Special to Enviroblog by EWG senior analyst, Sonya Lunder.
EWG staffers were pretty thrilled by the recent Canadian government decision to ban the use of Deca, a type of flame retardant, in electronics. Once again, we are left applauding progress to the north, not at home.
What is deca, anyway?
Deca is a fire retardant, a type of poly-brominated diethyl ether (PBDE), that is added to plastics used in computers, television screens and other electronic items to prevent them from catching fire when they’re hot. Some other types of PBDEs have been banned (penta and octa), but Deca has escaped scrutiny largely because its presence can be difficult to measure.
Why is deca a health concern?
EWG tests in show that Deca accumulates in people and their homes, and that children have the greatest exposures to the chemical. This is especially concerning because single-day exposures to Deca cause permanent changes learning, memory and behavior in newborn mice. In our 2008 report on…
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G.A.P Adventures, the world’s leading adventure travel company, is spearheading a number of initiatives for Earth Month to raise awareness of the importance of minimizing environmental impact and travelling in a low impact and sustainable manner. The roots of Earth Month run deep at G.A.P Adventures, with its awareness campaign growing stronger each year.
“Weaving sustainability into every aspect of our operations and our travellers’ experience is the essence of G.A.P Adventures,” said Richard G. Edwards, Director of Planeterra, the non profit foundation founded by G.A.P Adventures. “Earth Month is an opportunity to question how as a business or as a traveller one can integrate sustainability into every decision, to not only lessen impact on ecosystems and other cultures, but to create positive impacts.
“Our experienced Product Development team and field offices have demonstrated a strong commitment to designing tours that ensure the protection of local people and the…
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The tumultuous economy has led to some drastic changes in the way people travel. While cutting down on travel expenses overall, according to the Market Metrix Hospitality Index™, consumers are now more singularly focused on returning to the essential pleasures of traveling: pampering, relaxation and good, old-fashioned hospitality.
“‘The Big Welcome’ is the way in which we have chosen to introduce travelers, and especially our existing Gold Passport members, to our redesigned Hyatt Gold Passport loyalty program. At a time when others may be tempted to cut back, we consider these enhancements a long-term investment in our business,” said Mark S. Hoplamazian, President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Hyatt Corporation. “Three people will win 365 free nights, 30,000 people will win one free night (10,000 in each of three regions around the world), and countless others will have a chance to experience Hyatt world-class hospitality through our new programs. This is our way of…
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With an estimated 500 million people around the world will observing “Earth Day”, it is just another day at the office for American Airlines, which has been actively involved in reducing its impact on the environment and in promoting green initiatives for years.
American Airline’s biggest environmental footprint is left by its most obviously visible asset: the aircrafts it flies. This spring, American begins flying the first of 76 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft the airline will be adding to its fleet over the next two years - a model which burns about 28 percent less fuel per mile than the aircraft it is replacing, reducing emissions by 35 percent per seat mile.
“Our mission to safely bring people together and to move goods quickly requires a lot of energy,” says Peggy Sterling, American’s Vice President - Safety, Security and Environmental. “We recognize our duty to reduce emissions, to conserve resources, and to behave in ways that lessen our impact on the earth.”
A “Fuel Smart”…
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With its own power plant, a mountain water source, and various other ‘green’ initiatives in place, Hotel & Spa Rosa Alpina, located in the picturesque Dolomite mountains of Italy, has embraced a powerful eco-mindset for the long-term sustainability of its property and the surrounding environment.
“The Dolomites play a vital role in our hotel identity, so it is of utmost importance for us to work with the environment and not against it,” said Hugo Pizzinini, the hotel’s third generation owner and general manager.
The cornerstones of the hotel’s environmental efforts are hydroelectric power plants that the Pizzinini family, who own Rosa Alpina, had built – the first one in 1927 with only 18 kw of power and the newest one constructed in 2007 harnessing 1600 kw. In this 80-year span, the Pizzinini family has worked tirelessly to ensure that an increased amount of power could be generated for both the hotel and San Cassiano.
In 1959, Engelbert Pizzinini (first generation owner of…
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Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, a brand well-known for its progressive environmental efforts, has recently announced its latest environmental endeavor - the popular brand has officially joined the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Climate Savers Program.
Fairmont has agreed to cut its carbon emissions by 20% by 2013 throughout its existing properties, while confirming its commitment for all new Fairmont Fairmont properties to reduce CO2 emissions through the implementation of the brand’s new Energy and Carbon Management program.
WWF’s Climate Savers Program is a collaboration among some of the world’s leading corporations voluntarily reducing emissions and heading off the environmental impacts associated with climate change.
Fortune 500 companies as well as big-name, industry leaders have continually partnered with WWF to develop practical, cost-effective strategies to reduce carbon emissions and achieve energy efficiency goals.
“This is a great way to celebrate the tenth anniversary…
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This weekend (April 3-5) is the annual PSEG GreenFest at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, New Jersey. Instead of giving you an excerpt from the Expo’s press release, I can give you the skinny on the festival since I spent the WHOLE day there. With a new name (previously known as Global Green) and a larger exhibit hall, I was must more impressed with this year’s showing of exhibitors. Last year, it seemed that every HVAC contractor in New Jersey was at the show. (Not really, but it just seemed that way.) This year, there was a wide array of vendors ranging from of course your usual energy exhibitors to a soap maker. I will be honest, there is still a strong presence of energy efficient exhibitors, but this is to be expected since residential home and commercial buildings consume vast amounts of energy.
Despite the obvious energy conservation, there is still a variety of other vendors which will surely delight your green palate. I have several…
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With me being tired of all the down economy talk, I have decided to really go full steam with www.GoGreenItems.com and we are starting to get alot of notariaty. On March 21st I was fortunate enough to be involved in a event put on by The Tampa Bay Business Committee for the Arts called the Chalk Walk, which was a free event to support and link area artists with local businesses and the community. I featured my recycled eco friendly purses in a 10 x 10 tent in beautiful Hyde Park Tampa and had a wonderful day. Not realizing it I was in conversation with a very nice woman and then realized it was Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio. What a great feeling to welcome the Mayor into my booth, then it got better, she loved my recycled juice box purses and actually purchased one. She was also sweet enough to let me snap a quick picture.
I met Pat and Andy at a Log and Timber Frame Home Show, and shortly after, they asked me to design their vacation / retirement home on their property in northern Maine. While they like timber frame homes, they thought it might be too much for this modest project.
Their project goals were:
Small footprint to minimize carbon footprint
Energy efficiency in all four New England seasons
Environmentally-conscious to minimize site impact
Low maintenance and durability, easy to open and close up
Security in rural setting
Take advantage of lake views
Possible addition in future
Translating their goals into an energy efficient, small home design was not a problem, as Pat and Andy had collected a three-ring binder full of notes, pictures, and ideas. The home design, at 1100 square feet, is both energy efficient and practical.
The plan is a passive solar design, with the first floor receiving the low winter sun in early morning and late evening under the varied depth of the porch roof. The second… (Read the rest of this article at the following article source link for the full story)
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most well-known, visible rating system for energy efficient, high performance buildings today. A program of the US Green Building Council, LEED is taking the lead in educating professionals and consumers in the green building movement.
LEED for Homes was officially launched in February 2008, promoting the design and construction of high-performance green homes. As of March 2009, 1,504 homes had received LEED for Homes certification, and 8,993 had registered their intent to seek certification in one of its four progressive levels of green: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
The LEED for Homes system awards certification based on point totals in eight categories. Categories include:
Innovation & Design Process
Location & Linkages
Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy & Atmosphere
Materials and Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Awareness & Education
An important first step in building a LEED home is to interview and…
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