Environmental
Resource Center

General Environment News

An Environmental Resource Center Asset from Graphic Communications

GC’s environmental news is sourced from leading content development organizations around the globe, including the Environmental News Network, which partners with highly experienced environmental experts and editorial affiliates to bring greater balance and understanding to complex issues.

Two Sides to Launch in the United States
European nonprofit promotes responsible use of paper and print, and encourages it as an attractive, practical and sustainable medium. Unisource/Graphic is an early adopter of Two Sides in the U.S.

GHG Protocol: Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) and Product Life Cycle Standards
GHG Protocol standards are the most widely used accounting tools for businesses and other organizations to measure, manage, and report greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainability’s Three Ps
Sappi Fine Paper North America’s new eQ blog promises candidness and transparency about sustainability issues it considers critical.

Plastic Disclosure Project to Launch This Fall
Hundreds of companies and institutions should expect a questionnaire in early October about their use of plastic, with the launch of the Plastic Disclosure Project.

Wal-Mart Goes ‘Back to Basics’: A Cautionary Tale for the Left
After seven straight quarters of losses, the retail giant announced it’s “going back to basics,” ending an era of high-end organic foods, going “green,” and the remainder of its appeal to an upscale market.

Chart of US Energy Use Reveals Herculean Effort Needed to Ditch Oil, Coal
Energy mix is comprised of coal, oil and natural gas, with coal accounting for almost half of our electrical generation. What’s worse, more than half the energy we create is rejected or lost.

Rush to Use Crops as Fuel Raises Food Prices and Hunger Fears
Experts calling on countries to scale back headlong rush into green fuel development to save crucial crops and hold down prices, hunger and political instability.

Donna Resevoir and Canal

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:12:00 EST

During the week of February 6-12, 2012, representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) will be in the area of South Alamo, Texas, to speak with residents about the contamination in the Donna Reservoir and Canal. This effort is being made to provide local residents with information about the health risks of consuming fish taken from the Donna Reservoir and Canal. The possession of contaminated fish taken from the reservoir is prohibited by the TDSHS and has been since 1993.

Chicago-Based Eco-Friendly Dentist Doubles Down on Green

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:48:00 EST

Almost exactly five years ago, I took at look at Transcendentist, a Berkeley based green dentistry office that combined environmental responsibility with a very different approach to patient care. Rather than the typical clinical approach, the founders of Transcendentist created a spa-like atmosphere complete with foot massages. Even then, the idea was taking off: nothing like a little calm to take the edge off of that fear of the dentist thing.

Arrested for Excessive Sweetness

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:07:00 EST

Put your hands up and step away from the sugar! No, not really. But one day, sugar may be a regulated substance, on par with alcohol and tobacco. The notion seems draconian at first, but once you look at the reasoning behind it, it begins to make a lot of sense. Researchers from the University of California (UC) San Francisco stipulate that excessive consumption of sugar is behind the global obesity pandemic. Sugar contributes to over 35 million deaths per year from diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. Their desire is to see a healthier world with fewer health-related costs through the restriction and regulation of sugar.

DuPont and Suntech Sign Strategic Agreement

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:41:00 EST

To help increase the supply of photovoltaic materials and technologies for the growing global market for solar energy, the world's largest producer of solar panels has signed a strategic agreement with DuPont. The agreement focuses on technology advancements, supply chain optimization cost reduction initiatives, and DuPont™ Tedlar® polyvinyl fluoride film supply.

Electric Vehicle Market Forecast – 10 Year Horizon Looks Strong

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:29:00 EST

IDTechEx has been tracking developments in the electric vehicle market for the last eleven years by touring the world's companies, research institutes and conferences to gain insights into key technology changes and business opportunities in the EV market. They have just published their new 2012 forecast with a 10 year horizon, and whether you like EVs or not – their take is that they are here to stay.

Alaskan Yellow Cedar

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:58:00 EST

Yellow-cedar, a culturally and economically valuable tree in southeastern Alaska and adjacent parts of British Columbia, has been dying off across large expanses of these areas for the past 100 years. But no one could say why. "The cause of tree death, called yellow-cedar decline, is now known to be a form of root freezing that occurs during cold weather in late winter and early spring, but only when snow is not present on the ground," explains Pacific Northwest Research Station scientist Paul Hennon, co-lead of a synthesis paper recently published in the February issue of the journal BioScience. "When present, snow protects the fine, shallow roots from extreme soil temperatures. The shallow rooting of yellow-cedar, early spring growth, and its unique vulnerability to freezing injury also contribute to this problem."

The Super Green Bowl

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:20:00 EST

For the past 18 years, the NFL has been working to decrease the environmental footprint of the largest annual sporting event in the U.S. – the Super Bowl. Two years ago, we wrote about several initiatives aimed at reducing the events’ impacts. Last year, we covered how Super Bowl XLV was slated to be the greenest NFL championship game in history. This year, the NFL is trying to outdo itself yet again by working with the Green Mountain Energy Company and the Indianapolis community to make Super Bowl XLVI the greenest yet. I talked with Jack Groh, Director of the NFL’s Environmental Program, to get the details on this year’s efforts.