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Green Building
Planned City "Rawabi" Draws on Palestinian Enterprise and Israeli Experience
December 6, 2009 10:02 AM - Green Prophet
For many Palestinians, the norm is tight-quartered living with barely a garden in sight, no defined sidewalks and a poor water system. But this is about to change with an ambitious plan for a new way of living. Just six miles north of Ramallah, Palestinians have begun planting thousands of evergreen tree saplings as part of a major greening project to grow a forest to hug the edges of what will be the first planned Palestinian city. The city is already named Rawabi, Arabic for "hills". For Palestinians it presents a new kind of urbanism, which aims to draw middle-class professionals away from smoggy towns and villages towards a better way of life.
Now's the Time to Benefit from Green Tax Incentives
November 30, 2009 12:17 PM - Melissa Hincha-Ownby, Mother Nature Network
There is one month left in 2009, which leaves you plenty of time to take advantage of the green tax incentives available to consumers. While some of these tax credits or deductions have been available for several years, many were created as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Eco City Proves Waste Management Can Reverse Greenhouse Trend
November 30, 2009 09:39 AM - Waste Management & Research/SAGE via EurekAlert
Cities can progress from consuming energy and emitting greenhouse gases (GHG) to actually producing energy while saving on GHG emissions, due to substitution of fossil fuels elsewhere. These findings are based on research in the city of Aalborg in Northern Denmark, published in Waste Management & Research. Cities following similar waste management strategies are already having a far-reaching impact on GHG emissions in some regions of Europe.
Oil and Gas at Risk from Climate Change, but is the Industry Prepared?
November 24, 2009 10:17 AM - Janet Palma, Green Economy Post
According to a new Acclimatise report backed by IBM, climate change could have as serious impact on the oil and gas industry’s assets, operations and safety. While most are aware of these risks, only a small proportion of them have taken the necessary steps to address them.
United States EPA Issues Rule to Reduce Water Pollution from Construction Sites
November 23, 2009 04:44 PM - Vanessa L. Bourlier, ENN
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued a final rule to help reduce water pollution from construction sites. This rule, which takes effect in February 2010 and will be phased in over four years, should significantly improve the quality of water nationwide.
ISLAM’S GREEN INITIATIVE
November 19, 2009 06:28 AM - Shireen Qudosi
The UK-based the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), in working with the U.N., recently hosted 200 representatives from nine major world religions spanning over 60 different religious organizations. Baha’i, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Shintoists, Taoists and Sikhs all gathered at London’s Windsor Castle with a united environmental agenda. In an era of increasing religious divide, a once little thought of topic known as “the environment” was able to bring together ancient faith groups to discuss a modern solution. And with Islam at the forefront of today’s news, Muslim leaders proved Islam’s ability to adapt and meet new needs.
Americans' Interest in Green is Wilting During Downturn
November 17, 2009 06:08 AM - GreenBiz
A growing number of American consumers would like to tell President Obama to focus on the economy first before tackling environmental issues, according to research published today. The finding, part of the monthly Green Confidence Index, is that while significant numbers of Americans support the administration's environmental stance, their principal concern remains focused on the economy.
Al Gore Addresses Green Building Community at Greenbuild
November 16, 2009 10:04 AM - Jessalyn Dingwell, Green Economy Post
Al Gore delivered the keynote address to green building professionals at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Phoenix. He praised the leadership of the USGBC for bringing real change to the marketplace, and also urged the crowd to take responsibility for expanding green building globally and to call out greenwashing.
eBay Builds State-of-the-art Green Data Center in Utah
November 13, 2009 10:25 AM - Kathryn Siranosian , Triple Pundit
Online auction site eBay is building a $334 million state-of-the-art, environmentally responsible data center in the suburbs of Salt Lake City, Utah. eBay says this data center will showcase the best and most innovative thinking in green data center design, technology, construction and operation.
Mixing Up Greener Cement
November 12, 2009 11:16 AM - Jonathan Bardelline, GreenBiz.com
Contributing at least 5 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the cement industry is ripe for changes to lower its impact. Cement, the glue that binds concrete, is one of the most carbon-intensive materials out there: It produces one ton of CO2 for every ton of cement made. Many companies are developing innovative new ways to make concrete less harmful to the environment.