Double-digit California home price drop seen

October 29, 2007 10:23 PM - Peter Henderson, Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California faces a double-digit fall in housing prices over the next year and a half, a major builder, a lender and the state treasurer said on Monday in a discussion of how long the subprime mortgage crisis would drag on the Golden State.

As attendees at a conference voted on how bad they thought the housing market could get in the most populous U.S. state, panelists Jeffrey Mezger, chief executive of home builder KB Home; Angelo Mozilo, CEO of lender Countrywide Financial; and California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer discussed the question in comments picked up by a microphone and audible in the audience.

Spain to demolish illegal coastal homes: report

October 29, 2007 11:21 AM -

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain plans to demolish illegally built homes and hotels along an eighth of its coastline to halt rapid destruction of its Mediterranean and Canary Island beaches, the El Pais newspaper reported on Monday.

The 5-billion-euro ($7-billion) plan aims to reclaim 482 miles of coastline and put an end to illegal urban development that threatens Spain's tourism industry, one of the country's biggest sources of foreign cash, El Pais reported.

The Socialist government will present the plan to regional authorities on Wednesday and promote it as a means to attract wealthy tourists who seek natural beauty rather than concrete resorts, the newspaper said.

New technique can detect biological, chemical and explosive agents

October 29, 2007 10:35 AM - Paul Schaefer, ENN

LIVERMORE, Calif. — Airplane passengers and baggage could one day soon be quickly screened by a machine that can detect explosive, chemical and biological agents all at the same time. A team of California researchers have conceptually proven that a three-in-one machine, or “universal point detection system,” can be achieved, said George Farquar, a postdoctoral fellow and physical chemist at the Lab’s Glenn T. Seaborg Institute.

The device is under development at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California.

Asians seek out the sun despite cancer threats

October 28, 2007 11:33 PM - Tan Ee Lyn, Reuters

HONG KONG (Reuters) - It's autumn in Hong Kong but the island's beaches are still crowded with sun worshippers desperate to catch the last rays of sunshine before winter.

"I love the bronze color," says sunbather Richard Tong.

A growing trend in East Asia to soak up the sun either on beaches or in tanning salons is worrying dermatologists in the region who say they are seeing a rise in skin cancer, which is caused by cumulative over-exposure to the sun.

"Non-Flying Dutchmen" Push Climate Awareness

October 26, 2007 12:21 PM -

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch environment group launched a campaign on Friday called "Proud to be a non-Flying Dutchman" to get the travel-happy Dutch to reduce their air miles for the sake of the climate.

"We want to discourage Christmas shopping in London, disco nights in Ibiza, Milan weekends and stag nights in Barcelona," Dutch Friends of the Earth said on Friday.

Sarkozy promises a green revolution for France

October 25, 2007 07:48 PM - James Mackenzie, reuters

PARIS (Reuters) - President Nicolas Sarkozy promised a green revolution on Thursday, unveiling a mix of tax measures and investment pledges that he said would put France in the vanguard of the war against global warming.

"France isn't late but France wants now to be in the lead," he said in a speech wrapping up a special environmental policy conference seeking ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions and help change attitudes to the environment.

The congress was one of the highest profile green initiatives ever launched in France and fulfilled an election campaign promise by Sarkozy, who has said his government will emphasize sustainable development.

Agricultural soil erosion not adding to global warming

October 25, 2007 06:45 PM - University of California, Davis

Davis, California - Agricultural soil erosion is not a source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, according to research published online today (October 25) in the journal Science. The study was carried out by an international team of researchers from UC Davis, the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, and the University of Exeter in the U.K.  Carbon emissions are of great concern worldwide because they, and other greenhouse gases, trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere and are a major cause of global climate change.

Kettle Chips Wins Leeds Gold with Wind, Sod and More

October 25, 2007 03:18 PM - Paul Schaefer, ENN

Beloit, Wisconsin - Wind turbines, native prairie grasses and biodiesel conversion won for Kettle Foods the presteigeous recognition for building the greenest food manufacturing plant in the U.S.. The U.S. Green Building Council today awarded the potato chip maker Gold level certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The award recognizes Kettle's committment to minimizing the environmental footprint of its new factory in Beloit, Wisconsin.

Pittsburgh Paints Goes EcoGreen

October 25, 2007 01:33 PM -

PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Paints, a global paint product manufacturer, today announced a major greening of it's product lines. The 2008-2009 season will see the introduction of a line of no VOC paints and a new color palette called "EcoEcho". Aside from being free of carcinogenic volotile organic compounds, the paints are pigmented to echo the growing interest in the ecological and environmental lifestyle choices and themes.

The paints, the company says, represent a cultural shift toward balance and authenticity as well as a quest for more organic and eco-friendly colors in the home. Part of the new line includes a thematic approach to colors called the 'Voice of Color' program. This approach to colors is based on the idea that every color has an emotional association and that individuals are drawn to different colors for reason inherently tied to their unique personalities. It's an ancient design notion, applied on a grand scale for the first time by a major paint manufacturer.

Pittsburgh Paints Goes EcoGreen

October 25, 2007 01:33 PM -

PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Paints, a global paint product manufacturer, today announced a major greening of it's product lines. The 2008-2009 season will see the introduction of a line of no VOC paints and a new color palette called "EcoEcho". Aside from being free of carcinogenic volotile organic compounds, the paints are pigmented to echo the growing interest in the ecological and environmental lifestyle choices and themes.

The paints, the company says, represent a cultural shift toward balance and authenticity as well as a quest for more organic and eco-friendly colors in the home. Part of the new line includes a thematic approach to colors called the 'Voice of Color' program. This approach to colors is based on the idea that every color has an emotional association and that individuals are drawn to different colors for reason inherently tied to their unique personalities. It's an ancient design notion, applied on a grand scale for the first time by a major paint manufacturer.