Top Stories
How walkable neighborhoods increase home
values, illustrated.—reliability medium.
"Home values in walkable neighborhoods are measurably higher than those
that are not, even when other relevant factors are controlled in the
analysis." Economist Joe Cortright found: "Examining data from 98,000
home sales in 15 metropolitan areas, and controlling for other relevant
factors, each increase of one point on Walk Score’s walkability scale
raises home values by $700 to $3000." Improving walkability added
$10,000 to $30,000 to home values in most cities. Article includes
slide show reporting research findings. See
NRDC blog. Walk Score site. [Is this why home
values are so high in San Francisco, Boston, New York City? It would be
interesting to compare the higher cost of housing in walkable
neighborhoods with the cost of gas for getting around in less walkable
neighborhoods.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Real-time transit info comes to a smart phone
near you.—reliability medium.
Front Seat "have launched City-Go-Round, a searchable directory of some
sixty (and, they say, more coming) applications to aid transit riders
in cities across the country." Some amazing apps for your smartphone to
save minutes or hours getting around. See
NRDC blog. City-Go-Round site.
PDF of press release here.
[Dig
ExitStrategyNYC app, which embodies the wisdom that veteran transiteers
learn over months or years of riding: which car of the train to board
to minimize the walk to the station exit you want at your destination.
Use the time while you are waiting for the train to preposition
yourself and save minutes later. Last minute gift idea?]
Baxter Launches Global Supplier
Sustainability Program.—reliability high.
Baxter International "will evaluate its suppliers using 20 different
criteria, such as if they have an environmental or sustainability
program and how they are reducing their carbon footprint and natural
resource use. The company says it is committed to working with
its suppliers to improve their environmental performance, purchase
products with reduced environmental impacts, and minimize
transportation-related emissions. The company has also pledged to
specially recognize suppliers who engage in activities that result in
positive environmental results for themselves –and for Baxter." See
2Sustain. Press release here.
Bluesign continues to expand reach.—reliability
high.
"The bluesign certification scheme is continuing to expand its reach
throughout the textile supply chain with new supporters and screening
contracts signed up on an increasingly frequent basis." Examples of
firms who have recently joined the program. See
Ecotextile News. Bluesign site.
After 28% Fuel Savings with Hybrid Vans, UPS
Orders 200 More.—reliability high.
A 12-month test of six hybrid delivery vehicles at a UPS facility in
Phoenix, studied by NREL, found The hybrid vehicles achieved 13.1 miles
per gallon, compared to 10.1 mpg for the conventional diesel vans, with
lower maintenance costs. However, uptime for the conventional diesels
was higher. From
Environmental Leader. NREL Press release here.
Government and
Regulation
Feds mull regulating drugs in water.—reliability
high.
"A burst of significant announcements in recent weeks reflects an
expanded government effort to deal with pharmaceuticals as
environmental pollutants" The U.S. EPA "has listed some pharmaceuticals
as candidates for regulation in drinking water." The Food and Drug
Administration "declared a goal of working toward the return of all
unused medicines" so they won't be flushed down toilets. "The National
Toxicology Program is conducting research to clarify how human health
may be harmed by drugs at low environmental levels." An EPA study "will
look for 200 chemical and microbial contaminants at 50 plants that
treat drinking water." More on the issue and the administration's more
aggressive action in this area. In
Seattle Post-Intelligencer from AP.
Other Science
Facts
NASA Data Reveal Major Groundwater Loss in
California.—reliability high.
"New space observations reveal that since October 2003, the aquifers
for California's primary agricultural region -- the Central Valley --
and its major mountain water source -- the Sierra Nevadas -- have lost
nearly enough water combined to fill Lake Mead, America's largest
reservoir. The findings, based on data from the NASA/German Aerospace
Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace), reflect
California's extended drought and increased rates of groundwater being
pumped for human uses, such as irrigation." The sensitive satellite
instruments can measure the loss of the mass of water from the aquifer.
It has been drawn down by "more than 30 cubic kilometers of water since
late 2003". See
JPL site. [These
results are similar to those reported earlier for Northern India.]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2009 HaraBara, Inc.]