An award to reduce potent greenhouse gases "you never heard of"

It was an unqualified win for the environment: The phase-out of ozone depleting gases used as coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners the world over.

But in the last generation, their celebrated replacement, while not ozone-damaging, has also turned out to be deeply harmful to the environment. Called hydrofluorocarbons, they are potent greenhouse gases and can persist for years in the environment. Growing in popularity, some projections say HFCs could account for 19 percent of heat-trapping emissions by 2050. Read more: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2011/05/a_phase-out_of_the_worst_green.html Article courtesy of The Boston Globe-Green Blog posted by Beth Daley

 

 

T shows 5 percent surge in ridership

Recovering economy, gas prices are cited

 Ridership on the Red, Orange, and Blue lines grew 6.9 percent in March, compared with last March, to 516,000 per weekday. The Green Line saw a 7.7 percent surge, to 227,900 daily. 

 

 Travel on the MBTA grew in March by the largest percentage in more than two years, probably propelled by recovering employment and soaring gas prices in the Boston area.

 

The T — including the subway system, buses, and commuter rail — recorded an average of nearly 1.3 million passenger trips each weekday in March, a 5 percent increase from the year before. The sharpest growth was registered on subway and trolley lines, where ridership swelled 7.1 percent, according to statistics released by the transit agency this week.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/05/05/mbta_reports_a_5_percent_surge_in_ridership/?p1=News_links

Article Courtesy of The Boston Globe (Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff) By Eric Moskowitz Globe Staff

Auto pollution: California's carbon curbs upheld by appeals court

California's authority to pass its own air pollution standards, when they are stricter than federal law, withstood legal challenge Friday when a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Automobile Dealers Assn. did not have legal standing in the case.

Under the 1970 Clean Air Act, California may request waivers of federal standards in order to
enact its own, stricter laws -- a right granted because the state had its own pollution laws before the federal government’s Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/04/california-auto-clean-car-standards.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times -Greenspace by Margot Roosevelt

Mass AG asks for hold on Pilgrim nuclear plant re-licensing

Attorney General Martha Coakley is asking the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission not to give the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant permission to operate another 20 years until it is clear it can operate safely.

Coakley, who has raised numerous safety concerns in recent years about the storage of spent fuel rods at the plant, says the radioactive leak from a spent fuel pool at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant underscores the need for more review of the pools at U.S. reactors. The Pilgrim plant, which has the same basic design as the Fukushima plant, has applied for permission to operate after its license expires next year.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2011/05/mass_ag_asks_for_hold_on_pilgr.html

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe-Green Blog posted by Beth Daley

Washington || Multifamily Development Uses Zero Energy

A new multifamily residential demonstration that uses zero net energy is being built in Issaquah, Washington. The 10-unit townhome community uses smart design and cutting-edge technologies to radically reduce its environmental impacts. Called "zHome," the development will show that it is possible to build affordable multifamily homes that use zero net energy, 70% less water, emit zero net carbon emissions, have clean indoor air and use only low-toxicity materials. Read more:

http://news.wsu.edu/pages/publications.asp?Action=Detail&PublicationID=25749&TypeID=1

Article courtesy of Smart Growth Online

 

New York/Connecticut || Bi-State Sustainable Communities Consortium Launched

The New York/Connecticut Sustainable Communities Initiative was announced on April 15. This initiative, funded with a $3.5 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant, will help reposition the New York-Connecticut region to fully harness its innovation capabilities in a competitive global environment, build on its strong foundation of energy efficiency, and become as equitable as it is efficient. Read more: http://www.sustainablenyct.org

Article Courtesy of Smart Growth Online

"Food Hubs" Keep Economic Benefits in Communities

USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan has released the results of a nationwide analysis of "food hubs," an emerging business model that offers aggregation and distribution services for small and midsize food producers. Food hubs support local and regional food systems as an economic development strategy to keep wealth in local communities.

Over 100 food hubs across the U.S. generate sales of more than $1 million annually.

http://tinyurl.com/USDAfoodhubs  Article courtesy of Smarth Growth Online