Gibson Foundation Continues Mission in Support of the Environment

Nashville, Tennessee... May 2, 2008....Gibson Foundation, the philanthropic division of musical instrument manufacturer, Gibson Guitar, furthers its support of environmental causes with the announcement of its recent sponsorship of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Eco Salon held in Nashville, Tennessee in April. The gathering, hosted by legendary singer/songwriter Emmylou Harris and featuring keynote speaker Robert Kennedy, Jr., attracted some of the music industry's elite including Sheryl Crow, Kathy Mattea, Big Kenny, Christiev Alphin, Matraca Berg, Jeff Hanna, J.D. Souther, Jon Vezner, Paul Kennerly and Nashville's Mayor Karl Dean. In addition to NRDC Founder John Adams, President Frances Bienecke, and Scientist Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz and Gibson President Dave Berryman, along with Warner Bros. John Esposito and Bill Bennett and power managers Gary Borman and Ken Levitan, gathered in support of the NRDC goal to educate the creative community in Nashville about alternative energy sources to mountaintop coal mining. The effort is to keep the "country" in country music. Nashville is the sixth-largest consumer of all cities of electricity produced with mountaintop coal -- the debris from this production is dumped into the environment.

 

"Mountaintop removal coal mining is the most environmentally damaging form of energy extraction. This practice destroys our mountains, pollutes our air and water, and devastates local communities," said Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "We look forward to working with Emmylou Harris and the Gibson Foundation to raise awareness and to put an end to this devastating practice. One of the most important investments our country can make today is to purchase clean, renewable energy. These days it's easy for people to make that clean choice, which is what we've done for Emmylou Harris by purchasing a year's worth of renewable energy for her home."

 

Gibson Foundation has long been a trailblazer and worldwide supporter of environmental programs. Gibson began working with the Rainforest Alliance in 1995, and was the first musical instrument company to produce guitars using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) - certified wood. Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz is a long-standing Rainforest Alliance board member and, in 2006, committed the company to a 5-year plan of producing certified wood instruments - also in line with its partnership of Greenpeace's efforts to green the entire musical manufacturing industry. The Gibson Foundation also supports the Environmental Defense Fund's global warming campaign, Global Green's green building efforts in Los Angeles and New Orleans, and is proud of its committment to help provide clean water to the millions of people who do not have this basic human need by supporting WaterAid's efforts in the Benue State of Nigeria and A Child's Right in orphanages in China, Columbia and Nepal.

 

Gibson Foundation: Founded in 2002 as the philanthropic division of Gibson Guitar, the Gibson Foundation is committed to making the world a better place for children worldwide through its own initiatives and by its support of other non-profit organizations that advance music and the arts, health and welfare, education, and environmental causes. The impact of the support provided by the Gibson Foundation is felt by millions of people each year. For more information on Gibson Foundation go to www.gibsonfoundation.org

FSC Family Forest Certification Moves Forward

 

FSC-US and the FSC Family Forests Alliance Announce

Next Steps in Standards Development Process

 

Reston, VA; April 16, 2008 -  Forest product and forestland certification are rapidly gaining recognition in the marketplace as vehicles for  rewarding responsible forest management practices.  More than 250 million acres of forests are certified around the world under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard.  Despite the growth in forest certification, it is often difficult for small ownerships and family forests to participate. 

 

“Family forests are an important part of the landscape and provide critically important ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, water quality protection, and wildlife habitat,” says Corey Brinkema, President of FSC-US.

 

At meetings held in Minneapolis on April 7th and 8th, the FSC-US undertook the next steps for expanding family forest certification opportunities in the United States.

 

“In the U.S. almost 60% of the forests are privately owned and it is important to include these lands in forest stewardship efforts,” says Kathryn Fernholz, Executive Director of Dovetail Partners and Secretariat for the FSC Family Forests Alliance, a collaborative group that is advocating for expanded access to FSC certification opportunities for small privately owned forests.

 

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the fastest growing global forest certification program and the only one endorsed by the world’s leading environmental and social non-governmental organizations.  In the U.S, the FSC has developed a Family Forests Program to ensure small landowners will be able to receive the benefits of FSC certification and sell their products under the FSC label.

 

“Our Family Forests Working Group was brought together to complete a process of reviewing the existing FSC certification standards and to offer recommendations on how to more effectively engage small landowners,” says Brinkema.

 

The FSC-US’s Family Forests Working Group includes representatives from the FSC Family Forests Alliance and other stakeholders. 

 

“My hope, and the hope of other Working Group members, is to use our many years of experience working with family forest certification, and the lessons we’ve learned to help make the program work better for everyone while still maintaining the high standards that are expected of FSC certification,” says John Gunn of the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, an Alliance core organizer.

 

Additional meetings of the working group are planned in May 2008, and a public review and comment period will be announced later this summer. The full standards review and approval process is anticipated to be completed before the end of the year.

For more information:

http://www.familyforestsalliance.org

 

About Forest Stewardship Council

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way. FSC-US, based in Reston, VA, is the U.S. National Initiative of FSC International, based in Bonn, Germany.

www.fscus.org

 

About FSC Family Forests Alliance

The FSC Family Forests Alliance has been created to provide a national mechanism for bringing together individuals and organizations committed to promoting responsible forest stewardship through FSC standards. By creating a forum for communication, cooperation, and information sharing, participants in the Alliance can pursue issues of common interest, learn from one another, and enlarge the community of landowners and small businesses practicing responsible forestry.

www.familyforestsalliance.org

 

 

Smarter Spring Gardening

InGround Planter System uses less water for smarter spring gardening Protects plants from drought while expanding color options

 

CHICAGO (March 24, 2008) – Using water wisely in the garden is one of the most cost-effective and environmentally sound ways to lessen its waste and protect the Earth's most precious resource.

 

The Plant Exchange™ InGround Planter System from ReadyScape Products conserves water, protects plants from drought and expands homeowners'

options for color in foliage and flowers throughout the landscape. The in- ground container has a vented tray, which sits in the planter to create a reservoir that can hold up to one quart of water. The tray draws water and air into the plant and empties excess water into the ground, where it can be used by the roots of surrounding plants.

 

The planting system includes a sleeve that is buried in the ground to make a permanent location for flowers or plants. The controlled watering planter and tray are then potted and dropped into the sleeve. Plants can be easily changed out from one location to another without ever digging a new hole.

 

"This system uses a small fraction of the water compared to conventional planting," says Dan Billings, inventor. "In fact, it uses so little that you can use a watering can to water plants and flowers throughout the landscape."

 

The Plant Exchange™ InGround Planter System includes a set of three permanent in-ground sleeves and three controlled watering planters made of high quality polypropylene to last season after season. Each 10-inch planter holds five quarts of growing medium and has a reservoir for holding up to one quart of water. Each kit costs $21.99 plus $10 for shipping and handling. Visit www.ingroundplanter.com to order online. To order by mail, send check or money order to P.O. Box 42802, Evergreen Park, IL 60805-9998.

Ford Goes Soy For Eco Friendly Autos

IRVINE, Calif. (Apr. 9, 2008) –Ford Motor Company has begun producing vehicles that contain seat cushions made from soy-based foam.  This technology, developed by researchers at Ford, utilizes functionalized soybean oil, a renewable resource, to replace traditional petroleum-based ingredients. 

Ford scientists have put many years of effort into formulation and testing of soy foams, replacing up to 40% of the petroleum-based polyol with soy and meeting stringent automotive requirements for durability.  Ford has a rich history of incorporating soy-based materials into its products that dates back to the early 1930s.

Ford recently announced an industry first by implementing soy-based seat foam in the seat cushions and backs on the 2008 Ford Mustang.  Since that announcement, soy foam has also been incorporated on Ford F-150 pickups, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUV's.  The new soy-based foam currently costs about the same as petroleum-based foam, while the soy process is more eco-friendly and uses less energy.

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, life cycle analyses have shown that the environmental impact of soy-based products is one-quarter the level of petroleum-based products, which produce more carbon dioxide emissions and require more energy to produce than soy-based products. 

By the end of this year there will be a projected 45,500 Ford vehicles on the road with the soy-based seat cushions and back rests, providing another eco-friendly product to California consumers.

Currently, Ford is using 2.2 million pounds of soy foam during Mustang production or about one pound of soybean oil per car (It takes approximately 5 1/2 pounds of soybeans to produce 1 pound of soy-bean oil). Based on that application alone, this green alternative is projected to deliver a carbon dioxide reduction of 605,000 pounds annually.

Ford is expecting to continue the introduction of soy flexible foam into other vehicle lines and is looking at other applications including dashboards, armrests and sound-deadening foams.

Ford has licensed their soy-based flexible foam formulations to John Deere, manufacturers of farming equipment used in agriculture, forestry, construction, and lawn and turf care.

Soy-based foam is just one of the technologies that Ford Global Technologies, LLC is making available through licensing to companies such as John Deere for applications outside of Ford.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents.  With about 245,000 employees and about 100 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda.  The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.  For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

# # #

Contact:
 
Octavio Navarro
(949) 341-7692
onavarr1@ford.com

Dan Smith, PCGCampbell
(310) 224-4954 
dsmith@pcgcampbell.com

Go to http://media.ford.com for news releases and high-resolution photographs.

Waste Management Officially Opens Landfill Gas-To-Energy Facility At Austin Community Landfill

 “Green” Electricity to Power Dell, Inc. Corporate Headquarters

 

AUSTIN, Texas – April 2, 2007 – Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WMI) today officially opened its latest waste-based renewable energy facility at the company’s Austin Community Landfill, whose “green” power will be delivered to Dell corporate headquarters in Round Rock.  The electricity from the landfill gas will power more than 40 percent of Dell headquarters’ energy needs.

 

            The landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) facility at the Austin Community Landfill will produce 6 megawatts of green electricity, which will produce enough energy to power over 6000 homes.  The plant is the ninth such facility in Texas for Waste Management.  In Texas, the company’s landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) plants generate more than 55 megawatts of green electricity, enough to power more than 50,000 homes.

 

            The Austin Community Landfill LFGTE plant is part of Waste Management’s national initiative to build 60 new renewable energy facilities over the next five years, and is part of the company’s environmental sustainability initiative to increase its waste-based energy production.  Today, Waste Management creates enough energy for the equivalent of 1 million homes each year.  By 2020, it expects to double that output, producing enough energy for the equivalent of more than 2 million homes.

 

            “Taking landfill gas and converting it to green power is a buried treasure for the community,” says Don Smith, general manager for Waste Management Central Texas.  “We take a once-wasted commodity and turn it into a long-term, reliable source of renewable energy, which is a major environmental plus for the Austin community and one of its major employers, Dell.”

 

"Dell underscored its commitment to being the greenest technology company on the planet today by running our global headquarters campus on 100 green power.  Partnering with leading companies like Waste Management and TXU in efforts like this will make a difference in protecting the Earth we all share," said Dane Parker, director of environmental health and safety for Dell.

 

            The power plant, located in the center of the landfill property, is equipped with four large engine/generators.  Each of the Caterpillar units generates 1,148 horsepower.  Each weighs approximately 26,500 pounds and stands 7 feet in height, 7.5 feet in width, and 16 feet in length.

 

            The plant captures the landfill gas, primarily methane, through a network of pipes and wells drilled into the landfill.  A vacuum system draws the gas from the landfill and conveys it to the power plant where it fuels the engines driving the generators to produce electricity.  The landfill gas recovery system includes more than 100 vertical gas extraction wells and 2,100 feet of horizontal wells.  Previously, the landfill gas was safely destroyed at a central flare. 

 

            The landfill will produce gas for the power plant for the next several decades and continue even after the landfill no longer accepts waste.

 

            A pioneer in LFGTE projects, Waste Management designed and operated its first facility in the United States over 20 years ago. With 277 landfills, Waste Management is the country’s largest landfill operator and is in a unique position to expand waste-based renewable power generation across the country.  The company is also exploring partnerships to expand its landfill gas-to-energy technology to other private and municipal landfills.

 

            The Austin Community Landfill also provides free electronics recycling, uses recycled concrete to build landfill roads, and recycles 300 tons of tires each year.  All landfill equipment purchased since 2002 meets Federal air standards for non-attainment areas.  Waste Management has also worked with neighbors to design and build a 30-acre Wildlife Habitat Park, which is the only Waste Management park in Texas certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council. 

 

About Waste Management

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. More information about how Waste Management Thinks Green® can be found at www.wm.com

 

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services they trust and value. Uniquely enabled by its direct business model, Dell is a leading global systems and services company and No. 34 on the Fortune 500. For more information, visit www.dell.com, or to communicate directly with Dell via a variety of online channels, go to www.dell.com/conversations. To get Dell news direct, visit www.dell.com/RSS.

EPA Defies Supreme Court on Climate Change; States and Conservation Groups File Suit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tony Kreindler – 202-572-3378 or 202-210-5791 (cell) or akreindler@edf.org

Vickie Patton – (720) 837-6239-c or vpatton@edf.org

(Washington, D.C. – April 2, 2008) Today a dozen states and eleven non-profit organizations filed suit to require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to comply with a Supreme Court ruling on the regulation of global warming pollution. The suit comes a year after the Court ruled that the EPA has the authority under existing law to regulate greenhouse gases and a week after the head of the EPA recanted his repeated commitment to respond to the decision on a firm and prompt time table.

The legal action asks a federal court in Washington, D.C. to direct the EPA to issue its determination whether global warming pollution endangers public health or welfare within 60 days.

"The EPA is defying the Supreme Court and endangering our economy, our environment, and our health," said Environmental Defense Fund Deputy General Counsel Vickie Patton. "The law and the science are clear: The EPA must act now." Environmental Defense Fund is a party to the suit.

The petitioning states are: Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Maryland and Minnesota. Three cities also joined the suit.

Background on the Issue

Supreme Court Decision and EPA's Broken Commitment to Respond

On April 2, 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the EPA's refusal to address global warming pollution under the Clean Air Act, finding that the statute clearly empowered EPA to address greenhouse gas emissions. In an opinion written by Justice John Paul Stevens, the High Court instructed EPA to determine whether global warming pollution endangers human health or welfare and, if so, to establish greenhouse gas emission standards for motor vehicles.

In the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court decision, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson repeatedly enunciated a public commitment to determine whether global warming pollution endangers human health or welfare and, if so, to issue proposed greenhouse emission standards for motor vehicles by the end of 2007 and final standards by the end of 2008. For example, EPA Administrator Johnson reasserted his firm commitment to act before a November 8, 2007 House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing: "The EPA plans to address the issue of endangerment when we propose regulations on greenhouse gas emissions for motor vehicles and fuels later this year." "EPA is firmly committed to addressing the long-term challenge of global climate change."

On March 12th, Congressman Henry Waxman (CA) released the results of transcribed interviews with senior EPA staff on the status of EPA's response to the Supreme Court's decision. The interviews revealed that some 60 to 70 EPA officials were working on the endangerment determination and proposed greenhouse gas motor vehicle regulations. Work was completed on both. Administrator Johnson had approved an affirmative endangerment determination and the documents were transmitted to the White House in December.

But only a few days ago, on March 27^th, the EPA Administrator effectively recanted his public statements, and informed Congressional leaders that EPA will take no meaningful regulatory action in response to the high Court. The Supreme Court could not have been more clear in compelling EPA to base its decision on science and the law and rejecting EPA's "laundry list" of reasons for inaction. Nearly one year ago, the Supreme Court wrote: "EPA has refused to comply with this clear statutory command. Instead, it has offered a laundry list of reasons not to regulate."

###

About Environmental Defense Fund

Environmental Defense Fund is at the forefront of an innovation revolution, developing new solutions that protect the natural world while growing the economy. Founded in 1967 and representing more than 500,000 members, the group creates powerful economic incentives by working with market leaders and relying on rigorous science. For more information, visit edf.org.

Oil Giant Accused of Contaminating Amazon Communities

What? Big Oil and pollution in the same sentence. This may be worth attending and or at least tracking. What's worse the black stuff we depend on or the green stuff we depend on? Both seem to cause some serious faults in our judgement.

Media AdvisoryContact: Marco Simons: (917-696-3304); Maria Lya Ramos: (202-257-8061) INDIGENOUS PERUVIAN PLAINTIFFS TO ARGUE TO FEDERAL COURT WHY HUMAN RIGHTS SUIT AGAINST OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM SHOULD BE TRIED IN U.S.

March 19, 2008 – A public court hearing will be held in Los Angeles next week to determine the proper venue in a landmark class-action human rights lawsuit against Occidental Petroleum (Oxy), brought by indigenous communities from the Peruvian Amazon and U.S. environmental group Amazon Watch. The suit alleges egregious harm caused by Oxy over a 30-year period in the Corrientes River basin of northeastern Peru. The plaintiffs argue the case should be heard in the United States and contend that Oxy left massive contamination in the rivers and lands of the indigenous Achuar people, causing death, widespread poisoning and destruction of the Achuar way of life. The suit alleges that Oxy deliberately ignored industry standards and employed out-of-date practices, resulting in severe cadmium and lead poisoning among indigenous communities. In addition, it is contended that Oxy illegally dumped 850,000 barrels of toxic wastewater a day for three decades, and caused acid rain by flaring huge quantities of gas, failing to warn local indigenous communities of the health dangers and improperly storing chemical wastes in unlined pits. One of the Peruvian plaintiffs, Apu Tomas Maynas, an Achuar elder, will attend the hearing, and will also make a presentation at Loyola Law School about the lawsuit, on Tuesday, March 25, from noon to 1pm. Attorneys from EarthRights International, which represents the plaintiffs, will present the argument to the court.

WHAT: Hearing on Proper Forum
WHEN: 1:30pm PDT, Monday March 24, 2008
WHERE: Federal Court, Central District of California, Room 790, Roybal Building, 255 East Temple Street, Los Angeles
WHO:(Available for interview at the hearing and by request.) Apu Tomas Maynas, Plaintiff and Achuar ElderMarco Simons, Legal Director of EarthRights InternationalAtossa Soltani, Executive Director of Amazon Watch

Amazon Watch is an environmental and human rights organization based in San Francisco, California. We work to help indigenous communities in the Amazon basin defend their territories and culture from the impacts of large-scale industrial “development” such as oil and gas drilling.

EarthRights International (ERI) is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that combines the power of law and the power of people in defense of human rights and the environment. Focusing on earth rights, we work at the intersection of human rights and the environment. We specialize in fact-finding, legal actions against perpetrators of earth rights abuses, training for grassroots and community leaders, and advocacy campaigns that seek to end earth rights abuses and promote and protect earth rights.

Eco Friendly Furniture Video

In this video clip Kris Connell of Real Simple magazine shows Julie Chen furnishings that are not harmful to the environment or to your health.

Taxi Service Goes Green

They're called "green" taxis and they're designed for the environmentally conscious. An all-hybrid taxi fleet has begun service in the Washington suburb of Arlington, Virginia, operating the environmentally friendly cabs. A sign of things to come? Perhaps. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced plans to replace the Big Apple's famous fleet of Yellow Cabs with hybrids by the year 2012. An AFPTV report.