Top Stories
E.P.A. Makes Its Case on Climate Change.—reliability
high.
"In the last few days, the Environmental Protection Agency seems to
have initiated a public campaign to make clear where it, and the
science, stand, stating that the rise in greenhouse gases is a serious
problem to be confronted. On Monday night, the E.P.A. administrator,
Lisa Jackson, made the point as a guest on 'The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart.' And on Tuesday, the agency released an 80-page glossy report
called 'Climate Change Indicators in the United States' to help
Americans make sense of climate change data." See The
New York Times. PDF of EPA report here.
Administrator Jackson on The Daily Show video (with ad) here.
[Report provides
an excellent summary of current climate data and trends, with good
graphics. Well worth a look.]
New York City's Green Dividend.—reliability
high.
"When does a bike lane become an economic stimulus? When it's
part of an alternative transportation system that puts $19 billion into
New York City's economy each year. Because New Yorkers drive
substantially less than the average American, they realize a staggering
$19 billion in savings each year — money that their counterparts in
other large U.S. metro areas spend on auto-related expenses. This is
the principal finding of New York City’s Green Dividend, a report by
CEOs for Cities for the New York City Department of Transportation."
See CEOs
for Cities site. PDF of report here.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
World’s No. 2 Disc Maker Bets on Solar
Panels Over Blu-Rays.—reliability high.
"Moser Baer India Ltd., the world’s second-largest maker of blank
discs, expects to become a solar equipment company in five years as
growth in demand for clean energy in India outpaces that for DVDs and
Blu-rays. 'Growth in photovoltaics dwarfs our main business,' Chief
Financial Officer Yogesh Mathur said in a phone interview, referring to
Moser Baer Photo Voltaic Ltd. ... 'The Indian market is taking off,' he
said. 'We can clearly see sitting here that we're in the midst of a
market that has huge potential.'" See Business
Week. [Re-orienting
the company as times change.]
Better Place's battery-swapping electric
taxi test takes off in Tokyo.—reliability high.
Better Place launches 90-day trial of battery switching for 3 taxis in
Tokyo. "The test, implemented in conjunction with taxi firm Nihon
Kotsu, kicked off with ribbon cutting and a demonstration of some
converted Qashqai having their power packs replaced in the latest
iteration of BP's battery switcher." With press release and video of
the system. See Autoblog
Green.
Practical Advice for Greening Small and
Medium-sized Enterprises (SME).—reliability medium.
"Does sustainability offer any real advantages for SMEs? If so, how
does the small business owner or even the executive management team of
a mid-sized corporation apply such a lofty ideal to daily operations?
There are many methods but only one formula: leadership, an inquiring
mind, and creativity. For those pioneers eagerly embracing
sustainability, the payoffs of going green are significant and the
risks are minimal." Suggestions and anecdotes. From Green Economy
Post.
Government and
Regulation
EPA's National Building Competition
contestants announced.—reliability high.
"EPA is hosting a national competition among commercial buildings to
save energy and fight climate change. Competitors will 'work off the
waste' through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA’s
ENERGY STAR program. The building that sheds the most energy waste will
be recognized as the winner. Nearly 200 buildings applied to compete.
In the end, 14 were selected, including schools, hotels, dormitories,
stores, offices, museums, and other buildings we see in our communities
every day. Competitors come from across the country, from mid-town
Manhattan to the mountains of Colorado." Link to list of contestants
and profiles. More at EPA
site.
Science and
Economics
Bye-bye East Coast Beaches.—reliability
high.
About the campaign of Jim Titus, the Environmental Protection Agency's
resident expert on sea-level rise, to alert planning officials and
others to the consequences of the now-inevitable sea level rise impacts
on America's east coast. "'I decided to do my best to prevent the
taxpayer investment from being wasted.' ... As Margaret Davidson,
director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
Coastal Services Center in Charleston, South Carolina, puts it,
'Today's flood is tomorrow's high tide.'" Story in Mother
Jones.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]