HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT, STRONG ECONOMY, VIBRANT COMMUNITIES
Five local water agencies have launched a public salvo at the San Diego County Water Authority — an unusual move in the normally collegial ranks. They accuse the wholesaler of not doing enough to cut expenses while retail water sellers and ratepayers are struggling to make ends meet.
The Obama administration is devoting $150 million in stimulus money for programs that help homeowners install solar panels and other energy improvements, which they pay for over time on their property tax bills.
At the same time, the two government-chartered agencies that buy and resell most home mortgages are threatening to derail the effort by warning that they might not accept loans for homes that take advantage of the special financing.
In a few years the Hazard Center Shopping Center is going to look a lot different, a lot less like a strip mall and more like a village. Last month the San Diego City Council gave the go-ahead for the shopping center’s revitalization project, which will be handled by downtown development firm Oliver McMillan. Dene Oliver, a partner in the firm, recently published an editorial that said the project will be a “stellar example of urban renaissance—taking an already great property and increasing its economic viability in an environmentally-sustainable way.” Read More
While it’s intuitive that sprawl leads to more miles traveled by car, solutions to the problem are somewhat less instinctive. Should we continue the push toward mixed-use development, encourage dense developments or build up near existing city centers? Read More
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is 10 years behind schedule in setting guidelines for a host of toxic air pollutants, according to a report from the agency’s inspector general.
The report, which was released last week, found that the agency had failed to develop emissions standards, due in 2000, for some sources of hazardous air pollutants. These included smaller sites often located in urban areas, like dry cleaners and gas stations, but also some chemical manufacturers. Read More
A revolution is taking place in the water reuse sector, which dramatically repositions technology as a solution to the global water scarcity crisis, according to a new report published today by Global Water Intelligence*, produced in collaboration with PUB, Singapore’s national water agency. Read More
With all the hoopla going around for and against wind farms going up all over the US, including here on the Great Lakes and off of Nantucket Sound, I feel it is important to weigh in with a little fact checking on "not-in-my-backyard" (NIMBY) claims. After reading all the comments that are inevitably posted to every article involving the wind industry, I feel it is important to quash all the falsehoods associated with wind power. Read More
ISLANDIA, N.Y., June 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CA Technologies (Nasdaq: CA) today announced the general availability of CA ecoSoftware 2.0, the latest version of its energy, carbon and sustainability management solution designed to help organizations reduce carbon emissions, manage natural resource consumption, and cut energy costs.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ca-technologies-unveils-next-generation-of-energy-and-sustainability-solution-to-manage-environmental-resources-energy-efficiency-and-carbon-impact-96791034.html
The center that I went to get this great news had a great name too-Rebound- and it got me to thinking. In mulling over the state of our economy and the ongoing oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, I suggest that those situations are representative of “structural issues” that require therapy of sorts. The economy appears to slowly be on the “rebound”, while the prognosis for the other (the Gulf spill) will still require more study to determine the full extent of the damage. Common among these two situations and my back is a call for change, to think more sustainably. In other words, considering the economy and the environment as linked systems requires a deeper, holistic, de-siloed way of thinking. Read More
Water is a $425 billion-a-year business. It's the third-largest industry behind electricity and oil. Some call it the hottest new commodity, blue gold. But is there enough?
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, from Yemen to India to the United States, scarcity, contamination and conflict, the fight over the world's most precious resource. Is water the new oil?
http://www.wiserearth.org/article/c6eae066c4c8626a00c0958cea0e8ba5