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Super Bowl MADONNA in BULGARI

2012-02-06T00:36:00.001-08:00

MADONNA wearing BULGARI earrings at the SUPER BOWL. Photo credit GETTY images.

February 5, 2012 Indianapolis, IN - Madonna wore Bulgari earrings during her half time performance at the Super Bowl. The earrings (Ref. E1433 / 3421) are from Bulgari’s High Jewelry Collection, and are made of white gold and diamonds (19.6 cts).

Question of the day: who can tell us if the diamonds and gold are ethically sourced?

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Merry Christmas And Happy New Year!

2011-12-21T12:31:00.001-08:00

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California Gov. Brown's Conference on Extreme Climate Risks Says Agriculture, Including Wine Will Be Affected

2011-12-15T13:04:00.001-08:00

At today's Conference on Extreme Climate Risks and California's Future put on by Gov. Jerry Brown featuring speakers: Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sir Richard Branson, Nancy Sutley and many more, it was widely acknowledged that with the combination of environmental factors of climate change and rising sea levels, California's agricultural industry will be negatively impacted, including its multi-billion dollar wine industry. Follow the Green Blog Network for full report and analysis.

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Sustainable, Edible Holiday House

2011-12-10T09:26:00.001-08:00

“Not one piece of our structure will end up in landfill,” says Smallworks president, Jake Fry. The gingerbread dwelling is fully sustainable and environmentally responsible with net zero impact on anything aside from your belly. “Every peppermint swirl, candy corn, and multi-coloured jujube will be stuffed into someone’s gob, probably at the end of a huge holiday dinner.”

Who hasn’t decorated their dining table or sideboard during the festive period and wanted to fit in an extra miniature Christmas tree, shiny bauble, or even one more entire gingerbread house? Smallworks has launched this increased density action for better and more efficient space use for your holiday table. Designed to fit on a standard-sized, appropriately-zoned holiday decorating space, the Gingerbread Laneway House works as a stand-alone structure or an additional dwelling to the rear of your traditional Gingerbread House.

Founded 6 years ago, Smallworks is Vancouver’s first and most established laneway house builder. They specialise in building small, beautiful homes and exceed the green building practices of Vancouver’s Green Home program. Inspired by Smallworks' West House laneway house developed for the LiveCity site at the 2010 Olympics, this is their first foray into baked goods. The Gingerbread Laneway House was constructed by Kreation Artisan Cakes, experienced builders in fine gingerbread architecture.Metro Vancouver residents can visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/smallworks.homes between now and December 15 for a chance to win The Gingerbread Laneway House.

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Wine And Climate Change In The International Herald Tribune

2011-11-23T04:19:00.001-08:00

Dear Readers, Wine Lovers and Environmentalists: Please have a look at my recent article which originally appeared in the International Herald Tribune. It is also online at NYTimes.com with full LINK HERE.

by Paige Donner

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Renewable Energy Goes Round...And Round

2011-11-18T12:55:00.001-08:00

In Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, on the banks of the Seine, there is a Carrousel that is now powered by renewable energy.

This City of Light is filled with carrousels. You can find them across the street from the Eiffel Tower, on the other side of the river at the foot of Trocadero, in the vast courtyard of the Hotel de Ville and many more locations throughout the city. But this one, just underneath the Eiffel Tower, is the city's flagship Renewable Energy Carrousel. Its LED lights are the same color as the flickering lights that have the Tour Eiffel twinkling on the hour every evening.

On a recent sunny, Autumn day filled with the scent of fallen leaves, the carrousel was itself twinkling in the afternoon sunlight. And FYI - during the Christmas Holiday week, many of the carrousels are free for children to ride on.

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Environmental Investment Organisation

2011-10-27T10:12:00.001-07:00

Asked about the EIO and how it operates, 20 year old Katherine Belben, the NGO’sCommunications Coordinator, explained, "The EIO is the product of the current environmental and political climate. On the one hand we face impending environmental catastrophe which requires immediate action; and on the other we have world governments who appear incapable of reaching unified consensus to address the problem. The EIO has galvanised the support of a generation of people who, as well as wanting to glean knowledge and experience in an area set to become the growth engine of the 21st century, are simply not going to stand back and watch as that happens.”

“The required emissions reductions and investment in low carbon technologies can be achieved by creating a system which influences share price according to the environmental costs of a company’s actions. This is precisely what Environmental Tracking seeks to do,” added Sam Gill, Operations Director, Environmental Investment Organisation.

The Environmental Investment Organisation (EIO), a UK based NGO supported by a global research network, aims to persuade more companies to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and report to higher standards with the launch of four new regional Carbon Rankings this week.

The series of Environmental Tracking (ET) Global Carbon Rankings, featuring over 1,200 of the world’s largest companies, is part of a broader strategy to create a global market mechanism designed to tackle climate change.

By pioneering an open source approach to collaborative working the EIO has made it easy for those eager to be part of the climate solution to contribute, hold the world’s biggest companies to account, and, implement a powerful mechanism.

Kicking off with the release of the ET North America 300 today at 11am (GMT+1) Monday 24.10.11, the EIO will be releasing a regional Ranking each day this week. The ET Asia Pacific 300, ET BRICS 300 and an updated ET Europe 300 will follow on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Each of these Rankings has been designed to put the spotlight on standards of public GHG emissions reporting across the world.

The Regional Rankings act as a precursor to the eagerly awaited ET Global 800, which looks purely at the largest 800 companies across the world without any geographical bias. This will go live at 11am (GMT) on Tuesday 1.11.11.

With the introduction earlier this month of the long awaited New Scope 3 Standard from theGreenhouse Gas Protocol (released 4.10.11), the EIO has taken a proactive approach to incentivise companies to adopt this important new standard in GHG Reporting. The finalised standard has been the result of a three year global multi-stakeholders process that included more than 2,300 participants and road-tested by 60 companies in 17 countries.

The Environmental Investment Organisation (EIO) is a UK-based non-profit research body working in the field of eco-financial innovation. See eio.org.uk

Environmental Tracking 3.0, the short publication outlining the concept behind the Carbon Rankings is available as a digital download or in hardcopy from Lulu.com

The EIO held an advance briefing on the launch of its Regional and Global Carbon Rankings last Friday 21.10.11 at the Carbon Show, London.

Current live Indexes:

The ET UK 100 Index can be viewed on Bloomberg by searching “ETETUKP:IND”; and,
The ET Europe 300 Index can be viewed on Bloomberg by searching “ETETEURP:IND”.

The Environmental Tracking (ET) Carbon Rankings are compiled from publicly available emissions data taken from company sustainability reports, annual reports and websites. The Rankings and the fully transparent methodology behind them can be viewed online at eio.org.uk

The rankings are comprised of four data bands according to the status of a company's data: A) complete, public, verified; B) complete, public but unverified; C) incomplete; and, D) no public data. In cases where there is no data available, companies are benchmarked against the worst performer in the same sector. Once in their respective categories, companies are ranked according to emissions intensity (emissions divided by turnover). Additionally, companies are advantaged according to the number of Scope 3 categories disclosed.

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Cute EV Commercial - Renault ZE

2011-10-16T13:53:00.001-07:00

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Revenge of The Electric Vehicle

2011-10-16T13:25:00.001-07:00

Friends!

I'm pleased to announce that our new doc, Revenge of the Electric Car, begins its national theatrical rollout next week starting October 21 in LA and NY and then in 20+ cities over the next month (see list below).

If you're in Los Angeles, please join us for our opening week launch at Landmark's NuArt and our Opening Weekend Airstream Lounge Party!

Opening Week Screenings
11272 Santa Monica Blvd, West LA, CA 90025

Fri–Sat-Sun: 12:30 PM, 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:50 (Oct. 21-23)
Mon-Thurs: 5:10 PM, 7:30, 9:50 (Oct. 24-27)

Tickets available now via this site:
https://tickets.landmarktheatres.com/ticketing.aspx?theatreid=209

Opening Weekend Airstream Lounge Party
Sat-Sun: 2PM - 10PM

To support our opening weekend in LA on October 22-23, we're bringing in the electric cars from the movie and setting up shop in a vintage Airstream around the corner from the NuArt Theater. You'll find us next to Sideshow Books at 11323 Idaho Avenue. The Airstream Lounge is our all weekend drop-in cast and crew party for friends, media makers, and well-wishers. Come on by anytime from 2:30PM to 9:30PM to say hello to Gadget, Scarlett and other stars from our team, check out the EVs (Tesla, Leaf, Volt and Porsche), and hang out with us between screenings

Co-Host a Screening at a Theater

If your group would like to co-host one of our public screenings at the NuArt (or anywhere else during run of theater), we'll try to set it up with you. Choose a show-time from the list above (if LA), then send us an email and let us know about how many people you'd like to host. We'll try to arrange to have a Q&A with someone from the film there with you at your show. So far we have screenings with Causecast, Bioneers, GADA, LA Burning Man, the Black Rock Yearbook, Plugin America and Global Green.

Thanks to everyone for spreading the word and making our opening week a success!

Best,

CHRIS PAINE
Director

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OCTOBER 21ST, 2011
Los Angeles, CA – Landmark Nuart
New York, NY – Landmark Sunshine CinemaOCTOBER 28TH, 2011
Nashville, TN – The Belcourt Theatre

NOVEMBER 4TH, 2011
Berkeley, CA – Landmark Shattuck Cinemas
Boston, MA – Landmark Kendell Square Cinema
Palo Alto, CA – Landmark Aquarius Theatre
Portland, OR – Hollywood Theatre
San Francisco, CA – Landmark Embarcadero
Santa Fe, NM – Center for the Contemporary Arts
Scottsdale, AZ – Harkins Theatres Camelview 5

NOVEMBER 7TH, 2011
Annville, PA – Allen Theatre

NOVEMBER 11TH, 2011
Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theatre
Chicago, IL – Gene Siskel Film Center
Detroit, MI – Landmark Main Art Theatre
Houston, TX – Alamo Theatres Mason Park
Minneapolis, MN – Landmark Lagoon Cinema
Sacramento, CA – Crest Theatre
San Diego, CA – Landmark Ken Cinema
Santa Rosa, CA – Summerfield Theatre
Seattle, WA – Landmark Varsity Theatre

NOVEMBER 18TH, 2011
Philadelphia, PA – Landmark Ritz at the Bourse

NOVEMBER 23RD, 2011
St. Louis, MO – Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema

NOVEMBER 25TH, 2011
Denver, CO – Landmark Chez Artiste
Washington, DC – Landmark E Street Cinema

DECEMBER 2ND, 2011
Atlanta, GA – Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

JANUARY 5TH, 2011
Honolulu, HI – Honolulu Academy of the Arts

Request the film for your city

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Governor Brown Signs Bills Renewable Energy, Environmental Protection

2011-10-08T13:00:00.001-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Saturday, October 8, 2011

Governor Brown Takes

Action to Promote Renewable

Energy and Protect the Environment

SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced today that he has taken action on legislation to protect California's environment and natural resources.

The following bills have been signed by Governor Brown:

AB 291 by Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) – Underground storage tanks: petroleum: charges.
AB 320 by Assemblymember Jerry Hill (D-South San Francisco) – Environmental quality: California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): determination: dispute.
AB 358 by Assemblymember Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita) – Hazardous substances: underground storage tanks: releases: reports.
AB 359 by Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) – Groundwater management plans.
AB 408 by Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) – Environment: hazardous substances and materials: hazardous waste transportation: paint recycling.
AB 525 by Assemblymember Richard Gordon (D-Redwood City) – Solid waste: tire recycling: architectural paint recovery program.
AB 681 by Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) – Aboveground storage tanks: funds.
AB 703 by Assemblymember Richard Gordon (D-Redwood City) – Property taxation: welfare exemption: nature resources and open-space lands.
AB 712 by Assemblymember Das G. Williams (D-Santa Barbara) – Recycling: beverage containers.
AB 849 by Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Burbank) – Water: use efficiency: graywater building standards.
AB 913 by Assemblymember Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) – Hazardous waste: source reduction: certified green business program.
AB 964 by Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) – Water rights: appropriation.
AB 1027 by Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo) – Local publicly owned electric utilities: utility poles and support structures.
AB 1036 by Assemblymember Michael Allen (D-Santa Rosa) – Parks: regional park, park and open-space, and open-space districts: employee relations.
AB 1077 by Assemblymember Wilmer Amina Carter (D-Rialto) – State parks: Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park.
AB 1112 by Assemblymember Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) – Oil spill prevention and administration fee: State Lands Commission. A signing message can be found here.
AB 1414 by Committee on Natural Resources – Forestry: timber harvesting.
SB 152 by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) – Public lands: general leasing law: littoral landowners.
SB 170 by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) – Air districts: adverse effects of air pollution: intellectual property.
SB 224 by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) – Public contracts: Department of Water Resources.
SB 267 by Senator Michael Rubio (D-Bakersfield) – Water supply planning: renewable energy plants.
SB 328 by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) – Eminent Domain Law: conservation easement.
SB 436 by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) – Land use: mitigation lands: nonprofit organizations.
SB 454 by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) –Energy efficiency standards.
SB 456 by Senator Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) – Household hazardous waste: transportation.
SB 482 by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) – Public beach contamination: standards: testing: closing.
SB 489 by Senator Lois Wolk (D -Davis) – Electricity: net energy metering.
SB 567 by Senator Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) – Recycling: plastic products.
SB 595 by Senator Lois Wolk (D -Davis) –Tidelands and submerged lands: removal of vessels.
SB 618 by Senator Lois Wolk (D -Davis) – Local government: solar-use easement.
SB 679 by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) – Energy: energy conservation projects: financial assistance: local governments and public institutions.
SB 771 by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) – California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority.
SB 790 by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) – Electricity: community choice aggregation.
SB 836 by Senator Alex Padilla (D -Pacoima) – Renewable energy resources: cost reporting.
SB 909 by Senator Doug La Malfa (R-Butte) – Treated wood waste: disposal.

The Governor also announced that he has vetoed the following bills:

AB 306 by Assemblymember Mike Gatto (D-Burbank) – Energy: piezoelectric transducers: study. A veto message can be found here.
SB 263 by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) – Wells: reports: public availability. A veto message can be found here.
SB 752 by Senator Tom Berryhill (R- Stanislaus) – Entitlements: voluntary donations. A veto message can be found here.

For full text of the bills, visit: http://leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html.

###

Governor Jerry Brown
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

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Paris For Peace And Yoga

2011-10-02T07:06:00.001-07:00

Today, on the International Day of Non-Violence, Paris celebrated its first White Yoga Session on the Champ de Mars, under the elegant gaze of La Grande Dame, the Eiffel Tower. Already in its 7th year, this was the first time that event had taken place on the Champ de Mars.

Modeled after the NYC Day of Yoga, free and open to willing participants, Paris organizers of the event admitted they'd had 6,500 people sign up on the website to attend this morning's hour-long practice in the 7th Arrondissement, en plein air. They had organized for and expected 2000 participants.

The practice was led in both English and French and an elegant Cellist played on stage, accompanying the entire session with live sitar-like music. Practitioners were from all ages, mature to the young, and attendees included mothers with infants, families with children, young couples, men, women and even a few of our furry friends.

Sponsors of the event which included BeYoga, Go Sport, SportForUs.com, Soy Joy, Lole, VaiVai and the Mairie de Paris, passed out complimentary yoga mats, t-shirts, energy bars, coconut water and tea and re-usable tote bags.

On this gorgeous October Sunday morning of Paris Fashion Week, a yoga respite en plein air was a welcomed and stimulating detox! Namaste!!

All photos by Paige Donner c. 2011

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Yao Ming and Sir Richard Branson Say NO To Shark Fin Soup

2011-09-24T03:10:00.001-07:00

Shanghai, China (September 22, 2011) - International conservation organization WildAid, Chinese basketball star and WildAid Ambassador, Yao Ming, and leading Chinese entrepreneur Zhang Yue have joined forces with British entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson and his non-profit foundation Virgin Unite, in a global campaign to save sharks. Branson and Yao filmed public service announcements in support of WildAid’s shark campaign drawing attention to the increasing demand for shark fin soup and the devastating effect this demand is having on global shark populations. The messages will broadcast across national and international media via WildAid’s pro-bono media network, beginning today and are available at wildaid.org/sharks.

Yao Ming committed to stop eating shark fin soup in 2006 after learning of the cruel and wasteful practice of “‘finning”’ and the threat of extinction facing many shark populations as a result of demand for their fins. He has been an Ambassador for WildAid’s shark campaign ever since.

Yao says, “I urge China to lead by banning shark fin soup, and I urge business leaders to end the consumption of shark fin soup at business events. Unless we act now, we will lose many shark populations, impacting our oceans worldwide.”

Sir Richard Branson is backing the shark conservation campaign after swimming with whale sharks during their annual migration through the Gulf of Mexico. Branson says, “I simply cannot imagine a world without sharks – we cannot let this happen. These important predators have swum in the world’s oceans for some 400 million years, yet we could wipe them out in a single generation. We have to act now to step up protection worldwide.”

In the United States - Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Guam and the Marshall Islands have banned sales of shark fin. The Californian Senate passed a ban on Sept 6th, which is awaiting Governor Jerry Brown’s signature. In Canada, a number of cities are considering a ban including Toronto, and a nationwide ban was recently proposed. Shark fishing bans have been passed in Palau and the Bahamas, and one is pending in Fiji.

Every year, fins from up to 73 million sharks are used for shark fin soup. In a cruel and wasteful practice called “‘finning,”’ sharks are often caught, hauled on deck, with their fins sliced off while they are still alive. The rest of the shark is usually thrown back into the sea, dead or dying, with approximately 95% of the shark wasted. The ongoing and increasing demand for shark fin soup is pushing many species to the brink of extinction, further threatening marine ecosystems the world over. Yao and Branson today launched the campaign with WildAid and met with representatives of government, media, NGO’s and business to engage their support to prevent the extinction of shark species.

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Clinton Global Initiative Recognizes AEG Farmers Field

2011-09-21T10:08:00.001-07:00

Clinton Global Initiative Recognizes AEG for their Commitment to Action to

Create Farmers Field, Nation’s First Carbon-Neutral NFL Stadium

New NFL stadium, event center and modernized Los Angeles Convention Center raise the bar forsustainable entertainment and business development in a major urban area.

NEW YORK — Sept. 20, 2011 —At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting today, leading sports and entertainment presenters AEG were recognized by former President Bill Clinton for their Commitment to Action to invest $1 billion to build Farmers Field, a 72,000-seat, downtown Los Angeles football stadium and event center. As part of AEG’s commitment, the Los Angeles-based organization is working with partners, including the U.S. Green Building Council and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), to ensure that Farmers Field will be the most environmentally sustainable stadium in the world and the first stadium in the NFL to be LEED certified.

“We are so proud to have a company in Los Angeles being honored by the Clinton Global Initiative for their proven track record of providing the most innovative solutions to environmental issues while also creating jobs and opportunities for the community," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "Their tireless commitment to innovative, environmental programs such AEG 1 EARTH has set the precedent for the sports and entertainment industry across the world to follow.”

Through this Commitment to Action, AEG pledges to work closely with CGI to monitor environmental results and report back on progress. This comes on the heels of a bill passed by an overwhelming 80 percent majority of the California State Senate and Assembly that will require AEG to ensure that Farmers Field is 100 percent carbon neutral for all emissions generated from private automobile trips to and from the stadium and for Farmers Field to have the best ratio of fans to automobiles in all of the NFL. The stadium will prioritize on-site and local projects before purchasing carbon offsets to support local economic development while ensuring positive environmental and social impacts. In addition, as part of their Commitment to Action, AEG will go beyond legal requirements to achieve carbon neutrality for all emissions from energy consumption and mechanical operations of the stadium. Combining these commitments with additional measures, such as water conservation and robust waste and recycling programs, including the donation of durable goods and an in-house composting program, will create the nation’s most comprehensive environmental program for an NFL stadium.

“The Clinton Global Initiative is a forum for visionary companies and leaders who are committed to designing a sustainable future for individuals, businesses and communities, by repurposing business methods and culture to solve critical global problems,” said former President Bill Clinton. “AEG has proven to be the world’s most environmentally conscious venue operators, and Farmers Field will be another true example of their mission to marry design, innovation, social responsibility and community engagement, resulting in a measurable impact for future generations. I commend AEG as a model socially responsible company that is the hallmark of CG

“Farmers Field will be an example of the next generation of sports and entertainment venues, where a world-class fan experience goes hand in hand with social and environmental responsibility,” said Tim Leiweke, AEG president and CEO. “We have focused during the last four years on working with some of the most respected environmental organizations in the country to create a blueprint for the stadium and, through the AEG 1EARTH program, to create the most comprehensive environmental program in the sports and live entertainment industry. Our CGI Commitment to Action underscores AEG’s dedication and accountability for making this vision a reality. We are honored to be recognized by President Clinton and this prestigious organization.”

“Through Farmers Field, AEG is making the most environmentally responsible choice possible, with commitment beginning at the point of development,” said S. Richard Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman, U.S. Green Building Council. “Investing in sustainable construction and weaving carbon and waste programs into the fabric of a venue, its operations and its surroundings creates the lowest impact on our environment and the greatest return for the company.”

The Commitment to Action at CGI comes just weeks after the groundbreaking environmental components of the project helped garner the support of two of California’s most respected environmental groups — the NRDC and the California League of Conservation Voters.

“NRDC applauds AEG’s commitment operate the most energy efficient football stadium in the nation at Farmers field to develop a best-in-the-nation public transit infrastructure for fans and to offset the carbon emissions associated with all fan travel by cars and busses,” said Allen Hershkowitz, PhD., senior scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council. “Given AEG’s proven record as the worlds’ greenest arena operators and their commitment to work with environmental and community groups in developing their plan, I have every confidence that this goal will be achieved.”

....“Members of organizations across the city have come together to make Farmers Field a reality,” said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry. “We know that the entire city — even state — will benefit from the addition.”

“Our focus locally lies not only on the environmental goals, but on the tens of thousands of jobs and tens of millions of economic benefits to the state,” Speaker John A. Pérez said. “AEG has been able to generate an opportunity for economic development without sacrificing our environmental standards.”

“The construction of a news sports arena and convention center will create thousands of jobs and be an economic boost for the City of Los Angeles, the region and the state,” Senator Alex Padilla said. “Unlike other stadium projects, this one will be built without any public funds and be built to unprecedented environmental standards.”

AEG’s plan is both environmental and economic. It is estimated that Farmers Field construction will create 23,000 jobs, including 12,000 full-time jobs during the construction process and 11,000 more permanent jobs at the convention center. The Los Angeles Convention Center modernization and expansion and Farmers Field project is projected to generate more than $600 million in total economic activity, raising more than $40 million in new city, county and state tax revenues.

"With record unemployment above the national average, the creation of 23,000 middle-class jobs for construction and hotel workers, stage hands, grips and janitors is critical to Los Angeles," said Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. "Our top priority is to get men and women back to work in a good job."

More information and a complete look at the 2010 AEG 1EARTH sustainability report are available at http://www.aegworldwide.com/08_corporate/aeg1earth-report.html.

Photo courtesy WireImage/AEG (Left to Right: Steve Bing, Founder of Shangri-La Industries; Tim Leiweke, President & CEO, AEG; Former President Bill Clinton; Casey Wasserman, Chairman & CEO, Wasserman Media Group)

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Un-Analytics: How Google Went Solar

2011-09-08T09:20:00.001-07:00

Google said it could not detect bad panels unless 20% or more of the panels went bad. And we call that monitoring?

by Dan Auld

Google loves talking about a world before analytics -- when web owners knew almost nothing about their sites.

Nothing useful, anyway.

That all changed when a new technology came along that allowed web owners to monitor their sites as much as they wanted. Any time they wanted.

Web sites suddenly became a business proposition, not just an enthusiasm for a few hobbyists.

Flash forward from the introduction of Google Analytics up to 2007, when Google got into the solar business and opened a 1.65 megawatt photovoltaic power array. The largest commercial system in the world at the time.

Just like web sites before Analytics, Google would soon learn how little it actually knew about its solar array.

After its panels were up for 15 months, Google cleaned them and documented its efforts in a report called "Getting the most energy out of Google's solar panels."

On several sections of its array, solar energy output doubled after the cleaning. Eight months later, energy output went up 37 percent after another cleaning. But here comes the money graph:

It would be difficult to detect manufacturer defects or accidental damage by data analysis alone, unless the damage impacts >~20% of the solar panels in that building.

Example: There have been few occasions when some of the solar panels ... were damaged by delivery trucks accidentally hitting the support beams that hold up the solar panels.

Since these accidents did not damage a sizable portion of the solar panels, the damage went undetected for a while.

Losing 50 percent of your power is real money, even for Google.

"Just like the web prior to Analytics, Google had to admit it really did not know what was happening in its array -- because it had no way to monitor when good panels went bad," said Mark Yarbrourgh, a city councilman in Perris, California who pioneered the use of solar in public buildings. "But neither does anyone else. Arrays malfunction and no one knows because they do not use monitors at the panel level."

Undetected, solar panels go bad in all sorts of ways. Panels degrade anywhere from .5% to 9.5% a year, depending on the manufacturer, says Sandia Laboratories in a study for the Department of Energy.

How will you know what your panels will do? Warranty Week Magazine says you won't. Not really:

" And yes, it really is guesswork."

Dirt plays even more havoc. If not dirt, a bird dropping, or a baseball, or a golfball, or a rock, or a squirrel chewing a wire, or a Texas oak thick with pollen, or heat on the roof, or poor soldering. Or a shadow -- all worse than you think, says the National Renewable Energy Laboratories:

" The reduction in power from shading half of one cell is equivalent to removing a cell active area 36 times the shadow's actual size."

"One bird, one truck of dirt, one flowering tree can destroy your solar production, and you would not know for a long time," Yarbrough said. "Welcome to the Christmas Tree Effect: Hurt the panel a little, hurt production a lot. It is amazing how many people put up solar for great reasons, but really do not watch their systems. As a result, a lot of people lose a lot of money because many, many systems are not producing the power its owners were promised. And few know."

Maybe because knowing it is not that useful.

"If your solar array produces a megawatt of power, that means it is composed of 3000 to 5000 panels," said Ray Burgess, CEO of Solar Power Technologies. "If some panels go bad, you need panel level monitoring to o find the bad panels. But most systems monitor power at the system level, but as Google found out, that is that useful for detecting catastrophic failure, but not much else."

Thus the need for small wireless monitors throughout the array.

"Now that we have cost effective monitors from a company in Austin, that is going to change the world, just like Google Analytics."

Leading the solar monitor business is Burgess and Solar Power Technologies of Austin, Texas. The company is introducing monitors and other devices to give solar array owners unprecedented control over their panels. If you have 3500 panels and a few start breaking, you better have something better than "guesswork" to optimize your array.

"As we travel the country talking to panel owners about their systems, we are constantly amazed at how many systems that are producing power far below their capacity, and some not producing power at all. Monitors on the panels can change that and let you know what is really happening with your system. And where it is happening. Saving system owners thousands of dollars a month."

Just like Google Analytics.

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Religious Leaders and NASA’s Lead Climate Scientist at White House on Monday

2011-08-28T06:08:00.001-07:00

Religious Leaders and NASA’s Lead Climate Scientist to “Draw Line in the Sand” at White House on Monday

Largest Group of Arrests to Date Expected

WASHINGTON, DC (August 29, 2011) — More than 60 religious leaders and NASA’s lead climate scientist Dr. James Hansen will participate in what is expected to be the largest group of arrests to date in front of the White House on Monday as part of an ongoing protest to push President Obama to deny the permit for a proposed oil pipeline.
Monday morning, participants will lead an interfaith prayer service starting at 9 a.m. in Lafayette Park and proclaim from scripture on the sacredness of God’s creation. The faith community has launched a petition directed at President Obama asking him to say “no” to the Keystone XL pipeline and “yes” to climate justice, a central moral tenet of religious social justice.
Where: Lafayette Park, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

When: 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Voices:
Spokespeople at the protest on Monday will include leading climate scientist Dr. James Hansen, and leaders of faith communities’ climate justice, environmental racism, and social witness ministries.

Dr. James Hansen heads the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City; Rose Berger, religious witness organizer for Sojourners;
Marie Dennis, director of Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns;
Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation;
Bill McKibben, Methodist environmentalist, and protest organizer;
Fr. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM, Franciscan priest and chair of the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Directorate for the Franciscans of the Holy Name Province;
Rev. Craig C. Roshaven, Witness Ministries Director, Unitarian Universalist Association;
Rev. Kathleen Stone, chaplain of the Church Center for the United Nations.

For statements from religious leaders, go here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s7YD-u9w-kvYacLzm6RqhRxWqoc5P7C7wRhqo1zWLTg/edit?hl=en_US

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World Water Week

2011-08-21T07:48:00.001-07:00

From The Green Blog Network

Courtesy of Stockholm International Water Institute

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On the Water Front vol. 2 presents new analysis from global thought-leaders

New edition features 14 essays on water and water quality issues that build upon research presented at the 2010 World Water Week in Stockholm.

On the Water Front vol. 2 offers a collection of the most innovative and important insights on water and water quality presented at the 2010 World Water Week in Stockholm. This compendium is a must-read for those interested in the latest knowledge, tools and strategies to resolve the planet’s most pressing water quality challenges.

Each of its chapters are authored by leading luminaries from science, business, and public policy and build upon research presented at the 2010 World Water Week in Stockholm, includingStockholm Water Prize Laureates Dr. Rita Colwell and Prof. Takashi Asano and have been edited and peer reviewed by the World Water Week Scientific Programme Committee.

Download it here to gain knowledge on how the public health sector will be impacted by climate change, the most potent policy cocktails to protect coastal waters, the best-practice solutions to wastewater reclamation and reuse, what the potential onset of peak water and peak phosphorus could mean to humanity, new ideas to mitigate the growing dangers of chemical and agricultural pollution to human and environmental health, and much more.

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Youth Sue U.S. Gov't. Over Climate Change

2011-08-15T01:49:00.001-07:00

In case you haven't yet heard, Alec Loorz, the Al Gore climate change protege', filed suit in May against the U.S. government. We wrote about Alec several years ago in Greening Hollywood when he participated in the Los Angeles Youth Environmental Conference. The Guardian U.K. published his explanation, an excerpt of which follows:

Today, I and other fellow young people are sueing the government, for handing over our future to unjust fossil fuel industries, and ignoring the right of our children to inherit the planet that has sustained all of civilization. I will join with youth and attorneys in every state in the US to demand that our leaders to live and govern as if our future matters.
The government has a legal responsibility to protect the future for our children. So we are demanding that they recognize the atmosphere as a commons that needs to be preserved, and commit to a plan to reduce emissions to a safe level.
The plaintiffs and petitioners on all the cases are young people. We are standing up for our future.
But we will not only stand up in the courts. We will stand up in the streets as well. [Read Full Article]

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The Big Uneasy

2011-07-27T14:45:00.001-07:00

Re-printed from Press Release

In 2005, a disaster struck New Orleans. You know the rest. Or do you?

The media reported that what happened in New Orleans was a natural disaster primarily affecting poor black people. On both counts, the media was wrong. But its inability or unwillingness to report the hard truth – that these tragic floods creating widespread damage were caused by manmade errors in engineering and judgment - has failed both journalism and public safety. For what happened in New Orleans could happen again in other cities across the United States.

On August 16 THE BIG UNEASY will be available nationwide onVOD via all major cable providers, (Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter and Cablevision) broadband VOD portals (iTunes, Vudu, Xbox, and Verizon FIOS) and DVD (Amazon.com).

Please also check out his website at thebiguneasy.com.

In his feature-length documentary The Big Uneasy, humorist and New Orleans resident Harry Shearer gets the inside story of a disaster that could have been prevented from the people who were there. Shearer speaks to the tireless investigators and experts who poked through the muck as the water receded, and uncovers a courageous whistle-blower from the Army Corps of Engineers. His dogged pursuit of facts reveals that some of the same flawed methods responsible for levee failure during Hurricane Katrina are being used to rebuild the system expected to protect the "new" New Orleans from future peril.

In short segments hosted by actor John Goodman (Treme), Shearer speaks candidly with local residents about life in New Orleans. Together, they explore the questions that Americans outside of the Gulf region have been pondering in the years since Katrina: Why would people choose the live below sea level? Why is it important to rebuild New Orleans?

Shearer's film is also laced with computer imagery that takes you inside the structures that failed so catastrophically, and boasts never-before-seen video of the moments when New Orleans began to flood and the painstaking investigations that followed. Likewise, the film demonstrates what awaits people on the inside who try to report painful truths to the powers that be.

The Big Uneasy marks the beginning of the end of ignorance about what happened to one of our nation's most treasured cities—and serves as a stark reminder that the same agency that failed to protect New Orleans still employs the same flawed science in many other cities across America. Without improvements to engineering and accountability in oversight, the film cautions, we will be very sorry to see history repeat itself elsewhere. Nothing less than public safety is at stake.

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15 Startling Facts about America’s Infrastructure

2011-07-27T13:05:00.001-07:00

Re-posted from Original Article HERE

Sadly, things are only going to get worse before they get better, as roads fill with potholes, bridges collapse, and electrical grids brown out with more regularly, all unable to provide for the needs of the populace. If you had any doubts about the sad state of the American infrastructure, read on to learn just how bad things really are.

More than 25% of bridges in the United States need significant repairs or are handling more traffic than they were designed to carry.

This translates to a whopping 150,000 bridges that aren’t up to snuff. In recent years, bridge and overpass collapses have even led to death. One of the most notable of these was the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, which collapsed in 2007, killing 13 and injuring 145. If bridges are not updated or repaired, these kinds of accidents could become more common.
An inefficient, heavily overburdened electrical grid results in rolling blackouts and losses of $80 billion a year.

In a world that relies heavily on technology for everything from health care to business, losing power can be a big deal. In the past decade, huge blackouts have left much of the Northeast and Florida without power for several days. This costs money, time, and can create unsafe conditions for residents.
Over 4,095 dams in America were deemed “unsafe” by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

This means that they have deficiencies that leave them more susceptible to failure, especially during flooding or earthquakes. The number of dams in the United States that could fail has grown 134% since 1999, and now comprises 3,346 dams nationwide. More than 1,300 of these dangerous dams are considered “high hazard” because their collapse could threaten the lives of those living nearby.
More than a third of all dam failures or near-failures since 1874 have happened in just the last decade.

The rate of failures is increasing at a disturbingly fast rate, as America’s dams age and deteriorate. Can’t remember any recent dam failures? In 2004, 30 different dams in New Jersey’s Burlington County failed or were damaged after a period of particularly heavy rainfall.
Nearly a third of all highway fatalities are related to substandard road conditions, obsolete road designs, or roadside hazards.

The Federal Highway Administration estimates that poor road conditions play a role in more than 14,300 traffic fatalities each year

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Mayor Bloomberg Announces 70 New Electric Vehicles

2011-07-13T04:21:00.001-07:00

Press Release, July 12, 2011 www.nyc.gov

MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF 70 NEW ELECTRIC VEHICLES TO CITY’S FLEET AND LAUNCHES NEW CITY EFFORTS TO INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT ELECTRIC VEHICLES

New City Website Provides Facts About Electric Vehicles – 21 Percent of Consumers are More Likely to Purchase an Electric Vehicle after Being Provided Basic Facts

Electric Vehicles Will Help Achieve Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emission Goals in PlaNYC

City Hosting Free Screening of “Revenge of the Electric Car” and Information Session to Answer Questions About Electric Vehicles Tonight in Central Park

“This is the latest and largest-ever addition of electric vehicles to the City’s fleet, which is already the largest municipal clean-air vehicle fleet in the nation,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We will continue to lead by example, but we also must provide New Yorkers with tools to make environmentally friendly choices in their own lives. When provided with the facts, people become far more likely to choose an electric vehicle. Our job is to ensure the public has the facts, ensure they can make their own decisions and ensure that if they want to drive an electric vehicle, we are providing the infrastructure needed. It’s all part of our PlaNYC agenda to create a greener, greater New York City.”

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Operations Stephen Goldsmith, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability David Bragdon and Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Edna Wells Handy today announced the addition of 70 new electric vehicles to the City’s fleet and launched new City efforts to provide New Yorkers with the facts about electric vehicles. Research has shown most consumers are unaware of basic facts about electric vehicles, and the likelihood of a consumer purchasing an electric vehicle rather than an internal combustion vehicle increases dramatically once they are provided with the facts about electric vehicles. The City already has the largest municipal electric vehicle fleet in the country, now totaling 430 electric vehicles with the infusion of the 70 new electric vehicles announced today. Tonight, the City will host a free electric car information session and documentary screening in Central Park, and the City’s electric vehicle information website is now live on www.nyc.gov. The Mayor made the announcement at the Department of Sanitation’s Central Repair Shop in Maspeth, Queens where he was joined by Department of Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty; representatives from the New York Power Authority; the Environmental Defense Fund; the Sierra Club; Azure Dynamics, a partner of Ford Motor Company; General Motors; Navistar International Corporation; and Coulomb Technologies Inc., the manufacturers of the public electric vehicle charging stations available in the city.

“This largest-ever increase in the City’s electric-powered vehicle fleet is not only good for the environment, it’s good for City taxpayers too,” said Deputy Mayor Goldsmith. “Using electric vehicles reduces air pollution and carbon emissions while also lowering gasoline consumption – a fact that will translate into significant life-cycle savings per vehicle for the City. Today’s announcement illustrates New York City’s ongoing commitment to staying at the forefront of U.S. cities in our use of electric vehicles, and marks another milestone in achieving the sustainability goals set out in PlaNYC.”

“While we are doing our part to make City agency fleets greener, we’re also working to help New Yorkers to have more sustainable choices in their lives as well,” said David Bragdon, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability. “Our goal is to arm the public with information and provide the resources that will allow New Yorkers to reduce their environmental impacts and long-term energy bills.”

“I’m very proud that DCAS enabled acquisition of these 70 vehicles by coordinating grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the New York Power Authority,” said Commissioner Handy. “While New York City is already a leader in this area, boasting the largest clean-fuel municipal fleet in the country – emissions from these 70 electric vehicles are 75 percent cleaner than internal combustion engine vehicles. In addition to obtaining the funding for this initiative, DCAS teams shepherded the contracting, procurement and placement of the Volts, electric Transit Connects, and eStart vehicles in recipient agencies.”

“The New York Power Authority is proud to partner with Mayor Bloomberg and our New York City governmental customers to advance their efforts to address environmental health concerns and lower greenhouse gas emissions through the purchase of electric vehicles for their fleets,” said Richard M. Kessel, president and chief executive officer, New York Power Authority. “We are committed to helping New York City achieve its sustainability goals under its PlaNYC initiative and will continue to study the overall benefits that these electric vehicles provide to the agencies and to the overall community.”

“A year ago we announced with the City of New York the installation of the first public charging station to support electric vehicles as part of the ChargePoint America Department of Energy grant program,” said Colleen Quinn, Vice President of Government Relations at Coulomb. “We are pleased to see this commitment to the government fleet effort as well. Coulomb is proud to continue our relationship with the City of New York and continue to lay the groundwork for this important era of clean transportation. We applaud the City for implementing their green fleet of EVs, which will reduce our dependency on foreign oil but reduce carbon emissions as well.”

The City’s electric vehicle program is made possible due to a partnership with the New York State Power Authority and funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation – each helped fund a portion of the cost differential between the purchase of an electric vehicle and gas-powered vehicle – and the U.S. Department of Energy, which provided a grant to the charger manufacturer Coulomb to provide the public charging stations installed throughout the city.

A survey by McKinsey & Company for the City showed a lack of consumer information and lack of educational resources on electric vehicles. Only 30 percent of New Yorkers are knowledgeable about the specific benefits and limitations of electric vehicles. Providing basic information on electric vehicles dramatically increases interest in the vehicles – the study showed 21 percent of consumers were more likely to purchase an electric vehicle after being educated about the facts on the vehicles.

The City’s electric vehicle information site, Drive Electric NYC, available at www.nyc.gov, provides users with the primary facts about electric cars: how they drive, how they are unique and how they are similar to and differ from conventional vehicles. The site also includes a map of public charging stations in the city, a cost calculator link to help potential owners understand the total cost of an electric vehicle versus a conventional vehicle – including fuel costs – and describes how electric cars work in everyday use. The site also documents the environmental benefits of electric cars. The site is part of the recently updated PlaNYC, which includes an initiative to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles. The City is also collaborating with the cities of Boston and Philadelphia as part of the Northeast Regional Electric Vehicle Partnership to improve conditions for electric vehicles and alleviate barriers to early electric vehicle adoption through low-cost, high-impact actions.

The Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability and Nissan will host a free electric vehicle information session tonight from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM in Central Park’s Naumburg Bandshell, where the public can examine electric vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, Ford Transit Connect, Navistar eStar, Nissan LEAF, and original electric Toyota RAV4. Experts from the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, the Sierra Club, Nissan and Con Edison will be on-hand to answer questions about electric vehicles.

The information session will be followed by a free screening of the new documentary “Revenge of the Electric Car” at 8:30 PM, also at Central Park’s Naumburg Bandshell. The critically acclaimed film premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and it tells the story of the development of a new breed of electric cars during the global economic crisis. The film is the sequel to the 2006 documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car.”

The City’s new batch of electric vehicles includes: 50 new “extended range” hybrid Chevrolet Volts, 10 fully electric Ford Transit Connect cargo vans, and 10 new fully electric Navi-star “E-star” utility trucks.

The City agencies utilizing the 70 new electric vehicles are: the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, the Department of Correction, the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Sanitation, Department of Transportation, New York City Fire Department, the New York City Police Department, and Taxi and Limousine Commission. The FDNY and NYPD initially will use the vehicles for non-emergency duties, including use by NYPD Traffic Enforcement Agents

The Chevrolet Volt is the first electric car being used by the NYPD. The NYPD already uses electric scooters and electric powered golf carts on boardwalks, in parks and some transit hubs.

The Administration is already working towards the use electric vehicles in the City’s fleet of more than 13,000 yellow taxis. As part of its selection as the supplier of New York City’s Taxi of Tomorrow, Nissan is working with the City and taxi owners on a pilot program to study the use of zero-emission electric vehicles as taxis. Nissan will provide six 100 percent electric Nissan LEAFs to taxi owners for testing in 2012 as well as the charging stations to support their use. The City’s Taxi of Tomorrow – the Nissan NV200 – can be manufactured as an all electric taxi, if the pilot program proves successful.

Facts on Electric Vehicles

· Based on our current power generation, electric vehicle use is responsible for emitting approximately ¼ the CO2 associated with the use of the average car in New York City.

· Transportation contributes 20 percent of the city’s CO2 emissions and is the biggest single source after buildings.

· Electric vehicles do not have any tailpipe emissions such as NOx or particulates (both of which contribute to respiratory illness) and emit practically no engine heat reducing the sweltering heat on busy corridors.

· Electricity prices have risen more slowly and are traditionally more stable than oil prices, so consumers with electric vehicles are less impacted by power price fluctuations.

· The range of an electric vehicle far exceeds the average American’s daily miles traveled and they have an emergency mode to warn the driver of low power, providing enough power to get off the road.

· By the most optimistic estimates, electric vehicles will represent 0.6 percent of total energy consumption by 2015. If 70 percent of all electric vehicles plugged in at the same time during the peak period, it would increase demand by less than two percent.

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California And Quebec Leaders In Sustainable Transportation

2011-07-13T04:17:00.001-07:00

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Athgo International at The World Bank: Climate Change And Entrepreneurship

2011-07-12T06:48:00.001-07:00

Treat Yourself to a rewarding experience with Athgo and the
World Bank

4th Global Innovation Forum at the World Bank Climate Change and Constructive Entrepreneurship August 10-12, 2011

Get to know an entrepreneur who made a global career in
entertainment and in advocacy, meet Will.I.Am, the 7 time
Grammy Award winner as the front man and producer of
The Black Eyed Peas

Learn from a true serial entrepreneur who founded and manages
the largest and most efficient recycler of electronic waste in the
World, meet the "Clean Tech Entrepreneur of the Year" and the
"Innovator of the Year" Mr. John Shegerian

If you are building a new green company, meet Mr. Tom Soto, a
Venture Capitalist whose portfolio clean tech companies have
consistently grown by 150% per year in revenue

Interested in creating high-impact solutions while ensuring
entrepreneurial culture, meet Ms. Molly Tschang from Cisco

If you are curious about entrepreneurship by way of public sector,
meet Mr. Ivo Ivanovski, the Minister of Information Society of
Macedonia from the age of 28

Discover the World Bank, meet Ms. Angelica Silvero

Learn about search engine optimization, meet social media guru,
Mr. Evan Bailyn, who used his ability to rank at the top of Google
to build and sell five businesses

Learn about clean technologies, specifically electric and fuel cell vehicles,
meet Mr. Jeff Werner, the General Manager of International at Daimler

Limited seats. Almost at capacity! Learn More | Register | Intern

The World Bank

Electronic Recyclers International

Embassy of Finland in Washington DC

The Climate Project: Interview with Athgo's Chairman Dr. Armen Orujyan

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Will.i.Am, Stade de France, Paris June 2011. Photo by Paige Donner

Black Eyed Peas, Stade de France, Paris June 2011. Photo by Paige Donner

Will.i.Am, Stade de France, Paris June 2011. Photo by Paige Donner

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Farmageddon Review

2011-07-09T04:42:00.001-07:00

By Gina Hall

Gina Hall is a Los Angeles-based writer. Follow her on Facebook. [Bio Cont'd Below...]

Did you have a good 4th of July? Did you spend it eating organic corn-on-the-cob and knocking back a glass of raw milk? No? Me neither. In America, we tend to celebrate our freedom eating the most inorganic materials agribusiness has to offer. You can commemorate our freedom and our forefathers with fireworks, flags and Cool Whip or you can support a film that shows another fight for freedom happening with less fanfare but with a huge impact

our lives, liberties and pursuit of good food.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Farmageddon isn’t a pastoral Michael Bay film as the title suggests, but it is explosive and may provide welcome respite from this week’s Transformers Bay bonanza. It’s a documentary by mother Kristin Canty, who found her way into filmmaking by sheer outrage. Canty follows several farmers and distributors on the frontlines in a war against raw milk.

Raw Milk? Yeah, the stuff people have been drinking for over 8,000 years ever since someone pulled on a cow udder and found it produced something tasty. Louis Pasteur originally intended the pasteurization process for keeping wine and beer from souring – the French commitment to their alcohol is amazing. The process was extended to milk, and for a long time pasteurized milk was sold side by side with the raw. However, as the industrial food system took hold, the pasteurization process became necessary, as the industrial milk would often make people ill. Pasteurization became the FDA’s failsafe even though the benefits of raw milk, which has more healthy bacteria, has been claimed to improve allergies and digestion.
Are you rolling the dice with raw milk and its by products like yogurt and cheese? Sure. Raw milk can contain bacteria that can make you sick, or kill you. So can spinach, hamburger and fried Twinkies. But raw milk seems to bring out the nasty side of our government, by which I mean raids, guns and million dollar surveillance operations. The film is a collection of eye witness interviews, expert testimony and actual footage showing our U.S. government spending your tax dollars to stalk small farmers, raid their farms, confiscate their equipment and sue them in court. Rarely with a warrant or cause.

Canty’s film is elegant in its simplicity it shows you the evidence and allows you to ask most of the questions – like why do we punish small co-ops for producing healthy foods and subsidize the industrial complex that’s contributing to obesity. Is it really safer to pasteurize dairy products or is it something we’ve just grown accustomed to even though it may be detrimental to our health? And wouldn’t Pasteur, a Frenchmen, be rolling in his grave to know Americans were pasteurizing cheese?
In the film, perennial food documentary favorite Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin asks “why do they have such a problem with freedom?” It rhetorical, of course, because we all know the answer is money. Canty tries for straight answers from the FDA and the Department of Agriculture but what no one seems willing to fess up to is the revolving door between politics and agribusiness. Canty’s film is a small victory in a larger battle fighting for the freedom to choose better food. It’s a war that can use all the patriots it can get.

For more information visit farmageddonmovie.com

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SXSW Announces Eco Conference

2011-07-03T14:08:00.001-07:00

SXSW Announces Launch of Inaugural SXSW Eco Conference
Event to Focus on Sustainability Solutions

June 27, 2011, Austin, Texas - South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals announced today it will launch the inaugural SXSW Eco Conference to bring together experts in the fields committed to finding solutions for a sustainable world. The event will take place at the Hilton Austin in Austin, Texas, October 4-6, 2011. SXSW Eco will feature three days of diverse, top-level programming for executive decision makers from the public, private and academic sectors, and provide a platform for attendees to collaborate and advance solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the environment, the economy and civil society.

SXSW Eco will provide an open and creative space for experienced, passionate and pragmatic professionals to network with a diverse group of influential organizations and individuals, while contributing to cutting-edge discussion. The conference will feature a mix of sessions, including keynote presentations, panels, and core-conversations. Session ideas submitted via the SXSW Eco website will be considered by SXSW Eco staff as well as the SXSW Eco Advisory Board.

The SXSW Eco Advisory Board features an eclectic group of experts with decades of experience dedicated to sustainability technology, research and education. Advisory Board members will assist the SXSW Eco staff with programming well-rounded sessions intended to encourage thought-provoking discussions among panelists and attendees alike. The Advisory Board currently includes dedicated professionals such as Robert Skinner, Associate Director, United Nations Foundation; Callum Grieve, Global Director of Communications, The Climate Group ; Melinda Taylor, Executive Director of the Center for Global Energy, International Arbitration, and Environmental Law at the University of Texas School of Law; and Karl R. Rábago, Vice President for Distributed Energy Services with Austin Energy. Additional members will be announced via the SXSW Eco website in the coming weeks.

“Just as SXSW Music, Film and Interactive emerged as a vibrant space for the creative and entrepreneurial communities, we hope SXSW Eco will foster a similar, productive environment for policy makers, academics, and professionals to build meaningful relationships and develop tangible solutions,” said Roland Swenson, SXSW Managing Director. “We are eager to apply our successful event experience to provide a new forum that will address these timely, complicated and interdependent issues of sustainability.”

“SXSW has always provided an environment that creates the kind of informal opportunity for the exchange of ideas, and I think extending their expertise to SXSW Eco could be very helpful in moving the agenda forward on these critical issues of sustainability,” said Robert Skinner, Associate Director of the United Nations Foundation. “I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to participate on the Advisory Board, and really looking forward to the discourse that will surely come from the event.”

Individuals with ideas for session topics, or those who are interested in speaking at SXSW Eco may submit proposals directly via the SXSW Eco Session Proposal Form. All ideas will be reviewed by SXSW Eco staff as well as the SXSW Eco Advisory Board. Proposals will be accepted now through July 29. To submit an idea or for more information, visit sxsweco.com/present.

The SXSW Eco Conference will take place at the Hilton Austin from Tuesday, October 4 through Thursday, October 6. SXSW Eco registration will include three days of programming, an opening night reception, registrants’ dinner and a closing party featuring live entertainment. SXSW Eco registration is available now at the discounted rates of $800 through July 29 and $1000 through September 2, after which the final walk-up rate will be $1200. Student and academic discounts of up to 50% will be available to qualified applicants. For more information on the SXSW Eco schedule, registration, and more, visit sxsweco.com/attend.

About SXSW Eco

SXSW Eco is a three-day conference acknowledging the need for a concerted, cross sector approach to solving recognized sustainability challenges facing the natural world, the globalized economy and humankind. Hosting an international audience of executive level decision makers from the public and private sectors, and thought leaders from academia, the event will evolve this critical conversation beyond rhetoric and towards tangible solutions. SXSW Eco is for professionals at the forefront of the post-recognition discussion who are dedicated to making progress for society, the economy, and the environment. SXSW Eco will provide unique networking opportunities and cutting-edge discussion with experienced, passionate, and pragmatic professionals with varied backgrounds from the public, private and academic sectors.

Just as the SXSW Music, Film and Interactive Conferences & Festivals are an acknowledged annual launching pad for new creative content and collaboration, SXSW Eco provides a singular atmosphere for fresh approaches to the most pressing sustainability challenges of our time. The inaugural edition of SXSW Eco will be held October 4-6, 2011 at the Hilton Austin in Austin, Texas. sxsweco.com

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Yellowstone Oil Spill: 42,000 Gallons Spilled by Exxon

2011-07-03T13:53:00.001-07:00

Laurel, Montana - Hundreds of barrels of crude oil spilled into Montana's Yellowstone River after an ExxonMobil pipeline beneath the riverbed ruptured, sending a plume 25 miles downstream and forcing temporary evacuations, officials said.

[Courtesy of Sott.net]

The break near Billings in south-central Montana fouled the riverbank and forced municipalities and irrigation districts Saturday to close intakes.

The river has no dams on its way to its confluence with the Missouri River just across the Montana border in North Dakota. It was unclear how far the plume might travel.

Cleanup crews deployed booms and absorbent material as the plume moved downstream at an estimated 5 to 7 mph.

"The parties responsible will restore the Yellowstone River," Mont. Gov. Brian Schweitzer said.

A 600-foot-long black smear of oil coated Jim Swanson's riverfront property just downstream from where the pipe broke.

"Whosever pipeline it is better be knocking on my door soon and explaining how they're going to clean it up," Swanson said as globules of oil bubbled to the surface. "They say they've got it capped off. I'm not so sure."

ExxonMobil spokeswoman Pam Malek said the pipe leaked an estimated 750 to 1,000 barrels of oil for about a half-hour before it was shut down. Other Exxon officials had estimated up to 42,000 gallons of crude oil escaped.

Duane Winslow, Yellowstone County director of disaster and emergency services, said the plume was dissipating as it moved downstream. "We're just kind of waiting for it to move on down while Exxon is trying to figure out how to corral this monster," Winslow said.

"The timing couldn't be worse," said Steve Knecht, chief of operations for Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, who added that the plume was measured at 25 miles near Pompeys Pillar National Monument. "With the Yellowstone running at flood stage and all the debris, it makes it dang tough to get out there to do anything."

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Paris Velib' Passion

2011-06-27T13:08:00.001-07:00

By Paige Donner

The Velib’ bicycle program in Paris celebrated its one millionth bicycle voyage last month. If you’re not yet familiar with Paris’s city-sponsored bicycle program, it’s such an innovative and “green travel” program in the form of a public transportation service, that the Velib’, in and of itself, is a reason to visit Paris.

There’s good news, too: The already efficient and economical tariffs to rent one of the Velib’ bicycles just got even cheaper and more efficient.
The Mairie de Paris (Paris City Hall) has made Velib’s more easily accessible for tourists and visitors. The price of a Velib’ for day use is now the same cost as a Metro ticket: EURO 1.70. And the price for 7 days access for use of a Velib’ is 5 to 8 Euros with the first 30 minutes of use free. You can get your Velib’ tickets on the internet at http://velib.paris.fr and also at the Mobile Kiosks that you find at every Velib’ station which provide instructions in English. It's a great alternative to hopping on a bus or the metro or walking everywhere.

Click to download the sector maps of Velib' Stations.

Since the Velib’ stations are nearly as numerous in the city as the Metro stations, most people can get where they need to go within a half an hour, drop off the bicycle, and pick up another one for their return voyage after their rendezvous. If you go over the half-hour time allotment per session (not per day), you pay for the extra time starting at 1 Euro for an extra half-hour.
Since May 2011, the yearly subscription rate has been supplemented by more choices...READ More On Traveling Greener

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Gov. Brown Lauds Job Creation at World’s Largest Solar Energy Project

2011-06-17T13:23:00.001-07:00

PRESS RELEASE:	Contact: Governor's Press Office
Friday, June 17, 2011

Brown Lauds Job Creation at World’s Largest Solar Energy Project

BLYTHE — California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. today joined Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and other federal, state and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Blythe Solar Power Project, a plan to build the largest solar energy facility in the world. The project will bring thousands of construction jobs to Riverside County and help California obtain 33 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

“It makes sense to power California with renewable wind and solar energy that protects clean air and water and promotes energy independence,” Governor Brown said. “Renewable energy projects also stimulate business investment in California and create thousands of new jobs.”

Brown also visited six other solar and wind energy projects—just 5% of the state’s 270 total renewable energy projects—including: First Solar’s Desert Sunlight, Solar Millenium’s Palen Solar Power Project, NextEra’s Genesis facility, Solar Reserve’s Rice Airfield Project, Abengoa’s Mojave Solar Project, and Terragen’s Alta-Oak Creek wind power project (also the world’s largest wind project).

The projects Brown visited today are estimated to create 5,390 new construction jobs and 400 permanent jobs in California. Upon completion, these power plants will generate 3,470 megawatts of energy, or 6 percent of California’s peak energy requirement, which is enough energy to power more than 1.4 million single-family homes.

In 2010, the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies surveyed 12 solar, wind, and geothermal projects and found an average of 4,258 jobs would be created per month during construction. Skilled and non-skilled trades needed to work on these projects include steel and ironworkers, teamsters, plumbers and pipefitters, cement masons, electricians, operating engineers, and managers and general laborers. These projects would also bring nearly 1,000 long-term operations and maintenance jobs to California.

California’s move toward renewable energy is creating thousands of new jobs and providing economic benefits including:

• Investment of approximately $250 million to $1.5 billion for a typical project

• Hundreds to thousands of skilled and non-skilled workers employed per month

• Long-term operations of approximately 30-40 years

In April 2011, Brown signed SBX1 2, which requires that one-third of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2020. The renewable energy projects Brown visited today represent a significant step toward meeting state requirements to obtain 33 percent of energy from renewable sources like wind and solar by 2020.

Other federal, state and local officials and contractors attending today's groundbreaking ceremony in Blythe included Bob Abbey, Bureau of Land Management Director, John Laird, California Secretary of Natural Resources, Joseph DeConinck, Mayor of Blythe, Uwe T. Schmidt, Solar Trust CEO, and Christoph Wolff, CEO of Solar Millennium AG.

# # #

Governor Jerry Brown
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

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Produced By Conference 2011 At Disney Studios - Digital Is The New Green

2011-06-15T13:47:00.001-07:00

By Gina Hall

Gina Hall is a Los Angeles-based writer. Follow her on Facebook. [Bio Cont'd Below...]

The third year of the Produced By Conference brought more than 2,200 people to the Disney lot in Burbank on June 4th and 5th. There was no shortage of star-powered panels and discussions on "green content" but the focus ultimately centered on emerging digital technology. The hope is that digital technology can usher in a more sustainable era to the industry by reducing our print and production materials and changing the distribution model from one that requires delivery of a print to one that is beamed into the theater or home.

See the full gallery on Posterous
Highlights of the conference included the Bleeding Green: Content with a Cause panel, which featured a conversation on developing documentary material with a green agenda. Panelists included Lesly Chilcott, producer of Waiting For ‘Superman’ and An Inconvenient Truth, and Fisher Stevens, producer of The Cove.

Again, the focus centered on how digital media has become the biggest asset to the "green filmmaker" in all areas; financing, raising awareness, filming and distribution. Twitter, Facebook and blogs have become the go-to method for finding an audience and online channels plus Netflix a preferred distribution outlet. The glut of eco-content has become an issue, but the overwhelming sentiment was one of optimism in getting these issues out to a broader audience.

Raising Your Tentpole proved to be another popular panel, apparently many aspiring to bypass the slow ascent to success and jump straight into developing and producing franchise faire. Panelists incl
uded Gale Anne Hurd, Bonnie Arnold and Kevin Feige, among others, as they discussed the ups and downs of creating content through the studio machine.
Perhaps more useful to the indie producer was the panel Plugged In: The Socially Networked Producer where Elias Plishner, Sony Senior VP of Digital Marketing who headed up the Social Network campaign, told the audience that it's never too early to start engaging fans of your project through social media channels to build "pre-awareness." Not surprisingly, the panel discussed how actors are cast based on their Twitter following as it is assumed that that will become part of the marketing package.
Meanwhile, in the conversation panel with Harvey Weinstein and Mark Gordon, the view on internet distribution and Video on Demand (VOD) was lukewarm. Both Weinstein and Gordon expressed that while it is the future, the current business model should continue to focus on the theatrical release.
A major announcement from the conference came from the CEO of Scenios, Mark Davis, who unveiled that their production management software will now be available entirely in "the cloud." This type of platform will allow production teams to collaborate from pre-production through production and then into post and will include a collection of apps that manages items like the script, budget, locations, shoot schedule, call sheets, dailies and rough cuts.

With this movement toward cloud computing, digital distribution, and online marketing, the move toward the industry consuming less is yet to be seen. In the near future, the industry's net consumption of paper screenplays, plastic DVD cases and oil to shuttle prints to theaters may go down, but electronics require a massive amount of conflict metals and create toxic eWaste (and let's not get started on production offices and sets slow to phase out plastic water bottles and disposable Starbucks cups).
Whatever the future may bring, it's coming quickly and next year's conference can't come fast enough.

Gina Hall writes for publications such as Greening Hollywood, as a guest blogger, Culver City News, AskMissA.com and TheScoopLA. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Cinematic Arts and has worked in the entertainment industry on documentaries and features, as a development executive and as a writer. She works with environmental organization Global Green USA whose efforts are primarily focused on fighting global climate change through policies, advocacy and education.

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Responsible Tourism Awards - June 17th Nomination Deadline

2011-06-12T08:07:00.001-07:00

About the Responsible Tourism Awards

The Responsible Tourism Awards are organised by founder responsibletravel.com, with support from media partners Metro Newspaper, Geographical Magazine (the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society), and World Travel Market, where the Awards are given out. The judging process is designed and organised in partnership with the International Centre for Responsible Tourism at Leeds Metropolitan University, and Virgin Holidays have supported the Awards as headline sponsor since 2007.

What are the Awards for?

The Responsible Tourism Awards were founded in 2004 to celebrate and inspire change in the tourism industry. The Awards rest on a simple principle – that all types of tourism, from niche to mainstream, can and should be organised in a way that preserves, respects and benefits destinations and local people.

We want to celebrate the shining stars of responsible tourism – the individuals, organisations and destinations working innovatively with local cultures, communities and biodiversity.

But more than that, we want their examples to inspire others. That’s why we’ve got the most rigorous judging process around, and work with the best partners in the industry to help us get the word out – to ensure that their stories provide an example to the industry.

How do the Awards work? Read MORE on ResponsibleTravel.com

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Beekeepers In The Jardin du Luxembourg

2011-06-10T14:44:00.001-07:00

Bees For Flowers and Fruit!

All photos from Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris

Photos c. Greening Paris

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Clean Technology And Sustainable Industries

2011-06-07T13:14:00.001-07:00

2011 Utility Technology Challenge Semi-Finalists Announced

Technology integrators comprising the Utility Technology Challenge committee chose 15 semifinalists out of 100 quality submissions to present their leading edge solutions in Boston at TechConnect World Clean Technology Conference and Expo in June. The winners include one undisclosed company along with 7 AC Technologies, EcoFactor, Electric Pipeline Corporation, Energy Compression, EnerVault, Ideal Power Converters, Innosepra, Minesto, NovaThermal Energy, Plasma Gasification Corp., Power Tagging, Tropos Networks, V&R Energy Systems Research, and XTreme Power. Congratulations!

The Green Blog Network Is A Sponsoring Media Partner Of CT-SI's TechConnect World Conference And Expo: Boston June 13 - 16, 2011

CTSI Members, Lockheed Martin and Ideal Power Converters Partner To Develop Next Generation Military Microgrid

Reducing the fuel requirements for forward military bases is a critical requirement for the US Army. Lockheed Martin, a CTSI member company, received a contract to develop and demonstration its new microgrid system, which will reduce fuel requirements by >40% and improve reliability. A key component are converters fromIdeal Power Converters, another CTSI member company in the cleanConnect program.

TechConnect World Conference and Expo: Boston, June 13-16
The Marketplace Where Fortune 500’s Shop for the Latest Technologies

Over 5,000 people from around the world will attend the TechConnect World Conference and Expo to participate in robust programs focused in clean, nano, micro and bio technology opportunities. The conference focuses on synergies between commercializing technologies just out of the laboratory and the strategic technology interests of multinational corporations, governments and investors. Be a part of this event June 13-16 in Boston at the Hynes Convention Center to see some of the newest and most innovative emerging technologies today.

A partial list of Speakers & Partners include: Harvard, MIT, Fraunhofer, Honda, BASF, Sanyo, P&G, Toray, Lockheed Martin, Applied Materials, Samsung, GE, Novartis, Kodak, Merck, Omron, bp, Panasonic, Dow and more. Read a full list of speakers here: http://www.techconnectworld.com/World2011/bio.html.

The main program will feature distinct content across multiple industrial verticals including topics related to: advanced electronics, defense, sensors, materials, energy generation, energy storage, bio fuels, biotech, pharma, and many others. Review the full program here: http://www.techconnectworld.com/World2011/program.html

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Mark Ruffalo and Orlando Bloom For Global Green USA, June 4, 2011 Santa Monica

2011-06-06T15:01:00.001-07:00

<p>Mark Ruffalo and Orlando Bloom For Global Green USA, June 4 2011 Santa Monica from Greening Hollywood on Vimeo.</p><p>"Be The Change" - Ghandi : This past weekend Orlando Bloom, Mark Ruffalo, Ed Begley Jr., Adrian Grenier, Mary Leslie (LABC), Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin and Mrs. Bacon, and many more turned out for the 2011 Global Green USA Millennium Awards in Santa Monica this June in support of environmental efforts.</p>

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International Research Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change Announces Awards

2011-06-05T03:28:00.001-07:00

*Editor's Note: Happy World Environment Day!

(le français suit)

News Release:

International Research Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change Announces Research Awards
Five Canadian and Developing Country Teams to Study Climate Change Adaptation
Ottawa, Canada, June 2, 2011 –The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) together with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) today announce that five research teams have been awarded a total of $12.5 million dollars under the International Research Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change (IRIACC).
Each team will receive $2.5 million over five years to study how best to protect people, communities and vital economic sectors, like agriculture and tourism, that are most at risk from the effects of climate change. Two teams will focus specifically on vulnerable indigenous populations. Together, the research projects, which will take place in Canada and in developing countries across four continents, aim to address an important gap in our climate change knowledge, namely, how to anticipate, manage, and reduce climate risk vulnerability through adaptation.
The five successful research teams were selected through a rigorous peer-review process. Their projects and respective team leads are

Coastal Cities at Risk: Building Adaptive Capacity for Managing Climate Change in Coastal Megacities
Anond Snidvongs, Chulalongkorn University and Southeast Asia START Regional Research Center, ThailandGordon McBean, University of Western Ontario, Canada

Adapting to Climate Change: Protecting Water Resources in West Africa and Canada Ouazar, Université Mohammed V Agdal, Maroc Taha Ouarda, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Canada

Partnership for Canada-Caribbean Community Climate Change AdaptationMurray Simpson, the CARIBSAVE Partnership, Barbados Daniel Scott, University of Waterloo, Canada

Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Alejandro Llanos, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru Shuaib Lwasa, Makerere University, Uganda James Ford, McGill University, Canada Lea Berrang Ford, McGill University, Canada

Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Extremes in the AmericasFernando Santibañez, Universidad de Chile, ChileDavid J. Sauchyn, University of Regina, Canada

In announcing the awards, the presidents at the four organizations commented:

“Africa, the Arctic, and other vulnerable regions face an urgent need to adapt to such effects as rising sea levels, extreme weather events, drought and desertification,” says IDRC President David M. Malone. “This initiative will help determine how vulnerable populations in Canada and in developing countries can best cope with changes to their health, environments, and livelihoods.”

“Aboriginal peoples are particularly at risk, and this initiative offers an opportunity for researchers to combine Western scientific methods with traditional indigenous knowledge,” says CIHR President Alain Beaudet. “Research is urgently needed to help these vulnerable populations adapt and even improve their lives in the face of climate change.”

“SSHRC-funded researchers have helped build a strong foundation of Canadian innovation and expertise on the human dimension of climate change,” says SSHRC President Chad Gaffield. “This international collaboration will enable us to develop new knowledge and capabilities in key areas, as well as to enhance the contributions of social sciences and humanities research to meeting the needs of Canadian and developing communities in the process of adaptation to a changing environment.”
"The knowledge and expertise of NSERC-funded researchers will play a key role in finding solutions to the environmental changes that affect the most vulnerable communities in Canada and around the world,” says NSERC President Suzanne Fortier. "By collaborating on an international scale, these researchers will be able to strengthen efforts that will ultimately lead to the effective management of, and adaptation to, a changing environment."
For more information about this unique, made-in-Canada collaboration between IDRC and Canada’s granting councils, please visit www.idrc.ca/iriacc.
About IDRC
To achieve self-reliance, poor communities need answers to questions like: How can we grow more and healthier food? Protect our health? Create jobs? IDRC supports research in developing countries to answer these questions. IDRC also encourages sharing this knowledge with policymakers, other researchers, and communities around the world. The result is innovative, lasting local solutions that aim to bring choice and change to those who need it most. http://publicwebsite.idrc.ca
About CIHR
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada’s agency for health research. CIHR’s mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,600 health researchers and trainees across Canada. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
About SSHRC
SSHRC is the federal agency that promotes and supports university-based research and training in the humanities and social sciences. Through its three funding programs ─ Talent, Insight and Connection ─ SSHRC enables the highest levels of research excellence in Canada and facilitates knowledge-sharing and collaboration across research disciplines, universities and all sectors of society.
www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
About NSERC
NSERC is a federal agency that helps make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for all Canadians. The agency supports some 30,000 post-secondary students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding more than 12,000 professors every year and fosters innovation by encouraging more than 1,500 Canadian companies to participate and invest in post-secondary research projects.
www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca

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Communiqué

Octroi de subventions de recherche en vertu de l’Initiative de recherche internationalesur l’adaptation aux changements climatiques Cinq équipes formées de chercheurs du Canada et de pays en développement se pencheront sur l’adaptation aux changements climatiques

Ottawa, Canada, le 2 juin 2011 – Le Centre de recherches pour le développement international (CRDI), de concert avec les Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada (IRSC), le Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie (CRSNG) du Canada et le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines (CRSH) du Canada, annonce aujourd’hui que cinq équipes de recherche se partageront 12,5 millions de dollars en vertu de l’Initiative de recherche internationale sur l’adaptation aux changements climatiques (IRIACC).
Chaque équipe recevra 2,5 millions de dollars sur cinq ans afin d’examiner les meilleures façons de protéger des effets des changements climatiques les populations, collectivités et secteurs cruciaux de l’économie – notamment l’agriculture et le tourisme – qui y sont les plus exposés. Les cinq projets, qui seront réalisés au Canada et dans des pays en développement de quatre continents, cherchent à combler une importante lacune au chapitre des connaissances en matière de changements climatiques : comment prévoir, gérer et réduire la vulnérabilité à ces changements par le truchement de l’adaptation. Deux d’entre eux seront axés sur les populations autochtones vulnérables.
C’est au terme d’un rigoureux examen des propositions par des pairs que les cinq équipes ont été retenues. Voici le titre des projets de même que le nom des chargés de projet.

Villes côtières à risque : renforcement des capacités d’adaptation pour les besoins de la gestion des changements climatiques dans les mégapoles côtières

Anond Snidvongs, Université Chulalongkorn et centre de recherche régional de l’Asie du Sud-Est de START, Thaïlande

Gordon McBean, Université Western Ontario, CanadaFaire face aux changements ensemble : mieux s’adapter aux changements climatiques au Canada et en Afrique de l’Ouest dans le domaine des ressources en eau

Driss Ouazar, Université Mohammed V-Agdal, MarocTaha Ouarda, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Canada

Partenariat Canada-Caraïbes sur l’adaptation des collectivités aux changements climatique Murray Simpson, The CARIBSAVE Partnership, Barbad Daniel Scott, Université de Waterloo, Canad

Santé des autochtones et adaptation aux changements climatiques Alejandro Llanos, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Péro Shuaib Lwasa, Université Makerere, Ougand James Ford, Université McGill, Canada Lea Berrang Ford, Université McGill, Canada

Vulnérabilité et adaptation aux phénomènes climatiques extrêmes dans les Amériques Fernando Santibañez, Université du Chili, Chili David J. Sauchyn, Université de Regina, Canada

Voici ce qu’ont déclaré les présidents des quatre organismes partenaires à l’occasion de l’annonce.
David M. Malone, président du CRDI : « En Afrique, en Arctique et dans les autres zones vulnérables, il est urgent de renforcer la capacité d’adaptation aux effets des changements climatiques, à savoir l’élévation du niveau de la mer, les phénomènes climatiques extrêmes, les sécheresses et la désertification, pour ne nommer que ceux-là. Cette initiative aidera à déterminer comment les populations vulnérables, au Canada et dans des pays en développement, peuvent composer le mieux possible avec la manière dont leur santé, leur milieu ambiant et leurs moyens de subsistance s’en trouvent modifiés. »
Alain Beaudet, président des IRSC : « Les populations autochtones sont particulièrement exposées, et cette initiative fournit l’occasion de recourir à la fois aux méthodes scientifiques occidentales et au savoir autochtone traditionnel. Des recherches s’imposent de toute urgence pour aider ces populations vulnérables à s’adapter aux changements climatiques voire à améliorer leurs conditions de vie grâce aux mesures prises en réaction à ces changements. »
Chad Gaffield, président du CRSH : « Les chercheurs financés par le CRSH ont contribué à constituer une solide assise d’innovation et de savoir-faire au Canada en ce qui concerne la dimension humaine des changements climatiques. Cette collaboration internationale aidera le CRSH à acquérir de nouvelles connaissances et capacités dans des domaines clés et lui permettra d’enrichir l’apport de la recherche en sciences humaines pour ce qui est de répondre aux besoins de collectivités du Canada et de pays en développement alors qu’elles s’efforcent de s’adapter à un environnement en pleine transformation. »
Suzanne Fortier, présidente du CRSNG : « Les connaissances et le savoir-faire des chercheurs financés par le CRSNG joueront un rôle clé dans la mise au point de solutions d’adaptation aux changements environnementaux qui ont une incidence sur les collectivités les plus vulnérables, au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde. En collaborant à un projet d’envergure internationale, les chercheurs seront en mesure de consolider les efforts en vue d’une gestion efficace des changements que subit l’environnement et d’une adaptation adéquate à ces derniers. »
Pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements sur cette collaboration sans pareil du CRDI et des trois conseils subventionnaires du Canada, prière de consulter le www.crdi.ca/iriacc_f.
À propos du CRDI
Comment cultiver des aliments plus sains, en plus grande quantité ? Comment préserver la santé ? Et comment créer des emplois ? Voilà quelques-unes des questions auxquelles les collectivités pauvres doivent trouver réponse afin de se donner des moyens d’action. Le CRDI appuie des travaux de recherche dans les pays en développement justement afin de trouver réponse à ces questions. ll veille aussi à promouvoir la diffusion des connaissances ainsi acquises auprès de responsables des politiques, de chercheurs et de collectivités de par le monde. Il en résulte des solutions locales, novatrices et durables, qui offrent des choix aux personnes qui en ont le plus besoin et font changer les choses.
http://sitewebpublic.crdi.ca
À propos des IRSC
Les Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada (IRSC) sont l'organisme de recherche en santé du gouvernement du Canada. Leur objectif est de créer de nouvelles connaissances scientifiques et de favoriser leur application en vue d'améliorer la santé, d'offrir de meilleurs produits et services de santé, et de renforcer le système de santé au Canada. Composés de 13 instituts, les IRSC offrent leadership et soutien à plus de 13 600 chercheurs et stagiaires en santé dans tout le Canada.
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
À propos du CRSH
Le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines (CRSH) est un organisme fédéral qui encourage et appuie la recherche et la formation en milieu universitaire dans le domaine des sciences humaines. Par l'intermédiaire de ses programmes – Talent, Savoir, Connexion –, il permet d'atteindre les plus hauts niveaux d'excellence en recherche au Canada et favorise la collaboration ainsi que le partage des connaissances entre les disciplines, les universités et tous les secteurs de la société.
www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
À propos du CRSNG
Le CRSNG est un organisme fédéral qui aide à faire du Canada un pays de découvreurs et d’innovateurs, au profit de tous les Canadiens. Il appuie quelque 30 000 étudiants de niveau postsecondaire et stagiaires postdoctoraux dans leurs études supérieures. Le CRSNG fait la promotion de la découverte en offrant un appui financier à plus de 12 000 professeurs chaque année et favorise l’innovation en incitant plus de 1 500 entreprises canadiennes à investir dans les projets de recherche des établissements postsecondaires et à y participer.
www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca

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Super Bowl MADONNA in BULGARI

Merry Christmas And Happy New Year!

California Gov. Brown's Conference on Extreme Climate Risks Says Agriculture, Including Wine Will Be Affected

Sustainable, Edible Holiday House

Wine And Climate Change In The International Herald Tribune

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Renewable Energy Goes Round...And Round

Environmental Investment Organisation

Cute EV Commercial - Renault ZE

Revenge of The Electric Vehicle

Governor Brown Signs Bills Renewable Energy, Environmental Protection

Governor Brown Takes

Action to Promote Renewable

Energy and Protect the Environment

Paris For Peace And Yoga

Yao Ming and Sir Richard Branson Say NO To Shark Fin Soup

Clinton Global Initiative Recognizes AEG Farmers Field

Un-Analytics: How Google Went Solar

Religious Leaders and NASA’s Lead Climate Scientist at White House on Monday

World Water Week

From The Green Blog Network

HYRRQNC6AVP2

On the Water Front vol. 2 presents new analysis from global thought-leaders

Youth Sue U.S. Gov't. Over Climate Change

The Big Uneasy

15 Startling Facts about America’s Infrastructure

More than 25% of bridges in the United States need significant repairs or are handling more traffic than they were designed to carry.

An inefficient, heavily overburdened electrical grid results in rolling blackouts and losses of $80 billion a year.

Over 4,095 dams in America were deemed “unsafe” by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

More than a third of all dam failures or near-failures since 1874 have happened in just the last decade.

Nearly a third of all highway fatalities are related to substandard road conditions, obsolete road designs, or roadside hazards.

Mayor Bloomberg Announces 70 New Electric Vehicles

California And Quebec Leaders In Sustainable Transportation

Athgo International at The World Bank: Climate Change And Entrepreneurship

Farmageddon Review

SXSW Announces Eco Conference

Yellowstone Oil Spill: 42,000 Gallons Spilled by Exxon

Paris Velib' Passion

Gov. Brown Lauds Job Creation at World’s Largest Solar Energy Project

Brown Lauds Job Creation at World’s Largest Solar Energy Project

Produced By Conference 2011 At Disney Studios - Digital Is The New Green

Responsible Tourism Awards - June 17th Nomination Deadline

About the Responsible Tourism Awards

What are the Awards for?

How do the Awards work? Read MORE on ResponsibleTravel.com

Beekeepers In The Jardin du Luxembourg

Clean Technology And Sustainable Industries

2011 Utility Technology Challenge Semi-Finalists Announced

CTSI Members, Lockheed Martin and Ideal Power Converters Partner To Develop Next Generation Military Microgrid

Mark Ruffalo and Orlando Bloom For Global Green USA, June 4, 2011 Santa Monica

International Research Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change Announces Awards

*Editor's Note: Happy World Environment Day! (le français suit)

News Release:

Communiqué

Octroi de subventions de recherche en vertu de l’Initiative de recherche internationalesur l’adaptation aux changements climatiques Cinq équipes formées de chercheurs du Canada et de pays en développement se pencheront sur l’adaptation aux changements climatiques

Green Blog Network * Greening Hollywood * Greening Beauty

**Greening Paris * Greening Vancouver

Recycle, Reuse, Rejoice!

Eco Consulting * Eco Media**

*Editor's Note: Happy World Environment Day!

(le français suit)