I am in the process of calculating Northgate’s baseline CARBON FOOTPRINT.
That’s right... We have one. And we don’t know what size of sandals we need for that upcoming vacation in Cabo.
So, please take a few minutes and complete a brief survey about how you get to and from work.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Rb107Zj1sDZrJOT8jMYBWw_3d_3d
Thanks!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Let Your Fingers Do the Walking
Are you tired of annually lugging 20 pounds of paper to the recycler?
Unsolicited phonebook delivery may soon go the way of the $1.99 toll for directory assistance (try 1-800-GOOG-411 if you haven't already).
Yellowpagesgoesgreen.com will contact the local telephone company on your behalf and ask them to stop delivering the yellow and/or white pages to your doorstep. The service doesn't cost you a cent.
It's similar to the National No-Call Registry that aims to stop (or at least decrease) the number of unwanted telephone solicitations.
Click this link to sign up: http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/stop-yellow-pages/
Unsolicited phonebook delivery may soon go the way of the $1.99 toll for directory assistance (try 1-800-GOOG-411 if you haven't already).
Yellowpagesgoesgreen.com will contact the local telephone company on your behalf and ask them to stop delivering the yellow and/or white pages to your doorstep. The service doesn't cost you a cent.
It's similar to the National No-Call Registry that aims to stop (or at least decrease) the number of unwanted telephone solicitations.
Click this link to sign up: http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/stop-yellow-pages/
Monday, August 18, 2008
Investing in Ecosystems
Stanford biologist sees money in preservation
Carrie Sturrock, SF Chronicle, August 18, 2008
Gretchen Daily, a Stanford biology professor, is working to protect the planet by convincing governments and big investors there's money to be made - or at least saved - in preserving nature instead of exploiting it.
Daily is the co-founder and chair of the Stanford-based Natural Capital Project. Under her leadership, a team of scientists has created software called InVEST, which can estimate the worth of a natural resource. In November, it will be distributed free. Already the Colombian government plans to use it to relicense water and land access.
Daily is the first biologist to attend a brainstorming session at Goldman Sachs, where she and some of Wall Street's brightest minds discussed how to create a financial model for pricing nature. She is working with economists, lawyers, and businesspeople to try to forge a new paradigm for the conservation movement.
She recently won the Sophie Prize, one of the environmental world's most esteemed honors. However, she makes clear that her "ecosystem services" ideas aren't new: the notion that nature provides invaluable services can be traced to Plato.
Read the complete story here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/18/MNH31227HE.DTL
Carrie Sturrock, SF Chronicle, August 18, 2008
Gretchen Daily, a Stanford biology professor, is working to protect the planet by convincing governments and big investors there's money to be made - or at least saved - in preserving nature instead of exploiting it.
Daily is the co-founder and chair of the Stanford-based Natural Capital Project. Under her leadership, a team of scientists has created software called InVEST, which can estimate the worth of a natural resource. In November, it will be distributed free. Already the Colombian government plans to use it to relicense water and land access.
Daily is the first biologist to attend a brainstorming session at Goldman Sachs, where she and some of Wall Street's brightest minds discussed how to create a financial model for pricing nature. She is working with economists, lawyers, and businesspeople to try to forge a new paradigm for the conservation movement.
She recently won the Sophie Prize, one of the environmental world's most esteemed honors. However, she makes clear that her "ecosystem services" ideas aren't new: the notion that nature provides invaluable services can be traced to Plato.
Read the complete story here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/18/MNH31227HE.DTL
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Follow the Money
Clean-tech investment leaps 83% in a year
Deborah Gage, San Francisco Chronicle, August 5, 2008
U.S. venture investments in clean-technology companies climbed to a record $961.7 million in the second quarter of 2008 - up 41 percent from the first quarter and 83 percent from the same quarter last year, according to a new report from Ernst & Young.
"It's not just energy - there are a host of markets, from fuels to electricity to storage to efficiency to water treatment," said Jeff Grabow, head of Ernst & Young's clean-tech unit for the Pacific Northwest.
Read the complete story here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/08/05/BUQE11TFP5.DTL
Deborah Gage, San Francisco Chronicle, August 5, 2008
U.S. venture investments in clean-technology companies climbed to a record $961.7 million in the second quarter of 2008 - up 41 percent from the first quarter and 83 percent from the same quarter last year, according to a new report from Ernst & Young.
"It's not just energy - there are a host of markets, from fuels to electricity to storage to efficiency to water treatment," said Jeff Grabow, head of Ernst & Young's clean-tech unit for the Pacific Northwest.
Read the complete story here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/08/05/BUQE11TFP5.DTL
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
3.1 Billion Water Bottles
California AG threatens lawsuit to block bottling plant
Associated Press, July 29, 2008
Attorney General Jerry Brown says he will sue to block a proposed water-bottling operation in McCloud, California, unless its effects on global warming are evaluated. Nestle Waters North America wants to pump about 200 million gallons of water a year from three natural springs that supply McCloud, a former lumber town located about 280 miles north of San Francisco.
Brown said the project's previous environmental review had "serious deficiencies", including failure to evaluate if the operation will contribute to global warming through the production of plastic bottles, the operation's electrical demands, and the diesel soot and greenhouse gas emissions produced by trucks traveling to and from the plant.
Read the complete story here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/29/financial/f135206D79.DTL
Associated Press, July 29, 2008
Attorney General Jerry Brown says he will sue to block a proposed water-bottling operation in McCloud, California, unless its effects on global warming are evaluated. Nestle Waters North America wants to pump about 200 million gallons of water a year from three natural springs that supply McCloud, a former lumber town located about 280 miles north of San Francisco.
Brown said the project's previous environmental review had "serious deficiencies", including failure to evaluate if the operation will contribute to global warming through the production of plastic bottles, the operation's electrical demands, and the diesel soot and greenhouse gas emissions produced by trucks traveling to and from the plant.
Read the complete story here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/29/financial/f135206D79.DTL
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
WCI Partners' Plan to Combat Global Warming
Western Climate Initiative Cap-and-Trade Proposal
Matthew Yi, San Francisco Chronicle, July 23, 2008
California, six other Western states and four Canadian provinces will launch a market-based carbon trading system in a major North American effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to a draft proposal released today. The proposal is a key component for the Western Climate Initiative, a partnership created in February 2007 among California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. The group - which also includes Utah, Montana, and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario - has set a regional goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent of 2005 levels by 2020.
Matthew Yi, San Francisco Chronicle, July 23, 2008
California, six other Western states and four Canadian provinces will launch a market-based carbon trading system in a major North American effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to a draft proposal released today. The proposal is a key component for the Western Climate Initiative, a partnership created in February 2007 among California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. The group - which also includes Utah, Montana, and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario - has set a regional goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent of 2005 levels by 2020.
When it officially begins in four years, the program will first target heavy polluters such as electric utilities, oil refineries, and large industrial and commercial facilities, which would be required to begin reporting emission levels beginning in 2011. The plan also includes an offsets system.
The WCI “Draft Design of the Regional Cap-and-Trade Program” builds on the draft recommendations released by the group in May. The Draft Design being released today will be discussed at WCI's third Stakeholder Workshop, which will be held in San Diego on Tuesday, July 29.
Read the complete story here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/23/BAF511TSGO.DTL
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Transportation Survey
The results are in. On behalf of the Green Team, Taylor surveyed the Oakland office to determine our commuting preferences, and the results look good.
Some snippets from our respondents:
- most regularly take public transportation, bike, or walk to work rather than drive their personal car
- most drive less than 5 days per month
- there is interest in carpooling or joining a car-share program to further minimize personal driving
Contact Taylor for more information, the full results (also posted in the kitchen), or if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Science Café
Science Cafe
Monday, July 21, 7:00pm-9:00pm
Atlas Cafe, 3049 20th St, San Francisco, 415-648-1047
Down to a Science presents Dr. Paul Blanc, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, to share the hidden health dangers of many everyday products.
The presentation is free.
Down to a Science is a "Science Café", a casual forum where scientists discuss their research with the public. The mission is to promote civic discourse through scientific dialogue with a focus on science in the Bay Area.
Down to a Science also features a blog with content related to the topics. The next science cafe is titled "Robots and Representational Democracy".
Monday, July 21, 7:00pm-9:00pm
Atlas Cafe, 3049 20th St, San Francisco, 415-648-1047
Down to a Science presents Dr. Paul Blanc, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, to share the hidden health dangers of many everyday products.
The presentation is free.
Down to a Science is a "Science Café", a casual forum where scientists discuss their research with the public. The mission is to promote civic discourse through scientific dialogue with a focus on science in the Bay Area.
Down to a Science also features a blog with content related to the topics. The next science cafe is titled "Robots and Representational Democracy".
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Green Building
California sets standards for green construction
Matthew Yi, San Francisco Chronicle, July 17, 2008
California became the first state to enact green building standards under a voluntary plan that cuts energy and water use. The plan adopted by the California Building Standards Commission calls for all new construction to cut energy use by 15 percent, water use by 20 percent, and water for landscaping by 50 percent. The code is scheduled to kick in starting July 1, 2009. The code will be voluntary while the commission works on a mandatory regulation, which the panel hopes to have in place by end of 2010 or beginning of 2011.
Read the complete story here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/17/BAMG11R59J.DTL&tsp=1
Matthew Yi, San Francisco Chronicle, July 17, 2008
California became the first state to enact green building standards under a voluntary plan that cuts energy and water use. The plan adopted by the California Building Standards Commission calls for all new construction to cut energy use by 15 percent, water use by 20 percent, and water for landscaping by 50 percent. The code is scheduled to kick in starting July 1, 2009. The code will be voluntary while the commission works on a mandatory regulation, which the panel hopes to have in place by end of 2010 or beginning of 2011.
Read the complete story here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/17/BAMG11R59J.DTL&tsp=1
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Support Your Local Farmer(s)
Consider joining a CSA!
A CSA (short for Community Supported Agriculture) is a nifty way for you to have a closer relationship with the food you eat by directly supporting a farm in your local area. Many farms offer produce subscriptions, where buyers receive a weekly or monthly box of vegetables, fruit, flowers, eggs, grass-fed beef, olive oil, milk, coffee...all sorts of delicious stuff. By making a financial commitment to a farm in advance, you become a member, shareholder, or subscriber of the CSA. Some CSAs also welcome (or require) members to work a small number of hours on the farm during the growing season.
There was a decent article in the NY Times today about CSAs.
Find a CSA that serves your neighborhood at Local Harvest.
And, joining a CSA is a great way to meet the 100-mile diet challenge (see Sarah White's July 8, 2008 email...thanks, Sarah!).
Feel welcome to ask me about my experience with CSAs too...I used to get produce from mariquita farms, and currently subscribe to eating with the seasons...and they're great!
A CSA (short for Community Supported Agriculture) is a nifty way for you to have a closer relationship with the food you eat by directly supporting a farm in your local area. Many farms offer produce subscriptions, where buyers receive a weekly or monthly box of vegetables, fruit, flowers, eggs, grass-fed beef, olive oil, milk, coffee...all sorts of delicious stuff. By making a financial commitment to a farm in advance, you become a member, shareholder, or subscriber of the CSA. Some CSAs also welcome (or require) members to work a small number of hours on the farm during the growing season.
There was a decent article in the NY Times today about CSAs.
Find a CSA that serves your neighborhood at Local Harvest.
And, joining a CSA is a great way to meet the 100-mile diet challenge (see Sarah White's July 8, 2008 email...thanks, Sarah!).
Feel welcome to ask me about my experience with CSAs too...I used to get produce from mariquita farms, and currently subscribe to eating with the seasons...and they're great!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)