Two Bay Area Companies Donate Solar Power to Local Food Bank-

Two companies in California’s Bay Area have made a collective donation to Second Harvest Food Bank. The cash offering will fund a $1.1 million, 322-kilowatt rooftop solar power system at the food bank’s facility in San Jose, CA. SunPower contributed their solar technology and Cypress Semiconductor supplied $700,000 to support the project. Two types of SunPower solar roof tiles will be utilized. Over the 25 year life of the system, it is anticipated to save the food bank roughly three million dollars on their electricity bills. “The rooftop solar system, so generously donated by Cypress and SunPower, will help us to continue meeting the needs of our community,” said Kathy Johnson, CEO of the food bank. The SunPower tiles are already built into a frame, so they can be installed more swiftly when compared to a standard rooftop solar system. SunPower CEO Tom Werner said, “We hope this unique solar gift will shine a light on hunger, and encourage other businesses to support this worthy cause.” Since 1989, Cypress Semiconductor has donated approximately five million dollars, and around 500,000 pounds of food to the Second Harvest Food Bank. They raised the $700,000 for the solar project through employee fundraisers, and grants. T.J. Rodgers, the company’s president said, “Cypress is pleased to help reduce the organization’s operating expenses so that it can focus on what it does best–feeding the community.” The project is expected to wrap up in September.

“Hempcrete” Material is Sustainable & Efficient-

Anthony Brenner has designed a house made with true sustainability in mind, simply using hemp, lime and water. Dubbed “hempcrete”, the innovative building material is said to act as a “built-in air filter”, which actually helps improve air quality and does not contain any toxic substances. Not to mention, is inexpensive and more efficient than conventional building alternatives. “The insulating factor and thermal capabilities are fantastic,” Brenner tells CNN. Russ Martin, the owner of the home, says that it only cost them $133 per square foot to construct and helps them to save considerably on energy bills. Video below showcases the modern hemp home, courtesy of CNN Money.

Audi A1- The first car to move from petrol to electric in the same design?


The Audi A1 is a fundamental car design which is being touted by experts as likely to be fully converted into a production model fully electric car. The design is the key to a different approach to electric cars in general. It could also be the lead in to extremely cost effective electric car design, and make a huge difference in the auto industry in everything from car insurance to fleet maintenance costs.

Design issues

The Audi A1 is a good basic car with a relatively small frame and smooth lines. This is a better than average standard specification car as a petrol engine car, but relative to its size, it has some real advantages as an electric car which may show the way to mass conversions to electric.

The Audi A1 is a true benchmark suburban car. If it can be successfully converted to electric, it will save production lines a fortune in retooling, which is great news for consumers. One of the major obstacles, as well as imponderables, is the real cost of production of electric cars. Figures are all over the place, from the highly expensive to the obviously guessing ranges.

All major car manufacturers are now either in the planning or prototype stages of producing electric cars, generally derived from hybrid designs. The hybrids, good as some are and to put it politely vague as some others are, are a sort of design half way house. Production costs billions, and car manufacturers are understandably leery of spending big money on everything from design to retooling on a market which is only just now becoming visible.

The Audi A1, if it can be fully converted, can simplify the whole process. It would mean that a straightforward, good gas sedan can be turned into an electric car without severe impacts on the production costs. Result, new ball game, overnight. If they get it right, this could be Christmas for the car industry, the environment, and generations of mechanics who won’t have to wade in fumes and gas to earn a living. Even car insurance quotes would benefit from a really simple, reliable electric car.

The petrol engine is big, expensive to produce, it’s heavy, it’s a nuisance to fix, and it affects performance. The unstated problem with the big, high-grunt factor engines is that they’re huge, very heavy, and actually slow the car down and add to the strain on suspension with mass. Sedans aren’t much better.

In consumer and service terms, there’s nothing to be said in favor of petrol engines. They’re responsible for costing motorists a fortune, while not really delivering much more for service people than time and labor values for servicing and a fairly large number of workers compensation cases and high insurance costs.

Electric cars, by comparison, are literally clean, green and about as difficult to service as a remote control. You just check everything and replace what needs replacing. The new power sources, non-battery electric storage, are also likely to improve both range and efficiency within 10 years.

Keep watching the Audi A1, because this is the type of car that will ultimately replace the gas guzzlers.

FTC Adds Restrictions to Improve Accountability over Green Certification Standards-


Informed consumers have begun to advance toward healthier, more conscious decisions concerning what products they use, wear, and eat. However, many people probably aren’t aware that there is little to no supervision over the integrity of these company labels. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began the original Guides for Use of Environmental Marketing Claims in the 90’s and, in light of these labeling issues, is presently revising the guide to put a halt on product marketing deception and create more stringent accountability. According to the latest survey released by the Boston Consulting Group, around 17 percent of U.S. consumers are willing to pay top value for green products – a 10 percent rise since last fall. Several of these labels, however, are printed and endorsed by companies who are supplying extremely deceptive information.

For example, textile manufacturers have been mislabeling rayon as bamboo, since a insubstantial quantity of bamboo was used in the creation process. The FTC states that “rayon is a man-made fiber created from the cellulose found in plants and trees and processed with harsh chemicals that release hazardous air pollution. Any plant or tree – including bamboo – could be used as the cellulose source, but the fiber that is created is rayon.” The FTC has already notified 78 various retailers, such as Macy’s, Amazon and Walmart, that they must retract their false labeling of “bamboo” in their products. The FTC guide restrictions will effect more than just companies that mislabel rayon, it could terminate roughly 300 environmental “seals of approval” now in use. With the new potential restrictions, companies who display seals of approval must provide in-depth information verifying such claims. Third party approvals must also support that the certifying party is independent from the advertiser and must possess expertise in the field of certification. These regulations will strengthen criterion for packaging claims such as “recyclable” and “biodegradable”, and will help to confront the problem of company “greenwashing”. The FTC plans to finish the adjustments by the end of summer 2010.

SPE’s Culver City Lot Project Fulfills the USGBC’s Stringent Standards-


Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) recently announced that it has been awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for the studio’s Lot and Office Transformation (LOT) Project. “We are proud to receive this designation for our newest buildings on the lot,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. “It’s our belief that we have a responsibility to help create a greener world for our community and future generations, and this project is an important part of our overall sustainability efforts.” The LOT Project included two new 100,000 square foot office buildings, named after Jack Cohn and Harry Cohn, and a parking structure located at the studio’s historic lot in Culver City, California. The Jack Cohn and Harry Cohn buildings were awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council for an all-around conservational approach in design and construction.

Criteria factors in the SPE Lot Project include: the use of local, recycled building materials; avoiding over 16,128 tons of construction waste material from being thrown into landfills; the use of motion detector lights and energy efficient light bulbs; the installation of an on-site filtration system for storm water runoff as well as low-flow toilets and urinals; the use of low-emitting carpeting, paint, sealants, adhesives and wall coverings; the enforcing of “Green Housekeeping” building maintenance standards; and the availability of preferred parking for low emitting and fuel efficient vehicles as well as car pools and van pools. To boot, the LOT Project incorporated a high-tech, energy efficient central cooling plant. “Naturally, a project of this size and scope was undertaken with a great deal of thought and care,” said Jeff Hargleroad, Executive Vice President, Corporate Operations. “We recognized early on this was a great opportunity to pursue design and construction practices that would map to our core values as a company; it became obvious that this was the right thing to do.” Last summer, SPE’s Culver City lot was the first and only studio to achieve ISO14001 certification, with energy and environmental initiatives that encompassed nearly all aspects of the studio’s operations. As a pioneer in the green movement, the possibilities are endless in what sustainable projects they will take on next.

Problem Chewing Gum Litter Becomes New Products-

Chewing gum litter is becoming a major concern in many countries, such as the U.S. and U.K., especially because it does not degrade and is incredibly expensive to clean up. In the U.K., for example, three and a half billion pieces of gum wind up on streets and sidewalks each year. The British government spends around £150 million to clean gum off the streets annually. To help eliminate this costly problem, many companies in the U.K. have discovered a way to reduce gum litter by 75 percent while recycling it to create new products. Anna Bullus, founder of Gumdrop Ltd., noticed all the littered gum scattering the streets while attending Brighton University. She explained to the Guardian UK that she “realized that chewing gum is already a rubber, and rubber can be recycled and made into stuff, so why not gum.” Bullus then spent eight months in a lab to uncover a way to recycle gum by extracting a polymer from the used gum, which she later named BGRP (Bullus Recycled Gum Polymer). She made pink bins from the recycled gum which people can throw their used gum, called Gumdrop bins. According to the company, if 10 percent of the U.K.’s used gum pieces are thrown into Gumdrop bins, one million more bins could be made to gather the other 90 percent. Another British company called Gummy Bin Ltd. Created gum recycling bins which have a reusable cartridge that can hold either 250 or 500 pieces of gum. The company creates products, including toys, from the used gum. “Our chewing gum disposal and recycling system has had impressive results in the UK in 2006, showing an average reduction of 75% or more in chewing gum deposits in the vicinity of the gummy bins,” said Nigel Bill, Head of Sales at Gummy Bins.

Company Creates Vine Canopies for Buildings that “Eat” CO2 Emissions & Protect Against Heat-

Kyocera Group has begun using viney plants to create “green curtains”, which are formed over trellises to shade portions of windows and outer walls of buildings at 20 different locations in Japan, Thailand and Brazil. These curtains create a canopy over the buildings to prevent direct sunlight from raising the temperature of the building’s interior, helping to reduce the need for energy-intensive air conditioning. Not to mention, the plants also help to protect the environment by absorbing CO2. Taking their conservation efforts another step further, the company has even created a comprehensive how-to website dedicated toward helping consumers fashion their own eco-curtains around offices and homes. Kyocera’s “green curtain” idea began at its Okaya Plant in Nagano Prefecture, Japan as part of its effort to conserve energy and environmental resources. According to their website, these “green curtains” will absorb roughly 23,481 lbs of CO2 — or approximately the same amount as 761 cedar trees.

Green Real Estate Education Partners to Offer Specialized Green College Programs-


Green Real Estate Education, an exclusive source of green education for the real estate industry, has joined forces with Pro Train LLC, to offer their customized online green training programs to college students. Pro Train, based in Raleigh, N.C., is a leading provider for affordable green programs in adult and continuing eduction in the United States. “Students who are introduced to our programs through Pro Train, LLC can take our online courses at lower costs. We still deliver the content but Pro Train, LLC is in essence our marketing arm, and we are excited about this affiliation,” says Kerry Mitchell, President of Green Real Estate Education. “ProTrain offers the most online Green, Renewable Energy and Sustainability courses,” says Tony Davis, Director of New Business Development & Partnerships for Pro Train, LLC. “We are pleased to offer Green Real Estate Education courses, Their fast track format is what colleges are looking for.”

“Students who take our fast track courses can advance quicker and are defying the myth that advanced degreed courses are the only way to achieve success in getting job.” Says Mitchell. “We equip our students to be leaders in the green economy.” The company has spent countless hours researching and designing programs for quick study in waste management, sustainability planning and green building basics. Their newest courses are for those in the health care and insurance industry. Green Real Estate Education is the only company offering green and sustainability guidance for those professions. “We have been approached by larger trade associations and hope to connect continuing education credits in the very near future.” Says Mitchell. For 3 years running, Green Real Estate Education has offered courses for real estate agents, loan officers and inspectors. Mitchell asserts, “the education is here, and ready, we just hope these sectors know they do not need to spend $300 or even $500 more to gain the knowledge for their specific career path.” Green Real Estate Education continues to thrive in an era of environmental consciousness and is on course to educate and train more than 10,000 “green” professionals by 2011. The company offers their certification programs online, on campus, and in webinar format. Please visit http://greenrealestateeducationonline.com for more information.

Go Green with Joe Laur’s Ten Simple, Eco-Friendly Alternatives-

Today’s consumer should be increasingly more cautious about the products they are using, now more than ever, considering that dangerous health and environmental effects have been linked to a plethora of seemingly simple, everyday items. Many electronic products contain dangerous chemicals and, when thrown into landfills, release these toxins into our air and water. Many people don’t even realize that they are being exposed to dangerous levels of electromagnetic radiation through electronics such as cellular telephones, Bluetooth devices, WiFi, wireless telephones, and wireless baby monitors, to name a few. Not to mention, most of these newfangled electronics on the market today are extremely energy intensive – meaning, these products are wasting precious energy to make and to use.

So, help bring America (and the rest of the world) back to our “roots” and check out Joe Laur’s top 10 list of simple green alternatives.

New Data Shows Global Plant Productivity Weakening Due to Regional Drought-

According to a new study of NASA satellite data, global plant productivity that had once been flourishing with warming temperatures and an extended growing season is now declining due to regional drought. Plant productivity is a measure of the photosynthesis process that green plants use to convert solar energy, carbon dioxide and water into sugar, oxygen and ultimately plant tissue. During the 1980s and 90s, there was an observed 6 percent increase in plant productivity – and through careful monitoring, researchers have found that it has only dropped 1 percent over the last decade. However, even this small decline could potentially affect food security, biofuels and the global carbon cycle. Researchers Steven Running and Maosheng Zhao of the University of Montana in Missoula have detected the global shift from thorough analysis of NASA satellite data. The researchers examined statistics from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA’s Terra satellite, and compared them with growing season climate data that included figures on temperature, solar radiation and water. “We see this as a bit of a surprise, and potentially significant on a policy level because previous interpretations suggested global warming might actually help plant growth around the world,” Running said. In 2003, a similar study led by scientist Ramakrishna Nemani, now a researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., determined plant productivity was on the rise due to rising global temperatures and other related statistics. Intending on simply updating prior-collected data, Running and Zhao expected to see a comparable increase. However, the researchers instead found a decline between 2000 and 2009 that they linked to regional drought which, in fact, negated the positive influence of a longer growing season. “This is a pretty serious warning that warmer temperatures are not going to endlessly improve plant growth,” Running said. The team published its findings August 19 in Science.