Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 03/30/2007
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:
- A framework for responsible nanotechnology
- A vocabulary for sustainable business
- Development of interpretation keys for environmental product declarations
- The dirty secret about clean cars
- Plastic That Degrades In Seawater Could Be Boon For Cruise Industry
- New Rule Designed To Protect Florida’s Water Quality
- Soy-based product explored as non-toxic substitute for important but toxic reactive compound
- National foes take aim on stiffer state chemical plant laws
- Massachusetts -- Launching the Next Green Purchasing Revolution
- Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in the Environment
1. A framework for responsible nanotechnology
AUTHOR Walsh, S.; Medley, T.
SOURCE Environmental Defense and DuPont
DATE 2007
ABSTRACT Environmental Defense, an environmental advocacy organization, and DuPont, a science-based products and services company, have developed a comprehensive, practical, and flexible Framework for evaluating and addressing the potential risks of nanoscale materials. The Framework is available at www.nanoriskframework.com. The intent of this Framework is to define a systematic and disciplined process for identifying, managing, and reducing any environmental, health, and safety risks of engineered nanomaterials across all stages of a product’s lifecycle. Our Framework offers guidance on the key questions an organization should consider in developing applications of such materials, and on the key information needed to make sound risk-evaluation and risk-management decisions. The Framework allows users to move ahead despite areas of incomplete or uncertain information, by using reasonable assumptions and by compensating for knowledge gaps with appropriate risk-management practices. Further, the Framework describes a system to guide information generation and update assumptions, decisions, and practices with new information as it becomes available. And the Framework offers guidance on how to communicate information and decisions to key stakeholders. We believe that the adoption of this Framework can promote responsible development of nanotechnology products, facilitate public acceptance, and support the development of a practical model for reasonable government policy on nanotechnology safety. We have solicited and incorporated feedback on our overall approach from a wide range of international stakeholders, and we are now pilot-testing the Framework on several materials and applications, at various stages of development. We expect that the Framework itself will evolve as it is used by a variety of stakeholders in a variety of settings for a variety of applications. We welcome feedback that will help us to improve it.
WEB LINK http://www.environmentaldefense.org/
documents/6081_Nano%20Risk%20Framework%20overview%20manuscript-26feb07.pdf
2. A vocabulary for sustainable business
AUTHOR Shedroff, Nathan
SOURCE GreenBiz.com, March 2007
ABSTRACT Words can be the lynchpin in a strategy to change people's opinions, behavior or understandings. Certainly, messaging is critical in any movement (as any White House administration can tell you). However, your audience must understand what you're talking about in order for your information to be powerful and your messages must be compatible with their lives in order to be meaningful. Too often, discussions about abstract phenomenon (such as externalities) or industry-specific terms (such as eco-effectiveness) fail to communicate to people critical concepts for new solutions. We can't expect people to change their behavior or priorities if they don't understand how these relate to their lives. Perhaps, we can expect professionals to learn arcane terms but most people need terms that communicate clearly and quickly what sustainable behavior means to their lives. The solution isn't to coin wholly new terms. While this often works well for business titles, it rarely works for business discourse. Along with changes to terms and definitions-even inventing new metrics and standards-we need to change the traditional vocabulary of business as well.
WEB LINK http://www.greenbiz.com/news/columns_third.cfm?NewsID=34683
3. Development of interpretation keys for environmental product declarations
AUTHOR Steen, Bengt; Garling, Anita; Imrell, Anne-Marie; Sanne, Karin
SOURCE Journal of Cleaner Production, available online 13 March 2007
ABSTRACT Certified environmental product declarations (EPD) are beginning to be used in several countries. To date, user experience indicates that the EPD results are difficult for professional purchasers and salespeople to understand. In order to improve understanding, three interpretation keys have been developed. They recalculate the EPD results to other numbers, which are easier to value. One key calculates the degree of satisfaction of environmental goals, another calculates the damage cost and yet another compares with what is normal in economic activity. The three interpretation keys represent different ethical views of the environment. Intended users, people having some knowledge of environmental issues without being specialists, have tested the keys on several occasions after which the keys were redesigned. We concluded that the interpretation keys offer increased understanding.
4. Plastic That Degrades In Seawater Could Be Boon For Cruise Industry
SOURCE ScienceDaily.com, March 28, 2007
ABSTRACT Large volumes of plastic waste generated aboard military, merchant and cruise ships must be stored onboard, often for prolonged periods, until they make port. In the future, a new type of environmentally friendly plastic that degrades in seawater may make it safe and practical to toss plastic waste overboard, freeing-up valuable storage space, according to scientists at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM). The biodegradable plastics could replace conventional plastics that are used to make stretch wrap for large cargo items, food containers, eating utensils and other plastics used at sea, the researchers say. The biodegradable plastic has not yet been tested in freshwater. "There are many groups working on biodegradable plastics, but we're one of a few working on plastics that degrade in seawater," says study leader Robson F. Storey, Ph.D., a professor of Polymer Science and Engineering at USM, located in Hattiesburg, Miss. "We're moving toward making plastics more sustainable, especially those that are used at sea." Conventional plastics can take years to break down and may result in byproducts that are harmful to the environment and toxic to marine organisms, conditions that make their disposal at sea hazardous. The new plastics are capable of degrading in as few as 20 days and result in natural byproducts that are nontoxic, Storey and his associates say. Their study is funded by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), which is supporting a number of ongoing research projects aimed at reducing the environmental impact of marine waste. The new plastics are made of polyurethane that has been modified by the incorporation of PLGA [poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)], a known degradable polymer used in surgical sutures and controlled drug-delivery applications. Through variations in the chemical composition of the plastic, the researchers have achieved a wide range of mechanical properties ranging from soft, rubber-like plastics to hard, rigid structures, depending on their intended use. When exposed to seawater, the plastics degrade via hydrolysis into nontoxic products, according to the scientists. Depending on the composition of the plastics, these compounds may include water, carbon dioxide, lactic acid, glycolic acid, succinic acid, caproic acid and L-lysine, all of which can be found in nature, they add. Because the new plastics are denser than saltwater, they have a tendency to sink instead of float, Storey says. That feature also could prevent them from washing up on shore and polluting beaches, he notes. The plastics are undergoing degradation testing at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center in Natick, Mass., and in the Gulf of Mexico at the USM Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, Miss. Initial results have been favorable, Storey says. The plastics are not quite ready for commercialization. More studies are needed to optimize the plastics for various environmental conditions they might encounter, including changes in temperature, humidity and seawater composition, Storey says. There also are legal hurdles to overcome, since international maritime law currently forbids disposal of plastics at sea.
WEB LINK http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070327113602.htm
5. The dirty secret about clean cars
AUTHOR Herbst, Moira
SOURCE BusinessWeek.com, March 28, 2007
ABSTRACT President Bush enjoyed a high-profile photo-op Monday with the heads of the Big Three automakers and their latest clean-car models. The impressive lineup included a General Motors model that can run on ethanol, a plug-in Ford powered by hydrogen, and a DaimlerChrysler Jeep filled with a biodiesel blend. It was smiles all around as the automakers announced they would make half of America's vehicles ethanol-ready by 2012. "If you want to reduce gasoline usage—like I believe we need to do so for national-security reasons as well as for environmental concerns—the consumer has got to be in a position to make a rational choice," said a beaming Bush. But there's a dirty secret about clean cars. The policies for flexible-fuel vehicles—those that can run on mixtures of gasoline and more than 10 percent ethanol—are written in such a way that they result in a number of unintended consequences. One result is that automakers gain some leeway in meeting fuel-economy standards if they produce flexible-fuel cars and trucks. So Detroit's automakers have been pumping out hundreds of thousands of the vehicles, even though most consumers have no access to alternative fuels because they're available at only a fraction of U.S. gas stations. Here's why that's an issue. Automakers need to meet certain government standards for the fuel economy of their fleets. For flex-fuel cars, fuel economy is calculated based on the assumption that their owners use 50 percent gasoline and 50 percent ethanol. But the reality is that just 1 percent of the nation's flexible-fuel vehicles actually use what's known as E85—85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. The remaining 99 percent are using good old-fashioned gasoline. The result is anything but green. The more flex-fuel cars and trucks that are produced, the more gasoline is consumed—dramatically increasing greenhouse gas emissions and deepening the country's dependence on petroleum. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that without the policy in place, the U.S. would have burned 4 billion fewer gallons of gasoline since 1998.
WEB LINK http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17842304/
6. New Rule Designed To Protect Florida’s Water Quality
SOURCE Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, January 31, 2007
ABSTRACT Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson has announced that his department is proposing a state rule that will protect water quality by restricting phosphorous and nitrogen application rates in fertilizers for urban turf and lawns. Once the rule goes into effect, the only products approved for sale for consumer use on lawns and urban turf will be no or low phosphate fertilizers. “We are committed to protecting Florida’s water resources,” Bronson said. “By establishing responsible nitrogen and phosphorous use rates statewide, Florida’s citizens can continue to care for their lawns and landscapes without sacrificing water quality.” Bronson said the new rule is expected to significantly reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous applied in urban areas and therefore reduce the level of those compounds reaching Florida’s water resources. State law requires that all directions for use on fertilizer products must be approved by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. During the 2005-06 fiscal year, the department approved labeling for more than 1,200 brands of specialty fertilizers, many of which are used on urban turf and lawns. The new rule will require that all fertilizer products labeled for use on urban turf, sports turf and lawns be limited to the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus needed to support healthy turf maintenance. The proposed rule is proceeding through the rulemaking process, and Bronson said that he expects it to become effective sometime this spring. It was developed by Bronson’s department with input from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the state’s water management districts, county environmental offices, fertilizer manufacturers and concerned citizens. The proposed rule can be viewed at www.flaes.org/upcomingmeetingsandworkshops.html
WEB LINK http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/press/2007/01312007.html
7. Soy-based product explored as non-toxic substitute for important but toxic reactive compound
AUTHOR Trulove, Susan
SOURCE Virginia Tech News, March 28, 2007
ABSTRACT Virginia Tech chemists are looking for biobased alternatives and environmentally friendly reaction pathways to replace a toxic intermediate that is a critical component of many polymer products. Isocyanates are important to many products we take for granted – from paint to spandex running shorts. But the high reactivity for which the chemical group is valued also makes this compound toxic when breathed. Sharlene R. Williams, of Springfield, Ohio, a chemistry graduate student in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, has created macromolecules with comparable reactivity using soy-based chemistry. “We are looking for alternative chemistry that offers the advantage of reactivity but is not toxic, and is cheaper than petroleum based chemistry,” said Tim Long, professor of chemistry at Virginia Tech. “We are looking at bio-feedstocks such as soy-based triglycerides and peptides in combination with novel chemistry.” Williams has demonstrated that a process called the “Michael addition” induces reactivity in soy proteins, and also improves mechanical properties of the bio-based polymer. “Agriculture-based polymers may offer comparable performance to petroleum-based polymers,” said Long. “They offer strength and elasticity. We think the Michael addition reaction offers the opportunity to address elastomer technology challenges with safer reactivity.” The research is supported by the Rohm & Haas Company of Spring House, Pa.
WEB LINK http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=114
8. National foes take aim on stiffer state chemical plant laws
AUTHOR Eisenberg, Carol
SOURCE Newsday.com, March 28, 2007
ABSTRACT Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and the chemical industry have mounted an offensive to kill a proposal to permit state governments like those in New York and New Jersey to have tougher chemical plant security rules than the federal government. The provisions, inserted into emergency spending bills on Iraq, were added by lawmakers attempting to protect existing and in some cases, stronger rules in states like New York and New Jersey. Lawmakers say the federal rules potentially jeopardized the lives of millions of people in those states living near high-risk plants, unless they were interpreted as minimum rather than maximum standards. But Chertoff insisted his interest was solely in making and enforcing tough national standards. He argued in a Tuesday letter to top lawmakers that the provisions would compromise his ability to do that and "materially delay the implementation of this important program." At issue are concerns that an attack on a chemical plant that uses highly toxic materials like chlorine gas or ammonia could produce deadly clouds that could potentially kill thousands who live and work downwind. Dozens of such plants are located in New York and New Jersey, and both states regulate them to varying degrees.
WEB LINK http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/
ny-uschem0329,0,2306685.story
9. Massachusetts -- Launching the Next Green Purchasing Revolution
AUTHOR Case, Scot; Nikolayev, Dmitriy
DATE 2006
SOURCE GovPro.com, March 2006
ABSTRACT In 1773, a group of disgruntled colonists boarded ships docked in Boston Harbor and tossed crate after crate of British tea overboard. Their actions served notice that business as usual was no longer acceptable. The colonists in Massachusetts wanted a greater say in the world. That independent spirit continues today in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts central purchasing department, the Operational Services Division (OSD). In 1994, unsatisfied with the human health and environmental performance of many products, the purchasing department began researching and buying safer alternatives while continuing to obtain high quality products at low prices. Massachusetts now buys almost $145 million in safer, more environmentally preferable goods and services. The improved environmental and cost performance of these higher-quality products generates savings of more than $1.7 million annually. This article highlights some of Massachusetts' experiences and recommends strategies others can adopt.
WEB LINK http://www.govpro.com/Issue/Article/27989/Issue
10. Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in the Environment and Humans: A Review
AUTHOR Covaci, Adrian; Gerecke, Andreas C.; Law, Robin J.; Voorspoels, Stefan; Kohler, Martin; Heeb, Norbert V.; Leslie, Heather; Allchin, Collin R.; de Boer, Jacob
SOURCE Environmental Science & Technology, v40 n12, June 15, 2006, pp3679-3688
ABSTRACT Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) are brominated aliphatic cyclic hydrocarbons used as flame retardants in thermal insulation building materials, upholstery textiles, and electronics. As a result of their widespread use and their physical and chemical properties, HBCDs are now ubiquitous contaminants in the environment and humans. This review summarizes HBCD concentrations in several environmental compartments and analyzes these data in terms of point sources versus diffuse sources, biomagnification potential, stereoisomer profiles, time trends, and global distribution. Generally, higher concentrations were measured in samples (air, sediment, and fish) collected near point sources (plants producing or processing HBCDs), while lower concentrations were recorded in samples from locations with no obvious sources of HBCDs. High concentrations were measured in top predators, such as marine mammals and birds of prey (up to 9600 and 19 200 ng/g lipid weight, respectively), suggesting a biomagnification potential for HBCDs. Relatively low HBCD concentrations were reported in the few human studies conducted to date (median values varied between 0.35 and 1.1 ng/g lipid weight). HBCD levels in biota are increasing slowly and seem to reflect the local market demand. One important observation is the shift from the high percentage of the ç-HBCD stereoisomer in the technical products to a dominance of the R-HBCD stereoisomer in biological samples. A combination of factors such as variations in solubility, partitioning behavior, uptake, and, possibly, selective metabolism of individual isomers may explain the observed changes in stereoisomer patterns. Recommendations for further work include research on how HBCDs are transferred from products into the environment upon production, use, and disposal. Time trends need to be analyzed more in detail, including HBCD stereoisomers, and more data on terrestrial organisms are needed, especially for humans. Whenever possible, HBCDs should be analyzed as individual stereoisomers in order to address their fate and effects.
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.
This page updated Friday March 30 2007