With more than $500,000 in grant funding, UConn is one of six public universities in New England that is benefiting from a national focus on “green chemistry” as a way of preserving resources while reducing waste and the generation of hazardous materials.  A past aticle on this site, 10 Corps Call for Environmental Reform also deals the Environmental Reform.

Green chemistry is well beyond the research stage, at next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing, people will use throwaway eating utensils able to be composted without harming the environment, even though they may not be biodegradable.

The EPA’s Green Chemistry Mission is to promote innovative chemical technologies that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances in the design, manufacture, and use of chemical products.  In addition, the Royal Society of Chemistry now has a Green Chemistry Journal.

It’s Not Easy Being Green!

The electricity industry is changing. At least 50 percent of customers have the option to purchase renewable electricity directly from their power supplier. Such power is sometimes referred to as “green power” or “clean power.”

In most states, you can buy clean power through one or more of the following programs:

Green pricing — Some power companies are now providing an optional service, called green pricing, that allows customers to pay a small premium in exchange for electricity generated from clean, renewable (“green”) energy sources. The premium covers the increased costs incurred by the power provider (i.e. electric utility) when adding renewable energy to its power generation mix.

Competitive electricity markets — In some parts of the country, consumers can choose not only how their electricity is generated, but also who generates it. Just as the long-distance telephone industry was restructured, certain states have restructured their electricity industry in order to allow competition among electricity generators. In some of these states, clean power generators, who specialize in producing electricity using renewable sources, are taking advantage of the restructured market to sell clean power products to residential, commercial, and wholesale customers.

Some default suppliers are also teaming with these competitive marketers to offer more green power options. Efforts to sell clean power are aimed at consumers who will choose to pay slightly more for renewable energy products and services that reflect their environmental values. The small premium you pay offsets the additional costs power companies incur in purchasing and/or generating electricity from renewable sources.

Green certificates — Buying green certificates allows you to contribute to the generation of clean, renewable power even if you can’t buy clean power from your power provider (i.e. electric utility) or from a clean power generator on the competitive market.

An increasing number of clean power generators are now separating the power that they sell to power providers from the environmental attributes associated with that power. These environmental attributes, called green certificates (also known as “green tags,” “renewable energy certificates,” or “tradable renewable certificates”), are then sold to companies and individuals who want to help increase the amount of clean power entering the nation’s electricity supply.

By separating the environmental attributes from the power, clean power generators are able to sell the electricity they produce to power providers at a competitive market value. The additional revenue generated by the sale of the green certificates covers the above-market costs associated with producing power made from renewable energy sources. This extra revenue also encourages the development of additional renewable energy projects.

Several organizations offer green energy or renewable energy certificates that can be purchased separate from your current electricity service.

For more information on buying green power, go to http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/index.shtml (a Web page of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy). To find out which organizations offer green power in your state, go to http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml.

The tips are from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Back in Oct. scubaology.com published an article on Great Lakes Conservation.  Recently, The International Joint Commission (IJC) called on the governments of Canada and the United States to create and apply an uncommonly strong Accountability Framework for Great Lakes restoration and protection under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

In its Thirteenth Biennial Report on Great Lakes Water Quality, released on Feb. 7, IJC urges the governments to present a preliminary framework by June 2008.

“We chose to focus this biennial report on a single theme — accountability — because accountability is absolutely indispensable if the governments are serious about their commitments to improve water quality under this agreement,” said Commissioner Allen Olson.

The report sets out the following elements for such a framework:

• Developing a rigorous, coordinated plan that identifies and prioritizes the actions needed to realize the goals of the agreement, includes measurable targets and sets timelines for completion — such targets and timelines are generally not in the current agreement.
• Whether it be an existing or a new organization, some binational entity needs to be fully and clearly charged with the responsibility to gather information that can be used to assess progress toward the agreement’s purpose and goals.
• Providing substantive and meaningful progress reports on a triennial basis.
• Using the reports to review and adjust action plans.

“Experts and concerned citizens across the Great Lakes basin have told us that accountability needs to be the cornerstone for Great Lakes’ restoration and protection programs,” said Commissioner Jack Blaney.

The governments of the United States and Canada are currently leading a comprehensive review of the agreement for the first time since 1987. The commission also recommended that the governments accelerate their review so that the results coincide with the release of the draft Accountability Framework.

For its part, the commission committed to forming a task force to assist it in consulting with the governments on a practical and effective Accountability Framework as well as convening, in collaboration with governments and others, a Great Lakes Accountability Summit in summer 2008.

For additional information or a copy of the report visit the commission’s Web site: http://www.ijc.org/.

This is a great move to help keep the Great Lakes a important ecological part of North America.  The more we work to improve our environment the more when are helping our future.  Tell me what you think about this topic.

Businesses, Environmental Groups Offer U.S. Climate Change Policy Recommendations

Ten major U.S. corporations are joining environmental groups to call on the federal government to quickly enact strong national legislation to achieve significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.

The alliance, called the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), released a report on Jan. 22 that recommends a 10 percent to 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions within 15 years with a goal of a 60 percent to 80 percent reduction by 2050. The US CAP report, A Call for Action, calls for a comprehensive package of policies that are market based, including a greenhouse gas trading system and support for new, clean technologies and efficiency.

“The time has come for constructive action that draws strength equally from business, government, and non-governmental stakeholders,” said Jeff Immelt, chairman and CEO of General Electric. “These recommendations should catalyze legislative action that encourages innovation and fosters economic growth while enhancing energy security and balance of trade, ensuring U.S. leadership on an issue of significance to our country and the world.”

The U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) consists of Alcoa, BP America, Caterpillar, Duke Energy, DuPont, FPL Group, General Electric, Lehman Brothers, PG&E, and PNM Resources, along with four non-governmental organizations — Environmental Defense, Natural Resources Defense Council, Pew Center on Global Climate Change and World Resources Institute.

USCAP’s recommendations are based on the following six principles:

• Account for the global dimensions of climate change.
• Recognize the importance of technology.
• Be environmentally effective.
• Create economic opportunity and advantage.
• Be fair to sectors disproportionately impacted.
• Recognize and encourage early action.

The principles and the recommendations outlined in the report are the result of a year-long collaboration motivated by the shared goal of slowing, stopping and reversing the growth of greenhouse gas emissions over the shortest period of time reasonably achievable.

This unique cooperation of business and environmental leaders is a clear signal to lawmakers that legislative action is urgently needed, the groups stated. This non-partisan effort was driven by the top executives from member organizations — companies with a combined market capitalization of more than $750 billion and environmental groups with more than one million members worldwide and global policy influence.

USCAP urges policy makers to enact a policy framework for mandatory reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from major emitting sectors, including large stationary sources and transportation, and energy use in commercial and residential buildings. The cornerstone of this approach would be a cap-and-trade program. The environmental goal is to reduce global atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations to a level that minimizes large-scale adverse impacts to humans and the natural environment. The group recommends Congress provide leadership and establish short- and mid-term emission reduction targets; a national program to accelerate technology research, development and deployment; and approaches to encourage action by other countries, including those in the developing world, as ultimately the solution must be global.

“The Climate Action Partnership recognizes that the undertaking to address climate change is an enormous one, and should not be underestimated,” said Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute. “But enacting environmentally effective, economically sustainable and fair climate change law must be a national priority.”

USCAP believes that programs to encourage efficiency and to promote cleaner technologies in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 enacted by the last Congress and supported by the president were a good step. However, they alone cannot get the nation to where it needs to be on the climate change issue. The members of USCAP pledge to work with the president, the Congress and other stakeholders to confront this vital global challenge.

The report can be accessed in PDF format at http://www.us-cap.org/ClimateReport.pdf.

It’s Not Easy Being Green
(or, What Can We Do to Help Our Environment)
By Allan Kaufman, Director, The Compliance Resource Center
 
I recently became a volunteer scuba diver at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.  Through my involvement with Shedd Aquarium, Greater Chicago ASSE, and the safety community, I have become more aware of my community and its environment, and the environment is not looking very good.  Therefore, this article will discuss two issues concerning our environment and how we can have an impact to bring about change.   The two issues concern the Great Lakes and Building

The first concern is our Great Lakes.    Do you remember the acronym HOMES?  That is what many people use to remember the names of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior).  These Great Lakes provide over 20% of the world’s fresh water.  In Chicago and the surrounding communities, Lake Michigan provides a majority of the drinking water, which is rated excellent by independent sources.  However, are toxic pollutants, such as mercury and agricultural pesticides, have threatened you aware that the Great Lakes water quality?   This is OUR drinking water and our CHILDREN’S drinking water.  These chemicals enter the aquatic system through direct dumping, such as paper mill waste, or indirect pathways, such as field-water run-off and power plant air pollution. 
Every summer beaches in the Chicago area are closed because of the high level of e-coli and other bacteria in the water.  These threats occur from untreated sewage or animal waste entering the water.  Did you know that fishing and boating on the Great Lakes is a 10 billion dollar industry?  Pollution is also having a dramatic negative effect on these industries..  These chemicals enter the aquatic system through direct dumping, such as paper mill waste, or indirect pathways, such as field-water run-off and power plant air pollution. 
Every summer beaches in the Chicago area are closed because of the high level of e-coli and other bacteria in the water.  These threats occur from untreated sewage or animal waste entering the water.  Did you know that fishing and boating on the Great Lakes is a 10 billion dollar industry?  Pollution is also having a dramatic negative effect on these industries. 
What can we do as safety professionals and people who live in the communities around the Great Lakes?  Have an environmentally sound work place, and make your employees aware of their community’s response to the environment.  A good place to start is the link below. www.greatlakesforever.org/html/aboutus.html  (more…)