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Envirobytes - Archive
EnviroBytes, a Summary of Issues and Events for weeks ending September 17, 2010 and September 24, 2010
EPA LAUNCHES NATIONWIDE GREEN POWER CHALLENGE TO HELP COMMUNITIES FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE
EPA launched its national voluntary 2010 Green Power Community Challenge encouraging the purchase of electricity generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, and geothermal to fight climate change. Beginning Sept. 20, with updates in December 2010, March 2011, and June 2011 the participating communities can make changes to their purchases until Sept. 1, 2011 when those who achieve the highest green power percentage of total electricity use are selected. Participants will receive technical assistance and winners special recognition from EPA. For program information, go to https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/gpcchallenge For information about EPA’s Green Power Communities, view: https://epa.gov/greenpower/communities/index.htm
EPA, D.C., MARYLAND SET LIMITS TO MAKE THE ANACOSTIA WATERSHED TRASH FREE
EPA, the District of Columbia, and the state of Maryland announced a new Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) or “pollution diet” for trash in the Anacostia River. The TMDL requires the removal of more than 600 tons (1.2 million pounds) of trash annually from the watershed to restore the water quality of the Anacostia River, the Potomac River and the Bay. In addition to this TMDL, the EPA, and Maryland are developing storm sewer permits which will require municipalities in the Anacostia watershed to achieve the trash reductions required by the TMDL. For more information, go to https://www.epa.gov/chesapeakebaytmdl/
EPA WELCOMES WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY AS A REGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY PARTNER
On Sept. 21, West Virginia University joined the EPA’s Sustainability Partnership Program developed by EPA’s mid-Atlantic region to minimize the use of energy, resources and waste generation and to make existing buildings more energy efficient. By joining, the university expects to spend $50 million on updating equipment and installing energy saving upgrades in all of its campuses by 2016, and ultimately is expected to reach a carbon dioxide emission level that is 31.5 percent less than a typical educational complex its size. For information on the Sustainability Partnership go to: https://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/spp/index.html or call, 215-814-3110.
SWARTHMORE PENNSYLVANIA CHURCH AMONG THE NINE 2010 ENERGY STAR SMALL BUSINESS AND CONGREGATION AWARD WINNERS
EPA has announced the 2010 Energy Star Small Business and Congregations Award winners who excelled in using EPA’s Energy Star program tools and resources to strategically manage the energy performance of their facilities. These organizations managed to reduce their annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from the annual electricity use of more than 650 homes, while saving more than $850,000 on their energy bills. The congregations award winners included the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church (Swarthmore, Pa.). For a full list of the 2010 Energy Star Small Business and Congregation Award winners, go to http://www.energystar.gov/SmallBizAwards
EPA AWARDS GRANTS FOR 12 TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS BY STUDENTS AT MID-ATLANTIC REGION UNIVERSITIES
EPA has awarded its 2010 People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Phase I and Phase II grants to college and university teams who competed to design and build sustainable technologies that improve quality of life, economic development, and protect the environment. In the mid-Atlantic Region, 12 projects won funding. A national list of the 2010 P3 Awards is provided at https://www.epa.gov/ncer/p3/current For more information, go to https://www.epa.gov/p3/ To apply for the next round of grants, go to ApplyNow!.
2010/2011 mid-Atlantic Region P3Grant Recipients - Phase 1
Institution |
Project Title |
Drexel University |
Lightweight Green Roof Systems |
Lafayette College |
Sustainable College Communities: Incorporating a Sustainable Food Loop |
Lehigh University, Institute of Technology of Cambodia |
Arsenic Removal and Ecologically Safe Containment of Arsenic-waste: A Sustainable Solution for Arsenic Crisis in Cambodia |
Lehigh University |
Optimizing the Biosand Filter for Drinking Water Treatment in Developing Countries |
Pennsylvania State University |
Integrated Bioprocess Systems for Low-Cost Environmental Remediation and Sustainable Biofertilizer Production |
Pennsylvania State University |
Harvesting Potable and Storable Water with Moringa Seeds and Sand |
Philadelphia University |
Regenerative Site Learning Laboratory: A Site Intervention for Sustainability Education |
University of Delaware |
Development of Apparel and Footwear From Renewable Sources |
University of Virginia |
Initiative reCOVER Transitional Disaster Recovery Housing (TDRH) Prototype Project |
University of Virginia |
Rainwater Harvesting and Treatment System for the Delmas 30 Neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
2010/2011 mid-Atlantic Region P3 Grant Recipients - Phase 2
Institution |
Project Title |
Drexel University, Villanova University |
Alkali-Activated Cement (AAC) as a Sustainable Building Material |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
A Sustainable Approach to Nitrate Reduction Using a Stream Denitrifying Biofilm |
