed at 100 homes across the United States and are now being distributed by individual resellers in Mexico. The smallest PluggedSolar kit is a 6-panel, 1.7 kW, 120V system ... Read more »
Daylighting, adding individual controls or simply just choosing the correct lamp are all examples of energy efficient lighting strategies that forward-thinking businesses have implemented, reports Buildings. If a building is in line for a structural retrofit, it could be useful to consider making better use of the cheapest, lighting source: the ... Read more »
The Department of Energy released information on the first six public meetings to collect stakeholder input into the Quadrennial Energy Review, which was launched by President Obama in January. DOE will hold a series of meetings to discuss and receive comments on issues related to the development of a comprehensive ... Read more »
Renewable Energy Systems Americas began operation of the company’s first energy storage system. RES Americas conceived, developed, and constructed the energy storage system, which it will own and operate in Sunbury, Ohio. The system is comprised of a +/-4 MW (8MW total range)/ 2.6 MWh lithium battery that will provide ... Read more »
Other items the survey points out include the following: Participants underestimated water use by a factor of two on average, with the largest underestimates for high-water-use activities (car washes, washing machines). Participants with strong pro-environmental attitudes tended to have more accurate perceptions about energy use and consumption but not about ... Read more »
Small businesses and residential customers in California are due to see cuts to their April electricity bills as a result of the state’s cap-and-trade program. Small commercial, industrial and agricultural customers will receive the Climate Credit every month, proportional to the amount of electricity used. Nonprofits and schools are also ... Read more »
Exxon Mobil issued a report Monday on the risks that climate change policies could pose to the value of its assets and future profitability, according to the Associated Press. The company does not believe governments would impose policies that would severely limit emissions so sharply because oil and gas are so critical ... Read more »
Sixty-four business brands have been rated with the highest – and lowest – levels of positive perception among executives responsible for environment, health and safety functions. Global Survey 2014: EH&S Brands was conducted by independent analyst firm Verdantix and is based on interviews with 250 heads of environment, health and ... Read more »
ASHRAE is for the first time partnering on the development of the National Green Building Standard, ICC/ASHRAE 700. Other organizations developing the standard’s third edition include the National Association of Home Builders and and the International Code Council. The Canadian government has proposed legislative changes to the Hazardous Products Act as a ... Read more »
Renewable diesel fuel blend made from sugar did not impact ship engine performance or operation, according to a study by the Maritime Administration. Over a two-week period, MARAD tested the operational, vibration and performance difference of a test vessel’s use of ultra low sulfur diesel versus a blend of diesel and ... Read more »
Clariant is now part of Together for Sustainability (TfS), an organization seeking to improve sustainability practices within the supply chains of the chemical industry. Clariant becomes the eighth member in the initiative with AkzoNobel, BASF, Bayer, Evonik Industries, Henkel, Lanxess and Solvay. The joint operations of global supplier assessments and ... Read more »
The Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) said that Isuzu Manufacturing Services America, a medium and heavy duty commercial vehicle and diesel engine manufacturer, has joined the Forum. DTF is a non-profit organization that promotes the use of the newest clean diesel technologies in the United States and throughout the world. Isuzu ... Read more »