News
Government Ordered to Lead Way on Sustainability. On October 5, President Obama signed a new Executive Order on Federal Sustainability,
which challenges all federal agencies to lead by example in energy and
environmental performance. The Order gives them 90 days to set a 2020
greenhouse reduction goal and also sets targets for efficient,
sustainable buildings, reduced petroleum use in vehicles, water
efficiency, waste reduction, purchasing green technologies and
products, and supporting sustainable communities. Council on
Environmental Quality chair Nancy Sutley added that "...by putting
Federal purchasing power to work – more than $500 billion per year in
goods and services – the government can build on the momentum of the
Recovery Act to help turn good entrepreneurial ideas into great
American enterprises that create jobs."
Call for Papers: Environmental Policy: Past, Present, and Future (PDF). (76 pp, 2.8 MB, About PDF)  A January 2011 special issue of Environmental Science & Technology
will mark several ground-breaking events in the history of
environmental protection. These include the 40th anniversary of the
founding of the Environmental Protection Agency (December 2, 2010), the
first Earth Day (April 22, 1970), the Clean Air Act Extension (1970),
and the National Environmental Policy Act (effective January 1, 1970).
ES&T welcomes thought-provoking ideas and retrospectives or
perspectives in a variety of formats exploring, for example, how the
environment and environmental consciousness have changed. Submission
deadline is May 1, 2010.
EPA Retail Industry Portal.
This site provides access to the many EPA programs and resources
available to help prevent and resolve environmental issues at retail
establishments -- compliance resources that help in meeting current
regulatory obligations, and sustainability resources that help in
voluntarily going beyond regulatory obligations to protect the
environment
National Science Foundation Grants for Fundamental Research in Environment Engineering. Grants
totaling $29 million are available to academic institutions for
interdisciplinary teams of researchers to embark on rapidly advancing
frontiers through two new programs under its Emerging Frontiers In
Research and Innovation 2010 (EFRI-2010) program. The two areas are (1)
Renewable Energy Storage (RESTOR) and (2) Science in Energy and
Environmental Design (SEED): Engineering Sustainable Buildings. EPA and
the Department of Energy are partnering with NSF on SEED. Letters of
intent must be received by October 09, 2009, with preliminary proposals
due in November 13 and full proposals by March 31, 2010.
Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities.
EPA has joined with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and
the Department of Transportation in a partnership agreement and set of
six guiding livability principles that will provide a vision for
sustainable growth. The agreement, announced on June 26, 2009, will
guide the agencies' efforts to improve access to affordable housing,
provide more transportation options, and lower transportation costs
while protecting the environment in communities nationwide.
Science and Technology of Biofuels.
Complete videos and slides from this special session of the May 2009
annual meeting of the American Institute of Biological Sciences include
presentations by Alan Hecht, Robert Larson and Donna Perla of EPA’s
Office of Research and Development and John Regalbuto of the National
Science Foundation. The overall theme of the AIBS meeting was
Sustainable Agriculture: Greening the Global Food Supply.
Federal R&D Agenda for Net-Zero Energy, High-Performance Green Buildings (PDF) (76 pp, 2.8 MB, About PDF)
The National Science and Technology Council report describes necessary
research and development activities in order to reduce negative impacts
on natural resources and improve indoor environments while reducing
greenhouse gas emissions (October 2008).
Increasing Feedstock Production for Biofuels: Economic Drivers, Environmental Implications, and the Role of Research (PDF) (167 pp, 2.4 MB, About PDF).
The Biomass Research and Development Board commissioned this economic
analysis of feedstocks to produce biofuels. The Board seeks to inform
investments in research and development needed to expand biofuel
production. December 2008.
National Biofuels Action Plan (PDF) (24 pp, 4.9MB, About PDF).
In this report the Biomass Research and Development Board outlines
research needed to advance sustainable biofuel production (October
2008).
Additional documents related to biofuels and other topics related to environmental sustainability, please visit More Resources.
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Coming Events
2005–2015. UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.An educational effort that aims to encourage changes in behavior that will create a more sustainable future.
October 7–9. 2009 Algae Biomass Summit. The 2009 Algae Biomass Summit will feature discussion of issues of
critical importance to the emerging algae industry, including the
commercial viability of algae production, current government and
private initiatives, evolving technologies, processing concepts, life
cycle analysis, and venture and project finance. Organized by the Algal
Biomass Organization. San Diego, Cal.
October 10–11. Green Festival - Washington, D.C.One of five Green Festivals held in U.S. cities. This event will
feature more than 125 renowned speakers and 350 green businesses,
how-to workshops, green films, a Fair Trade pavilion, yoga classes,
organic beer, delicious organic cuisine and live music.
October 25–29. First International Conference on Sustainable Cities. Specialists in urban planning, energy, environment, good government,
economy and society, will present their ideas and generate new ones
through the interchange of experiences, opinions and points of view
about how we can move toward sustainability. Five keynote speakers
including a Nobel Prize, conferences, NGO stands, sponsor exhibits,
social and cultural events. Morelia, Mexico.
October 28–29. 2009 Western U.S. Pollution Prevention and Sustainability Conference. Presented by the Western Sustainability and Pollution Prevention
Network and (WSPPN) and the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention
Resource Center (PPRC), meeting jointly with EPA’s Regions 9 and 10).
The conference theme is “"P2 Solutions to Climate Change and
Sustainability." San Diego, Cal.
November 13–15. Green Festival – San Francisco. See description of similar event October 10–11 in Washington, D.C., above.
November 16–18. Brownfields 2009.
The 13th National Brownfields Conference, organized by EPA and ICMA
(the international association of local management officials), will
gather stakeholders from community, planning, real estate, finance, and
policy interests to focus on cleaning up and redeveloping abandoned,
underutilized, and potentially contaminated properties in the nation.
New Orleans, La.
December 6–9. Risk Analysis: The Evolution of a Science. This
annual meeting of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) will bring
together nearly 1,000 international scientists and practitioners from a
wide range of disciplines representing academia, government, industry,
NGOs, and private firms. The meeting will include several plenary
session as well as technical sessions. Alan Hecht, EPA Director for
Sustainable Development, will speak on “Assessing Environmental Impacts
of Renewable Energy Systems.” Baltimore, Md.
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