?Sustainable Practices
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| 398 2009-06-26 Singapore Finds Reusing Water Cheaper Than Desalination. |
| A Singapore engineering firm, PUB Consultants, and Global Water Intelligence, an international water industry analyst, have completed a survey of water reuse facilities around the world. Their study concludes that it is cheaper to purify the outfall from water reclamation plants than to turn seawater into drinking water. A new recycled water production plant in Changi, Singapore will charge 30 cents (Singapore) per cubic meter of water, comparing favorably to the 78 cents (Singapore)/cubic meter price of desalinated water from a nearby plant. Singapore’s water agency PUB has already exported its water reuse technology to countries such as Saudi Arabia. |
| Reference(s): (The Straits Times, June 25, 2009 ) Link(s)*: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_394912.html |
| 398 2009-06-26 3rd Generation Prius Orders of 180,000 Far Exceed 10,000/Month Target. |
| Toyota Motor Corp. has booked 180,000 domestic for the new Prius gasoline-electric hybrid. The company had set a sales target of 10,000 units a month in Japan. The tally included 80,000 orders placed before the car debuted May 18th. Customers placing orders for a Prius as of today face a seven-month wait before taking delivery. The company has shifted workers to its Prius production plant in Aichi Prefecture and implemented overtime shifts to meet demand. Toyota states that the new Prius can travel 38 km/liter of fuel (89 mpg). It has a goal of selling 1 million hybrids annually in the 2010s. |
| Reference(s): (AOL.Money & Finance, June 19, 2009 ) Link(s)*: http://money.aol.com/article/toyota-gets-180000-orders-for-new-prius/486955 |
| 398 2009-06-26 Eco-points Program Promotes Use of Energy-Efficient Goods. |
| The Japanese government has unveiled a list of products and services that can be exchanged for Eco-points, a type of currency to stimulate consumption and promote use of energy-efficient goods. Eco-points are earned through purchases of energy-efficient air conditioners, refrigerators, and televisions. The points can be exchanged for three types of goods: coupons and pre-paid cards, energy –efficient products or products that promote regional economies. More points can be earned for a small fee by handing over old products for recycling and upgrading to a new appliance. |
| Reference(s): (The Japan Times, June 20, 2009 ) Link(s)*: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20090620a1.html |
| 397 2009-06-19 Japan Introduces CO2 Emissions Calculations on Shopping Receipts. |
| Eco-Hana, a citywide environmental accounting service in Naha City, Okinawa, has created Japan’s first service to enable bookkeeping of both finances and carbon dioxide linked to purchases. Data from shoppers are automatically processed based on CO2 emissions per unit sales and reflected on shopping receipts along with pricing and payment data. The CO2 values are derived through the Embodied Energy and Emissions Intensity Input-Output Tables generated by the National Institute for Environmental Studies. Restaurants and supermarkets in Naha City are cooperating with the initial service and there are plans to expand the service area of the program. |
| Reference(s): (Japan for Sustainability, June 7, 2009 ) Link(s)*: http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/029038.html |
| 397 2009-06-19 American Medical Academy Report Calls for Moratorium on GM Foods. |
| The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) has released a position paper on Genetically Modified foods stating, “GM foods pose a serious health risk” and calling for a moratorium on GM foods. The AAEM report determined that “there is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects,” and that “GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health.” The AAEM, founded in 1965, provides research and education in the recognition, treatment and prevention of illnesses induced by exposures to biological and chemical agents encountered in air, food and water. |
| Reference(s): (American Academy of Environmental Medicine, May 19, 2009 ) Link(s)*: http://www.aaemonline.org/gmopost.html |
| 397 2009-06-19 Arizona State University Graduates First Degree Class in Sustainability. |
| Arizona State University, the first school in the country to offer degrees in Sustainability, has just graduated its first class of degree recipients. Thirteen students were in the first class. There are presently 55 enrolled graduate students and 300+ undergraduate majors in the School of Sustainability. The mission of the program is to train a new generation of sustainability scholars and practitioners and to develop practical solutions to pressing environmental, economic and social challenges, particularly as they relate to urban areas. Many of the current graduate students are coming into the program with graduate degrees (especially MBA, engineering, and law.) |
| Reference(s): (DotEarthBlogs, May 14, 2009 ) Link(s)*: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/author/andrew-c-revkin/ |
| 396 2009-06-12 Global Investment in Renewables Exceeds Fossil Fuels for the First Time. |
| The United Nations reports that wind, solar and other clean technologies overtook fossil fuels in attracting investment for power generation for the first time last year. The biggest growth for renewables investment came from China, India and other developing countries. Globally, renewables investment attracted $140 billion compared with $110 billion for gas and coal used in electrical generation. Counting energy efficiency and other measures, more than $155 billion of new money was invested in clean energy companies and projects. Europe remains the main center for clean energy investment, with $50 billion in projects, while the figure for the United States was $30 billion. |
| Reference(s): (The Guardian, 2009 ) Link(s)*: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/03/renewables-energy |
| 396 2009-06-12 Voluntary Universal Health Care Identifier Reduces Errors and Costs. |
| A new company, Global Patient Identifiers, Inc. has developed a voluntary universal healthcare identifier system very different from earlier patient identifier efforts. The system features enhanced privacy protections with patient control and virtually eliminates patient identification errors and redundant tests, saving time and leading to more affordable health care. It also enables the unambiguous identification of patients to facilitate information sharing among participating provider organizations, improving both the quality and efficiency of health care. The system is based on ASTM international standards work developed over the past two decades. |
| Reference(s): Global Patient Identifiers, Inc., 2009 ) Link(s)*: http://www.gpii.info/ |
| 396 2009-06-12 “Growing Power” Works to Transform Midwest with Community Food Systems. |
| Growing Power is a Milwaukee-based organization working to develop Community Food Centers as a key component of larger Community Food Systems. Growing Power works through training, active demonstration, outreach, and technical assistance. Its projects fall into four essential areas: 1) demonstration projects and growing methods, 2) education and technical assistance, 3) food production and distribution through a year-round food security Farm-to City Market Basket Program, and 4) advocacy for food policy changes. Growing Power convenes a minimum of five national workshops on-site at its Milwaukee facility each year and has sponsored three national conferences focusing on food security. |
| Reference(s): (Growing Power, 2009 ) Link(s)*: http://www.growingpower.org/about_us.htm |
| 395 2009-06-05 EPA Pulls Permit for Four Corners Coal Plant to Better Consider CO2 Emissions. |
| The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to effectively withdraw the permit for the proposed Desert Rock coal-fired power plant in the Four Corners area. EPA filed a motion with its Environmental Appeals Board for a voluntary remand of the air permit issued for the facility, which would be located on the Navajo Nation approximately 25 miles southwest of Farmington, New Mexico. In January of this year, the EPA withdrew the portion of its 2008 permit decision regarding emission limits and controls for emissions of carbon dioxide to seek further comment on the matter. EPA’s latest action addresses other issues still under appeal with the Appeals Board, including the use of PM10 as a surrogate to satisfy the PSD requirements for PM2.5; the consideration of integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) as a pollution control option for Desert Rock, the issuance of the final permit decision before completing the consultation under the Endangered Species Act, and the issuance of the final permit before completing an analysis of Desert Rock’s emissions of hazardous air pollutants like mercury. |
| Reference(s): (New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, April 27, 2009 ) Link(s)*: http://www.nmag.gov/Articles/newsarticle.aspx?ArticleID=674#FullArticle |
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Sustainable Practices 2007 is a weekly information service, which has been highlighting innovations in technology, social, and governance models, and sustainable best practices since 2000. It is compiled from publicly available sources and provided by David Schaller, 520-665-1767, daschaller@mac.com
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