Fri.Jul 22, 2022

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Building a Better Power Grid for Minnesota

Union of Concerned Scientists

Minnesotans are facing concurrent crises of climate change, high energy prices and inflation, and the inequitable public health impacts of fossil fuel air pollution. Renewable energy will help with all of that—but we need a grid that is designed for wind and solar instead of having to rely on expensive coal and gas plants. Unfortunately, the Minnesota Legislature failed to act on climate and clean energy investments this session, leaving progress toward a more affordable, equitable, healthy Minn

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Wild Tiger Numbers 40 Percent Higher Than Previously Estimated

Yale E360

The number of endangered tigers around the world is 40 percent higher than previously thought, according to new data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Read more on E360 ?.

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Meet the 100: John Hanselman, Cofounder & Chief Strategy Officer, Vanguard Renewables

Environment + Energy Leader

The Environment+Energy Leader 100 is an annual list that recognizes environment and energy management “doers.” Here, John Hanselman explores the topic of reducing commercial organic waste from large food and beverage producers. The post Meet the 100: John Hanselman, Cofounder & Chief Strategy Officer, Vanguard Renewables appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

Environmental News Bits

by W. Larry Kenney, Penn State; Daniel Vecellio, Penn State; Rachel Cottle, Penn State, and S. Tony Wolf, Penn State Heat waves are becoming supercharged as the climate changes – lasting longer, becoming more frequent and getting just plain hotter. One question a lot of people are asking is: “When will it get too hot … Continue reading How hot is too hot for the human body?

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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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PepsiCo Issues Green Bond with Focus on Regenerative Ag, Plastic Waste, Water Impacts

Environment + Energy Leader

The sustainability financing will go toward initiatives outlined in the company's pep+ agenda. The post PepsiCo Issues Green Bond with Focus on Regenerative Ag, Plastic Waste, Water Impacts appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Biden announces new climate change actions but holds an emergency declaration in reserve

Environmental News Bits

by Daniel Farber, University of California, Berkeley On July 20, 2022, President Joe Biden traveled to a former coal-burning power plant in Massachusetts that is being converted into a manufacturing site for offshore wind power equipment. Biden announced millions of dollars in funding for climate change measures, including upgrading infrastructure, weatherizing buildings and installing cooling … Continue reading Biden announces new climate change actions but holds an emergency declaration

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US Steel Increases Recycling, Focus on Material ESG Topics

Environmental Leader

US Steel releases its sustainability report highlighting efforts and improvements in 2021. The post US Steel Increases Recycling, Focus on Material ESG Topics appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Ultra-black Fish Are “Living Black Holes”

Ocean Conservancy

The ocean is full of mysteries, and nowhere is more mysterious than the deep sea. Because of its intense pressure, utter darkness and freezing temperatures, the deep-sea habitat is not for everyone. But from tube worms that thrive on toxic hydrothermal vents to entire communities that pop up around whale falls , animals have employed all kinds of strategies to survive there.

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Cambridge lab for clever birds saved from closure by public donations

New Scientist

The "corvid palace", a renowned UK centre for research on intelligence in crows and their kin that was due to be shut down this month, has been saved by a campaign kick-started by a New Scientist article

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Human garbage is a plentiful but dangerous source of food for polar bears finding it harder to hunt seals on dwindling sea ice

Environmental News Bits

by Thomas Scott Smith, Brigham Young University More than 50 hungry polar bears invaded the Russian coastal village of Belushya Guba over a period of three months, attracted by the local dump. Some bears entered homes and businesses by ripping doors off hinges and climbing through windows. These invasions have been steadily increasing in Arctic … Continue reading Human garbage is a plentiful but dangerous source of food for polar bears finding it harder to hunt seals on dwindling sea ice.

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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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Ag and Food Law Daily Update: July 22, 2022

National Law Center

A comprehensive summary of today’s judicial, legislative, and regulatory developments in agriculture and food. Email important additions HERE. . The post Ag and Food Law Daily Update: July 22, 2022 appeared first on National Agricultural Law Center.

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Home Depot Has Cut Electricity Consumption by 44% Since 2010. How?

Environmental Leader

Home Depot’s stores will run entirely on renewable energy by 2030. Solar will provide 75% of that by the end of 2023. The post Home Depot Has Cut Electricity Consumption by 44% Since 2010. How? appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Firing a laser into the sky can redirect lightning’s path

New Scientist

A laser fired from a tower on a mountain seems to have redirected lightning in the sky and could be used to make storm clouds discharge lightning safely

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US Steel Increases Recycling, Focus on Material ESG Topics

Environmental Leader

US Steel releases its sustainability report highlighting efforts and improvements in 2021. The post US Steel Increases Recycling, Focus on Material ESG Topics appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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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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Gene-edited dogs created from cloned skin cells for the first time

New Scientist

New gene-editing approach could be used to eliminate disease-causing mutations from pedigree dog breeds or even from clones of individual dogs

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Academics develop PET-like plastics from biomass waste

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story at Resource. New research from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne’s (EPFL) School of Basic Sciences has revealed a method for the creation of PET-like plastics using biomass waste. According to its developers, the new method shows great promise in meeting the demand for more sustainable options within the plastics … Continue reading Academics develop PET-like plastics from biomass waste.

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How can the UK keep homes cool without air conditioning?

New Scientist

To adapt to climate change, the UK needs to install “passive cooling” mechanisms in homes, such as window shades and improved ventilation systems

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Oxford trial turns plastic waste to hydrogen fuel

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story at Resource. Academics from the Universities of Oxford and Cardiff are working alongside CarbonMeta Technologies to turn plastic waste into clean hydrogen fuel and high-value carbon nanomaterials. Using ‘microwave catalysis’ technology – custom-designed microwave machines – from the University of Oxford, CarbonMeta hopes to yield ‘high value products for industry’ – … Continue reading Oxford trial turns plastic waste to hydrogen fuel.

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AI art tool DALL-E 2 adds 'black' or 'female' to some image prompts

New Scientist

Researchers experimenting with OpenAI's text-to-image tool, DALL-E 2, noticed that it seems to covertly be adding words such as "black" and "female" to image prompts, seemingly in an effort to diversify its output

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The unexpected benefit of designing farms for the birds and the bees

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story at Fast Company. Sipping a coffee on your way to work is a ritual most people take for granted without thinking about how the delicious coffee beans reached their cup. You probably know that coffee comes from tropical regions. But what is less well known is that it is the product … Continue reading The unexpected benefit of designing farms for the birds and the bees.

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NIOSH Publishes Program Performance One-Pager for Nanotechnology Research Center

Nanotech

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a program performance one-pager on July 18, 2022, for the Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC). NTRC conducts research to understand the potential effects on human health of exposure to engineered nanomaterials and develops methods to control or eliminate exposures. The one-pager lists the following accomplishments: Developed a NIOSH recommended exposure limit (REL) for silver nanomaterials and released Current Intellig

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The role of startups in restoring our climate with carbon removal

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story at The Hill. As the world faces a growing list of climate disasters, from unprecedented summer wildfires in Alaska to record-breaking heat waves in Asia, congressional negotiations on climate action continue to sputter. Amidst this landscape, the U.S. Department of Energy is convening a Carbon Negative Shot Summit this week on climate solutions.

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Home Depot Has Cut Electricity Consumption by 44% Since 2010. How?

Environmental Leader

Home Depot’s stores will run entirely on renewable energy by 2030. Solar will provide 75% of that by the end of 2023. The post Home Depot Has Cut Electricity Consumption by 44% Since 2010. How? appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Seven ways the war in Ukraine is changing global science

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story in Nature. In just five months, Russia’s war on Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions and ruptured global geopolitics and economics. It is marking science, too. The heaviest impacts are in Ukraine, where researchers have seen their institutions bombed and are facing upheaval and threats to their livelihoods. In Russia, … Continue reading Seven ways the war in Ukraine is changing global science.

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Holiday reads: Top scientists and writers share their must-read books

New Scientist

From sci-fi classics to essential non-fiction, some of the brightest minds in science, including Sarah Gilbert and Jim Al-Khalili, share their top picks for holiday reading

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Meet the peecyclers. Their idea to help farmers is No. 1.

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story in the New York Times. A shortage of chemical fertilizer, worsened by the war in Ukraine, has growers desperate. It just so happens that human urine has the very nutrients that crops need.

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Rivian Supplies Amazon with Thousands of Electric Delivery Vehicles

Environmental Leader

Amazon and Rivian plan to bring thousands of custom electric delivery vehicles to more than 100 cities by the end of this year, and 100,000 across the US by 2030. The post Rivian Supplies Amazon with Thousands of Electric Delivery Vehicles appeared first on Environment + Energy Leader.

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Scientists at Morton Arboretum out to prove whether extinct oak species still exists

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story from WTTW. There’s a lot riding on tests underway at Morton Arboretum, where scientists are analyzing samples taken from an oak that may or may not be the sole survivor of a presumed extinct species, a species whose existence has been the subject of debate almost from the moment it was … Continue reading Scientists at Morton Arboretum out to prove whether extinct oak species still exists.

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DOI Identifies Gulf of Mexico Wind Energy Areas

The Energy Law Blog

On July 20, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced it is seeking public comments on two draft wind energy areas (WEAs) in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. As illustrated on the map, below, the first WEA, covering 188,023 acres, is located 56 nautical miles off the coast of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and has the potential to power 799,000 homes.

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The menu of collaboration: What we’ve learned from launching and managing nine industry collaboratives

Environmental News Bits

This report from the Local Media Association discusses steps for success and lessons learned while launching nine reporting collaboratives, including the Covering Climate Collaborative.

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DEP To Hold 2 Hearings On Air Quality Permit For Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill Leachate Evaporation System

PA Environment Daily

On July 22, the Department of Environmental Protection published a draft air quality plan approval [65-00767C] to allow the construction and initial temporary operation of a leachate evaporation system at Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill, located in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County. ( July 23 PA Bulletin page 4166 ) DEP is accepting public comments until September 12, 2022, and will hold two public hearings, one in-person hearing and one virtual, to collect testimony from the public on the

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Revealed: US cities refusing to replace toxic lead water pipes unless residents pay

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story in The Guardian. A Guardian investigation finds pipes are only replaced at homeowners’ cost, and removal work risked causing increase of lead in water.

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Maine’s Experiment in Tribal-State Collaboration

Acoel

Posted on July 22, 2022 by G. Alan Perkins. Tribal “consultation” or “collaboration” frameworks vary across the country. Presidents Obama and Biden issued executive orders setting forth a consultation process for federal agencies that are developing policies with tribal implications, and several governors have likewise issued their own executive orders.

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Winners of the 2022 Audubon Photography Awards celebrate the beauty of our feathered friends

Environmental News Bits

Read the full story at My Modern Met. Now in its 13th year, the Audubon Photography Awards are a celebration of bird photography. Arranged by the National Audubon Society, an organization whose mission is to protect birds and their environment, the contest had 2,500 entries from across the United States and Canada. This year’s grand prize went to … Continue reading Winners of the 2022 Audubon Photography Awards celebrate the beauty of our feathered friends.

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