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Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 08/11/2006


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.

Titles here, abstracts below them:
  1. Printing the Electronic Future
  2. Taking Stock 2003
  3. Changing the Way We Color Our World: Dry Paint Film -- The "Green" Alternative to Paint Gains Momentum
  4. National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency
  5. Reporting in Context 2006: Global Corporate Responsibility Reporting Trends
  6. Public Health Confronts the Mosquito: Developing Sustainable State and Local Mosquito Control Programs

1. Printing the Electronic Future

AUTHOR Harrop, Peter

DATE 2006

SOURCE Global SMT & Packaging, v6 n3, March 2006, pp18-20

ABSTRACT "Printing of electronics is an escape route opening up for some in the troubled printing industry. It involves many passes of very different new inks such as fine silver conductors, ceramic dielectrics, copper doped phosphors, and both organic and inorganic semiconductors and passivation layers. It uses improvements to many different printing technologies and it will be an industry of hundreds of billions of dollars yearly within twenty years, creating from disposable ubiquitous lighting and electronics, moving colour billboards, wallpaper television, electronic books and more."

WEB LINK http://www.trafalgar2.com/documents/Issue_Archive/global_6.3_us.pdf


2. Taking Stock 2003

DATE 2006

SOURCE Commission for Environmental Cooperation

ABSTRACT "Taking Stock 2003 is the tenth in the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) Taking Stock series on sources, releases and transfers of industrial pollutants in North America. In this report, you can find:; which industrial sector released the largest amount of pollutants; which chemicals are released in the largest amounts; how releases and transfers of chemicals from facilities in your community rank in North America; the types of chemical releases and amounts shipped across national boundaries for disposal, treatment, energy recovery or recycling; and whether chemical releases and transfers are increasing or decreasing over time. At the Taking Stock Online web site , you can frame customized data enquiries and get answers about releases and transfers of chemicals in North America."

WEB LINK http:// www.cec.org/takingstock


3. Changing the Way We Color Our World: Dry Paint Film -- The "Green" Alternative to Paint Gains Momentum

AUTHOR Chouinard, Teri

DATE 2006

SOURCE PCI Paint & Coatings Industry, v22 n6, pp26-30

ABSTRACT "Is it film or is it paint? This is the question increasingly being asked in automotive, heavy truck, marine and other markets. Every major automotive OEM has major initiatives to identify, develop and use alternatives to paint. This is all good news for Soliant LLC, a global leader in exterior durable films. Soliant estimates that over 40 million exterior automotive components have been surfaced with dry paint film in the past five years, and expects to see explosive growth in the next three to five years. Applications will range from small trim components to fascias to roofing modules or body panels. The positive environmental impact of paint film versus paint has been well documented. Independent studies show that paint film is 10 times more effective in reducing VOC emissions compared to a state-of-the-art paint system. The Soliant coating lines are designed for 100% capture of ALL fumes, and are far more effective and efficient than a paint system. As environmental regulations become more stringent, the advantages that films offer will continue to grow. Each of the major automotive OEMs is pushing their supply base to eliminate/reduce VOCs from their processes. Automotive OEMs already using the film technology includes Acura, Audi, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Mercedes, Saab, Toyota and Volvo."

WEB LINK http://www.pcimag.com/CDA/Archives/a0abc27db9ceb010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0____


4. National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency

DATE 2006

SOURCE United States Department of Energy (DOE); United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

ABSTRACT "This National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency is a call to action to bring diverse stakeholders together at the national, regional, state, or utility level, as appropriate, and foster the discussions, decision-making, and commitments necessary to take investment in energy efficiency to a new level. The overall goal is to create a sustainable, aggressive national commitment to energy efficiency through gas and electric utilities, utility regulators, and partner organizations. The Action Plan was developed by a Leadership Group composed of more than 50 leading organizations representing diverse stakeholder perspectives. Based upon the policies, practices, and efforts of many organizations across the country, the Leadership Group offers five recommendations as ways to overcome many of the barriers that have limited greater investment in programs to deliver energy efficiency to customers of electric and gas utilities. These recommendations may be pursued through a number of different options, depending upon state and utility circumstances. As part of the Action Plan, leading organizations are committing to aggressively pursue energy efficiency opportunities in their organizations and assist others who want to increase the use of energy efficiency in their regions. Because greater investment in energy efficiency cannot happen based on the work of one individual or organization alone, the Action Plan is a commitment to bring the appropriate stakeholders together— including utilities, state policy-makers, consumers, consumer advocates, businesses, energy services companies, and others—to be part of a collaborative effort to take energy efficiency to a new level. As energy experts, utilities may be in a unique position to play a leading role. The reasons behind the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, the process for developing the Action Plan, and the final recommendations are summarized in greater detail as follows."

WEB LINK http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/pdf/ActionPlanReport_PrePublication_073106.pdf


5. Reporting in Context 2006: Global Corporate Responsibility Reporting Trends

DATE 2006

SOURCE Context Consulting

ABSTRACT "Telling people how responsible you are has never been simple. As more and more companies around the world attempt to do this through Corporate Responsibility (CR) or citizenship reports, it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier. Guidance from organisations such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and AccountAbility has helped to build reasonable consensus on the subject matter and the broad approach. Our analysis shows that most companies attempt to focus on the central issues around their business, rather than philanthropy or internal environmental performance. They try to talk about how they make money, and how that affects people and the environment. Similarly, most major companies present a reasonably balanced view, knowing that credibility requires candour. This relative maturity does not mean that CR reporting has become routine. In fact, as we describe in the article that follows, some experienced reporters are resisting the pressure to conform, exploring different ways of achieving transparency and effective communications. The concept of materiality (what’s really important) ought to help companies focus on the right topics. But as we report in the second article, companies applying materiality tests risk broadening rather than narrowing the range of reporting subjects. We offer some ideas to help those in danger of being buried in material – and materiality. In our third article we argue that companies need to use the reporting process to help improve performance. Reporting is important, but ultimately better performance is what counts. The data and analysis in the second half of this document show that the reporting club continues to grow. For the first time we include data on companies outside Europe and the US (using information from CorporateRegister.com). The figures show a surge in US reporting so that it is now the majority practice among the top 100 public companies. Perhaps surprisingly, though, there are still more reporters among the top public companies in Japan, Brazil, Australia and the rest of the non-transatlantic world."

WEB LINK http://www.econtext.co.uk/cover_scans/InContext2006.pdf


6. Public Health Confronts the Mosquito: Developing Sustainable State and Local Mosquito Control Programs

DATE 2005

SOURCE Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Mosquito Control Collaborative

ABSTRACT "Mosquito control is an important and basic public health function. The rapid spread of West Nile virus across the U.S. in the last five years demonstrates the continuing need for organized mosquito control activities. States and local communities are challenged to develop and maintain these essential vector control programs, especially in tight budgetary times. In response to needs voiced by the public and impacted communities, as well as the public health and mosquito control communities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases sponsored ASTHO to develop a set of recommendations for creating sustainable state and local mosquito control programs. Because mosquito control involves many players, ASTHO convened the Mosquito Control Collaborative (MCC or the Collaborative), a body comprised of state, local, and federal representatives from public health, environmental, and agricultural agencies, as well as other organizations intimately involved with vector control and public health. Because mosquito control efforts begin at the community level, ASTHO invited the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to join the project as a partner. The following document consists of the recommendations developed by the MCC from February through December 2004. The purpose of this document is to serve as a catalyst for discussion and as a working document for public health practitioners and policy makers. The recommendations are not meant to answer all questions or meet all needs related to mosquito control. They will, however, be a tool for the public health community as it determines and solidifies the relationship between mosquito control and public health. West Nile virus epidemics have taken a heavy toll on our communities and on public health. The challenges of dealing with the virus have reinforced the role that public health can play in the community—working with community partners and other agencies to protect the public’s health from mosquito-borne diseases. Public health agencies will not always be the lead agency in mosquito control; their role will depend on the nature of the community and the circumstances. Public health, however, must be actively involved in mosquito control when the public’s health is threatened. In addition, public health leaders and policy makers can reinforce the need for infrastructure that supports a long-term ability to cope with mosquito control on a continual basis at the community and state levels."

WEB LINK http://www.ncmvca.org/PubHealthConfrots_Mosq.pdf

 

You are welcome to send a message to jan@turi.org if you would like more information on any of these resources. Also, please tell us what topics you are particularly interested in monitoring, and who else should see GREENLIST. An online search of the TURI Library catalog can be done at http://greenlist.turi.org/ for greater topic coverage.

Compiled by the TURI Library, University of Massachusetts Lowell



This page updated Friday August 18 2006