Skepticism grows over products touted as eco-friendly

To Marina Meadows, green may be the new white. When she goes shopping these days, Meadows is often overwhelmed by a bevy of products touted as green, from Earth-friendly dish soaps and bamboo-derived towels to eco-detergents and plant-based soda bottles.

"Sometimes, I wonder if any of it's really green or if it's all a marketing scheme," Meadows said.

With booming interest in the environment, more companies are trying to cash in by promoting themselves and their products as green.

 

But environmentalists and some consumers are crying foul, saying that many companies are making the products out to be greener than they really are, a practice they call greenwashing. Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-greenwash-20110521,0,6706379.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Tiffany Hsu

Boston to offer electric car charge stations near City Hall

The city of Boston today will unveil three electric-vehicle charging stations near City Hall Plaza, providing exclusive downtown parking — complete with a power boost — for those who drive the environmentally friendly cars.

By putting the stations in a high-profile location, the city hopes to encourage drivers to abandon gasoline-powered vehicles and adopt the emerging electric option. Read more: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2011/05/23/boston_to_offer_electric_car_charge_stations_near_city_hall/

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe-Green Blog by Andrew Ryan/Globe Staff

 

 

 

GE's 'green' engine offers new chance with military

WASHINGTON — For months, General Electric has fought an uphill battle to keep funds flowing for development of a next-generation F-35 fighter engine, a program the White House, Pentagon, and many in Congress oppose as wasteful — but one which would support hundreds of jobs at GE Aviation’s plants in Lynn and elsewhere. Read more: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2011/05/16/ges_green_engine_offers_new_chance_with_military/

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe-Green Blog by Theo Emery-Globe Staff

Natural gas: study raises doubts on U.S. supply

The United States does not have a decades-long supply of inexpensive, locally sourced natural gas, according to a new report commissioned by the Post Carbon Institute, a nonprofit think tank that examines issues related to the economy, energy and the environment.

The report, titled "Will Natural Gas Fuel America in the 21st Century?," is a challenge to the commonly cited projection that domestic natural gas can meet U.S. demand for more than 100 years. It comes on the heels of the U.S. Energy Information Agency's 2011 Energy Outlook released last month that projected an almost fourfold increase in domestic shale gas production by 2035 and growing use of natural gas to generate electricity. 

Read more: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2011/05/18/largest_wind_blade_testing_center_to_open/

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe -Green Blog by Susan Carpenter

 

Largest wind blade testing center to open

The nation’s largest wind blade testing facility is opening for business on Boston’s waterfront. Governor Deval Patrick is scheduled to join other officials today for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Wind Technology Testing Center, the first commercial blade testing facility in the nation capable of handling blades as long as 90 meters. In 2009, US Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that Massachusetts would receive $25 million in federal stimulus dollars for construction of the testing center on Boston Harbor in Charlestown.

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe-Green Blog

China cracks down on lead emissions

SHANGHAI — China is cracking down on emissions of lead and other heavy metals following a spate of poisoning cases and reports that much of the country’s soil is contaminated with toxic materials. Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2011/05/20/china_cracks_down_on_lead_emissions/

 

Send an Eco-Friendly Announcement

Put a new spin on an old tradition by sending sustainable graduation announcements to family and friends. Many companies now print photo announcements on 100% recycled, FSC-certified cardstock. You can even find wind-powered paper, or plantable announcements embedded with wildflower seeds. Then buy a sheet of the USPS's "Save Vanishing Species" stamps to donate 11 cents to endangered wildlife with each envelope. Or go paperless altogether by using use Evite's online announcements.

Article courtesy of The Green Life (green.life@sierraclub.org)

Safe and Complete Streets Legislation Introduced in U.S. House

Representatives Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Steven LaTourette (R-OH) have introduced the Safe and Complete Streets Act of 2011 (H.R. 1780) into the U.S. House of Representatives. The national legislation would direct states and regions to adopt policies to provide for the needs of all users of the transportation system, including people of all ages and abilities who are walking, bicycling, and taking the bus. The bill was referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Read more: http://matsui.house.gov/images/stories/Complete_Streets_Bill.pdf

Article courtesy of Smart Growth Online newsletter

Flood plan to save cities would swamp rural areas

BUTTE LAROSE, La. - In the latest agonizing decision along the swollen Mississippi River, federal engineers are close to opening a massive spillway that would protect Baton Rouge and New Orleans but flood hundreds of thousands of acres in Louisiana Cajun country.

With that threat looming, about 25,000 people in an area known for small farms, fish camps, crawfish and a drawling French dialect are hurriedly packing their things and worrying that their homes and way of life might soon be drowned.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/05/13/20110513mississippi-flooding-plan.html

Article courtesy of  azcentral.com by Michael Kunzelman-Associates Press

 

 

 

Markey: Back-up generators failed during tests at US nuclear plants

Nuclear plant emergency generators like those that failed in Japan following the tsunami, sparking that country’s nuclear crisis, also failed during tests at Seabrook Station and 32 other US nuclear plants in the last eight years, a new report by Massachusetts Congressman Edward Markey’s office shows.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations also do not require emergency diesel generators to be operational when there is no fuel in a nuclear reactor core – even though it could leave spent-fuel pools without any back-up cooling system in case power is lost, according to the report released this morning.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2011/05/markey_back-up_generators_fail.html

Article courtesy of the Boston Globe-Green Blog posted by Beth Daley Globe Staff