Water


Study: Stream Biodiversity Declines at Even Low Levels of Urban Development

A new study from biology researchers at Baylor University and the University of Maryland-Baltimore has found that there are consistent and widespread declines in stream biodiversity at lower levels of urban development more damaging than what was previously believed.

Sharp Corp.'s Zero-CO2-Emissions Eco House

Sharp’s dual goals for the Eco House are to minimize power consumption and contribute to a comfortable living environment.

Consumer Interest in Green Products Expands Across Categories

Consumers worldwide intend to purchase more environmental products in the auto, energy and technology sectors compared to last year.

Port of Antwerp Financially Encourages Environment-Friendly Ships

The port of Antwerp will grant the most environment-friendly ships a discount of 10 percent on the tonnage dues starting July 1.

Harrison Ford and Hamilton Present a Dynamic New Watch to Encourage Urgent Environmental Action

Hamilton is reinforcing the urgent call to action made by the charity Conservation International with a special new watch, the Hamilton Khaki Conservation International Auto Chrono.

Strategies for Reducing PPCPs in Drinking Water Systems

A report prepared by the Texas Tech University’s Center for Water & Law Policy leaves aside the question of what, if anything, should be done, and asks instead, what can be done?

Paved Surfaces Can Foster Build-up of Polluted Air

New research focusing on the Houston area suggests that widespread urban development alters wind patterns in a way that can make it easier for pollutants to build up during warm summer weather instead of being blown out to sea.

Raising Metal Recycling Rates Key Part of Path to Green Economy?

According to a report released by the United Nations Environment Programme, recycling rates of metals are in many cases far lower than their potential for re-use.



Algae Turf-Scrubbers Clean Water and Provide Fuel

Algal turf scrubbers are field-sized, water-treatment systems that can extract excess nutrients from streams, canals, and lakes polluted by agricultural, domestic, and some industrial runoff.

Condo Owner Gets Four-Year Prison Sentence for Conspiring to Violate Clean Air Act

<p>The owner and manager of a California condominium complex were sentenced for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act’s asbestos work practice standards during the renovation of a 204-unit apartment building in Winnetka, Calif., in 2006 – work that caused asbestos to be released into the complex and the surrounding community. </p><p> Charles Yi, of Santa Clarita, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson to four years in prison. John Bostick, also of Santa Clarita, was sentenced to six months home confinement, 150 hours of community service, and three years probation. Yi was convicted after a two-week trial in March 2011 when a jury found him guilty of five felony offenses, including conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act. Bostick pleaded guilty in February 2011 to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act. </p><p> The jury also convicted Yi of failing to notify the Environmental Protection Agency and the South Coast Air Quality Management District about a renovation containing asbestos, failing to provide a properly trained person during a renovation containing asbestos, failing to properly remove asbestos and failing to properly dispose of asbestos wastes. </p><p> Yi was the owner of the now-defunct Millennium-Pacific Icon Group and Bostick was its vice-president. Millennium-Pacific owned the Forest Glen apartment complex in Winnetka that was being converted into condominiums in 2006. Knowing that asbestos was present in the ceilings of apartments in the Forest Glen complex, Yi, Bostick, and the project manager, Joseph Yoon, hired workers who were not trained or certified to conduct asbestos abatements. The workers scraped the ceilings of the apartments without knowing about the asbestos and without wearing any protective gear. The illegal scraping resulted in the repeated release of asbestos-containing material throughout the apartment complex and the surrounding area because Santa Ana winds were blowing during the time of the illegal work. After the illegal asbestos abatement was shut down by an inspector from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the asbestos was cleaned up at a cost of approximately $1.2 million. Yoon pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in June 2010 and is scheduled to be sentenced in July. </p><p> The federal Clean Air Act requires those who own or supervise the renovation of buildings that contain asbestos to adhere to certain established work practice standards. These standards were created to ensure the safe removal and disposal of the asbestos and the protection of workers. </p><p>

UC San Diego Obtains Variance to Avoid Potent GHG in Lab Safety Test

The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal-OSHA) has dropped a requirement that University of California labs use a potent greenhouse gas in a required laboratory safety test.

University Licenses Innovative Process to Convert Natural Gas to Clean Synthetic Fuel

The University of Texas at Arlington and 1st Resource Group Inc. will commercialize a new, efficient process for converting natural gas to clean, synthetic fuel at a cost lower than current market rates.

Eco-Trek: A Green Journey Around the World Completed (With Video)

For the last four months Eco-Trek had the opportunity to drive around the world with the Mercedes-Benz F-CELL World Drive, an emission-free in a hydrogen-powered full electric vehicle.

Consumer Reports Names the Best New Cars for Fuel Economy

Consumer Reports says that the most effective way to cut your gasoline use is to buy a more fuel-efficient car. CR named the best cars for fuel economy of those recently tested by the magazine in its own real-world fuel-economy tests. Also listed are the ones that got the lowest mpg in each class.

Paved Surfaces Can Cause Build Up of Air Pollution

Accoring to new research, widespread urban development alters wind patterns in a way that can make it easier for pollutants to build up during warm summer weather instead of being blown out to sea.

MIT: Development in Fog Harvesting Provides Water for the Poor

An engineer and aspiring entrepreneur at MIT is working on fog harvesting to attract water droplets and corral the runoff for poor villagers to collect clean water near their homes.

Methane Gas From Cows: The Proof is in the Poo

Scientists could have a revolutionary new way of measuring how much of the potent greenhouse gas methane is produced by cows and other ruminants, thanks to a surprising discovery in their poo.

California Serves up New Milestone in Foam School Lunch Tray Recycling

A collaborative effort involving public school systems, a waste hauler, a foodservice distributor, and Dart Container Corp. to recycle foam school lunch trays has hit a new milestone in California – with more than one million trays now being collected and recycled each month.

U.S. Soybeans Making Aquaculture More Sustainable

Aquaculture is the fastest growing form of food production in the world, accounting for 50 percent of all seafood consumed globally.

Virginia Tech Students Unite Haiti Villages Across a Treacherous River (With Video)

Children in the mountain village of Ti Peligre, Haiti, needed safe passage across a treacherous river to reach school. To help, a dozen Virginia Tech students -- determined to prevent more drownings -- designed and helped build a 200-foot bridge.