Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 12/21/2007
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:
- Michigan Department of Transportation using beets to de-ice roads
- Frequently asked questions on REACH asked by industry
- Report from the North Pole: 2007 Catalog Industry Environmental Scorecard
- Nanowire battery holds 10 times the charge of existing ones
- Sears Holdings Adopts Policy Aimed at Reducing and Phasing Out the Use of Polyvinyl Chloride
- Vinyl Institute to Launch Aggressive Safety/Benefits Campaign for Packagers
- Selected resources for pollution prevention in the health care industry
- State greenhouse gas emissions: comparison and analysis
1. Michigan Department of Transportation using beets to de-ice roads
Source: Grand Rapids Press, December 11, 2007
Abstract: Moms have long appreciated the value of the oft-maligned beet. Now drivers may, too.
When combined with rock salt brine and calcium chloride, beet juice can keep ice from forming on the streets even at extremely low temperatures. The concoction sticks to the road and lessens salt's corrosive effect on cars.
Both the Michigan and Ohio transportation departments use a biodegradable solution using beet juice as a road de-icer this year.
WWW: http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2007/12/moms_have_long_appreciated_the.html
2. Frequently asked questions on REACH asked by industry
Source: European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), 2007
Abstract: The questions and answers presented here address general situations and are intended to assist those who do not have a detailed knowledge on REACH, to provide context information and to guide the reader to the most appropriate information sources, such as the Navigator or a specific guidance document or the REACH text itself. This information is also available on ECHA's website at http://echa.europa.eu/ .
This FAQ document has been agreed by and between the correspondents of the national helpdesks of the Member States, representatives of the European Commission and the European Chemicals Agency within the REACH Helpdesk Correspondents’ Network (REHCORN).
WWW: http://echa.europa.eu/doc/071204_REACH_ECHA_FAQ_2.0.pdf
3. Report from the North Pole: 2007 Catalog Industry Environmental Scorecard
Source: ForestEthics, 2007
Abstract: The 2007 Catalog Industry Environmental Scorecard by ForestEthics shows an industry-wide trend toward more sustainable forest and paper policies, despite stubborn resistance from some of the industry's largest companies.
Receiving holiday-themed scores of Naughty, Nice, and Checking Twice, twenty-one companies were evaluated according to four criteria: whether or not Endangered Forests are cut to produce the company's catalogs; whether the company uses Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper; the amount of post-consumer recycled content in the company's catalogs; and the extent of the company's efforts to reduce overall paper consumption.
Whereas only three companies--including Dell and Williams-Sonoma--achieved satisfactory scores in the 2005 scorecard, this year's scorecard shows an emerging trend toward more sustainable practices, with the nine companies on Santa's "nice list" now matching the nine on the "naughty list."
WWW: http://www.forestethics.org/downloads/naughtynicelist2007.pdf
4. Nanowire battery holds 10 times the charge of existing ones
Source: Stanford News Service, December 18, 2007
Abstract: Stanford researchers have found a way to use silicon nanowires to reinvent the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power laptops, iPods, video cameras, cell phones, and countless other devices.
The new version, developed through research led by Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, produces 10 times the amount of electricity of existing lithium-ion, known as Li-ion, batteries. A laptop that now runs on battery for two hours could operate for 20 hours, a boon to ocean-hopping business travelers.
WWW: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2008/january9/nanowire-010908.html
5. Sears Holdings Adopts Policy Aimed at Reducing and Phasing Out the Use of Polyvinyl Chloride
Source: Sears Holdings, December 12, 2007
Abstract: Sears Holdings Corporation has announced it will begin working to reduce and phase out the use of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) in its packaging and merchandise. The company adopted a policy aimed at identifying more sustainable choices, given the potential health and environmental risks tied to the manufacture, use and disposal of PVC.
WWW: http://www.searsholdings.com/pubrel/pressOne.jsp?id=2007-12-12-0004721255
6. Vinyl Institute to Launch Aggressive Safety/Benefits Campaign for Packagers
Source: Vinyl News Service (VNS), December 13, 2007
Abstract: The Vinyl Institute said today it would launch an aggressive information campaign for retailers and packagers aimed at providing facts about PVC’s safety and benefits.
“We need to do a better job of publicly showing the proof of PVC’s safety, energy efficiency and other benefits,” said Tim Burns, president of VI.
Burns said a statement this week by Sears/K-Mart announcing concerns about PVC packaging and products showed the need for better communication of the facts. “Some companies are being pressured and misled into having doubts about PVC. The superior safety, performance, practicality and convenience of products made with PVC have been proven time after time and in study after study. That is why they are so popular with consumers across the country and throughout the world.”
WWW: http://www.vinylnewsservice.net/LatestVNSNews/
LatestNewsDecember132007/tabid/178/Default.aspx
7. Selected resources for pollution prevention in the health care industry
Author: Barnes, Laura L.
Source: Illinois Waste Management and Research Center, 2007
Abstract: This bibliography supplements a poster session presented at the 2007 Health Science Librarians of Illinois Annual Meeting in Urbana, IL. The poster session is available for viewing as a slide show at http://www.wmrc.uiuc.edu/main_sections/info_services/
library_docs/TN/healthcarep2slides.pdf .
WWW: http://www.wmrc.uiuc.edu/main_sections/info_services/library_docs/TN/tn08-092.pdf
8. State greenhouse gas emissions: comparison and analysis
Author: Ramseur, Jonathan L.
Imprint: Congressional Research Service (CRS), 2007
Abstract: Instituting policies to manage or reduce GHGs would likely impact different states differently. Understanding these differences may provide for a more informed debate regarding potential policy approaches. However, multiple factors play a role in determining impacts, including alternative design elements of a GHG emissions reduction program, the availability and relative cost of mitigation options, and the regulated entities’ abilities to pass compliance costs on to consumers.
Three primary variables drive a state’s human-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emission levels: population, per capita income, and the GHG emissions intensity. GHG emissions intensity is a performance measure. In this report, GHG intensity is a measure of GHG emissions from sources within a state compared with a state’s economic output (gross state product, GSP). The GHG emissions intensity driver stands apart as the main target for climate change mitigation policy, because public policy generally considers population and income growth to be socially positive.
The intensity of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions largely determines overall GHG intensity, because CO2 emissions account for 85% of the GHG emissions in the United States. As 98% of U.S. CO2 emissions are energy-related, the primary factors that shape CO2 emissions intensity are a state’s energy intensity and the carbon content of its energy use.
Energy intensity measures the amount of energy a state uses to generate its overall economic output (measured by its GSP). Several underlying factors may impact a state’s energy intensity: a state’s economic structure, personal transportation use in a state (measured in vehicle miles traveled per person), and public policies regarding energy efficiency.
The carbon content of energy use in a state is determined by a state’s portfolio of energy sources. States that utilize a high percentage of coal, for example, will have a relatively high carbon content of energy use, compared to states with a lower dependence on coal. An additional factor is whether a state is a net exporter or importer of electricity, because CO2 emissions are attributed to electricity-producing states, but the electricity is used (and counted) in the consuming state.
Between 1990 and 2000, the United States reduced its GHG intensity by 1.6% annually. Assuming that population and per capita income continue to grow as expected, the United States would need to reduce its GHG intensity at the rate of 3% per year in order to halt the annual growth in GHG emissions. Therefore, achieving reductions (or negative growth) in GHG emissions would necessitate further declines in GHG intensity.
WWW: http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34272_20071205.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://slk060.liberty3.net/turi for greater topic coverage.
This page updated Friday December 21 2007