In the Great Lakes region, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention (P4P2) will be hosting the 14th Annual Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show on Thursday, September 22.

GLRPPR’s sister Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) center, the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) is hosting a 20th anniversary banquet for its regional P2 roundtable during P2 Week.  Highlights will include a presentation by Dara O’Rourke, founder of the Good Guide, and former PPRC staff member.

And to kick off P2 Week, P2Rx has announced the launch of the National Sustainable Lodging Network, an online community of sustainable hospitality practitioners and an information clearinghouse to support the work of this community, found online at www.SustainableLodging.org. This site brings lodging operations together with federal, state, local, and tribal sustainable hospitality programs, including environmental agencies, tourism boards, and lodging associations. The goals for the site are to provide forums for sustainable hospitality practitioners to share information on practices and challenges; elevate sustainable hospitality programs and the facilities that participate in them; increase the adoption of sustainable hospitality practices nationwide; and foster innovation in sustainable lodging through the exchange of ideas.

If your organization or community is hosting a special event this week, tell us about it in the comments section of this post.

The free seminar will begin at 9 a.m. with a presentation from Praveen Gupta, an internationally renowned thought leader in the field of excellence and innovation.  Praveen is founding President of Accelper Consulting engaged in helping companies benefit from excellence and innovation in achieving their business objectives including sustainability.  He believes that sloppy designs utilizing unnecessary resources cause excessive waste, and lack of leadership in developing environment friendly innovative solutions has caused the sustainability fire to blaze.

Praveen has taught professional seminars world over for about 20 years. He has consulted with over 100 corporations in the areas of excellence and innovation. He has taught at DePaul University, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and will launch a class at the University of Illinois, Chicago this spring. Praveen has authored several books.

Following Praveen’s remarks, a panel of speakers will discuss energy assistance programs that are available to organizations and homeowners. The panel speakers include:

• Kristin Chalifoux – Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC)
• Steve Baab – ComEd
• Carol Kulek – Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)
• Bob Romo – Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation
• Todd Rusk – IL Sustainable Technology Center
• Richard Reese – IL Environmental Protection Agency
• Cheryl Miller – Ameren Illinois

Panelists will give brief remarks about their program and then a panel discussion will follow.  Questions also will be taken from the audience.

While the seminar is free, participants must register.  To register, go to http://www.istc.illinois.edu/info/govs_awards_registration.cfm .

The morning seminar is in connection with the Governor’s Sustainability Award program.  Twenty seven organizations will be presented with Sustainability Awards at a luncheon for projects to help the environment and the economy.  The luncheon and award presentation is by invitation only.

ISTC has presented the Governor’s Awards since 1987.  ISTC is a division of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois.

He now will be the Director of Energy and Sustainable Business Programs at the U of I – Business Innovation Services (BIS).  He will lead the State’s Green Jobs Initiative and will also direct the State’s efforts to create a stronger local foods industry. Business Innovation Services (BIS) provides customized consulting and training services, as well as public workshops and certificate programs.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Tim,” said Dr. Manohar Kulkarni, PE; Director of ISTC.  “Tim is an innovator; passionate about pollution prevention; and a gentleman.  While his daily presence at the center will certainly be missed, I hope to work with Tim on collaborative projects in his new role.  On behalf of the scientists and staff of ISTC, I wish Dr. Lindsey a roaring success in his future endeavors.”

Lindsey recently received a P² Champion award from the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable.  He has been at ISTC since 1991 and has directed the program that included work in pollution prevention, green business, energy efficiency, alternative energy, carbon foot-printing, water foot-printing, environmental cost analysis, life cycle analysis, and systems engineering.  He is best known for his pioneering work in developing Accelerated Diffusion of Pollution Prevention Technologies (ADOP²T), a model for technology diffusion that speeds the transfer of better environmental technologies and processes from the bench to the plant floor. Lindsey is the driving force behind the Sustainable Electronics Initiative, and has been the leader in ISTC’s effort to promote and improve biofuels.  In recent years, Lindsey has applied his expertise and passion to address sustainability problems in Haiti.  He has worked with local farmers and non-government organizations to set up biodiesel processors and to train Haitians in harvesting a suitable crop like Jatropha, processing it, and operating reactors to produce a quality bio-fuel.

Lindsey was previously employed at Exxon and worked as an Environmental consultant.  He received his B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Science from Southern Illinois University and his Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois.

We offer Tim our congratulations and best wishes. Those of us at ISTC will greatly miss him!

The 2010 Most Valuable Pollution Prevention (MVP2) awards presented by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) celebrate the successes of innovators in the areas of pollution prevention and sustainability. These prestigious awards were presented recently at a ceremony in Washington, DC.  ISTC is a unit of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Tim Lindsey, Associate Director at ISTC; Manohar Kulkarni, ISTC Director; William Bullock, University of Illinois and academic leader of SEI; and Willie Cade, owner of PC Rebuilders and Recyclers and business liaison for SEI.

The MVP2 program award went to the SEI, a consortium dedicated to the development and implementation of a more sustainable system for designing, producing, and remanufacturing electronic devices.  Members of the consortium include academia, non-profit organizations, government agencies, manufacturers, designers, refurbishers and recyclers. Specific elements of the SEI include programs for research, education, data management and technical assistance. SEI conducts collaborative research; facilitates networking and information exchange among participants; promotes technology diffusion via demonstration projects; and provides forums for the discussion of policy and legislation.

Electronic waste is a growing national problem. Americans own some 3 billion electronic products. As new products are purchased, unused products are stored or discarded at alarming rates. About two-thirds of these electronic devices removed from service were still in working order; only about 15% of this material is recycled while the rest is land filled. The existing system for managing E-waste is generally not sustainable; mechanisms for collecting, sorting, reuse, refurbishing, repairing, and remanufacturing are not well developed and/or implemented. Problems of obsolescence, collection, management, and marketing need to be addressed. These are the issues tackled by the SEI.

The SEI last year was partially funded by the EPA as part of the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) program.

Dr. Lindsey’s award was for being a P2 Champion.  This award celebrates an individual whose work has an outstanding impact on implementing pollution prevention.  Lindsey is the ISTC Associate Director and has headed the Technical Assistance Program since 1991. He supervises a staff of engineers and scientists that perform research and assist with implementation of innovative technologies that improve sustainability.  Areas of focus for Dr. Lindsey’s program include:  pollution prevention, green business, energy efficiency, alternative energy, carbon foot-printing, water foot-printing, environmental cost analysis, life cycle analysis, and systems engineering.

Jeff Burke, Executive Director of the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable congratulates Tim Lindsey for his selection as a P2 Champion.

Lindsey has long been a P2 visionary.  Processes and plans that he developed have become standard operational procedures for P2 professionals throughout the nation. He is best known for his pioneering work in developing  Accelerated Diffusion of Pollution Prevention Technologies (ADOP²T), a model for technology diffusion that speeds the transfer of better environmental technologies and processes from the bench to the plant floor. Lindsey is the driving force behind the SEI.  He also has been the leader in ISTC’s effort to promote and improve biofuels.  As a strong believer in information diffusion, Lindsey has spearheaded seminars and information opportunities.  In recent years, Lindsey has applied his expertise and passion to address sustainability problems in Haiti.  He has worked with local farmers and non-government organizations to set up biodiesel processors and to train Haitians in producing a crop, processing it, and operating reactors to produce a quality fuel.

The 2010 MVP2 recipients represent a broad range of backgrounds, including federal government agencies, academia, industries, non-profits, and individuals that have demonstrated significant accomplishments in pollution prevention

Jeffrey Burke, Executive Director of NPPR, stated, “These organizations have clearly demonstrated that pollution prevention is beneficial to both the environment and the economy. They are being recognized for their leadership and commitment to promoting a sustainable future.”  The MVP2 awards demonstrate how organizations can become more competitive, form partnerships, realize cost savings, and enhance environmental quality all at the same time.

For more information, please contact Bob Iverson.

My daughter started kindergarten last week and next week my son is off to preschool for the first time. We’ll all look back on these days fondly sometime in the future, but for now, I’m having some typical Mommy back-to-school blues. In the interest of combating those blues, I decided to focus on some greens–specifically in the form of green tips related to schools and students. In this post I’ll discuss how to reduce waste associated with school lunches; look for more discussions on green ideas and examples for K-12 and beyond in the days to come.

The Gear

For some online guides to reusable and eco-friendly lunch gear, check out the following:

• TreeHugger—Green Your Kid’s Packed School Lunch: The Buy Guide: This slide show provides information and links to several reusable lunch box/bag and container options.

• Mother Nature Network: Check out this recent blog post with lots of suggestions for eco-friendly lunch gear that will appeal to older kids as well as tiny tots.

The list below provides other specific ideas. Bear in mind that even though I provide notes on personal experience with a few of these items, all descriptions and links are provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as endorsements by me, GLRPPR, or GLRPPR’s parent organization, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC).

• Laptop Lunches: My two little ones are pleased with their new Laptop lunch boxes. This was one of the first companies I became aware of that was selling eco-friendly, reusable lunch gear when I first started learning about zero waste lunches several years ago (before my little ones were born). Their products incorporate recycled fabric and plastic, and are free of lead, phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
• Fit & Fresh: This company offers a variety of BPA-free reusable containers for food and drink. Since my son is a huge fan of macaroni and cheese and both kids love soup, especially in colder weather, I have a few of the hot lunch bowls that include a folding spoon and handle on the lids. On days when they want some warm leftovers for lunch, they can carry these bowls instead of their other lunch boxes. Be advised though, that despite testing whether or not my kids could open these unassisted, my daughter and I both had a bit of trouble getting the lid off when she packed soup to school a few days ago. Small hands may find these bowls unwieldy at times, so this might be a better option for older kids.
• Thermos: I’ve noticed during back-to-school shopping that this veteran manufacturer of products to transport food and drink has begun marketing lunch gear that is BPA-free.
• BebelooshMini: I recently read about Elena Berlo’s reusable snack and sandwich bags, made of organic cotton and recycled hemp with Velcro closures, on the Inhabitots blog. For dry snacks and sandwiches, washable wrappings such as this are a good alternative to disposable plastic bags or plastic wrap.
• Wrap-N-Mat: When I bought a set of these reusable food wraps/placemats/napkins for my own lunches years ago (again, pre-kiddos), I had to order them online because they weren’t available locally. On a recent trip to a chain grocery store, I saw some hanging up like so many other small “impulse buy” type items peppered throughout the store aisles and was amazed at how consumer awareness can change product availability. This is also a lesson in checking your local stores rather than relying solely upon “retail locators” on web sites; the Wrap-N-Mat site says there aren’t any stores within 25 miles of my zip code that carry their products, but I’ve seen them with my own eyes.

Beyond these few suggestions, there are some common-sense ideas, such as including cloth napkins instead of paper (if you’re inclined to use a sewing machine, consider making your own from old sheets, clothes, etc.), sending real silverware instead of plastic, and any way you can eliminate disposable items and/or reduce packaging in your child’s lunch (or your own, for that matter). If disposable plastic bags are simply the best option in a given situation, teach your little ones to bring those back home for washing, just as would any other plastic container. We have done so in our home, and you would be surprised at how long they actually last for reuse. Special drying racks are marketed to encourage this behavior, but honestly, you can just use your existing drying rack–pop them over one of the glass holders, or slip them over some of your drying silverware to dry.

The Process

If you’re a parent, educator or administrator interested in implementing a waste-free lunch program at your school, check out http://www.wastefreelunches.org/. This site describes such a program that was created as a grassroots efforts by some concerned parents. Their waste-free lunch program started when a group of parents noticed how much trash the students were generating during snack time and at lunch. The site provides how-to tips to create a program, resources and success stories. Be advised that the links to lunch kits will simply direct you to the Laptop Lunches web site, since two of the moms involved in the grassroots effort described started their own company as a result, making Laptop Lunch kits.

Also check out this somewhat dated, though still inspirational report, “Best Practices for Food Recovery and Gleaning in the National School Lunch Program: SY 1998-1999.” It describes how the school districts used USDA grant funds to recover food from their cafeterias and donate it to the needy. Included is information on systems to recover, store, and donate the recovered food and how schools formed partnerships with local non-profit agencies. It also illustrates how school districts were able to identify and overcome obstacles to developing their programs. Finally, it shows how students can take an active role in this effort, and how food recovery and gleaning can be integrated into a school’s curriculum.

Food waste will always be generated in cafeterias to some degree–is there a composting program in place at your child’s school? If not, check out this manual from Connecticut, this fact sheet from Tennessee, this Cornell University web site (that includes a related online book to incorporate science inquiry with high school students) and this article from the April 2008 edition of BioCycle for inspiration and tips on how to create such a program. Even if the entire school is not involved in a composting program, individual classrooms can do composting projects with vermicomposting (see the Greening Schools web site for more suggestions on this topic).

The Food

Consider the most important part of your child’s lunch–the food itself–and how or if it contributes to lessons regarding sustainability or waste reduction. My kids help out in our own garden and know how to compost–this means they see food as something that someone works to obtain that isn’t meant to be wasted (though they are still kids and finicky eaters sometimes!). The more children know about the process of producing the food we eat, the more they will value it. Does your child’s school have a garden program? Check out the Chez Pannisse Foundation web site , the Edible School Yard and the National Gardening Association’s Kids Gardening site for ideas. If you have a bit of yard, or even a sunny windowsill for potted plants, consider growing something edible with your kids. Helping them connect to their food will help them understand why they should care about food waste.

Also consider talking to them about the benefits of local foods and eating things in season. Local Harvest can help you find farmers’ markets. Sustainable Table and Food Routes are other sites that can help in discussing issues surrounding food production and shipping with your kids. Engage them now in considering what it takes to get the food they consume and what actions are sustainable. Reducing the waste involved in our meals doesn’t just mean using cloth napkins–we need to consider agricultural methods, consumer demand, resources used in the transportation of food, and other factors. Food is a system, and learning sustainable behaviors starts with learning to think in terms of systems. You are your child’s best teacher when it comes to such worldview issues.

Share your thoughts–tell us about your waste-free lunch ideas and favorite resources in the comments section of this post.

There are 46 ESP business members across the state, each committed to implementing or maintaining measurable environmental improvements, such as reducing water or energy use, decreasing solid or hazardous waste, or reducing air emissions. In an effort to recognize each company’s proven commitment to continual environmental improvement, ESP members recently met with IDEM Commissioner Thomas Easterly and five assistant commissioners.

Since the inception of ESP in 2006, members have implemented pollution prevention initiatives that resulted in the reduction of:

• Water use by 81,413,480 gallons, an amount comparable to 123 Olympic-sized swimming pools;
• Electricity use by 15,438,733 kilowatt hours, a number comparable to the amount of electricity needed to run 5,788 residential air conditioners for one year;
• Miles driven by 243,789 miles, a distance comparable to driving from Terre Haute to Richmond and back 877 times;
• Natural gas consumption by 8,999 therms, which is like eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from 1,875 propane cylinders used for home barbeques;
• Carbon dioxide emissions by 13,099,680 pounds, which is the amount of carbon sequestered annually by 1,350 acres of pine forests; and carbon dioxide equivalents by 5,954 tons, an amount equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 3,628 passenger vehicles;
• Solid waste sent to the landfill by 20,005,867 pounds, which is equivalent to the weight of about 66 Blue Whales;
• Volatile organic compound emissions by 837,100 pounds, an amount comparable to emissions from painting the interiors of 34,879 homes;
• Materials purchased by 122 pounds;
• Energy use by 48,979 million British Thermal Units, an amount comparable to the energy needed to operate 147 clothes washers for one year;
• Material use by 2,463,680 pounds, an amount comparable to the weight of 3,079 Monster truck tires; and,
• Hazardous waste by 185,981 pounds, an amount comparable to the weight of 18 Asian elephants.
• In addition, businesses have recycled 4,441,537.9 pounds of materials.

“ESP members go beyond environmental requirements that protect Hoosiers and our environment,” said IDEM Commissioner Thomas Easterly. “Indiana wins when companies use sound business practices to demonstrate their core value of environmental protection.”

To become an ESP member, businesses must maintain an exemplary compliance record, certify that they have adopted and implemented an approved environmental management system, and commit to specific measures for continued improvement in their environmental performance.

ESP members qualify for expedited permit review, flexibility in permitting, reduced reporting frequencies, and coordination of compliance inspections. To maintain ESP membership, companies must report on their environmental initiatives every year and reapply for ESP membership every three years.

Hoosier businesses can submit applications to IDEM for the Environmental Stewardship Program from September 1 through October 31 and April 1 through May 31. For more details, visit IDEM’s Web site at www.idem.IN.gov/prevention/esp or contact IDEM at (800) 988-7901.

The competition began in spring 2009 as a local event on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. It was held in conjunction with a class on sustainability and e-waste issues taught by industrial design professor William Bullock of the School of Art and Design. Students in this class conducted an e-waste collection on campus to gather unused CPUs, monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, scanners and cell phones as fodder for design competition projects. Educational goals for the students included learning about ways to re-use e-waste for new and productive means, exploring ideas for how to address e-waste problems, and contributing to the body of knowledge that advances the practice of environmentally responsible product design for current and future computing technology products.

Participants in the spring 2009 competition worked in groups of no more than five people, and their creations were displayed during a public competition event, held on the UIUC Quad. Eighty-one students from various disciplines competed in the contest, which awarded $15,000 in tuition support and other prizes. Judges included representatives from the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center; the Chicago Center for Neighborhood Technology; Dell Inc.; the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Bureau of Energy and Recycling; Microsoft Corp.; Wal-Mart Stores Inc.; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and West Monroe Partners LLC, Chicago.

Response to the competition was so positive that it was decided to expand the scope of the competition to an international event for 2010. Having projects submitted online in the form of videos allows anyone in the world to participate. The competition is open to anyone 18 years or older who is currently attending college, or who graduated from college since May 2006. Teamwork across disciplines, backgrounds and ages is encouraged. One entry per person or team is allowed. Participants can submit entries in either of two categories: the “Designer/Artist Category”, which focuses on the aesthetic elements and physical interaction with the device, or the “Technical/Geek Category,” which focuses on electronic components. Entries will be in the form of original video compositions uploaded to the competition web site. Registration is free. Online registration opens January 11, 2010. Registration closes and competition submissions are due April 1, 2010. Detailed registration information, judging criteria and submission information is available on the competition web site, http://ewaste.illinois.edu/.

Professor Bullock will once again be teaching a class on e-waste issues in the spring 2010 semester, and students will be holding another local collection event on the UIUC campus to obtain materials for their designs. Students will be encouraged to enter their class projects into the international competition, and will have a local exhibition of their projects, similar to the event which took place on the Quad in spring 2009. The finalists’ videos from the international competition will be presented to the public during the International E-Waste Video Festival, on April 20, 2010 at 5 p.m. in 112 Gregory Hall on the Campus of the University of Illinois. This festival is part of the Food/Health/Place/Sustainability Film Series being shown on campus in the spring. It directly precedes Roger Ebert’s 12^th Annual Film Festival, which takes place April 21-25, 2010 in Champaign-Urbana. Finalist entries will also be publicized through the ewaste.illinois.edu web site and press events.

Awards will also be announced during the April 20 video festival. The jury will award one finalist from each of the two categories, for a total of six monetary awards. A total of $16,000 in prize money will be awarded to six winning teams: A Platinum Award of 4000 USD, a Gold Award of 3000 USD, and a Silver Award of 1000 USD in each category. The decisions of the jury are final. Honorable Mention awards may be given at the discretion of the judges. Juror invitations have gone out to industry leaders representing Fortune 500 companies, such as Google, Microsoft, Motorola, the U.S. EPA, Boeing, Dell and others, and will be announced in the spring.

The International E-Waste Design Competition and the related industrial design course taught by Professor Bullock are part of the educational component of the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI). SEI is a consortium dedicated to the development and implementation of a more sustainable system for designing, producing, remanufacturing, and recycling electronic devices. Members of the consortium include academia, non-profit organizations, government agencies, manufacturers, designers, refurbishers, and recyclers. Specific elements of the SEI include programs for research, education, data management, and technical assistance. SEI conducts collaborative research; facilitates networking and information exchange among participants; promotes technology diffusion via demonstration projects; and provides forums for the discussion of policy and legislation.

For more information on SEI, visit www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu or contact Dr. Tim Lindsey, Associate Director of ISTC, at 217-333-8955. For more information on the International E-Waste Design Competition, contact Professor William Bullock at 217-265-0873 or Joy Scrogum at 217-333-8940.

ISTC is a unit of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Americans own nearly three billion electronic products and continually purchase new ones to replace those deemed “obsolete,” even though about two-thirds of the devices are still in working order. To address this burgeoning e-waste problem, SEI will hold the Electronics & Sustainability: Design for Energy & the Environment symposium on February 23 – 24, 2010 at the I Hotel on the University of Illinois campus. Topics to be addressed will include environmental toxicology, life cycle analysis, product design, existing and proposed policy (local, state, national, and international), and more. Designers; electrical engineers; chemists; materials scientists; electronics manufacturers, recyclers, refurbishers, and remanufacturers; government representatives and policy makers; pollution prevention technical assistance providers; relevant non-profit organizations; and others are invited to take part in this symposium.

SEI invites industry and academic practitioners to submit abstracts of their recent research, projects, and design thinking for presentation, publications, or both Proposals can be made for symposium participation in one or more of the following categories: a paper, presentation, panel discussion, or poster display.

For more information about the symposium and/or to access the call for papers, visit: www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu or contact Wayne Duke, Conference Coordinator, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, One Hazelwood Drive, Champaign, Illinois 61820-7465, 217-333-5793, fax: 217-333-8944, wduke@illinois.edu.

For more information about the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI), contact Dr. Tim Lindsey, PhD, Associate Director, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, One Hazelwood Drive, Champaign, Illinois 61820-7465, 217-333-8955, fax: 217-333-8944, tlindsey@istc.illinois.edu.

Lead-Free Wheels
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:15:14 GMT
The Lead-Free Wheels Program is partnering with retail tire outlets to make lead-free wheel balancing available to consumers when they purchase new tires. They are also actively working with numerous state and local fleets to phase out the use of lead wheel balancing weights. Site also includes information on sources of lead-free weights, wheel balancing, and lead-free alternatives. A project of the Ecology Center (Michigan).

National Lead Free Wheel Weight Initiative (NLFWWI)
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:11:37 GMT
The National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) National Lead Free Wheel Weight Initiative encourages the transition from the use of lead for wheel weights to lead-free alternatives. Wheel weights are clipped to the rims of every automobile wheel in the United States in order to balance the tires. These weights often come loose and fall off. They are either washed into storm sewers and end up in waterways or are gathered during street cleaning and placed in municipal landfills. The weights are susceptible to atmospheric corrosion. Currently, there are no regulatory controls governing the use of lead wheel weights.

Google PowerMeter
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:10:19 GMT
Google PowerMeter shows consumers their electricity consumption in a secure Google gadget. Google is currently testing the product with utility partners in the US, India and Canada.

Know the Number
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:08:42 GMT
The Carbon Counter displays the running total amount of long-lived greenhouse gasses in the earth’s atmosphere, measured in metric tons.

Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:06:51 GMT
The Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator is intended to assist institutional purchasers, including Federal Electronic Challenge (FEC) program participants, in quantifying the benefits of environmentally sound management of electronic equipment. The Calculator estimates the environmental and economic benefits of purchasing EPEAT-registered products, in addition to improvements in equipment operation and end-of-life management practices. Currently this tool is designed to evaluate EPEAT-registered desktop (with a CRT or LCD) and notebook computers. For end-of-life, users can calculate the benefits of reuse and recycling of computers as well as mobile telephones.

TranAtlas
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:03:18 GMT
This interactive map uses a Google Maps interface to display: Existing and planned alternative fueling stations; Alternative fuel production facilities; Light-duty vehicle density; Roads and political boundaries. Users can customize the map display, print, and query the underlying data.

Climate Change Portal
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:00:46 GMT
This portal includes links to reports and other technical literature on the subject of climate change and how it affects water supply. Developed by the Santa Clara Valley Water District, so the focus is California, but there is a lot of good, general information here.

Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:10:10 GMT
The report summarizes the science and the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. It focuses on climate change impacts in different regions of the U.S. and on various aspects of society and the economy such as energy, water, agriculture, and health.

Practice Greenhealth
Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:11:09 GMT
Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading membership and networking organization for institutions in the healthcare community that have made a commitment to sustainable, eco-friendly practices. Members include hospitals, healthcare systems, businesses and other stakeholders engaged in the greening of healthcare to improve the health of patients, staff and the environment.

Top 25 Green Energy Leaders
Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:05:40 GMT
It is no longer enough to just conserve energy. More and more corporations, government agencies and entire cities are making large, long-term commitments to ensure that the power they do use comes from renewable sources. To recognize these trendsetters, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes a quarterly list of the top American users of green power: organizations that generate their own renewable energy, buy it from suppliers, or purchase offset credits to compensate for their traditional energy use.

Life-Cycle Environmental and Economic Decision-Making for Alternative Biofuels
Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:58:54 GMT
The specific aims of this program are to develop and apply methods to study the life-cycle health, environmental, resource, and economic impacts and performance of the various pathways from biomass to fuel use. This program will produce a comprehensive framework for assessing both the benefits and impacts of biofuel technologies for environmental quality, human health, natural resources, and local, regional and global economies. This effort includes methods development, data collection, information management, and decision-support tools.

GoodNanoGuide
Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:53:17 GMT
The GoodNanoGuide is a collaboration platform designed to enhance the ability of experts to exchange ideas on how best to handle nanomaterials in an occupational setting. It is meant to be an interactive forum that fills the need for up-to-date information about current good workplace practices, highlighting new practices as they develop.

Green Building Sherpa
June 9, 2009 at 12:26 pm
An online directory of environmentally friendly products, services and information pertaining to building design, construction, management + operation.

Flexible Solar Power Shingles Transform Roofs From Wasted Space To Energy Source
June 9, 2009 at 9:59 am
A transparent thin film barrier used to protect flat panel TVs from moisture could become the basis for flexible solar panels that would be installed on roofs like shingles.

Climate TechBook
Tuesday, June 09, 2009 8:43 AM
The Pew Center’s Climate TechBook serves as an information resource on technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from across the economy, including: overviews of greenhouse gas emissions from the key economic sectors: electricity, transportation, industry, residential and commercial, and agriculture; technology overviews for broad technology areas, such as buildings and biofuels; and fact sheets that provide background information about specific technologies, the current status of the technology, cost information, policy options to promote the technology, and obstacles to further development and deployment.

• Electricity Conservation (GHG reductions from electricity conversation or reduced use of energy)
• Green Energy (GHG reductions from switching to greener or renewable energy sources)
• Fuel Substitution (GHG reductions from reduced fuel use, substitution to greener fuels)
• Greening Chemistry (GHG reductions from reduced use of GWP chemicals)
• Water Conservation (GHG reductions from reduced water use)
• Materials Management (GHG reductions from green manufacturing processes and waste management scenarios)
• Cross Reference to other applicable tools (A reference table that provides end users an overview of applicable GHG tools and models)

The P2 Results Database, a web-based tool, designed to collect and quantify P2 progress related to air, water, waste and energy reductions from non-profits, local, state, and federal entities plays a significant role in demonstrating P2 benefits on a regional and national level. A critical part of the P2 Results Database is documenting cost savings that result from government, businesses and facilities implementing P2 activities. This database uses a P2 cost calculator to quantify cost savings based on established methodologies and sound research. Over the last several months, the Pollution Prevention Program worked to update and redesign the tool to enhance functionality and better document cost benefits over time. Today’s webinar will also provide an overview of the cost calculator tool.

If you were unable to attend this week’s conference and/or the webinar provided today, or if you would like to recommend the webinar to your colleagues, the Western Sustainability and Pollution Prevention Network (WSPPN) will be providing a similar webinar on June 18, 2009. See the GLRPPR calendar entry for the WSPPN webinar for details and a link to the event registration page.

For more useful calculators and links to your regional module of the P2 Results Data System, see the GLRPPR P2 Measurement & Calculators Sector Resource.