Richard Branson Aims to Rock the Boat for Green Shipping 11 Mar 2010, 8:05 pm

The billionaire's new NGO, Carbon War Room, puts the global shipping industry's massive carbon footprint under the spotlight, and spread the word about simple ways to shrink its impact.

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | Marc Gunther

EnviroMom says Woo Hoo! to sewer dollars for the Portland bike plan 11 Mar 2010, 6:14 pm

Photo via BikePortland.org

Portlanders pay some of the highest sewer rates in the country, $50.75 per month, and it appears that the city council will approve $20 million worth of this sewer money to go to funding the city's ambitious bike plan. The plan calls for 962 miles of bike paths by 2030, fully integrated with a robust public transportation system.

By 2030...Streetcar, light and commuter rail, water taxis and bus transit are all planned and operated with the needs of bicyclists in mind and as high-priority customers who will reach transit stations by bike and partner to reduce reliance on the automobile. (From the Portland Bicycle Plan)

Cool. But a lot of people aren't happy about sewer money going to bike programs. There are other sewer-related projects that will now be on hold due to the diversion of funds (and we have yet to hear what these projects are). However, the $20 million is actually going toward a dual-purpose: projects like creating bioswales and curb extensions to manage stormwater run-off along the bike boulevards also serve to provide safer streets for bikes. So, technically, the money still goes toward sewer projects. I guess I'm not seeing what the fuss is all about.

If the Portland Bicycle Plan is successful (and with a total price tag of $600 million it damn well better be) our city could look radically different in 20 years. Fewer cars on the road means less congestion, better air quality and a dampening of the noxious greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Unbelievably, there are plenty of folks, even in Portland, who don't believe in any of it. They think bikes are a nuisance and are resentful that the city is willing to spend big bucks on this kind of infrastructure. (Have you ever read the comments on OregonLive? Scary.) Thankfully, they are in the minority.

We applaud our forward-thinking mayor and the city council for pushing the great green agenda and working out the creative financing to kick-start the Portland Bicycle Plan!

(P.S. Mayor Adams: I live along a bike boulevard. I'm expecting great things.)

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | Heather

CARBON MARKETS: U.N. official sees limited growth in offset market 11 Mar 2010, 3:52 pm

Credits available to offset greenhouse gas emissions under a U.N. program will increase by only about a fifth this year, less than analysts have predicted, according to a member of…

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)

GRID: Smart grid tax hurdle falls for corporate investment grant recipients 11 Mar 2010, 3:52 pm

The Obama administration yesterday announced the resolution of a tax issue that has held up a large portion of $3.4 billion in federal smart grid investment grants for nearly five…

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)

TECHNOLOGY: Calif. regulator says 'no' to ratepayer funding for fuel cell projects 11 Mar 2010, 3:52 pm

SAN FRANCISCO -- An attempt by California's largest private utilities to use ratepayer funds to bankroll fuel-cell projects has been rejected by an administrative law judge at the state's Public…

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)

BUSINESS: Road map to sustainability rests on corporate governance 11 Mar 2010, 3:52 pm

More companies are combining their strategies for increasing profit and addressing climate change. A report issued today by Ceres, a Boston-based coalition of institutional investors pressing companies to adopt sustainable…

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)

RISK: Is there any way to avoid a hurricane 'bailout'? 11 Mar 2010, 3:52 pm

Claims of a bailout flew yesterday in a hearing that focused on establishing a federal program to pre-fund catastrophe accounts in states prone to hurricanes and earthquakes. Each side, opponents…

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)

SCIENCE: Funding dries up for Canada's polar climate lab 11 Mar 2010, 3:52 pm

Because the Canadian government has not provided additional funding for the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory on Canada's Ellesmere Island, the remote climate change research facility will be forced to…

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)

ELECTRICITY: Dallas utility starts smart meter testing 11 Mar 2010, 3:52 pm

In an effort to show electricity customers they are not being overcharged by their new smart meters, Dallas-based utility Oncor has started a series of tests, installing the new digital…

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)

ADAPTATION: Searching for the wildest strawberries 11 Mar 2010, 3:52 pm

It has been a long journey for the latest shipment of seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. The vault, built into a Norwegian mountain near the North Pole, is the final defense for agriculture in the face of growing populations, a changing climate and rising threats to food security. And the vault now contains the world's most diverse collection of crops as the shipment, which included a wild strawberry species painstakingly collected from a remote Russian archipelago, brought its numbers to more than half a million.

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)

OCEANS: Scientists continue to have trouble defining impacts of sea level rise 11 Mar 2010, 3:52 pm

Scientists know much more about why sea level rise has quickened in recent decades than they did just a few years ago, but translating that knowledge into effective policy will…

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)

SOCIETY: Climate change impacts felt more among women 11 Mar 2010, 3:52 pm

Natural disasters linked with climate change are having a disproportionately negative impact on women, who have had higher death rates and heavier household and care burdens and are forced into…

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)

SCIENCE: Academies will review IPCC procedures 11 Mar 2010, 3:52 pm

An umbrella group of science academies will review how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change operates, top officials from both organizations said yesterday. The InterAcademy Council, which represents 15 science…

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)

Zero Net Energy Live/Work Showcase Opens Doors to Public 11 Mar 2010, 1:34 pm

A LEED-Platinum rated zero net energy live/work unit opens its doors to the public today before a deal closes to buy the unique property near the Oakland Estuary.
 

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | GreenerBuildings Staff

4th Annual Green Building Survey 11 Mar 2010, 10:34 am

This survey of more than 1,600 design and construction professionals in the U.S. charts their latest perceptions and practices regarding green building -- and compares them to attitudes and activities before and during the Great Recession.

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | GreenerBuildings Staff

How to Embed Sustainability Into Your Company's DNA 11 Mar 2010, 1:12 am

"The 21st Century Corporation: The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability" makes the business case for why companies should be rethinking their corporate structures, processes and performance, while also offering advice and case studies of how companies are putting these practices to work.

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | GreenBiz Staff

Big Oil's Slow Road to Sustainability 11 Mar 2010, 1:01 am

Last week, we released the sustainability rankings of the world's largest oil and gas companies. Despite the skepticism of whether the industry can ever be green, there are plenty of reasons to rank their sustainability efforts.

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | Todd Cort

The Challenges -- and Future -- of REDD 10 Mar 2010, 10:34 pm

The year 2010 is a crucial year for forests. In March, major donor countries and forest-rich countries will meet in Paris, Nairobi and Manila, each grappling with the same question: How can efforts to reduce deforestation also help tackle climate change? Their decisions, and those following in the next six to 12 months, could channel substantial amounts of money to protect forests.

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | Manish Bapna

Coming clean on the health hazards in personal care products 10 Mar 2010, 9:41 pm

You've seen him. He's dreamy: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like...

Here's my question. When exactly did just smelling clean go out of fashion? Don't get me wrong. I love this ad. It's hilarious. I hope this guy gets his own TV show. But why oh why can't we all just agree that our health is more important than smelling lady-scented or manly? Here's a link to the Green Guide's Dirty Dozen: ingredients to avoid in personal care products. To it's credit, Old Spice does list the ingredients in its Body Wash. The bad news? It looks an awful lot like the Dirty Dozen list.

Love the ad. Love The Man. Don't like the product. Sadly, I think it stinks.

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | Renee

RISK: Health and life insurers grapple with climate effects 10 Mar 2010, 1:54 pm

Biting bugs are buzzing northward and asthma has spread like a dust cloud, but there are deep divisions about how concerned health and life insurers should be about disease and death caused by climate change. So far, this corner of the massive industry has remained in the background of its climate debate, letting its counterparts who specialize in property losses worry in public forums about potential risks from rising sea levels and more powerful storms.

Source: "Green Policy" via Barry Raveendean Greene in Google Reader | (author unknown)