EPA data analyzed by The Foundation for Clean Air Progress shows that 10 cities have reduced the number of high ozone days by 75 percent (Rochester, NY.) to 40.7 percent (Los Angeles, CA.) over the last decade. The average reduction is 54.3 percent. The other cities, in order, are: Buffalo, NY.; Milwaukee, WI.; San Diego, CA.; Boston, MA.; Sacramento, CA.; Detroit, MI.; Chicago, IL.; and Newark, NJ. [sorry this link is no longer available]
A draft electronics takeback plan is winding its way through German parliament, having cleared the environment committee. It requires that manufacturers of all types of electrical equipment (appliances, IT equipment, consumer electronics) take back, free of charge, an equal number of products as sold during the year, as well as products sold before the plan is enacted. Industry would be able to apply a surcharge to pay for the program. Municipalities would be responsible for collecting and sorting the items. The plan will likely be discussed by the plenary of the state chamber (Bundesrat) in September. If approved by both chambers, it could be law by the end of this year, giving manufacturers 1-2 years to comply depending on the product. Source: CutterEdge Environment
European forest industry organizations formally launched the Pan-European Forest Certification Scheme (PEFC), a sustainable forest management program that competes with the globally accepted Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Now there are two labels for sustainable managed wood products. PEFC was initiated by small forest owners in Finland and other European countries who opposed FSC. Forest industry organizations in 17 European countries have endorsed PEFC, and organizers have received interest from Australia, Canada, U.S. and Brazil. The group expects 10 million hectares (24.7 million acres) to be certified by early 2000, possibly doubling by next summer.
25 million refugees fled from drought, floods, deforestation and degraded land last year outnumbering people displaced by war, for the first time, according to the International Red Cross.Its 1999 World Disasters Report, an annual survey of humanitarian trends, says last year’s “natural disasters” were the worst on record, creating 58 percent of the world’s refugees. “Everyone is aware of the environmental problems of global warming and deforestation on one hand and the social problems of increasing poverty and growing shanty towns on the other,” says Astrid Heiberg, president. “But when these two factors collide, you have a new scale of catastrophe.” The cost of weather related disasters in 1998 exceeded the cost of all such disasters during the 1980s. International Federal of Red Cross FROM The Gallon Environment Letter
Hoping that hemp production can help offset the decline of the sugarcane industry, Hawaii has passed a bill that makes planting commercial hemp legal. The Hawaii Strategic Industrial Hemp Development Act of 1999 allows private companies to fund industrial hemp research at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Hemp legislation has also passed in North Dakota and Minnesota and has been introduced in Kentucky, Montana, Virginia, Vermont, Illinois, Oregon and Colorado. The California Democratic National Party supports industrial hemp. In Kentucky, many farmers see hemp as a potential substitute crop for tobacco. Canada is in its second year of hemp production. This year, Health Canada received about 750 applications to grow industrial hemp. Roughly half of Canada’s 1999 crop of 25,000 acres is in Manitoba and is managed by one company, CGP Canada, a subsidiary of the U.S. company, Consolidated Growers & Processors. The certified organic acreage is estimated at only 1500 acres, but is considered to be a growing trend. Source: The Hemp Commerce & Farming Report
It looks like SB 1110, a bill that would increase the state’s current recycled content mandate from 25-35 percent for rigid plastic containers, is headed for approval this year. The bill extends responsibility to food and cosmetics containers for the first time. Under current law, plastics industry manufacturers must either recycle by 25 percent, use 25 percent recycled content, reduce the amount of plastic used by 10 percent, or make the package reusable. Industry has yet to achieve these goals and the California Integrated Waste Management Board is initiating enforcement actions against 99 companies. “The Every Business Guide to California’s Plastics Recycling Law” identifies which plastics are covered by the law and steps needed to comply.
Honda’s first hybrid vehicle, Insight, goes on sale in U.S. showrooms this December. U.S. EPA rates the 2-passenger car’s efficiency as 70mpg in combined city and highway driving, and over 80mpg on the highway. Honda substituted aluminum for steel making the car 40 percent lighter, and equipped it with a catalytic converter that reduces emissions to 50 percent below Japanese regulations. It will cost under $20,000 and comes with antilock brakes, electric-power steering, dual air bags and an anti-theft system.” Unfortunately, it is only available with manual transmission. The Insight also makes use of re-generative braking which recharges the battery pack while reducing wear on the brakes. [sorry this link is no longer available]
Although California remains the leader in with 20.5 percent of U.S. sales, the lead is narrowing as the industry grows throughout the country. Sales in the Northeast are very close at 20 percent. Regions with the greatest room to grow are experiencing the most percentage gain in revenue. State % of U.S. Sales 1998 %Sales Revenue Growth Northwest: WA.,OR,AL. 4.7 +10.3 Pacific: CA. 20.5 +10.8 Southwest: NV,NM,AZ,TX 9.7 + 8.2 Mountain: ID,MT,UT,CO. 5.1 + 9.4 Central: ND,SD,MN,NB,KS,OK 4.0 +19.8 Midwest: WI,IO,MO,MI,IL,IN,OH 15.5 + 8.6 South: AK,LA,AL,GA,FL. 11.0 + 7.8 Northeast: ME,NH,VT,MA,CT,NY,NJ,PA. 20.0 +14.1 East: DE,MD,VA,NC,SC,KT,TN,WVA. 9.6 + 9.2 It’s been seven years of double-digit growth in the industry. This year, expansion of natural food products into mainstream supermarkets provided a windfall for industry suppliers, but increased competition for retailers. The industry continues its strong growth pattern. “The pioneers of the industry have seen the dream of natural products reaching a mainstream audience come true,” says Cynthia Tice, founder of Center Foods in Philadelphia. “But people have to hone their skills to stay competitive.” Source: Natural Food Merchandiser
Kathleen Merrigan, who helped write the original standards for the Organic Food Production Act, is slated to take over the Agricultural Marketing Service. This section of the USDA houses the National Organic Program. She currently works for an alternative agriculture think tank and is a member of the National Organic Standards Board. “There is definitely change afoot,” says Bob Scowcroft, executive director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation. Source: Natural Food Merchandiser
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Fannie Mae, the largest U.S. financing source for home mortgages, have entered a partnership to develop and test a menu of mortgage products based on green building criteria. Fannie Mae is providing $100 million toward the effort. The products will be tested in six cities: Atlanta, Columbus, Albuquerque, Denver, Los Angeles and Seattle. While this partnership has the potential to boost green building, the industry will be watching to ensure that standards are set high enough to be meaningful. By virtue of the power of financing, Fannie Mae could end up establishing the “rules” for green building. NAHB has long opposed consensus-based green building standards such as ASTM and ASHRAE. FROM Environmental Building News