Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 11/04/2005
This is the weekly bulletin of the TURI Library, reporting a selection of recently published titles we have acquired. Our pledge is to keep the bulletin relevant to your work and brief -- no more than 10 titles. You are
welcome to send a message to jan@turi.org if you would like more
information on any of the articles listed here.
- Organic Greenroof Architecture: Sustainable Design for
the New Millenium. 2005
- Modifications render carbon nanotubes nontoxic. October 2005
- New Polymers Offer Advantages for Medical Devices and
Packaging. October 2005
- Climate Change Futures: Health, Ecological and
Economic Dimensions. November 2005
- Copper-free Dye. October 2005
1. Organic Greenroof Architecture: Sustainable Design for
the New Millenium
AUTHOR Velazquez, Linda S.
DATE 2005
SOURCE Environmental Quality Management, v14 n4, Summer
2005, pp73-85
ABSTRACT This article presents an overview of the
greenroof concept. Included is discussion of the history of greenroofs—which,
though relatively modern in their present form, are rooted in ancient
vernacular architecture and in the innate human desire to connect the built
environment with nature. It discusses basic greenroof technologies and explains
some of the key ecological, economic, aesthetic, and psychological advantages
that greenroofs offer to both users and owners.
2.
AUTHOR Rizoli, Jay
SOURCE Mass High Tech, v23 n43,
ABSTRACT With 17 million acres of forest, the state of
3. Modifications render carbon nanotubes nontoxic
SOURCE Rice University,
ABSTRACT In follow-on work to last year's toxicological
study on water-soluble buckyballs, researchers at
4.
SOURCE
ABSTRACT Officials from MassHousing, The Massachusetts
Technology Collaborative (MTC), and The Enterprise Foundation (
5. New Polymers Offer Advantages for Medical Devices and
Packaging
AUTHOR Stewart, Richard
SOURCE Plastics Engineering, v61 n10, October 2005,
pp20-27
ABSTRACT New higher-performing polymers and innovative
processing methods have expanded the opportunities for plastics in the medical
industry, in the areas of both devices and packaging. Cost reduction pressures
in health care have driven the development of high-quality, lower-cost alternative
polymers, while engineering polymers continue replacing metal and glass in
medical devices. New applications—from disposables to implantables— make
medical plastics an exciting and growing part of the plastics industry. Len
Czuba, SPE President and head of Czuba Enterprises, Inc., a product design and
development firm specializing in medical devices, observes that there is a
misconception that the medical industry is mature and the development of
medical plastics is slowing down. “It might surprise some people to know that
the number of patents related to medical plastics has been increasing at a
rapid pace since the beginning of this decade. “We’re seeing more and more
intellectual property being developed around medical plastics in three primary
areas: • Disposable Materials—low-cost plastics for containers and fixtures,
molded connectors, and tubing. Good quality materials are needed to make those
items very inexpensively but still reliable and with good quality materials. •
Durable Plastics—to replace metal and glass in reusable devices. These
materials offer cost advantages and can be formed into more intricate shapes
than metal and glass. They can be colored and, unlike metal instruments, do not
interfere with imaging. • New Materials—superior engineering polymers are
replacing metal for implants, analytical instrument> components, and other
applications for which plastics had not earlier been considered. Micromolding
has opened up new opportunities for the production of extremely tiny molded
components.”
6. Climate Change Futures: Health, Ecological and
Economic Dimensions
SOURCE The Center for Health and the Global Environment,
DATE 2005
ABSTRACT Climate is the context for life on earth. Global
climate change and the ripples of that change will affect every aspect of life,
from municipal budgets for snowplowing to the spread of disease. Climate is
already changing, and quite rapidly. With rare unanimity, the scientific
community warns of more abrupt and greater change in the future. Many in the
business community have begun to understand the risks that lie ahead. Insurers
and reinsurers find themselves on the front lines of this challenge since the
very viability of their industry rests on the proper appreciation of risk. In
the case of climate, however, the bewildering complexity of the changes and
feedbacks set in motion by a changing climate defy a narrow focus on sectors.
For example, the effects of hurricanes can extend far beyond coastal properties
to the heartland through their impact on offshore drilling and oil prices.
Imagining the cascade of effects of climate change calls for a new approach to
assessing risk. The worst-case scenarios would portray events so disruptive to
human enterprise as to be meaningless if viewed in simple economic terms. On
the other hand, some scenarios are far more positive (depending on how society
reacts to the threat of change). In addition to examining current trends in
events and costs, and exploring case studies of some of the crucial health
problems facing society and the natural systems around us, “Climate Change
Futures: Health, Ecological and Economic Dimensions” uses scenarios to organize
the vast, fluid possibilities of a planetary-scale threat in a manner intended
to be useful to policymakers, business leaders and individuals. Most
discussions of climate impacts and scenarios stay close to the natural
sciences, with scant notice of the potential economic consequences. In
addition, the technical literature often “stovepipes” issues, zeroing in on
specific types of events in isolation from the real world mosaic of
interrelated vulnerabilities, events and impacts. The impacts of climate change
cross national borders and disciplinary lines, and can cascade through many
sectors. For this reason we all have a stake in adapting to and slowing the
rate of climate change. Thus, sound policymaking demands the attention and
commitment of all. While stipulating the ubiquity of the threat of climate
change, understanding the problem still requires a lens through which the
problem might be approached. “Climate Change Futures” focuses on health. The
underlying premise of this report is that climate change will affect the health
of humans as well as the ecosystems and species on which we depend, and that
these health impacts will have economic consequences. The insurance industry
will be at the center of this nexus, both absorbing risk and, through its
pricing and recommendations, helping business and society adapt to and reduce
these new risks. Our hope is that Climate Change Futures (CCF) will not only
help businesses avoid risks, but also identify opportunities and solutions. An
integrated assessment of how climate change is now adversely affecting and will
continue to affect health and economies can help mobilize the attention of
ordinary citizens around the world and help generate the development of climate-friendly
products, projects and policies. With early action and innovative policies,
business can enhance the world’s ability to adapt to change and help
restabilize the climate.
7. Copper-free Dye
SOURCE AATCC Review, v5 n10, October 2005, p11
ABSTRACT The latest addition to DyStar's
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