Conservation 101: the Compete to Conserve Blog

photo credit: (nutmeg)

A new report from the environmental watchdogs at Greenpeace says that Beijing has lived up to many (though definitely not all) of its green promises made in its bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics.

As the Olympic Committee has noted, part of its selection decision was based on the hope that sustainable development would benefit China as it continues its crash course in rapid development. While there are many areas that could have been improved, sustainable development advocates are hoping that Beijing’s environmental successes will serve as a blueprint for other developing cities in China and around the world.

Greenpeace found that “Beijing achieved and in some cases surpassed original environmental goals but missed some opportunities that could have ensured a better short- and long-term environmental Olympic legacy for the city.”

Here’s a quick look at Beijing’s laudable green triumphs:

• A Shift Away from Polluting Fossil Fuels
  New Olympic venues showcase an array of sustainable energy technologies, including solar hot water, geothermal heating and air-conditioning, and solar photovoltaic systems. And wind power from a new nearby wind power station will provide enough energy to meet the annual demands of 100,000 families.
• New Energy Efficient Upgrades
  More than 32,000 household-heating systems have been upgraded from coal to electricity. And more than 50,000 large-scale boilers have been upgraded to be more energy efficient.
• Stringent Vehicle-Emission Standards
  Ahead of what was originally promised, new vehicles must now meet EURO IV emission standards, which are among the strictest in the world.
• Improved Public Transportation
  Four new rail lines have been added in Beijing. A fleet of new, natural-gas buses are running during the games. And fares have been reduced to encourage ridership, which now averages 19.5 million a day. (Olympic ticket-holders can ride free, for 51 days.)
• Improved Wastewater, Water Reuse, and Sewage Systems
  Drinking water now meets World Health Organization (WHO) standards and new reusing technologies should help with increased water demand. Rural sanitation construction is set to protect groundwater supplies. And the government has cracked down on illegal construction, farming, and mining, which pollutes waterways.
• Sponsors Going Green, Too
  Coca-Cola’s nearly 6,000 refrigeration units are HFC-free. (Hydrofluorocarbons replaced ozone-depleting CFCs in refrigeration units in the U.S. in the 1980s, but have since been pinpointed as a source of global warming because of their heat-trapping properties.) And Samsung is providing cell phones that are free of polluting polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and bromide flame retardants.

Overall, Greenpeace commends China and the city of Beijing for its efforts and for demonstrating that, given the political will, it is possible for a rapidly developing city to leap ahead of polluting technologies. But for any of the green initiatives to have any meaningful and lasting impact for China after the games, the country must engage in long-term energy reforms and move away from its dependence on hyper-polluting coal as an energy source.

Read the full Greenpeace report at:
http://www.greenpeace.org/china/en/news/green

photo credit: cursedthing

Those who feel a keg party is a true act of eco-consciousness now have vindication. The Princeton Review has just released its annual college rankings, and two schools have made both the “Green Rating Honor Roll” and “Top 20 Party Schools”: Arizona State University (Tempe) and the University of New Hampshire (Durham).

The Princeton Review bases many of its rankings, including the Top 20 Party Schools, on surveys collected from 120,000 students at 534 colleges and universities across the United States. It worked with ecoAmerica, a nonprofit environmental marketing agency, to develop its first ever “Green Rating,” which instead relies on information provided by the institutions.

The Princeton Review began the Green Ratings in response to a growing interest in sustainability among parents and prospective students. The company reports that 63% of those surveyed in its annual “Colleges Hopes & Worries Survey” say they would value knowing each school’s commitment to the environment.

Do Higher Bottle-Recycling Counts Boost Schools’ Rankings, Too?

Schools were judged by their overall commitment to environmental responsibility, how healthy and sustainable campus life is, and how well students are prepared for “employment and citizenship in a world defined by environmental challenges.” They answered questions on everything from energy use, recycling, food, buildings, and transportation to academic offerings (availability of environmental studies degrees and courses) and action plans and goals concerning greenhouse gas emission reductions.

The Princeton Review’s “2009 Green Rating Honor Roll”

The following 11 colleges (listed in alphabetical order) each received a Green Rating score of 99, which is the highest possible score:

1. Arizona State University at the Tempe campus
2. Bates College (Lewiston, ME)
3. Binghamton University (State Univ. of New York at Binghamton)
4. College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor, ME)
5. Emory University (Atlanta, GA)
6. Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
7. Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)
8. University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH)
9. University of Oregon (Eugene, OR)
10. University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
11. Yale University (New Haven, CT

For details on the Green Rating Honor Roll, its methodology, and other notable schools, visit http://www.princetonreview.com/green.aspx?uidbadge=%07

photo credit: tom.arthur

With companies like Clorox putting out product lines endorsed by the Sierra Club, should we be concerned about where all this “Go Green” is going?

Back in January 2008, the Sierra Club first announced its partnership with Clorox and the Green Works line of household cleaners—the first new line from Clorox in 20 years. While some consumers remain skeptical that the line is as green as it claims (phosphorus and bleach-free, with 99 percent natural ingredients like coconuts and lemon oil), the Sierra Club says they have fully investigated the line’s “green”ness and are happy to back the products.

But Clorox isn’t the only big-name company getting in the game, Colgate-Palmolive is currently promoting its own line of Eco-friendly, phosphorus-free cleaners, SC Johnson claims its recent Greenlist reformulations have removed 61 million pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from products including Windex, Pledge, and Fantastik Orange Action, and the list is growing steadily. (more…)

photo credit: naama

If you and your friends think recycling is better for bottles than boyfriends, then Green Speed Dating might be your ticket. NPR dispatched a ridiculously funny report from one such event in Southern California.

Now that green living is caliente, it was only a matter of time before eco-entrepreneurs started a matchmaker service focused on environmentally conscious singles seeking like-minded mates.

For a $20 entry fee (organizers say profits go to fund solar projects in Nicaragua), participants meet 10-20 people of the opposite sex in a similar age range and talk to each one for three minutes. Organizers ring a bell after three minutes is up, and you move on to the next speed dater. The time limit may seem short, but I’m assured from friends who have participated in other speed dating events that it can be an eternity if you’re stuck with a real dud!

At the end, everyone tells the organizers who they’d like to know better. If there’s a match, they send contact information to the interested parties.

Several events have been held in Southern California, with more on the way. If you’d like to host one in your area, the organizers ask you to contact them on the Green Speed Dating website.

Listen to NPR’s “Finding Carbon Neutral Love”:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92537810