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RAN Places Full Page NY Times Ad to Challenge Ford

The New York Times yesterday published a full-page open letter from Michael Brune, executive director of Rainforest Action Network, to Bill Ford, Jr., chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Company, highlighting the automaker's longstanding last place EPA fuel efficiency ranking, broken promises and greenwashing. Under the headline "Gas guzzling is un-American," the letter calls on Ford to reclaim its spirit of innovation and lead the United States to a future free from oil. In the letter Mr. Brune reminds Mr. Ford that more than 50 percent of America's oil supply now comes from conflict regions like the Middle East and that more that 100 million Americans currently live in cities that exceed federal health guidelines for air quality. "We've cured polio, put a man on the moon and decoded the human genome," writes Mr. Brune. "Surely the car company that revolutionized transportation in its first decade in business can produce a fleet of zero emission vehicles by 2020." Said Sarah Connolly, a grassroots leader with the Jumpstart Ford Campaign, "Polls show that Americans are growing extremely concerned about the devastating effect that oil addiction and global warming will have on their children's future. The time is long overdue for Americans […]

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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:December 1, 2004

News and Events Dow and GM to Build One-Megawatt Fuel Cell Installation Universities and Companies Aim to Convert Biomass to Energy Kansas Governor Halts Wind Power in Tallgrass Prairies West Coast States Strengthen Greenhouse Gas Reduction Efforts FedEx Uses Hybrid Trucks for Holiday Charity Deliveries Car-Sharing Company Plans Nationwide Expansion Site NewsState Technologies Advancement Collaborative Launches New Site Energy ConnectionsNew Technology Uses Nuclear Power to Produce Hydrogen News and EventsDow and GM to Build One-Megawatt Fuel Cell InstallationDow Chemical Company and the General Motors Corporation launched the second phase of their joint fuel cell demonstration project on Monday. The companies will now build a one-megawatt fuel cell pilot plant and integrate it into Dow’s Texas Operations facility in Freeport, Texas. The system will be fueled with hydrogen that is produced as a byproduct at the chemical plant, and will feed power into the plant’s power distribution grid. According to GM, the new facility will provide valuable experience in “learning to work with real-world hydrogen that has some impurities in it, and not the pure hydrogen you get in a lab setting.” See the Dow press release and Web site.Another one-megawatt fuel cell installation is in the works for California: FuelCell […]

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U.S. Postal Service Adds Renewables, Energy Efficiency to San Francisco Processing Facilities

In the next phase of its national program to optimize efficiency and conserve natural resources, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) today announced that Chevron Energy Solutions will complete major energy efficiency upgrades and a hybrid renewable power plant — including a fuel cell and two solar electric technologies — at the USPS's largest processing and distribution facilities in San Francisco. Together the two mail facilities — the San Francisco Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC) and Embarcadero Postal Center (EPC) — comprise 1.2 million square feet, employ about 3,000 people and process 7.5 million pieces of mail daily. Both facilities operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The USPS is the largest employer in San Francisco's Bay View/Hunter's Point district, where the P&DC is located. Chevron Energy Solutions, a ChevronTexaco (NYSE: CVX – News) subsidiary, will develop, engineer and construct the project over the next year. The work will involve numerous energy efficiency measures, including new energy management and compressed air systems, lighting retrofits and comprehensive heating, ventilation and air conditioning system upgrades. At the P&DC, a 680,000- square-foot facility, Chevron Energy Solutions will also install high- efficiency natural gas cooking equipment for the cafeteria, and a new hybrid […]

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3rd Largest Denver Office Building Gets LEED Gold Certification

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded the prestigious GOLD LEED-EB LABEL to Denver Place North and South Towers November 11th at the Annual USGBC Greenbuild Conference. Denver Place is managed by Amerimar Realty Management Company of Colorado and is an affiliate of the building owner. LEED is based on scientific standards emphasizing continuous water savings, energy efficiency, indoor air quality and green management plans. Energy efficient green buildings perform better than conventional buildings, and result in reduced utility and operating costs and increase property values. The LEED standard defines the new benchmarking program for buildings across the country and has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments and interested private companies as the guideline for sustainable buildings. Denver Place adds to its records of environmental firsts, as it was the first buildings in Denver to receive the Energy Star Label in 1999.

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