Bamboo fabric exposed, hog barn ban, Al gore roasted for for global warming and much more

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					Tuesday, March 4, 2008
	News of Note 'Eat whale and save the planet' says Norwegian lobby OSLO (Reuters) - Eat a whale and save the planet, a Norwegian pro-whaling lobby said on Monday of a study showing that harpooning the giant mammals is less damaging to the climate than farming livestock. Top Stories A new platform to start changing the world Forget Facebook, MySpace or You Tube: here comes connect2earth, a new online community where young people can upload videos, pictures and comments about the environment. On www.connect2earth.org, users and visitors will be able to write, speak, illustrate and video present their concerns on subjects important to them, and share environmental ideas and solutions. Bamboo Fabric - The Naked Truth Yes, it’s true. Bamboo fabric uses a chemical process to turn its cellulosic fibers into fabric. And yes, it’s also true that the process is similar to rayon production and is, in fact, considered a sub-category of rayon. The production of rayon has been in existence since the mid 1800’s and since then has undergone many iterations. More recently, new processes have been developed which enable plant-based fibers (such as bamboo) to be utilized in the production of fabric. How to Stop a Hurricane, Cow-Free Steak, and Other Amazing Scientific Innovations Studying rice may not sound like the world's most exciting job. But think again: One plant biologist, Dr. Monty Jones, has made the study of rice his life's work – and as a result of his amazing innovations in the field, he's dramatically improved the lives of millions of farmers and the general population throughout West Africa. On the Horizon and Here Today: LED Alternatives to Linear Fluorescents NATIONAL REPORT—In meeting rooms, back of house and other areas of your hotel, chances are great that you are using T-12 fluorescent lamps or the more efficient T-8s to illuminate large spaces. At least two companies—ilumisys, Inc. in Troy, Mich., and LEDdynamics, Inc. in Randolph, Vt.—are trying to replace these linear fluorescents with LED alternatives that are more energy efficient and safer for the environment.		ENN Spotlight What happens if China’s 'one child' is left behind? Based on a senior official’s remarks, it looks like China may soon relax its one-child policy. That has raised fears among some demographers that the country will experience a massive baby boom once the reproductive shackles come off, and hence 'could overturn predictions of an imminent end to global population growth,' in the words of New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin. More Top Stories Manitoba bans new hog barns in half of province WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Manitoba will permanently ban new hog barns and expansions in the eastern half of the province, where the industry is most concentrated, its conservation minister said on Monday. The government will immediately lift a temporary ban on new and expanding hog operations in the rest of the province, Stan Struthers said, but he said the entire industry will be subject to more environmental rules and scrutiny. Aussie group eyes breeding plan for endangered tuna SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian company said on Tuesday it had developed the first artificial breeding plan for the endangered southern bluefin tuna, in high demand for sashimi and sushi. According to a 2006 report by Australian, New Zealand, South Korean and Japanese officials, southern bluefin tuna catches are unsustainable with an even chance that all fish capable of laying eggs will be gone by 2030 if current catch levels continue. Clean Seas Tuna Ltd said the successful collection of captive southern bluefin tuna sperm and eggs at its base in South Australia state could pave the way to year-round production of the fish. Climate skeptics roast Al Gore on global warming NEW YORK (Reuters) - Al Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar for his environmental advocacy, was the main target on Monday at a conference of dissident scientists skeptical of his views on global warming. Several speakers at the conference on climate change whose theme was "Global warming is not a crisis," took pot-shots at the ex-vice president and his film, "An Inconvenient Truth," which won last year's Academy Award for best documentary.
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	Member Press Releases Ban Sought on Imported Swordfish: Fleets Kill More Marine Mammals Than U.S. Law Permits By: Center for Biological Diversity The Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network formally petitioned the U.S. government today to enforce the Marine Mammal Protection Act and impose a ban on imported swordfish until exporting countries provide proof that their fishing practices are at least as protective of marine mammals as those used by U.S. commercial fishers. Sustainable Products and Services to be Featured at NESEA's BuildingEnergy08 Trade Show By: Northeast Sustainable Energy Association The latest in cutting-edge sustainable (residential and commercial) building materials and products, renewable energy technologies, and green design and construction services, will highlight the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s (NESEA) 33rd annual Building Energy Conference and Trade Show, March 11-13 at Boston’s Seaport World Trade Center. Bush Administration Refuses to Protect the Last American Jaguars, Driving Conservation Group to Court By: Center for Biological Diversity The Center for Biological Diversity issued a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Friday over the agency’s decision not to recover an endangered species native to the United States, the jaguar, in violation of the Endangered Species Act. The notice is required to allow the federal agency one last chance to comply with the law. Apache-Sitgreaves Off-road Vehicle Plan Will Put Arizona's Crown Jewel White Mountains at Risk By: the Center for Biological Diversity The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest plan to create new off-road vehicle trails and allow vehicles in Inventoried Roadless Areas will destroy untold acres of public land, said conservation groups Thursday. The new plan, announced February 22, creates new off-road trails near wilderness areas, disturbs designated critical habitat for threatened and endangered species, and opens new areas to cross-country off-roading on sensitive lands. Keep America Beautiful Challenges Volunteers to 'Fight Dirty' as Part of 2008 Great American Cleanup Campaign for a Cleaner, Greener America By: Keep America Beautiful With the 2008 presidential campaign heating up, national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful® (KAB) is embarking on a campaign of its own as part of the national Great American CleanupTM, the nation's largest community improvement program which takes place annually from March 1 through May 31. Unlike the presidential candidates, the organization is making a rather unusual campaign promise – this year, it will "fight dirty" and focus on improving communities nationwide. Biomass '08 Technical Workshop Set for July in Grand Forks Presenter Abstracts due March 14, 2008 By: Energy & Environmental Research Center, Inc. The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota announces the Biomass '08: Power, Fuels, and Chemicals Workshop to be held July 15-16, 2008, at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Honda Civic GX Natural Gas Car Earns Top Spot on ACEEE's 'Greenest Vehicles of 2008' List for the Fifth Straight Year By: American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Recognizing Honda's application of fuel efficient and alternative fuel technologies, four Honda vehicles earned recognition from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as the "greenest vehicles of 2008" with the Civic GX natural gas car taking the title of the greenest vehicle for the fifth consecutive year, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today. In the 11th annual ACEEE's "Green Book® Online" ranking of environmentally responsible vehicles (available at www.greenercars.org), the natural gas-powered Civic GX ranked first with the gasoline Civic, Fit and Civic Hybrid joining the list of the 12 most environmentally-conscious vehicles available to the public. Center for Biological Diversity Editor Writes Critically Acclaimed Novel About Extinction By: the Center for Biological Diversity Center for Biological Diversity staffer Lydia Millet's new novel How the Dead Dream tells the story of an ambitious young California real estate developer who, in the wake of a personal crisis, becomes obsessed with rare and vanishing animals and starts breaking into zoos at night to be close to them. Editor's Note : 'Network News' features press releases submitted directly by organizations in ENN's member network. This content is not specifically endorsed or supported by ENN and is not subject to ENN's editorial process.
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Earth Policy News - Global Wind Power Capacity Reaches 100,000 Megawatts

Eco-Economy Indicator -- WIND ENERGY
March 4, 2008

Eco-Economy Indicators are the twelve trends the Earth Policy Institute tracks to measure progress in building an environmentally sustainable economy -- an eco-economy. Wind power capacity is an indicator because wind is poised to become the foundation of the new energy economy.


GLOBAL WIND POWER CAPACITY REACHES 100,000 MEGAWATTS                              
Jonathan G. Dorn

At its current growth rate, global installed wind power capacity will top 100,000 megawatts in March 2008. In 2007, wind power capacity increased by a record-breaking 20,000 megawatts, bringing the world total to 94,100 megawatts -- enough to satisfy the residential electricity needs of 150 million people. Driven by concerns regarding climate change and energy security, one in every three countries now generates a portion of its electricity from wind, with 13 countries each exceeding 1,000 megawatts of installed wind electricity-generating capacity...

For entire text see www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Wind/2008.htm
For data see www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Wind/2008_data.htm


For an index of Earth Policy Institute resources related to Wind Energy see www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/Wind/index.htm

And for a plan to move rapidly to renewable energy, see Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, by Lester R. Brown, posted on-line for free downloading at http://www.earthpolicy.org/Books/PB3/index.htm.

NAW E-Feature - March 2008

South Dakota Puts
Incentives To Work For Wind

Vol 3. | Issue 1. | March 2008

South Dakota Puts Incentives To Work For Wind Tax incentives introduced this year in South Dakota could help the state catch up to the highly successful wind energy markets of neighboring Midwestern states. By Jennifer Delony

Ranked fourth in overall wind generation potential for U.S. states by the American Wind Energy Association, South Dakota has yet to break the 100 MW mark in installed wind energy capacity. Wind energy development in neighboring states, by comparison, has skyrocketed ahead of South Dakota. Minnesota and Iowa - ranked ninth and tenth, respectively, in potential - are neck-and-neck in third and fourth place, respectively, for total installed capacity with nearly 1,300 MW each. South Dakota, however, could begin to close the gap between its installed capacity and the capacities of its Midwest neighbors with new tax incentives for wind energy facilities and community-based energy development (C-BED). A bill to provide tax incentives for wind energy facilities and related transmission – House Bill (HB) 1320 – was introduced in the South Dakota legislature in January at the request of Gov. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and passed the House and Senate easily. According to the governor's office, Rounds will sign the bill when he receives it. The incentive, which builds on existing wind energy tax legislation, bases annual taxes for wind farms in South Dakota with a commission date of July 1, 2007, or later, on their capacity and generation. One annual tax - calculated by multiplying $3.00 by the number of kilowatts a wind farm can produce (i.e., nameplate capacity) - would be in lieu of taxes on personal and real property, but not in lieu of other taxes, such as retail sales and service tax. The bill also sets a separate annual tax at 2% of a wind farm's gross receipts. This tax, according to the bill text, is based on a wind farm's "annual production of electricity in kilowatt hours multiplied by the South Dakota electricity base rate of $0.0475 per kilowatt hour in 2008, with the rate…increasing by 2.5 percent on an annual basis." A separate bill - HB 1296 - would support a C-BED model for renewable energy that has received generous legislative and social support in Minnesota, which leads the country in installed C-BED capacity. Introduced in January and currently under review in the House Taxation committee, HB 1296 would entitle C-BED projects to a refund or credit for sales or use tax. The incentive is available to a project only if at least 25% of its owners are individuals or entities residing or headquartered within a 50-mile radius of the project. The bill stipulates that no owner can hold more than 15% of the project and no more than 75% of payments from power purchase agreements may go to nonqualified owners. National Wind, a Minneapolis-headquartered wind energy developer with a focus on community-based ownership in the Midwest, welcomes the new incentives. "One of the reasons that we had not ventured into South Dakota until now is that the benefits that some neighboring states offered already made South Dakota look somewhat less attractive," says Jack Levi, co-chair of National Wind. "This type of tax incentive is exactly what's needed." National Wind announced in December 2007 that it would enter the South Dakota market with a private-equity investment from a South Dakota fund managed by McGowan Capital Group. Its first wind project in the state, launched under Dakota Wind Energy LLC, would have a potential generating capacity of 750 MW and span 700 square miles. "We have a rather ambitious project at 750 MW," says Levi. "Typically, community projects are a few landowners that get together and put up a few turbines, but we have come to the realization that a lot of these projects - unless they can reach a critical mass of 100 MW to 200 MW - are no longer economically viable in delivering the power at a price that the utilities are interested in." Even if the price is right, developers in South Dakota may not be able to find offtakers for their wind energy without a mandate for renewable energy purchases that is similar to mandates set by law in Minnesota and Iowa. A bill that would have required South Dakota's utilities to obtain 3% of their power from renewable resources by 2012 was introduced to the South Dakota legislature in January, but failed to garner approval in the House State Affairs committee. The committee struck the requirement in toto from the bill.

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Announcing the First-Ever "Greener by Design" Conference

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I am pleased to announce our inaugural conference, Greener by Design: Strategies, Tools, and Markets for Product Innovation, to be held June 12-13 in Alexandria, Virginia.

The two-day event, produced in association with Global Executive, will focus on green product design — how companies, both large and small, are harnessing environmental thinking to create innovative products and packaging. At Greener by Design, you'll hear from such companies as:

BASF Clorox DeLoach Vineyards Dupont General Electric Nike Procter & Gamble TerraCycle Xerox You'll also hear from leading thinkers, such as Robert Shelton on "Making Innovation Work," about how companies can manage for innovation; and Jennifer van der Meer, a leading design strategist. Panelists also will include the leading green design shops and nonprofit organizations, such as the Biomimicry Guild and GreenBlue, both of which have helped dozens of companies create design innovations. We'll be adding new speakers and companies in the coming weeks. Three other innovations of the event: Green Gurus at Play: intimate small-group sessions that allow participants to interact with leading designers and thinkers in green product design Innovation Flashes: interactive mini-events to help participants enhance the impact of their learning from speakers and panelists Systematic Inventive Thinking: a hands-on, experiential design approach to innovation As you can see, this is not your basic, talking-heads event. We'll dive down from the 50,000-foot level to see how leading companies are doing innovative things on the ground. As a GreenBuzz subscriber, you are eligible for a special 15% discount before March 31. To register, go do www.greenerbydesign.com or call 800-516-4265. To take advantage of the discount, use the code "greenbuzz" when registering. We've been working hard to create a memorable and valuable experience for conference attendees. I can assure you that this will be an extraordinary event. I look forward to seeing you there. Warm regards, Joel Makower Chairman and Executive Editor Greener World Media

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