Thu.Sep 12, 2024

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Slowly but Surely, U.S. School Buses Are Starting to Electrify

Yale E360

With support from a $5 billion EPA program, school districts across the country are starting to switch from polluting diesel to electric buses. Advocates point to the health benefits for children and communities but say more needs to be done to promote this transition.

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How Do You Talk to Children about Climate Change? One Book Has a Few Ideas

Union of Concerned Scientists

Science communication is strengthened when we use creative approaches. Art is such a powerful tool for this, especially when communicating to kids. Last year, I met Dave Schneider, a climate scientist who studies ice sheets and climate systems, work very similar to my own. He recently published a children’s book titled Goodnight Fossil Fuels! that’s specifically about climate change and fossil fuel accountability.

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Scientists Will Engineer the Ocean to Absorb More Carbon Dioxide

Scientific American

A research consortium plans to revive geoengineering trials of the controversial iron fertilization technique to pull carbon dioxide from the air, despite public backlash

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Ask A Scientist: How Can Science and Data Inform Fairer, Freer Elections?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Many democracies around the world require every eligible voter to fulfill their civic duty and cast their votes during national elections. If you were an Australian, Belgian, Singaporean, or Uruguayan citizen eligible to vote in your country’s elections, you could even expect to incur a fine from the government for failing to do so. Some countries set their election dates on weekends or declare national holidays so that more voters can participate.

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How to Modernize Manufacturing Without Losing Control

Speaker: Andrew Skoog, Founder of MachinistX & President of Hexis Representatives

Manufacturing is evolving, and the right technology can empower—not replace—your workforce. Smart automation and AI-driven software are revolutionizing decision-making, optimizing processes, and improving efficiency. But how do you implement these tools with confidence and ensure they complement human expertise rather than override it? Join industry expert Andrew Skoog as he explores how manufacturers can leverage automation to enhance operations, streamline workflows, and make smarter, data-dri

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Greenland landslide caused freak wave that shook Earth for nine days

New Scientist

Seismologists were mystified by a strange signal that persisted for nine days in 2023 – now its source has been identified as a standing wave caused by a landslide in Greenland

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What Giant Data Breaches Mean for You

Scientific American

The security expert who created Have I Been Pwned?

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Why This Great Mathematician Wanted a Heptadecagon on His Tombstone

Scientific American

Mathematician Gauss left behind a trophy case of mathematical achievements to highlight on his tombstone, but above all he wanted a regular heptadecagon etched on it

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Another extreme low for Antarctic sea ice signals a permanent shift

New Scientist

An area of missing Antarctic sea ice twice the size of Texas adds to concerns that the ice has seen a lasting “regime shift”, with consequences for ecosystems and global ocean circulation

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The Devil in the Details, Chapter One: The Doctor Who Said No to Thalidomide

Scientific American

Starting with her rejection of an FDA application for thalidomide in 1960, physician and pharmacist Frances Oldham Kelsey took a stand against the now infamous drug

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Blood test could diagnose ALS with up to 97 per cent accuracy

New Scientist

ALS, the most common form of motor neuron disease, can take a long time to diagnose, but a blood test could help doctors spot the condition sooner

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The Key to Sustainable Energy Optimization: A Data-Driven Approach for Manufacturing

Speaker: Kevin Kai Wong, President of Emergent Energy Solutions

In today's industrial landscape, the pursuit of sustainable energy optimization and decarbonization has become paramount. ♻️ Manufacturing corporations across the U.S. are facing the urgent need to align with decarbonization goals while enhancing efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, the lack of comprehensive energy data poses a significant challenge for manufacturing managers striving to meet their targets. 📊 Join us for a practical webinar hosted by Kevin Kai Wong of Emergent Ene

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There are no coincidences in climate science

Enviromental Defense

Sometimes you have to work hard to make the connection between events to tell a story, and sometimes the events just connect themselves. The first story was trumpeted as great news! Alberta’s oil producers had outdone themselves and sucked four million barrels of oil a day out of the ground to set a new record for July. About 80 per cent of that output is from the tar sands bitumen, one of the most polluting forms of energy on earth.

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Mega El Niños may have played a part in the Permian mass extinction

New Scientist

Extreme weather events lasting more than a decade could have killed off forests 250 million years ago, contributing to Earth's worst ever mass extinction

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California Legislature Passes Food Date Labeling Standardization

NRDC

California is aiming to standardize food date labels with the passage of AB 660 (Irwin). The bill is now awaiting signature from Governor Newsom.

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SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew complete 'stand-up' civilian spacewalk

New Scientist

A groundbreaking civilian spacewalk saw two astronauts partially exit a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule wearing a brand new design of spacesuit. Every previous spacewalk ever completed before this was performed by government-trained astronauts.

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How to Drive Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability Wins with MES

Speaker: Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions

Is your manufacturing operation reaching its efficiency potential? A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) could be the game-changer, helping you reduce waste, cut costs, and lower your carbon footprint. Join Nikhil Joshi, Founder & President of Snic Solutions, in this value-packed webinar as he breaks down how MES can drive operational excellence and sustainability.

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‘Weather Whiplash’ Helped Drive This Year’s California Wildfires

Inside Climate News

Exceptionally wet winters drove a boom of grasses and shrubs that a record hot summer dried into the fuel powering the Park Fire in Northern California, the Line Fire outside Los Angeles and other conflagrations. By Caroline Marshall Reinhart While many Californians are praying for rain heavy enough to slow the spread of the 6,078 fires that have burned 977,932 acres in the state this summer, firefighters and climatologists recognize that the heavy winter rains are a big part of what have led th

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Visible aurora spotted for the first time on Mars by NASA rover

New Scientist

If you were standing on Mars as it was hit by a solar flare, you might be able to see an aurora just like on Earth

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State Food Laws Enacted in 2024

National Law Center

The 2024 state legislative sessions were teeming with bill proposals and enactments that touched a variety of food law issues. A. The post State Food Laws Enacted in 2024 appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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Elephant expressways: Examining multi-scalar elephant connectivity in KAZA

The Applied Ecologist

Callie Cho and Robin Naidoo talk us through how, using observed animal movements rather than conventional resistance surface models, a connectivity conservation blueprint for African elephants in the Kavango-Zambezi transfrontier conservation area (KAZA) in southern Africa was produced. This is explored further in the new research article.

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Implementing D.E.J.I. Strategies in Energy, Environment, and Transportation

Speaker: Antoine M. Thompson, Executive Director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition

Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion (DEJI) policies, programs, and initiatives are critically important as we move forward with public and private sector climate and sustainability goals and plans. Underserved and socially, economically, and racially disadvantaged communities bear the burden of pollution, higher energy costs, limited resources, and limited investments in the clean energy and transportation sectors.

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Polaris Dawn Astronauts Perform First Private Spacewalk in a Stellar Success for SpaceX

Scientific American

The world’s first commercial space walk, by billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis, tested new technology and was practically flawless

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Thursday PA Environment & Energy NewsClips - 9.12.24

PA Environment Daily

“The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.” - - Article I, Section 27 Pennsylvania Constitution [It’s Not A Suggestion] Senate Fall Voting Schedule -- September

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Cumulative Impacts Rulemaking in Colorado Must Not Fail Communities

NRDC

Proposed cumulative impacts rules have the potential to protect Colorado communities from oil and gas pollution—but they currently fall short.

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Senate Hearing: Landowner Concerns About Liability For Abandoned Conventional Oil & Gas Wells May Be Impediment To Plugging Leaking Wells; Need To Make Plugging Programs More Effective To Deal With ‘Growing Problem’

PA Environment Daily

On September 12, the Senate Republican Policy Committee held a hearing in Pittsburgh on ways to simplify and make more effective Pennsylvania’s expanded abandoned and orphan conventional oil and gas well plugging programs. Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) , Chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, opened the hearing by saying, “The purpose of today's hearing is to shed light on this issue, discuss the challenges that we face, and explore potential solutions to tackle this growing problem.

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Shaping a Resilient Future: Climate Impact on Vulnerable Populations

Speaker: Laurie Schoeman Director, Climate & Sustainability, Capital

As households and communities across the nation face challenges such as hurricanes, wildfires, drought, extreme heat and cold, and thawing permafrost and flooding, we are increasingly searching for ways to mitigate and prevent climate impacts. During this event, national climate and housing expert Laurie Schoeman will discuss topics including: The two paths for climate action: decarbonization and adaptation.

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Guest Blog: Connecting Data Centers to the Grid: An Innovative and Controversial Proposal from AEP Ohio

Law Columbia

Concerns about the growth in data centers and the associated increases in power demand have received substantial press coverage. As the scale of the burden that data centers impose on the electricity grid becomes clearer to the public, more and more people are asking the unavoidable question: who will pay for the grid upgrades needed to support these facilities ?

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DCNR Conservation & Natural Resources Advisory Council Meets Sept. 25 On Sustainability And Green Infrastructure Initiatives; Ecological, Economic Benefits Of Restoration Work

PA Environment Daily

The DCNR Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council is scheduled to meet on September 25 to hear presentations on DCNR's sustainability and green infrastructure initiatives and on the economic benefits of restoration work. -- Nicole Faraguna, DCNR Policy Director will provide an overview of sustainability policies. -- Jarod West, DCNR Architectural Consultant, will give a presentation on DCNR's sustainability and green infrastructure design and construction projects. -- Kelly Gutshall,

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce Releases Report Examining Impact of Essential Fluorochemistries

Nanotech

In August 2024, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a report entitled Essential Chemistries: Providing Benefits Across the U.S. Economy that “examines the dependence of seven critical U.S. sectors, including aerospace manufacturing, data centers, defense equipment and systems, energy transition, health care, mobility, and semiconductors on essential fluorochemistries,” including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

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Vote Solar, Solar United Neighbors, 60+ Groups Urge PA Senate To Unlock Community Solar Energy Benefits By Taking Action On Bipartisan Legislation

PA Environment Daily

On September 10, Vote Solar , Solar United Neighbors and 60+ community organizations and partners wrote a letter to members of the Pennsylvania Senate urging them to take action on bipartisan community solar legislation when they return to fall voting session September 16. The groups are advocating for the passage of House Bill 1842 , a bill that would bring the economic, social, and environmental benefits of community solar to residents across the Commonwealth.

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Sustainability at Retail

Sustainability impacts every nation, company, and person around the world. So much so that, in 2015, the United Nations (UN) issued a call for action by all countries to work toward sustainable development. In response to this and as part of a global Sustainability at Retail initiative, Shop! worked collaboratively with its global affiliates to address these critical issues in this white paper.

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NIOSH Blog Item Highlights NTRC’s Toxicology and Internal Dose Team

Nanotech

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a blog item on September 10, 2024, entitled “NTRC Marks 20 Years of Studying Nanotoxicology: Highlights from the Toxicology and Internal Dose Team” that reviews the Nanotechnology Research Center’s (NTRC) achievements in the field of nanotechnology. The blog item highlights where NTRC started, where it is now, NTRC’s partnerships, and its work modeling workplace exposure to assess toxicity.

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Sand County Foundation Selects 3 Finalists For Pennsylvania Leopold Farm Conservation Award

PA Environment Daily

On September 12, the Sand County Foundation announced the selection of three finalists for the 2024 Pennsylvania Leopold Farm Conservation Award. The award honors farmers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land. The finalists are-- -- Troy Firth of Spartansburg in Crawford County: As owner and manager of Firth Maple Products, Troy shows that forestry can be economically profitable and ecologically nurtur

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ECOLOG-L Update to the Ecological Community

ESA

To our members and friends in the international community of ecologists: The ECOLOG-L listserv is a well-loved online forum where ESA members and anyone else who joins the listserv can post and receive messages at no cost. There are over 30,000 listserv users who utilize it for a multitude of purposes. Recently, the platform’s owner informed ESA that it will be discontinued as of October 31, 2024.

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TSCA Reform: Eight Years Later — Panel 1: Risk Management

Nanotech

On June 26, 2024, B&C, along with the Environmental Law Institute and the George Washington University Milken Institute of Public Health, sponsored the all-day virtual conference, TSCA Reform — Eight Years Later. The quality of the discussion, the caliber of the participants, and the timeliness of the content motivated us to repurpose the substantive sessions.

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Leveraging telmetrics to drive fleet electrification and efficiency

A Greener Life

By David Lewis, Founder and CEO, MoveEV Attend any fleet conference, and you’ll quickly realize that telematic systems are now the cornerstone of modern fleet management. In the early 20th century, basic tracking and communication systems were first introduced to improve fleet operations. Initially, telematics involved simple radio communication and rudimentary tracking mechanisms to enhance logistical efficiency and safety.