The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its Annual Greenhouse Gas Index (AGGI) number today, which measures the direct climate influence of a select set of greenhouse gases, and the news is not good. The numbers continue to climb, further evidence that the greenhouse effect is on the rise.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/11/noaa-greenhouse-gas-index-climbs.html
Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times-Greenspace posted by Dean Kuipers
Hewlett-Packard Co. has claimed the No. 1 spot on the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics released Wednesday. The Palo Alto-based manufacturer of printers, computers and other consumer electronics scored 5.9 out of a possible 10 points on the 17th iteration of the guide from the international environmental organization.
Hewlett-Packard took the No. 1 position due largely to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations as well as its suppliers, and a procurement policy that excludes paper from companies linked with illegal logging and deforestation. Computer maker Dell Inc., based in Round Rock, Texas, took second place, and also scored well for its greenhouse gas emission reductions and paper policies. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/11/greenpeace-guide-to-greener-electronics.html
Article Courtesy of The Los Angeles Times Greenspace posted by Susan Carpenter
MOSCOW—A Russian space probe aiming to land on a Mars moon was stuck circling the Earth after equipment failure Wednesday, and scientists raced to fire up its engines before the whole thing came crashing down.
One U.S. space expert said the craft could become the most dangerous manmade object ever to hit the planet
Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by Vladimir Isachenkov Associated Press
PARIS—The chief economist for the International Energy Agency says the world is hurtling toward irreversible climate change unless governments cut fossil fuel subsidies and improve energy efficiency.
Fatih Birol says that even though governments the world over have put increasing energy efficiency at the top their to-do lists, efficiency has worsened for two years in a row. http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2011/11/09/iea_time_running_out_to_limit_earths_warming/
Article courtesy of The Boston Globe by from the Associated Press
Mesa, Chandler, and other Arizona communities in the Phoenix area are turning to more infill developments, reports the Tucson Citizen. "We have been pounding that drum for higher densities, for more mixed-use development, for adaptive reuse, for all the things we call smart growth strategies," says Diane Brossart, president of Valley Forward Association. "It hasn't always been popular, but I do see it starting to shift. That's good news for all of us."
Article courtesy of The Arizona Republic by Weldon B. Johnson
A recent article in Architectural Record reported on the growing popularity of covering sunken freeways with “land bridges,” and using the found space to reconnect neighborhoods that were torn apart by the highway construction boom of the 1950s and 1960s. Seattle, Boston, and Phoenix have all constructed these highway caps, and Dallas is currently building a three-block-long park over a freeway. http://archrecord.construction.com/yb/ar/article.aspx?story_id=165215636
Article courtesy of Smart Growth from The Chicago Tribune-by Blair Kamin-Tribune architecture critic
Just yesterday a retaining bluff collapsed at the We Energies Oak Creek Power Plant in Wisconsin, sending toxic coal ash spewing into Lake Michigan. Coal ash, the waste product of coal-fired power plants, contains elevated levels of arsenic, mercury and lead -- and now it's spilled into the Great Lakes ecosystem!
Article courtesy of Mary Anne Hitt -Sierra Club
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