EPA Awards For Innovative Environmental Solutions

Posted on April 26, 2012 by quest

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded more than $1 million in grants to 15 university and college teams from across the country who participated in the 8th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for their innovative environmental solutions. EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) award competition was held at the expo, and featured more than 300 college innovators showcasing their sustainable projects designed to protect the environment, encourage economic growth and use natural resources more efficiently. Some P3 team projects include a new process that uses spinach to capture and convert the sun’s energy to electricity and a partnership with a local landfill to design a process that uses waste heat and drainage to grow algae for biodiesel production.

“The competition and expo are not only about EPA’s prestigious P3 award, but also about supporting the next generation of this country’s innovators and entrepreneurs who are entering the environmental and public health field with passion to make a difference and many brilliant ideas,” said Lek Kadeli, acting assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “The P3 program gives these students the opportunity to bring those ideas to realization and many have the potential to make significant impacts on our nation’s sustainable future and development of environmental technologies.”

Two of the award winners were – Santa Clara University for developing a high efficiency solar absorber/exchanger that can bring low cost energy to urbanites who have limited space for solar collectors and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for designing a foldable solar power water purification system that can fit into a backpack for easy transport for use after a disaster affecting drinking water supply. Read the article see and list of winners.

Go Drive Electric Vehicle Day In LA

SunRun Invests $150 Million In Home Solar Systems

Posted on April 26, 2012 by quest

A subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp today announced the creation of a new renewable energy tax equity fund with Sunrun to support the purchase and installation of more than $150 million in residential solar systems across the United States. Sunrun is a market leader in home solar and this is the company’s sixth renewable energy tax equity commitment from U.S. Bancorp.“U.S. Bancorp has been our trusted partner for years and is instrumental to Sunrun’s continued success as one of the largest providers of clean, affordable solar energy for American families,” said Sunrun co-Founder and CEO Edward Fenster.Through its substantial tax equity commitments, U.S. Bancorp has helped Sunrun bring affordable solar to thousands of homes across the country.

Sunrun came into the market in 2007 as a way for homeowners to go solar without high upfront costs. Sunrun owns, insures, monitors and maintains the solar panels on a homeowner’s roof, while families pay a low rate for clean energy and fix their electric costs for 20 years. Typical Sunrun customers pay a lower rate for solar energy than what they pay for electricity from their utility companies. Sunrun installs over $1.5 million in solar every day and has more than 20,000 customers in ten states.

A recent report from Sunrun and PV Solar Report, an authority on solar market data, shows solar power service is becoming the preferred way for homeowners to go solar. For example, solar power service grew 174 percent in California in the first two months of 2012 compared to the first two months of 2011. It has generated over $100 million in growth for the California economy so far in 2012. One in every three California homeowners who installs solar does so with Sunrun.

Think Like A Man Thinking Green

Solar And Electric Cars Key To Cleaning California Air

Posted on April 25, 2012 by quest

The American Lung Association released the State of the Air 2012 today, an annual report on air quality which lists both the cleanest and most polluted areas in the country. This year’s report shows that although California still has some of the worst air in the nation, continuous progress in reducing ozone and particulate pollution has resulted in the state’s air quality at its cleanest since the Lung Association’s annual report began 13 years ago. The findings reinforce the effectiveness of California’s progressive clean air laws and investments and the importance of the Clean Air Act. California must continue to demonstrate leadership by stepping up efforts to achieve clean and healthy air for all residents,” said Lung Association CEO Jane Warner. “This can be done by supporting implementation of state clean car, clean fuel and diesel regulations, redesigning our communities to reduce vehicle trips, and bringing more renewable energy to the state such as solar and wind power. We also urge all Californians to show strong support for the Clean Air Act and to make an effort to reduce air pollution in their communities by driving less, using cleaner transportation options like hybrid and electric vehicles, recycling, avoiding wood burning, and using energy efficient appliances.”

“This report shows that air pollution remains a serious health threat to too many Californians,” said Warner of the American Lung Association in California. “State of the Air 2012 shows that we’re making real and steady progress in the fight for clean air, but unhealthy levels of air pollution still exist, putting the health of millions Californians at risk. Much still needs to be done, and now is not the time to stop progress.”

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that cutting air pollution through the Clean Air Act will prevent at least 230,000 deaths and save $2 trillion annually by 2020. The Lung Association is fighting Congressional attacks that would undermine the Clean Air Act and strip California of its authority to adopt stronger regulations.”Ozone and particle pollution contribute to thousands of hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and deaths every year,” said Kari Nadeau, MD, PHD, associated professor of immunology and allergy at Stanford Medical School and an American Lung Association researcher.” Read the article

See More On A Train

Posted on April 24, 2012 by quest

Award-winning actress, environmentalist, writer and philanthropist Rosario Dawson will serve as spokesperson for the 5th Annual National Train Day and share her love of train travel and how it allows her to be involved in the community in a more personal way with rail fans. Train passengers experience travel unlike any others; they get to see the vastness of the American landscape more intimately when traveling by rail, from cities big and small, to country vistas and everything in between. In honor of the fifth anniversary of National Train Day, Amtrak is inviting train fans to share what they see and experience on their train journeys and enter the See More On A Train online contest.

A celebration of train travel and the ways that trains touch the lives of people across America, National Train Day will take place at train stations in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as well as numerous other communities throughout the nation, on Saturday, May 12, 2012. From now through May 29, 2012, train fans can upload their original photos, videos and stories chronicling how they have been inspired by their train travel to National Train Day for the chance to win great prizes. A Grand Prize winner in each of the three categories will have their choice of one of four provided Amtrak Vacations Tour Packages for two travelers.

See More On A Train

In addition, train fans can visit facebook.com/NationalTrainDay to participate in the National Train Day sweepstakes for the chance to win an Amtrak Vacations Package to Glacier National Park and a full Samsonite luggage set.

Washington, D.C. Gets Top Environmental City Ranking

Posted on April 24, 2012 by quest

MaxPoint Interactive, a company that helps retailers and brands drive local in-stores sales with its innovative Digital Zip technology, today issued the results of an indexing study that analyzed billions of data points to determine the U.S. neighborhoods that are the most eco-friendly. Washington, D.C ranked the highest based on their passion for environmental news and issues. It was followed by Austin, TX, and Honolulu, HI. San Francisco which ranked number one in an Economist study last year followed in at number four.

“The results of this Interest Index were particularly surprising because we found that we have clusters of consumers who are ‘talking the talk’ and some that are ‘walking the walk’ when it comes to acting in an environmentally friendly way, yet both groups are important to advertisers” said, Gretchen Joyce, chief operating officer of MaxPoint Interactive. In this particular indexing study, MaxPoint discovered that there are two very distinct neighborhood types when it comes to going “green”— those who demonstrate interest by reading and discussing environmental issues and those who make purchasing decisions to support environmentally friendly products.

Using the data gleaned from this index, MaxPoint implemented highly targeted neighborhood-level digital ad campaigns for a major luxury car dealer was looking to increase overall brand awareness of its new hybrid vehicle high-end eco-friendly vehicle and drive sales. It also provided insight to a major solar solutions company was interested in targeting the neighborhoods across the U.S. most likely to purchase a solar panel to power their homes. As a result of a focused digital advertising campaign, the company was able to target consumers passionate about the environment, who own homes, and have an average household income of $60K or higher.

Green News Wall

Water Farms Help Consumers Find Fresh Local Food

Posted on April 23, 2012 by quest

In honor of the 41st Earth Day the Recirculating Farms Coalition released a new interactive map that shows consumers where to buy fresh produce and seafood, and decorative plants and fish from innovative farms. The organization is a collaborative group of farmers, fishermen, educators, scientists and others who promote unique growing methods – recirculating farming.”Recirculating farms are amazing – they use inventive ways to be space, energy, and water efficient,” says Executive Director Marianne Cufone. “Because they can be so eco-friendly, Earth Day is the perfect time to get the word out that these farms are operating all over the U.S. Our new map helps people find and learn about them.”

Recirculating farms are what they sound like; they use naturally cleaned, recycled water, without soil, to raise plants and fish. There are many styles of recirculating farms, but generally they all fall into three categories: hydroponic (plants), aquaculture (fish), or aquaponic (plants and fish).Though recirculating technology is not new – it is similar to that used for ages in hanging gardens, fish ponds, and modernly in aquariums – it is ever improving. Today, these farms can grow more, in less space, using rainwater and renewable energy sources like solar power. Still, they are not well known in the U.S.

One focus for the Coalition is to raise awareness about these farms. Creating a map that shows commercial recirculating farms is a way to reach out to people who want to visit and purchase from the farms and are interested in supporting local, sustainable businesses.The new map uses color-coding to identify the type of farm and provides location and contact information. It is a work-in-progress, the Coalition expects to add more farms and additional details to each entry, including what is grown and where products can be purchased if they are sold off-site.”We are always learning about new recirculating farms, and farmers are contacting and joining the Coalition. This map will expand and be an important resource for consumers who want sustainably grown, fresh local food. We are excited to debut this in time for Earth Day, to help.