Top Stories

EPA estimates costs of Senate climate bill.—reliability high.
"A Senate plan to tackle global warming would add about $100 a year to the energy costs for a typical American household, according to an analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency." "The EPA analysis released by Boxer said while there are differences between the Senate and House bills, they are so small that the economic costs "would be similar" in the case of either bill." So it just reiterated the figures it calculated earlier based on the House bill. On MSNBC from AP.

Who says it's green to burn woodchips?—reliability high.
"One of the most cherished articles of faith of the green movement – that wood-fuelled power stations can help save the planet – is being increasingly challenged by campaigners and conservationists around the world." Depends on what are truly "sustainable forests", and what was there before those sustainable forests. From The Independent.

Ethanol tanks.—reliability high.
"Once upon a time, biofuels were thought of as a solution to fossil-fuel dependence. Now they are widely seen as a boondoggle to agribusiness that hurts the environment and cheats taxpayers. A report commissioned by the United Nations endorses neither extreme. It gives high marks to some crop-based fuels and lambasts others." Also mentions the two recent Science articles by Searchinger and by Melillo. See The Economist.

Companies, Industries, Markets and Supply Chains

Eddie Stobart goes green to bring in Spanish fruit and vegetables by rail.—reliability high.
Road freight hauler Eddie Stobart is responding to calls for lower-carbon transport of produce from Spain to Britain by inaugurating refrigerated rail service. "'There has been a real change of attitude from the companies we deal with in recent months,' Stobart told the Observer. 'Suddenly they all want to know if they can have their goods carried in an environmentally sensitive way and, in particular, if they can have them moved by train.'" From The Guardian.

GM looks to sell 4,000 electric cars [in India].—reliability high.
"Leveraging its early-mover advantage in the domestic electric car space, American automaker General Motors (GM) will look to sell at least 4,000 units annually of its 'green' vehicle, set to hit the Indian roads next year. The automobile giant had signed an agreement with Bangalore-based Reva Electric Car Company last month to develop an electric version of GM India’s volume driver, the Chevrolet Spark." "'Over five years, we expect 5 per cent of the total mini-car market to be taken over by electric vehicles. For GM India, our investment into this project can be covered if we can sell (the electric version) between 10-15 per cent of all the Spark vehicles sold in India,' GM India Vice-President (Sales & Marketing) Ankush Arora said." See Business Standard.

M&S makes palm oil pledge to save forests.—reliability high.
"Marks & Spencer will commit to paying more for sustainable palm oil across its entire range of products today in an attempt to limit environmental damage in south-east Asia. In a rolling programme over the next six years, M&S will buy GreenPalm certificates for sustainably produced palm oil equivalent to the amount it uses." "By early next year, the retailer said nine products, including 200g packs of oatcakes, a 500g cookie selection and seven types of cooked potatoes, would be covered by the GreenPalm scheme." "only one per cent of RSPO oil had been sold by this summer because separating a "clean" supply from more damaging production costs an extra 10 to 20 per cent. Under the ancillary GreenPalm scheme, firms continue using normal supplies while buying certificates for otherwise undervalued RSPO production to reward environmental stewardship." From The Independent. [Not sure how this works. Will blog.]

Universal phone charger OK'd.—reliability high.
The International Telecommunication Union, a branch of the United Nations, has approved a universal phone charging standard based on micro-usb. "The Universal Charging Solution will enable the creation of one-size-fits-all chargers that can be used on any future phone. The standard is based on input from the GSM Association, which expects the shift to eliminate 51,000 tons of redundant chargers, or 13.6 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year." From CNET News. [Will Apple go along?]

UK's Impax Raises $174M Asia Environment Fund.—reliability medium.
"The new fund has raised capital through an IPO, and will invest across Asia, including India. Impax Asset Management, till recently known as Impax Group, is an investment manager which specialises in the environmental and cleantech sectors. The closed-ended investment fund is looking to invest in companies that focus on clean energy, water and waste." See VC Circle.

Chipotle Plans Major Solar Power Initiative.—reliability high.
The Chipotle Mexican Grill fast-food chain is partnering with ESCO Standard Renewable Energy to install PV solar panels on 75 of its restaurants. "The amount of power produced through the solar program will eliminate more than 41 million pounds of CO2 emissions." It will also save Chipotle money by replacing mains power during peak usage hours when electricity costs the most. "'Chipotle has recognized an eco-friendly method of reducing its operating costs while reducing its carbon footprint,' said Standard Renewable Energy CEO John Berger." In Reuters from Business Wire.

Government and Regulation

Americans are Dying to Support our Fossil Fuel Habit.—reliability medium.
Andy Stevenson analyzes the recent NRC report. "You and I have a better chance of dying from air pollution than we do from homicide." "Americans are literally dying by the thousands to support our addiction to fossil fuels." From NRDC blog.

First Polio, Now Mercury: World Unites Against Global Health Threat.—reliability high.
"According to Zero Mercury Working Group, yesterday the first significant steps toward a binding treaty to control mercury pollution were announced at a United Nations Environmental Program meeting in Bangkok" "Zero Mercury hopes to achieve a treaty by 2013 that promotes more sustainable alternatives to mercury in products and industrial processes, with the broad goal of addressing all controllable emissions of mercury in the environment." See CleanTechnica. Press release here.

Feud Continues Between Wood Certifiers.—reliability medium.
"A group called the Coalition for Fair Forest Certification filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission last week charging that the Forest Stewardship Council – the premier certifier of green forestry products in the United States – engages in unfair and deceptive trade practices. The group also asserted that the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system for efficient and sustainable buildings — known widely as L.E.E.D. — is anti-competitive because it only recognizes F.S.C.-certified products, and not those of other certifying bodies." See New York Times Green Inc. blog.

And . . .

Go green... swap your beloved dog Rover for a goldfish.—reliability high.
Reports on new book: "Provocatively entitled Time to Eat the Dog? The Real Guide to Sustainable Living, the book by Robert and Brenda Vale argues that owning a medium-sized dog has the same ecological impact as driving 6,000 miles in a 4x4 such as a Toyota Land Cruiser." From Daily Mail Online.

Why is it so difficult to take a bike on a train?—reliability medium.
"Chris Peck, policy coordinator for the CTC, wonders why train companies appear to be uninterested in cyclists' custom." "Taking your bike by train in the UK needs a combination of luck, patience and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the rail industry. Why is it so hard to take a bike on a train when the usual alternative would be driving all the way?" See The Guardian Green Living blog.

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