What's New in P2?

Pacific Northwest P2 Roundtable
This year's Pacific Northwest P2 Regional Roundtable will focus on identifying and quantifying the activities/processes that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions in business practices. The first day is comprised of technical trainings and the second day will include site visits for practical application of the previous day's training.
www.pprc.org/roundtable

Cities Use Creative, Targeted Lending to Speed Energy Projects (01/06/2009)
One challenge to getting energy-saving initiatives off the ground is that the presumed social benefits arising from improved energy efficiency (fewer greenhouse gases, for instance) are often at odds with the rational economic calculus of homeowners on the ground. Faced with that reality, a number of municipalities across the country are getting creative and experimenting with incremental, neighborhood- or district-based lending programs that help homeowners pay the up-front capital costs.
greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/cities-use-creative-targeted-lending-to-sp
eed-energy-projects/

Coca-Cola Goes Compostable at University of Washington (01/06/2009)
The Coca-Cola Company has just shaken up the world's waste stream. The world's largest soft drink manufacturer is going compostable, and students at the University of Washington are getting the first taste of history.
www.nwcn.com/sharedcontent/northwest/environment/stories/NW_010609ENV_ecotainer_
coke_KS.45bed8ec.html

Group Uses Lawsuits to Help Clean Up Sound (01/06/2009)
Tucked away in a vine-draped building along the gritty Ballard waterfront is the office of an environmental group where a war on pollution churns away daily, taking on outfits that state and federal regulators can't or won't face down.
seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/394707_soundsuits05.html

Northwest Contractor Wins Grant to Make Government Energy Efficient (01/06/2009)
A Pacific Northwest mechanical construction and engineering firm praised by President-elect Barack Obama as a model for the nation for its energy efficiency leadership has received a federal grant worth up to $5 billion. McKinstry Co. was one of 16 service companies to receive a U.S. Department of Energy energy savings performance contract, worth up to $80 billion, to design and build energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation projects at federally owned buildings and facilities.
www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/01/northwest_contractor_wins_huge.
html

Pennsylvania, 10 Other States to Promote Cleaner Fuels (01/06/2009)
Pennsylvania is teaming with 10 other states in the Northeast to develop a policy to cut greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels. The states' thrust will be to develop a regional low-carbon fuel policy that could include focusing on advanced biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, Gov. Ed Rendell announced yesterday.
www.post-gazette.com/pg/09006/939792-53.stm

Ecology Department Uses Online Campaign to Help Water Quality (01/05/2009)
Doggie-doo residue and harmful chemicals regularly slip down storm drains and find their way into local lakes, streams and marine waters. The state hopes a new online campaign will prompt Washington residents to change their habits to help clean up local waterways.
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008590180_pollutionwebsite05m.html

Get Plastic-Aware When It Comes to Toys and Food Containers (01/05/2009)
It seems like hardly a day goes by without some new report about the health hazards of plastics. If it's not plastic teethers, it's baby bottles, or sports bottles or old Tupperware. Trying to tell the polycarbonates from the polyvinyl chlorides is enough to make your head spin.
www.star-telegram.com/home/story/1118921.html

New California Cars Display Smog, Global Warming Scores (01/05/2009)
As of January 1, every 2009 model year and newer car built for sale in California will be required to carry a label that clearly ranks the vehicle's environmental impact. A vehicle's certification level can be found under the hood on the vehicle emissions control information label.
www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2009/2009-01-02-092.asp

Oregon Exceptionally Generous with Green-Energy Subsidies (01/05/2009)
Oregon taxpayers are shelling out tens of millions of dollars to subsidize green energy projects, making the state a magnet for solar and wind companies. But an investigation by The Oregonian shows that the money also is going to risky ventures with questionable environmental benefits and to prosperous companies that need no incentives but are cashing in anyway.
www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/oregon_is_exceptionally_genero.html

RecycleBank is On the Move (01/05/2009)
In its mission to motivate the masses to recycle, Philadelphia-based RecycleBank says it plans to extend the reach of its recycling incentive program.
www.sustainableindustries.com/breakingnews/36903404.html

Sempra Solar Energy Project Makes Advances in Costs (01/05/2009)
Generating clean electricity that's as cheap as power from fossil fuels is the Holy Grail of green-energy companies. A new solar project powering California homes appears to be closing in on that prize.
www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thinsolar5-2009jan05,0,2265033.story

Green Projects Hit Snags in Idaho (01/02/2009)
Greener energy sources such as geothermal wells and sprawling wind farms are being touted as the nation's environmentally friendly answer to energy independence, but so far, alternative energy developers are finding that they face many of the same conflicts as traditional generation plants.
www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/620216.html

Lighten Up with a Little Less Mercury in 2009 (01/02/2009)
Over its lifetime, a single CFL can save the consumer $80 or more, depending on local electric rates. But all CFL bulbs aren't equal. Some have lower mercury content than others, and some last much longer.
www.ewg.org/node/27220

Paper Mill Upgrade Cuts Costs, Emissions (01/02/2009)
New equipment for converting wood chips into pulp will reduce natural gas consumption at the Inland Empire Paper Co. by as much as 75 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 33,000 tons annually, President Wayne Andresen said Monday. The $40 million investment will also allow the mill to slightly increase output, to about 570 tons per day, Andresen said.
www.spokesman.com/stories/2008/dec/30/paper-mill-upgrade-cuts-costs-emissions/

California Gives $20 Million to Recycling Projects (12/31/2008)
Twenty projects throughout California will receive a total of $20 million to improve the collection of recyclables, provide cleaner recyclable material, create new jobs and increase the amount of products with recycled content.
www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/12/31/california-gives-20-million-recycling-projects

California Slough Expansion to Aid Global Warming Fight (12/31/2008)
The need to protect coastal marshes, where great seabirds journey and tiny shellfish scurry, has focused largely on saving wildlife. This month's expansion of the Elkhorn Slough near Moss Landing, however, highlights another reason to care for the wetlands: global warming.
http://www.montereyherald.com/state/ci_11334922?nclick_check=1

Focus on Weatherization Is Shift on Energy Costs (12/31/2008)
About 140,000 houses will be weatherized with public help this year, a total that President-elect Barack Obama has promised to raise to one million, to reduce energy consumption and cut energy costs for households and taxpayers, who often absorb those costs for the poor. This would represent a historic shift in emphasis for the federal and state governments, reducing poor people's energy bills instead of helping to pay them.
www.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/us/30weatherize.html?_r=1

EPEAT Registration and Purchasing Gets Easier with EcoLogo Partnership (12/30/2008)
Adding more momentum to the green IT movement, the Green Electronics Council has joined forces with EcoLogo to make it even easier to certify and promote electronics that are energy efficient, easily recyclable and free of toxic chemicals.
www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/12/17/epeat-purchasing-gets-easier-ecologo

Green Goal of Carbon Neutrality Hits Limits (12/30/2008)
Computer giant Dell Inc. said this summer that it has become "carbon neutral," the latest step in its quest to be "the greenest technology company on the planet." What that means, and what it doesn't, may surprise Dell customers and other consumers who have been bombarded with bold environmental promises from major corporations.
online.wsj.com/article/SB123059880241541259.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The Use and Abuse of Paper Towels (12/30/2008)
Paper towels billowing out of bathroom dispensers is, for some environmentalists, a painful symbol of waste. Harvard University estimates that paper towels account for 20 to 40 percent of waste (by volume) from an office building or a dorm.
greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/the-use-and-abuse-of-paper-towels/

You Can (12/30/2008)
Many companies are hyper focused on carbon footprinting, green buildings, and energy saving treasure hunts; however, the sustainability landscape is evolving, and these green issues will become table stakes. A new, blue dimension of sustainability -- one that affects capital costs, consumer values, and environmental integrity -- is on the horizon and rapidly approaching: water.
www.greenbiz.com/feature/2008/12/15/cant-go-green-without-a-little-blue

EPA Seeks Comment on Pharmaceutical Waste Rule (12/29/2008)
To help provide a streamlined system for disposing of hazardous pharmaceutical waste that is protective of public health and the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to add hazardous pharmaceutical waste to the Universal Waste Rule.
www.eponline.com/articles/69588/

Super Trees Clean Up Superfund Sites (12/29/2008)
Argonne National Laboratory is experimenting with the use of poplar and willow trees to treat tainted water. The attempt to remove water-borne contaminants occupies an enormous experimental facility that covers four acres and looks like a forest.
discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/26-worker-trees-clean-contaminated-water

Water Levels Dropping in Umatilla Basin (12/29/2008)
Since the 1970s, water levels have dropped 500 feet in some parts of the Umastilla Basin's aquifers. And in an area that gets only 12 to 13 inches of rain per year -- a third of what falls in the Portland area -- water is being used faster than nature can provide it.
www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/12/_water_allowed_the_umatilla.htm
l

Bank Loans Target Energy Efficiency (12/26/2008)
In November 2008, Roseburg-based Umpqua Bank and the Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO) launched GreenStreet Lending, a loan product to help homeowners and small businesses make energy efficiency improvements or install solar systems. Chicago-based ShoreBank Corp. offers a similar product for homeowners; Umpqua's is the first West Coast bank to offer such a loan. The GreenStreet program offers two loan options for customers of Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR), Pacific Power, NW Natural (NYSE: NWN) or Cascade Natural Gas.
www.sustainableindustries.com/greenbuilding/36586929.html

Refundable Deposit Added to Plastic Water Bottles in Oregon (12/26/2008)
The first change to Oregon's 38-year-old Bottle Bill takes place Jan. 1 -- when Oregonians will start paying an extra nickel for a bottle of water and getting their 5 cents back when they redeem it. Bigger changes to the Bottle Bill are in the works -- a task force has recommended the 2009 Legislature increase the refundable deposit to a dime, further expand the types of beverages covered by the bill, and create the framework for redemption centers to handle the resulting increase in bottle and can returns.
www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/4830752-35/story.csp

Stanford Professor Assesses Best Energy Options (12/26/2008)
The best ways to improve energy security, mitigate global warming, and reduce the number of deaths caused by air pollution are blowing in the wind and rippling in the water, not growing on prairies or glowing inside nuclear power plants, says Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford. And "clean coal," which involves capturing carbon emissions and sequestering them in the earth, is not clean at all, he asserts.
www.eponline.com/articles/69960/

Blue Sky Leads a Green Revolution in Dry Cleaning (12/24/2008)
Green technology has come to dry cleaning and could soon account for a large chunk of the revenue generated by Seattle's professional clothes-cleaners, says the owner of a cleaning startup. Only about 35 dry cleaners in the U.S. use toxin-free carbon dioxide to clean clothes, and Seattle's Blue Sky Cleaners, which launched in September, is one of them.
seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/393578_bluesky25.html

CNG Taxis to Hit Streets in California (12/24/2008)
Administrative Services CO-OP, the largest taxicab cooperative in the western United States, has begun procuring new, clean-burning CNG-powered taxis for deployment by ASC member Long Beach Yellow Cab, according to a Dec. 8 press release. Funding for the new Long Beach cabs was provided by a grant from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
www.eponline.com/articles/69950/

Report Says Global Carbon Trading Needs Better Infrastructure (12/24/2008)
The development of a successful global carbon trading market that delivers real and cost-efficient greenhouse gas emission reductions will require an improved market infrastructure, according to a report issued Dec. 10 by The Bank of New York Mellon titled, "Towards a Common Carbon Currency: Exploring the Prospects for Integrated Global Carbon Markets."
www.eponline.com/articles/69867/

An Energy Solution in the (Compressed) Air? (12/23/2008)
The wind doesn't blow all the time, so the electricity it produces is also intermittent. A solution to this problem could be pulled from the air, literally, using a technology known as "compressed air energy storage," or C.A.E.S. Compressed air storage essentially involves using electricity to compact air and force it underground. Then, when the air is released and burned with natural gas, it expands, driving turbines and creating electricity.
greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/an-energy-solution-in-the-compressed-air/

Clean Development Mechanism Takes Off Around the World (12/23/2008)
The United Nations is claiming its Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is causing a boom in emission-saving initiatives around the world. The CDM regulates approval of projects that allow developed nations to offset a part of their own carbon emissions by investing in carbon-reducing projects in the developing world.
www.climatebiz.com/news/2008/12/23/cdm-takes-off-around-world

Product Stewardship Gains More Allies (12/23/2008)
Product stewardship councils in Vermont and British Columbia have adopted the "Joint Framework Principles for Product Stewardship Policy." The principles are intended to guide legislation and policies that oversee multiple products, instead of legislating on a product-by-product basis.
www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/12/23/product-stewardship-gains-more-allies

Wind Turbines May Grace New I-5 Bridge (12/23/2008)
Stung by criticism that a new Interstate 5 bridge could be a flat concrete eyesore, planners are exploring whether they could install wind turbines on it to call attention to the Northwest's commitment to sustainability.
www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/12/wind_turbines_may_grace_new_i5.
html

Making Hospitals Greener -- and Patients Healthier (12/22/2008)
A doctor's principle code is, "First, do no harm." The irony is that your doctor's office or hospital may be making you sicker. Indeed, many hospitals are built with materials, like particleboard, PVC flooring and even conventional paint, that can leach poisonous substances.
/www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1867002,00.html?iid=tsmodule

New Rules to Recycle Electronics Start Jan. 1 in Oregon (12/22/2008)
If cleaning out the basement and getting rid of those old computer monitors and TV sets is on your list of New Year's resolutions, 2009 is the year to get it done. Thanks to legislation passed this year, recycling centers across Oregon will accept desktop computers, monitors, laptops and television sets free of charge beginning Jan. 1.
www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/4619400-35/story.csp

Portland-Born GreenPrint (12/22/2008)
GreenPrint is a software program that automatically eliminates the extra text, banner ads and other doodads in a typical print job, which can save a page or two each time you hit print.
blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen/2008/12/greenprint_for_mac.html

States Using High Tech, Low Salt Against Icy Roads (12/22/2008)
State and city or town crews around New England are attacking ice and snow with high-tech engineering and a low-salt diet -- changing during the last decade or so from plowing, salting and sanding to spraying liquids that prevent snow and ice from bonding with the road.
wbztv.com/local/snow.ice.salt.2.892393.html

Young Students Often Most Vulnerable to Toxic Air (12/22/2008)
From the front door of the aged brick school, the 4-year-olds at Wyandotte Early Childhood Center can spot the cottony plumes from a refinery just over the trees.
www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-12-21-youngkids_N.htm

Dairy Growth Has Idaho Thinking Cow-Pie Power (12/20/2008)
That odor wafting from 550,000 cows that make up Idaho's growing dairy herd smells like energy independence and economic development to state energy czar Paul Kjellander.
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008542038_dungpower20m.html

Northeast States Take In $106 Million From Carbon Auction (12/20/2008)
Ten Northeastern states took in $106.5 million from their second auction for carbon-dioxide emissions allowances, and much of the money will go toward energy efficiency programs. All allowances on offer were sold, and the clearing price of $3.38 was slightly higher than that of the first auction, in September. (Each allowance corresponds to one ton of carbon emissions.)
greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/northeast-states-net-106-million-from-carb
on-auction/

NYC to Roll Out LED Streetlights (12/20/2008)
In a major win for LEDs, New York City has announced the bulbs may soon be used to power standard streetlights across the city.
www.greenbiz.com/blog/2008/12/19/nyc-may-use-led-streetlights

Pennsylvania Debuts Thermostat Recycling to Lower Mercury Risk (12/20/2008)
That thermostat on the wall that allows residents to control the temperature of their rooms contains the deadly neurotoxin mercury. But fewer Pennsylvanians will face mercury exposure now that Pennsylvania's new Mercury-Free Thermostat Law is in place, say state environmental regulators.
www.ens-newswire.com/ens/dec2008/2008-12-18-094.asp

Could the Electric Grid Support Far More Wind and Solar? (12/19/2008)
The electric grid may be able to handle more wind and solar power -- way more -- than previously thought, according to a new preliminary study.
blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/12/could-the-elect.html

JCPenney Takes Delivery of Clean-Diesel Trucks for Fleet (12/19/2008)
J. C. Penney Co. Inc. and PDS Trucking, Inc., a subsidiary of Pacer Distribution Services, Inc., have taken a major step toward achieving their goal to convert 100 percent of the truck fleet handling JCPenney imports at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to low-emissions, clean-diesel technology.
www.eponline.com/articles/69873/

Latest U.P.S. Fuel-Saving Strategies: Leg Muscles and Hydraulics (12/19/2008)
After a pilot run in 2007, United Parcel Service is once again adding bicycle carriers to meet its holiday demand. It's a tack that, like alternative fuel vehicles and other measures the company has historically taken to reduce operational costs, provides an attending environmental benefit in the form of reduced carbon-dioxide emissions.
greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/latest-ups-fuel-saving-strategies-leg-musc
les-and-hydraulics/

New Mayor and a New Plan for a Sustainable Vancouver (12/19/2008)
Vancouver's new Mayor officially took office this week, and one of his top priorities appears to be remaking Vancouver into a truly sustainable city.
www.globe-net.com/other_news/listing.cfm?type=2&newsID=3899

Owens Corning Creates Alliance to Cut Energy and Emissions in Communities (12/19/2008)
Owens Corning helped create a new coalition that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 80 percent in developments and new communities.
www.climatebiz.com/news/2008/12/19/owens-corning-creates-alliance-cut-energy-and
-emissions-communities

Smart Lighting Will Save Trillions of Dollars, Gigatons of CO2 (12/19/2008)
A new generation of lighting devices based on light-emitting diodes, LEDs, will supplant the common light bulb in coming years, according to a paper published this week by two professors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
www.ens-newswire.com/ens/dec2008/2008-12-18-03.asp

Diesel, Made Simply From Coffee Grounds (Ah, the Exhaust Aroma) (12/18/2008)
In research that touches on two of Americans' great obsessions - coffee and cars - scientists at the University of Nevada, Reno, have made diesel fuel from used coffee grounds.
www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/science/16objava.html?_r=2&ref=earth

EU Draws Closer to Finalizing New Pesticides Law (12/18/2008)
European Parliament negotiators have struck a political deal with EU countries about revising pesticide authorization rules that would reduce the number of crop chemicals on the market, officials said on Thursday.
www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4BH4A720081218?feedType=RSS&feedN
ame=environmentNews

Free Washington Computer and TV Recycling Program Starting Soon (12/18/2008)
Here's a reminder that a free computer and TV recycling program starts January 1 in Washington. The E-Cycle Washington program was created by the Legislature and is funded by manufacturers who sell electronics in the state.
www.nwcn.com/sharedcontent/northwest/environment/stories/NW_121008ENB_computer_r
ecycling_KC.4eac67a6.html

Hertz Will Try to Connect With the Carless (12/18/2008)
Today, the Hertz Corporation, which calls itself "the world's largest general use car rental brand," is starting a service, called Connect by Hertz, that is strikingly similar to Zipcar's.
greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/hertz-will-try-to-connect-with-the-carless
/

Toyota Plans Eco Plastic Interiors for 2009 Cars (12/18/2008)
Toyota has announced plans to add carbon neutral plant-based plastics to future car interiors. The Japanese car maker hopes that its new 'Ecological Plastic' materials will account for 60 per cent of interior components in selected cars, including plant-dervied polyester for sun visors and kenaf fibre for door trims.
www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2232823/toyota-plans-eco-plastic

Cut Chemicals in Products, California Panel Recommends (12/17/2008)
A panel appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says California should immediately start reducing the toxic substances in products and manufacturing in the state.
www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11245484

Four Small Business Centers Get Big Grants for Energy Efficiency Assistance (12/17/2008)
Business development centers in Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada and New York are receiving a total of $500,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration to help fund energy efficiency projects.
www.greenbiz.com/news/2008/12/16/fsmall-business-centers-big-grants

How Healthy Are America's Coasts? (12/17/2008)
The overall condition of the nation's coastal waters has improved slightly, based on a recently released environmental assessment. The National Coastal Condition Report III (NCCRIII) is the third in a series of environmental assessments of U.S. coastal and Great Lakes waters.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216161145.htm

Port of Seattle, Partner Study Ways to Cut Pollution (12/17/2008)
The Port of Seattle and the Dalian Port Corp. of China will begin collaborating as part of an "EcoPartnership" to study how to make port terminals and infrastructure less polluting and more efficient.
seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/392357_ecoport16.html?source=rss

Guerrilla Toy Testers Take Aim at Lead (12/16/2008)
Consumer watchdogs wielding handheld X-ray guns are testing toys on shelves for unsafe levels of lead and other chemicals, giving retailers -- from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to mom-and-pop stores -- a case of heartburn this holiday season.
online.wsj.com/article/SB122938878154208997.html

Magnolia Sewage Plant Idea Stinks (12/13/2008)
Washington State has launched its most ambitious effort ever to rescue ecologically ailing Puget Sound. But, in this case, is the state doing everything in its power to keep pollution out of the Sound?
seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/392012_sound13.html

Cleaning the Air Helps Cool Planet (12/12/2008)
Emissions cuts offer 'greatest potential for substantial, simultaneous improvements in local air quality and near-term mitigation.'
www.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/Short-term-mitigation/cleaning-the-air-helps-c
ool-planet

Dibutyltin: A Widely-Used, Understudied Chemical Alters Inflammation (12/12/2008)
This chemical is used widely in PVC plastics, and a study shows it can interfere with the natural ability of cells to control important immune responses and inflammation. The results may help understand why asthma and allergies are increasing.
www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/a-widely-used-understudied-chemic
al-alters-inflammation/

EPA Drops Plans To Change Power Plant Rules (12/12/2008)
The Bush administration has dropped controversial plans that would have allowed some existing power plants to expand without having to install new pollution controls.
www.planetark.com:80/enviro-news/item/50879

EU Takes the Green Lead with Climate Change Deal - But Concessions Weaken Effect (12/12/2008)
European nations dared the U.S., Russia, and China to follow their lead on a global warming plan (20-20-20) to reduce greenhouse emissions by 20%, and ensuring that 20% of energy comes renewable sources by 2020. Evenso, activists say the plan was weakened by concessions to Eastern Europe and heavy industry due to economic crisis.
seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/392028_climate13.html

Tech Firms Stand Out For Climate Efforts (12/12/2008)
Study finds that International Business Machines Corp, Dell Inc and Intel Corp stand out among technology and consumer-products companies for their policies directed at averting climate change.
www.planetark.com/enviro-news/item/50885

Using Waste Water At Maryland Power Project (12/12/2008)
Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) agreed with the state and county to use waste water for cooling its planned $400 million natural gas-fired power plant in Charles County, Maryland.
www.planetark.com/enviro-news/item/50888

Seasoned Regulators to Lead Obama Environment Program (12/11/2008)
The Obama administration has ambitions for a radical change in U.S. environmental policy. But President-elect Barack Obama did not pick radicals to lead it. Washington Post [Registration Required]
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/11/AR2008121103669.html

Environmental Fugitives Get Own Most-Wanted List (12/10/2008)
The U.S. EPA published a list of their 23 most-wanted; environmental fugitives accused of actions such as alleged smuggling of ozone depleting chemicals into the U.S., secretly installing a pipe behind a facility to discharge pollutants into a tributary of the Mississippi, illegal import of autos that don't meet U.S. emissions standards, and illegal dumping of tons of oil-contaminated grain into the ocean. The EPA warns that the publich should not attempt to apprehend any of these individuals.
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008490367_apenvironmentalfugitives.html
?syndication=rss

Ecoflation, A New Worry, Could Hit Consumer Goods (12/08/2008)
Companies that make fast-moving consumer goods, everything from cereal to shampoo, could see earnings drop by 13 percent to 31 percent by 2013 and 19 percent to 47 percent by 2018 if they do not adopt sustainable environmental practices, the report said.
www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4B76RV20081208?sp=true

Back at Junk Value, Recyclables Are Piling Up (12/07/2008)
The economic downturn has decimated the market for recycled materials like cardboard, plastic, newspaper and metals. Across the country, this junk is accumulating by the ton in the yards and warehouses of recycling contractors, which are unable to find buyers or are unwilling to sell at rock-bottom prices.
www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/business/08recycle.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1228846
226-vDGNZD/XLBd87XZP3Ipw2Q

Intel Works on Tiny Devices for Eco-Technology (12/06/2008)
The computer chipmaker offered reporters a glimpse of its research into products such as chip-size sensors that monitor air quality while riding piggyback on street-sweepers. Or cell phones that recharge themselves with energy "scavenged" from the environment.
www.sfgate.com:80/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/06/BU1V14IU5F.DTL

Organic Pecans Shake Up the Agriculture World (12/05/2008)
U.S. researchers have discovered that yields of protein-rich, organic pecan nuts outperformed crops of conventional pecans, in side to side orchard comparison. Productivity and quality of the "organic side" outperformed the non-organically grown side for five years.
www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/organic-pecan-farming.php

Virginia Mason Adds Unit to Teach Path to Productivity (12/05/2008)
Seattle-based Virginia Mason recently founded an institute to teach other health providers how to boost productivity at healthcare facilities based on the lean manufacturing principles. (Requires subscription)
seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/12/08/story12.html?surround=etf

New Fabric Can Wipe Away Toxic Chemicals (12/04/2008)
A new dry wipe can clean up chemical agents such as mustard gas, giving soldiers a more convenient way to deal with toxic materials on the battlefield, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.
www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N03349468.htm

Group Collects Turkey Oil (11/30/2008)
This second annual project is an effort of Boulder-based Rocky Mountain Sustainable Enterprises to provide residents in 13 cities with convenient locations to recycle holiday cooking oil used to deep-fry turkeys.
www.coloradoan.com:80/article/20081130/NEWS01/811300333/1002/CUSTOMERSERVICE02

Why Xerox is Helping Customers Use Less Paper (11/21/2008)
A companywide effort at Xerox is underway to find ways to reduce paper waste and cut down on the consumption of natural resources. Ironically, the second-largest company in the printer-copier market seems aware that the problem they're trying to solve is the very one that they helped create.
www.newsweek.com/id/170131

January 13-14, 2009
Pacific Northwest P2 Roundtable (Vancouver, WA)


January 26-29, 2009
US Composting Council's 17th Annual Conference & Trade Show (Houston, TX)


February 2, 2009
2009 State of Green Business Forum (San Francisco, CA)


February 3-5, 2009
ACI Northwest Conference 2009 (Portland, OR)


February 5, 2009
National Teach-In on Global Warming (America, USA)


February 25-26, 2009
2009 Southeast Lifecycle Construction Conference (Atlanta, GA)


March 6-7, 2009
Sustainability and Energy EXP09 (Tucson, AZ)


April 9, 2009
Washington's Innovation Summit 2009 (Bellevue, WA)


April 29-30, 2009
Sustainable Manufacturing Summit USA 09 (Chicago, IL)


May 19-20, 2009
Greener By Design (San Francisco, CA)


May 18-20, 2009
Cleanmed 2009 (Chicago, IL)


June 8-9, 2009
Lean & Green Summit (Savannah, GA)

PPRC Welcomes New Executive Director - Paula Del Giudice
To learn more about Paula visit our staff page at http://pprc.org/about/staff.cfm or view the press release in the link below.
pprc.org/about/newed_dec08.pdf