Sundance Channel

Green tech finds: Earthships and solar get affordable

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:17:11 +0000

Think "green tech" automatically means "expensive?" Nope: costs are dropping on everything from Earthships to solar power. An affordable Earthship: I've been in love with the Earthship building concept for years, but no way I'd ever be able to afford one. That may be changing, though: the "Simple Survival" model Earthship is designed to provide the amenities of these self-sufficient structures without the "mortgage bondage." Check it out above.

Green tech finds: Recycled guitars and impromptu speakers

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:46:54 +0000

Cool concept cars and planes, speakers that turn ordinary objects into amplifiers, and the potential environmental cost of washing your jacket: this week's green tech finds. Honda's very cool, very light electric concept vehicle: Unfortunately, "concept" often means we'll never see one on the road. Still, Honda's EV-STER (which rolled out last week at the Tokyo Auto Show, and is pictured above) shows the company combining electric power with light weight (through lots of body elements made from carbon) and sweet styling; maybe they'll keep thinking this way as they work towards new production vehicles. (via Earth Techling)

Green tech finds (1/13/11)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:31:54 +0000

From green tech at the auto show in Detroit to a potential standard for eco cell phones... your green tech finds for the week.

Green tech in Detroit: Lots of green technology at the North American International Auto Show; The Street gives a run-down of seven developments worth watching...
Crowdsourced environmental video: Dialogue Earth, an organization tied to the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment, has completed a pilot involving "crowdsourcing" environmental science video content (specifically on ocean acidification). See the winner above...

National Building Competition challenges competitors to “work off the waste”

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:00:51 +0000

What's the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States? Vehicles and energy production receive a lot of attention, but the building sector is actually the biggest contributor to climate change... and 17% of total US emissions come from commercial buildings. To highlight those facts, and promote building efficiency, the Department of Energy and EPA's ENERGY STAR program launched the National Building Competition yesterday, which pits fourteen commercial buildings against each other in "a coast-to-coast contest ... to save energy and fight climate change."

Anti-Coal Protesters Block Gates to Capitol Power Plant

Sundance Channel — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, March 2, 2009 (ENS) – Several thousand demonstrators marched through chilly winds and snow to the Capitol’s coal-fired power plant today in a bid to attract the attention of lawmakers to the dangers of climate change. An estimated 2,500 protesters organized by Capitol Climate Action blocked the five main gates to the Capitol [...]

African Mayors Agree to Combat Climate Change

Sundance Channel — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:00:00 +0000

NAIROBI, Kenya, March 2, 2009 (ENS) – Mayors from 33 capital and major cities across Africa pledged Friday to quicken climate change adaptation and mitigation plans for their cities. Concluding a two-day meeting in Nairobi, the mayors issued the Nairobi Declaration, in which they resolved to integrate these plans into city development strategies. Despite their [...]

Climate Could Cross Critical Threshold by 2100, Expert Warns

Sundance Channel — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:00:00 +0000

CHICAGO, Illinois, February 16, 2009 (ENS) – Without decisive action by governments, corporations and individuals, global warming in the 21st century is likely to accelerate at a much faster pace and cause more environmental damage than predicted, warns a leading member of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In a business-as-usual world, higher [...]

Lawsuit Forces U.S. Financing Agencies to Account for Climate

Sundance Channel — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:00:00 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO, California, February 7, 2009 (ENS) – Environmental groups and cities won a settlement Friday in a precedent-setting lawsuit that sought to force two U.S. government agencies to address the global warming effects of their overseas financing activities. After more than six years of litigation, the first case of its kind established important legal [...]

EPA Revisits Bush-Era Denial of California Tailpipe Emissions Waiver

Sundance Channel — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:15:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, February 6, 2009 (ENS) – In accordance with President Barack Obama’s order in January, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will reconsider its decision denying California permission to set standards controlling greenhouse gases from motor vehicles. The waiver request was made by California on December 21, 2005, to allow the state the right to [...]

Solar Power Turns on Texas Lawmakers of Both Parties

Sundance Channel — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:00:00 +0000

AUSTIN, Texas, February 2, 2009 (ENS) – Less than a week after the biannual Texas state legislature opened, a bipartisan group of lawmakers today showed their support for a slew of bills promoting the development of solar energy in the state. At least 18 bills have already been filed to support the deployment of solar [...]

Japan Launches World’s First Greenhouse Gas Observing Satellite

Sundance Channel — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:00:00 +0000

TOKYO, Japan, January 23, 2009 (ENS) – The first satellite dedicated to monitoring greenhouse gas emissions as part of global efforts to combat climate change was launched into space today from Japan. The IBUKI, which means “breath,” will circle the globe every 100 minutes at an altitude of some 670 kilometers (416 miles) and will [...]

Without Delay: Congress to Fast-Track Climate Legislation

Sundance Channel — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:15:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, January 15, 2009 (ENS) – The heads of some of America’s largest corporations together with the leaders of five of the country’s largest environmental groups today presented a joint plan to Congress for climate protection legislation. Congressional Democrats met their call for immediate action with assurances that they agree – there is no [...]

EPA Nominee Jackson Promises Science Will Trump Politics

Sundance Channel — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, January 14, 2009 (ENS) – Scientific integrity and the rule of law will be the “two core values” guiding decisions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the incoming Obama administration, the president elect’s nominee to head the agency vowed today at her confirmation hearing. The promises of nominee Lisa Jackson were met [...]

11 Eastern States Commit to Regional Low Carbon Fuel Standard

Sundance Channel — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:00:00 +0000

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, January 6, 2009 (ENS) – Pennsylvania has signed a letter of agreement with 10 other eastern states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels and other sources by developing a regional low carbon fuel standard. Vehicles using low carbon transport fuels include cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells; electric cars such as [...]

New California Cars Display Smog, Global Warming Scores

Sundance Channel — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:00:00 +0000

SACRAMENTO, California, January 2, 2009 (ENS) – As of January 1, every 2009 model year and newer car built for sale in California will be required to carry a label that clearly ranks the vehicle’s environmental impact. A vehicle’s certification level can be found under the hood on the vehicle emissions control information label. The [...]

Environment Ohio Warns State Economy Vulnerable to Climate Change

Sundance Channel — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio, December 18, 2008 (ENS) – Global warming could potentially damage Ohio economic sectors now worth $126.9 billion that provide 1.9 million jobs, according to a new report issued today by the environmental advocacy group Environment Ohio. Entitled “What’s at Stake: How Global Warming Threatens the Buckeye State,” the report details the environmental and [...]

New Jersey Seeks Public Input on Plan to Cut Greenhouse Gases

Sundance Channel — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:45:00 +0000

TRENTON, New Jersey, December 18, 2008 (ENS) – New Jersey environmental officials have released a proposal to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Mark Mauriello has invited the public to comment on the recommendations outlined in a draft report published on the state’s Global Warming website. “While this plan [...]

California Rules First in U.S. to Cut Diesel Truck Emissions

Sundance Channel — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 18:45:00 +0000

SACRAMENTO, California, December 12, 2008 (ENS) – The California Air Resources Board today adopted two regulations aimed at cleaning up harmful emissions from the estimated one million heavy-duty diesel trucks that operate in California. The regulations are the first of their kind in the United States. Heavy-duty big rigs are the largest remaining source of [...]

European Leaders Agree on Climate Change Plan

Sundance Channel — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 15:00:00 +0000

BRUSSELS, Belgium, December 12, 2008 (ENS) – European leaders today agreed to hold fast to their plan to battle climate change through growth in renewable energy sources and 20 percent cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, and on ways to share the costs. The plan includes concessions to heavy industry and to countries in [...]

Schwarzenegger Promotes Green Rules to Climate Leaders

Sundance Channel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:45:00 +0000

POZNAN, Poland, December 8, 2008 (ENS) – Green rules and regulations will help both the climate and the economy, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today told UN delegates gathered in Poland at The Climate Group’s second annual States and Regions Climate Leaders Summit. “States and provinces have long been at the forefront of developing green technologies [...]

Climate Protesters Occupy Britain’s Stansted Airport

Sundance Channel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:30:00 +0000

LONDON, UK, December 8, 2008 (ENS) – Protesters from the climate action group Plane Stupid this morning shut down Britain’s third largest airport by cutting through the perimeter fence and camping on the runway, surrounding themselves with fortified security fencing. The protest at Stansted Airport just north of London began at 3:15 this morning while [...]

Construction Industry Could Trim Climate Emissions Cheaply

Sundance Channel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0000

POZNAN, Poland, December 8, 2008 (ENS) – Energy use in buildings accounts for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, but the potential of the construction sector to combat climate change has not been tapped, according to a new report issued by the United Nations Environment Programme. The report was released Saturday to governments meeting in [...]

California Leads States Demanding EPA Tackle Global Warming

Sundance Channel — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:30:00 +0000

SACRAMENTO, California, December 4, 2008 (ENS) – California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. once again is urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use its authority under the Clean Air Act to combat climate change. With U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rising year after year, according to a report issued this week by the U.S. [...]

U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rose by 1.4 Percent in 2007

Sundance Channel — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 17:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, December 3, 2008 (ENS) – Total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were 7,282 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent in 2007 – an increase of 1.4 percent from the 2006 level, federal government figures show. The figures are contained in an annual report titled, “Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2007,” released [...]

Environmental Defense Offices Occupied By Climate Activists

Sundance Channel — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:30:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, December 2, 2008 (ENS) – Grassroots climate activists took over the Washington, DC office of the nonprofit group Environmental Defense Monday. Led by Dr. Rachel Smolker, daughter of one of the group’s founders, the late Robert Smolker, the 20 activists were protesting Environmental Defense’s support of carbon trading as a solution to global [...]

Climate Change Now the Main Driver of Natural Disasters

Sundance Channel — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:00:00 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, December 2, 2008 (ENS) – Ministers from more than 40 Asia-Pacific countries gathered in Kuala Lumpur today seeking ways to reduce the social and financial impact of natural disasters in the region – many of them linked to the rising global temperature. The ministers are developing regional cooperation systems for disaster preparedness [...]

Clean Energy Can Fuel Economic Revival, Green Groups Tell Obama

Sundance Channel — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, November 28, 2008 (ENS) – President-elect Barack Obama can revive the U.S. economy – and aggressively combat climate change – by investing in clean energy technologies and strengthening environmental protections, the leaders of major U.S. environmental groups advise. The recommendation is a central part of a lengthy wish list of policies sent to [...]

Western Governors Ask Obama for National Green Energy Plan

Sundance Channel — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:45:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, November 28, 2008 (ENS) – In a letter to President-elect Barack Obama, the Western governors are urging swift action in adopting and implementing a national energy plan that would transform the country’s energy infrastructure and economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The group of 19 governors from both political parties are calling for [...]

Global Carbon Dioxide Hit Record Levels in 2007

Sundance Channel — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

GENEVA, Switzerland, November 26, 2008 (ENS) – Climate-heating greenhouse gases continue to increase in the atmosphere, and last year, global concentrations of carbon dioxide again reached the highest levels ever recorded, according to an annual report released Tuesday by the World Meteorological Organization. Greenhouse gases trap the Sun’s radiation within the Earth’s atmosphere causing it [...]

Asia-Pacific Leaders Vow to Combat Climate Change, Food Scarcity

Sundance Channel — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:00:00 +0000

LIMA, Peru, November 24, 2008 (ENS) – Leaders of the Asia-Pacific countries expressed their willingness to work together to “confront the challenge of climate change,” which they agreed “will be crucial to the wellbeing of future generations.” At the close of their annual meeting Sunday in Lima, the heads of state and government belonging to [...]

UN: Industrial Countries’ Greenhouse Gases Rose 2000-2006

Sundance Channel — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:15:00 +0000

BONN, Germany, November 18, 2008 (ENS) – Climate change talks set for the Polish city of Poznan from 1 to 12 December come half-way through a two-year negotiating process to forge an international climate change deal in Copenhagen, Denmark next year. Talks are supposed to result in a replacement for the limited Kyoto Protocol with [...]

Governor Schwarzenegger Convenes Governors’ Global Climate Summit

Sundance Channel — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:00:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES, California, November 18, 2008 (ENS) – In Los Angeles today, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger welcomed hundreds of attendees from more than 50 states, provinces and countries to the Governors’ Global Climate Summit. At the end of their two-day meeting, participants are expected to sign a declaration outlining their plans for turning climate goals into [...]

High Environmental Hopes Riding on Obama’s Green Promises

Sundance Channel — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, November 5, 2008 (ENS) – Congratulations to President-elect Barack Obama and his team with messages of hope and pledges of support rolled in today from environmental and sustainable business groups across the political spectrum. The Sierra Club said in a statement, “If the Obama administration is as smartly, deliberately, and thoughtfully run as [...]

New Energy Efficient Televisions in Stores Saturday

Sundance Channel — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, October 30, 2008 (ENS) – Televisions meeting the federal government’s new, more comprehensive energy efficiency specification will be available in stores nationwide, starting on Saturday. TVs that meet the new Energy Star specification will be up to 30 percent more energy efficient than conventional models. “EPA encourages consumers to look for the Energy [...]

Solar Powers Staples Center Events, Green Cuisine Factory

Sundance Channel — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:15:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES, California, October 28, 2008 (ENS) – The famous sports and entertainment venues at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles are about to go solar in a push to advance sustainable energy practices. Highlighting companies and facilities that are going green, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today installed the last of 1,727 solar panels on [...]

Houston Retrofits City Buildings to Save Energy, Protect Climate

Sundance Channel — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0000

HOUSTON, Texas, October 24, 2008 (ENS) – Houston is about to become the first U.S. city to retrofit municipal buildings to reduce energy and water consumption as part of the Clinton Climate Initiative. The energy efficiency improvements are projected to save enough electricity annually to create millions of dollars in savings and lower greenhouse gas [...]

U.S. Could Derive 20 Percent of Transport Fuel From Waste

Sundance Channel — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:00:00 +0000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana, October 15, 2008 (ENS) – Researchers at Purdue University are proposing a new “flexible” approach to producing alternative fuels, hydrogen and electricity from municipal solid wastes, agricultural wastes, forest residues and sewage sludge. They say the new approach could supply up to 20 percent of transportation fuels in the United States annually. [...]

World Habitat Day Message: Harmonious, Greener Urbanization

Sundance Channel — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0000

NEW YORK, New York, October 6, 2008 (ENS) – By the end of this year, more than half of the world’s population will live in urban areas for the first time in human history, and it is no coincidence that climate change is now at the forefront of international debate, the top United Nations habitat [...]

Western States, Provinces Set Climate Emissions Trading Program

Sundance Channel — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:00:00 +0000

SACRAMENTO, California, September 23, 2008 (ENS) – The Western Climate Initiative governments today announced the design of their new regional market-based cap-and-trade program. The emissions trading program is intended to reduce climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. The program recommendations met with support from environmental groups and criticism from [...]

Chicago Sets Goals for a Cooler City

Sundance Channel — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:00:00 +0000

CHICAGO, Illinois, September 19, 2008 (ENS) – Mayor Richard Daley has set Chicago on a cooler path by outlining strategies to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and avert climate change. The Chicago Climate Action Plan introduced Thursday would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent of 1990 levels by 2020 by retrofitting commercial and [...]

Reports: California Climate Law Will Aid Economy, Health

Sundance Channel — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:00:00 +0000

SACRAMENTO, California, September 19, 2008 (ENS) – A first in the country, California’s climate change law, AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, will provide net benefits to the state’s economy and also to public health, according to reports issued Thursday by the state agency charged with implementing the law. The California Air [...]

Stockton Agrees to Halt Sprawl, Cut Greenhouse Gases

Sundance Channel — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:00:00 +0000

STOCKTON, California, September 17, 2008 (ENS) – The central California city of Stockton has agreed to identify and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging downtown growth instead of allowing development to sprawl. The city will cut down on emissions by constructing thousands of new residential units within its current city limits, putting a rapid transit [...]

U.S. and Canada Collaborate on Arctic Sea Bed Mapping

Sundance Channel — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:00:00 +0000

DAKAR, Senegal, September 4, 2008 (ENS) – To help Africa obtain its fair share of climate emissions reduction projects under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism and satisfy a growing interest in a carbon market on the continent, the International Emissions Trading Association on Wednesday launched the first all Africa Carbon Forum at Le Meridien [...]

Democrats’ Green Platform Plank, Obama’s Green VP Pick

Sundance Channel — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:00:00 +0000

DENVER, Colorado, August 25, 2008 (ENS) – At the opening of the Democratic National Convention today, the Democratic Party adopted a new platform that incorporates the energy plan put forward by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive presidential nominee. The plan would implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent [...]

‘Sneaky’ Bush Attack on Endangered Species Angers Conservationists

Sundance Channel — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, August 21, 2008 (ENS) – Saying the Bush administration’s most recent Endangered Species Act rulemaking is “anti-democratic,” 104 conservation and scientific organizations today submitted a letter to Cabinet officials calling for increased transparency and opportunities for public participation. The new rule published in the Federal Register last week would change the way the [...]

U.S.-Mexico Border Governors Strategize to Green Their Economies

Sundance Channel — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:00:00 +0000

HOLLYWOOD, California, August 14, 2008 (ENS) – At the opening of the annual U.S.-Mexico Border Governors Conference Thursday at Universal Studios in Hollywood, host California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he felt right at home. “I actually started my movie career right here at Universal Studios,” he told his nine fellow governors. “It was Universal Studios [...]

21 U.S. Cities to Measure and Report Carbon Emissions

Sundance Channel — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:00:00 +0000

OAKLAND, California, August 11, 2008 (ENS) – Some of the largest U.S. cities will report their greenhouse gas emissions for the first time in a program that will demonstrate to companies, investors and the general public how cities are dealing with the risks and opportunities climate change presents. Twenty-one cities were announced today, with at [...]

Texas Biofuels Waiver Request Shot Down

Sundance Channel — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON DC, August 7, 2008 (ENS) – The Bush administration today denied a request by Texas to cut the U.S. biofuels mandate in half, rejecting the claim that the massive increase in corn-based ethanol is causing economic harm to the state’s livestock industry and raising food prices. Few stakeholders were surprised by the decision, but [...]

States, Enviros Warn EPA Over Ship, Aircraft Emissions

Sundance Channel — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, August 3, 2008 (ENS) – Formal letters warning of impending lawsuits over the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to address greenhouse gas emissions from ocean-going ships and aircraft have been filed by four state attorneys general, three state agencies, New York City and a coalition of conservation groups. The conservation groups’ notice of [...]

Avoiding Deforestation to Limit Climate Change ‘Cheap and Practical’

Sundance Channel — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:00:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 23, 2008 (ENS) – Wealthy nations could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally by paying landowners in developing nations not to clear forested land for agriculture, finds a new study by a research team from Austria, Brazil and the United States. The research attaches estimated dollar amounts to each metric ton of [...]