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Water & Conservation

With more than 16,000 retail locations around the world, Starbucks continues to innovate and evolve the customer experience with a new store design approach inspired by Starbucks Shared Planet, their commitment to ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship and community involvement. With each new or renovated store, Starbucks strives to reflect the character of the surrounding neighborhood, allowing customers to feel at home when visiting “their” store and giving them opportunities for discovery at our other locations around the world.

For the last 15 years, the Starbucks coffeehouse at 72 Spring Street in New York City has been a gathering place for local patrons and international visitors alike. The renovated location draws upon the area’s commercial and retail history as well as its vibrant arts and cultural renaissance over the past several decades. The Spring Street store blends the aesthetics of a turn-of-the-century dry goods warehouse with the original iconic mercantile-inspired Starbucks location at the Pike Place Market in Seattle.

05/18/2010 1 comment

Energy Efficiency Water & Conservation

Germany Is Calling for Sustainable Development Experts

written by Walter Wang

Germany, one of the more frequently discussed countries when it comes to investment in renewable energy projects through its highly touted feed-in-tariff, seeks to attract a new crop of young scientists to partner with German research institutions and corporations.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is sponsoring a competition called “Green Talents: International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development.” They are seeking 15 outstanding scientists, 35 years of age or younger, in the following fields:

05/17/2010 0 comment

Water & Conservation

‘Relentless Efforts to Stop the Leak and Contain the Damage’

written by

This morning the President met with members of his cabinet to get another comprehensive update on the ongoing administration-wide response to the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf region. The president made clear his frustration with BP and the other parties involved in the spill, committed once again to ensuring they are held accountable for picking up the tab, and recapped the Administration’s efforts to tighten up the regulation of offshore drilling sites.

He began with the top priorities, however:

The potential devastation to the Gulf Coast, its economy, and its people require us to continue our relentless efforts to stop the leak and contain the damage. There’s already been a loss of life, damage to our coastline, to fish and wildlife, and to the livelihoods of everyone from fishermen to restaurant and hotel owners. I saw firsthand the anger and frustration felt by our neighbors in the Gulf. And let me tell you, it is an anger and frustration that I share as president. And I’m not going to rest or be satisfied until the leak is stopped at the source, the oil in the Gulf is contained and cleaned up, and the people of the Gulf are able to go back to their lives and their livelihoods.

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05/14/2010 0 comment

Water & Conservation

Oil Men Raked Over the Coals

written by Paul Schwartz

The key executives of the companies responsible for the titanic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico were raked over the coals by members of Congress this week and managed to skillfully dance away and blame each other when the grilling got too hot.

Called to account before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer (D) of California, were BP America President Lamar McKay; Steven Newman, CEO of well driller Transocean limited; and Halliburton chief health, safety and environmental officer Tim Probert.

In their testimony, all three men appeared simultaneously to accept responsibility for what happened then shift the blame to the other parties. All relied heavily on the fact that critical details regarding the precise cause of the accident are not yet available. Indeed, when asked by several senators about whether certain industry standards for building ocean-based oil rigs were followed, the witnesses indicated several times that they didn’t know the answer or would have to wait for the outcome of what they promised will be a thorough investigation of the disaster.

05/14/2010 0 comment

Water & Conservation

Officials Seek Help to Hunt Down Environmental Fugitives

written by Environmental News Network

Did you think that the Clean Air Act applied only to companies? Think again. Certain violations of the Clean Air Act are considered criminal violations, and individuals may be subject to prosecution. (A tip: Do not file falsified reports or data to the agency.)

Joseph DeMatteo of Clark County, Nev., is listed on the EPA fugitive Web site for failing to surrender to federal law enforcement authorities following his indictment for criminal violations of the Clean Air Act.

“EPA is serious about enforcing the nation’s environmental laws and making sure that those who are charged with criminal violations are held accountable,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “The public can help EPA achieve its mission by reporting any information they have on the whereabouts of Mr. DeMatteo to EPA’s fugitive Web site or local law enforcement.”

05/13/2010 1 comment

Water & Conservation

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Makes a Political Mess

written by Walter Wang

They say timing is everything. And when it comes to the timing of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the politics of climate and energy in the United States, they are right — although it’s not entirely clear what about.

First off, there was President Obama’s sudden — and some would argue surprising — announcement of his intention to lift the moratorium on offshore oil exploration and development on parts of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS): a move that many environmentalists decried as political pandering, ceding a valuable bargaining chip or just plain bad policy.

But Obama saw opening up some areas to offshore oil and gas development as politically expedient, economically rational and — thanks to assurances from the oil industry — environmentally responsible. And then there was the explosion at a BP-leased offshore oil well where contractors were finishing a deepwater exploratory well about 30 miles off the coast of Louisiana.

05/13/2010 1 comment

Renewable Energy Water & Conservation

Oil Execs Quizzed on Safety as BP Tries New Well Fix

written by Walter Wang

WASHINGTON/PORT FOURCHON, Louisiana (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers pressed oil executives about flaws in a well safety device on Wednesday while BP scrambled with its latest deep-sea effort to control the huge Gulf of Mexico spill that threatens environmental disaster.

BP Plc, Transocean Ltd and Halliburton Co are all back in the hot seat in Washington over their responsibility in what could be the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

After a day of hearings on Tuesday where company officials traded blame for the April 20 rig explosion and oil spill, a U.S. House of Representatives panel said it had uncovered significant problems with a safety control mechanism on BP’s oil well that could have contributed to the accident.

05/12/2010 0 comment

Water & Conservation

Nuclear Power Plant Leaking Radioactive Waste

written by Walter Wang

Just days after it received a new 20-year license extension from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey was found to be leaking radioactive tritium .

Located about 60 miles east of Philadelphia in Lacey Township, New Jersey, the Oyster Creek plant is the oldest in the United States, and the tritium leak from underground pipes that was discovered on April 9, 2009 may have spread further than officials previously thought.

New Jersey environmental officials now say that radioactive tritium has leached into the nearby water aquifer and that the plant’s owners need to install new monitoring wells to keep tabs on the spread of the chemical. Commissioner Bob Martin is worried about the tritium — currently being found at concentrations 50 times higher than those allowed by law — which has been slowly spreading underground at one to three feet a day.

05/11/2010 1 comment

Water & Conservation

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: An Accident Waiting to Happen

written by Yale Environment 360

The oil slick spreading across the Gulf of Mexico has shattered the notion that offshore drilling had become safe. A close look at the accident shows that lax federal oversight, complacency by BP and the other companies involved, and the complexities of drilling a mile deep all combined to create the perfect environmental storm.

It’s hard to believe now, as oil from the wrecked Deepwater Horizon well encroaches on the Louisiana marshes. But it was only six weeks ago that President Obama announced a major push to expand offshore oil and gas drilling. Obama’s commitment to lift a moratorium on offshore drilling reflected the widely-held belief that offshore oil operations, once perceived as dirty and dangerous, were now so safe and technologically advanced that the risks of a major disaster were infinitesimal, and managing them a matter of technocratic skill.

But in the space of two weeks, both the politics and the practice of offshore drilling have been turned upside down. Today, the notion that offshore drilling is safe seems absurd. The Gulf spill harks back to drilling disasters from decades past — including one off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. in 1969 that dumped three million gallons into coastal waters and led to the current moratorium. The Deepwater Horizon disaster is a classic “low probability, high impact event” — the kind we’ve seen more than our share of recently, including space shuttle disasters, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. And if there’s a single lesson from those disparate catastrophes, it’s that pre-disaster assumptions tend to be dramatically off-base, and the worst-case scenarios downplayed or ignored. The Gulf spill is no exception.

05/10/2010 3 comments

Clean Transportation Water & Conservation

The Week in Clean-Tech News: Oil Rigs and Google’s Curious Investment

written by Yale Environment 360

Are Offshore Oil Rigs a Threatened Species? Is the Deepwater Horizon spill the beginning of the end for offshore oil drilling, or just another Exxon Valdez? Today, as BP attempted to place a 100-ton cap over the broken well gushing under the Gulf of Mexico, it was uncertain if they’d be able to stanch the spreading damage at sea or in Washington, D.C.

The spill has muddied the prospects for a climate bill as one of its pillars — a new round of offshore oil drilling — founders in unstable political soil, as Mackinnon Lawrence reports. Meanwhile, environmental groups are hustling to make the case, as in this Sierra Club video, that offshore oil is dirty and unsafe. Perhaps it’s not only brown pelicans and terns who will have trouble flying after all this is over, and the black tide might yet turn against its maker.

Efficiency Experts To America: Stop Dreamin’ and Pick Up Yer Caulkin’ Gun. At a symposium of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy — what, you missed it? — experts concluded that weatherstripping beats windfarms as the fastest way to save the US economy, and released some numbers to prove it. First, America is not as efficient as it thinks: the domestic economy is only 13 percent efficient, compared to 20 percent efficiency in Japan and some European countries. We were left pondering if it’s more efficient, percentage-wise, to order a veggie pizza from Papa John’s or gnaw on a frozen one from Trader Joe’s.

05/10/2010 0 comment

Water & Conservation

Oil Spill Adds to Environment Insults on Gulf Coast

written by Walter Wang

(Reuters) – The BP oil spill is the latest in a series of environmental insults to the U.S. Gulf Coast, from wetlands eradication to flood control measures that have starved marshes of new sediment deposits.

Wetlands Clearing: Early European settlers cleared coastal swamps and marshes in the Mississippi River delta to control malaria they believed was caused by the fetid air in wetlands. This destroyed coastal wetlands that filter pollution, shelter native species and act as buffers to slow down hurricanes that spawn in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

05/07/2010 0 comment

Water & Conservation

Study Ranks Nations Based on Environmental Impacts

written by Yale Environment 360

Australian researchers have ranked the world’s nations based on their environmental impact using seven key indicators, including forest loss, habitat conversion, greenhouse gas emissions, and species loss.

The top 10 countries in terms of environmental impact are Brazil, the United States, China, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, India, Russia, Australia, and Peru.

After correlating the ranking with socio-economic variables, the researchers found that total wealth was the most important factor driving environmental impact.

05/07/2010 0 comment

Water & Conservation

Developing Countries Call for Legally-Binding Carbon Targets

written by Walter Wang

Two separate high-level diplomatic events last week gave more credence to the notion that in the months leading up to the next round of U.N. climate talks in Mexico in December, developing countries are working on building some strategic alliances — strategic alliances structured around the principle that it will be harder to develop without the help of fossil fuels like coal and oil, than it was to develop with them.

If there is ever going to be an international climate treaty that puts limits on the emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, developing nations are going to make sure they don’t get the short end of the stick.

Making sure they don’t end up with that deal, the environment ministers of Brazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) met in Cape Town over to discuss their approach at upcoming global climate change negotiations. In a joint statement issued by the environment ministers, the BASIC countries said that a legally binding follow-up treaty to the Kyoto protocol should be agreed no later than the U.N. climate summit late 2011 in Cape Town.

The BASIC countries are responsible for about 30 percent of global carbon emissions, but represent a much larger proportion of the world’s population. In some respects, they command more bargaining power than the industrialized countries of the global North.

05/06/2010 0 comment

Recycling & Waste Mgmt.Water & Conservation

News Roundup: Climate Policy After the Oil Spill

written by Mackinnon Lawrence

The BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast adds an unexpected wrinkle to the climate bill drama. Senators weigh in on next steps while Schwarzenegger withdraws offshore drilling support.

The broad energy and climate bill that Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have crafted contains measures to promote wider offshore drilling. Offshore drilling incentives are considered critical by many to win enough votes to pass such legislation in the U.S. Senate by garnering enough support from senators such as Mary Landrieu (D-LA).

While environmentalists and some coastal state Democrats are mounting new attacks on offshore drilling in the wake of the Gulf accident, the jury is out whether the climate bill will move forward.

05/05/2010 2 comments

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