FSC Family Forest Certification Moves Forward

 

FSC-US and the FSC Family Forests Alliance Announce

Next Steps in Standards Development Process

 

Reston, VA; April 16, 2008 -  Forest product and forestland certification are rapidly gaining recognition in the marketplace as vehicles for  rewarding responsible forest management practices.  More than 250 million acres of forests are certified around the world under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard.  Despite the growth in forest certification, it is often difficult for small ownerships and family forests to participate. 

 

“Family forests are an important part of the landscape and provide critically important ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, water quality protection, and wildlife habitat,” says Corey Brinkema, President of FSC-US.

 

At meetings held in Minneapolis on April 7th and 8th, the FSC-US undertook the next steps for expanding family forest certification opportunities in the United States.

 

“In the U.S. almost 60% of the forests are privately owned and it is important to include these lands in forest stewardship efforts,” says Kathryn Fernholz, Executive Director of Dovetail Partners and Secretariat for the FSC Family Forests Alliance, a collaborative group that is advocating for expanded access to FSC certification opportunities for small privately owned forests.

 

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the fastest growing global forest certification program and the only one endorsed by the world’s leading environmental and social non-governmental organizations.  In the U.S, the FSC has developed a Family Forests Program to ensure small landowners will be able to receive the benefits of FSC certification and sell their products under the FSC label.

 

“Our Family Forests Working Group was brought together to complete a process of reviewing the existing FSC certification standards and to offer recommendations on how to more effectively engage small landowners,” says Brinkema.

 

The FSC-US’s Family Forests Working Group includes representatives from the FSC Family Forests Alliance and other stakeholders. 

 

“My hope, and the hope of other Working Group members, is to use our many years of experience working with family forest certification, and the lessons we’ve learned to help make the program work better for everyone while still maintaining the high standards that are expected of FSC certification,” says John Gunn of the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands, an Alliance core organizer.

 

Additional meetings of the working group are planned in May 2008, and a public review and comment period will be announced later this summer. The full standards review and approval process is anticipated to be completed before the end of the year.

For more information:

http://www.familyforestsalliance.org

 

About Forest Stewardship Council

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC sets high standards that ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way. FSC-US, based in Reston, VA, is the U.S. National Initiative of FSC International, based in Bonn, Germany.

www.fscus.org

 

About FSC Family Forests Alliance

The FSC Family Forests Alliance has been created to provide a national mechanism for bringing together individuals and organizations committed to promoting responsible forest stewardship through FSC standards. By creating a forum for communication, cooperation, and information sharing, participants in the Alliance can pursue issues of common interest, learn from one another, and enlarge the community of landowners and small businesses practicing responsible forestry.

www.familyforestsalliance.org

 

 

World's first FSC-certified bamboo plywood and flooring

SMITH & FONG CO. TO PRODUCE WORLDS FIRST FSC-CERTIFIED BAMBOO ARCHITECTURAL PLYWOOD AND FLOORING

San Francisco, Calif. Smith & Fong Co., manufacturer of Plyboo bamboo architectural plywood and flooring, today announced it has secured certification according to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and established the sustainability of its bamboo forest resource, enabling the company to produce the worlds first range of FSC-certified bamboo plywood and flooring.

Product will be available to the North American market by this summer.

The independent European FSC-certifier Institut fr Marktogie (IMO) was impressed with our forestry practices and agreed that if we could meet the same FSC standards for a tree forest, it would certify our bamboo source, Smith & Fong president and founder Dan Smith said. We have been working with the bamboo forests and telling our story for more than a decade now, and were grateful to both FSC and IMO for validating our efforts.

We are pleased that Smith & Fong has expanded the North American marketplace for certified products by offering bamboo plywood and flooring with the FSC label, FSC-US president Corey Brinkema said. FSC is the worlds most highly respected certification for forest products. Whether a product is made of a traditional wood species, or a less traditional non-timber forest resource like bamboo, it is important for consumers to know that the forest is being managed to high social and environmental standards.

Smith & Fongs certified products will qualify for the FSC Pure designation, as they are 100-percent FSC material from an FSC-certified forest and have been sold and/or processed by an FSC chain-of-custody certified company. Smith further stated that the companys sources use no irrigation, pesticides or fertilizers in growing their bamboo. This is not only a success for the forests and the farmers who grow our bamboo, he said. Its a victory for everyone who believes in a sustainable future.

Smith & Fongs chain of custody (COC) certificate is from the SmartWood program of the Rainforest Alliance: SW-COC-003124.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Francisco, Smith & Fong Co. was the first U.S. company to manufacture bamboo flooring in China for sale in North America, offering its first product in 1993. In 1996 the firm began producing bamboo plywood, followed by coconut palm flooring and plywood products in 2000. Smith & Fong is committed to sustainability and innovation.

The Parking Garage: Design and Evolution of a Modern Urban Form

ULI NEWS              

The History of Parking Garages Points the Way to Innovative and

Sustainable Designs for the Future

 

The Parking Garage: Design and Evolution of a Modern Urban Form by Shannon Sanders McDonald

Showcases the Unique History of a Crucial Building Type

 

WASHINGTON (April 7, 2008)—While most people want to ignore, cover up, or put parking lots underground, architect Shannon Sanders McDonald explores their rich history and calls for their continued evolution as important modern-day structures in the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) new publication, The Parking Garage: Design and Evolution of a Modern Urban Form.

 

“The parking garage defines how people live and what industrialized society has become. It is a crucial building form that lies at the intersection of architecture, transportation, sustainability, and urban design,” says McDonald.

 

Vividly illustrated with hundreds of photographs, the book highlights best practices and demonstrates how well-designed parking positively affects project success and the urban environment. Two critical components of the book include showcasing sustainability––including green roofs, bicycle garages, and a review of environmentally friendly construction methods––and focusing on the need for a holistic approach to garage development.

 

According to McDonald, “The most important task today in garage design is to determine the unique needs of a particular location—not just now, but for the future—and to respond to those needs holistically: with an understanding of past solutions, a willingness to innovate, and a respect for the aesthetics, the functionality, and the social fabric of the surroundings.” 

 

McDonald argues that the parking garage represents an unresolved tension about modern life. On one hand, automobiles—the transportation system on which most people in the industrialized world depend—provides unique and unparalleled mobility. On the other, the parking garage is a large, imposing, desolate, and often stark structure—a physical manifestation of the realities of automobile-dependent cultures.

 

By examining this tension, McDonald brings to life the seemingly mundane history of the parking garage. Using an architect’s perspective, she chronicles the evolution and future of innovations from early elevator and ramp designs, through the modern, sustainable structures of today.

 

The Parking Garage: Design and Evolution of a Modern Urban Form (Urban Land Institute, 2007, ISBN 978-0-87420-998-3) is available at Amazon.com and through the Urban Land Institute: www.uli.org/bookstore or call 1-800-321-5011. The price is $87.95.

 

For more information, contact Peggy Meehan by e-mail at peggy@highnooncommunications.com or at 202-332-2303.

 

The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 38,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

Latest Trend in "Green" Movement - Eco-Lawn and Garden Care with SafeLawns.org

Washington, D.C. - www.SafeLawns.org

is a national non-profit dedicated to educating the public about eco-friendly lawn and gardening practices.

National Mall Organic Renovation- In 2007, SafeLawns teamed up with the National Park Service and EPA to do a four acre organic conversion renovation on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The organic treatment will not only be safer for both the environment and visitors, but the organic treatment will also allow some of the nation's most trampled and compacted grass to survive better. The area is open to the public as of March 28, 2008, just in time for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. SafeLawns will also take the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston, MA organic in 2008.

Don't forget! April is National Lawn and Garden Month- Spring is a perfect time to educate consumers on how to "Go Green In Your Own Backyard," by using environmentally friendly techniques such as organic lawn care methods, electric and reel lawn mowers, smart watering, and planting for your region.

Waste Management Officially Opens Landfill Gas-To-Energy Facility At Austin Community Landfill

 “Green” Electricity to Power Dell, Inc. Corporate Headquarters

 

AUSTIN, Texas – April 2, 2007 – Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WMI) today officially opened its latest waste-based renewable energy facility at the company’s Austin Community Landfill, whose “green” power will be delivered to Dell corporate headquarters in Round Rock.  The electricity from the landfill gas will power more than 40 percent of Dell headquarters’ energy needs.

 

            The landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) facility at the Austin Community Landfill will produce 6 megawatts of green electricity, which will produce enough energy to power over 6000 homes.  The plant is the ninth such facility in Texas for Waste Management.  In Texas, the company’s landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) plants generate more than 55 megawatts of green electricity, enough to power more than 50,000 homes.

 

            The Austin Community Landfill LFGTE plant is part of Waste Management’s national initiative to build 60 new renewable energy facilities over the next five years, and is part of the company’s environmental sustainability initiative to increase its waste-based energy production.  Today, Waste Management creates enough energy for the equivalent of 1 million homes each year.  By 2020, it expects to double that output, producing enough energy for the equivalent of more than 2 million homes.

 

            “Taking landfill gas and converting it to green power is a buried treasure for the community,” says Don Smith, general manager for Waste Management Central Texas.  “We take a once-wasted commodity and turn it into a long-term, reliable source of renewable energy, which is a major environmental plus for the Austin community and one of its major employers, Dell.”

 

"Dell underscored its commitment to being the greenest technology company on the planet today by running our global headquarters campus on 100 green power.  Partnering with leading companies like Waste Management and TXU in efforts like this will make a difference in protecting the Earth we all share," said Dane Parker, director of environmental health and safety for Dell.

 

            The power plant, located in the center of the landfill property, is equipped with four large engine/generators.  Each of the Caterpillar units generates 1,148 horsepower.  Each weighs approximately 26,500 pounds and stands 7 feet in height, 7.5 feet in width, and 16 feet in length.

 

            The plant captures the landfill gas, primarily methane, through a network of pipes and wells drilled into the landfill.  A vacuum system draws the gas from the landfill and conveys it to the power plant where it fuels the engines driving the generators to produce electricity.  The landfill gas recovery system includes more than 100 vertical gas extraction wells and 2,100 feet of horizontal wells.  Previously, the landfill gas was safely destroyed at a central flare. 

 

            The landfill will produce gas for the power plant for the next several decades and continue even after the landfill no longer accepts waste.

 

            A pioneer in LFGTE projects, Waste Management designed and operated its first facility in the United States over 20 years ago. With 277 landfills, Waste Management is the country’s largest landfill operator and is in a unique position to expand waste-based renewable power generation across the country.  The company is also exploring partnerships to expand its landfill gas-to-energy technology to other private and municipal landfills.

 

            The Austin Community Landfill also provides free electronics recycling, uses recycled concrete to build landfill roads, and recycles 300 tons of tires each year.  All landfill equipment purchased since 2002 meets Federal air standards for non-attainment areas.  Waste Management has also worked with neighbors to design and build a 30-acre Wildlife Habitat Park, which is the only Waste Management park in Texas certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council. 

 

About Waste Management

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. More information about how Waste Management Thinks Green® can be found at www.wm.com

 

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services they trust and value. Uniquely enabled by its direct business model, Dell is a leading global systems and services company and No. 34 on the Fortune 500. For more information, visit www.dell.com, or to communicate directly with Dell via a variety of online channels, go to www.dell.com/conversations. To get Dell news direct, visit www.dell.com/RSS.

EPA Defies Supreme Court on Climate Change

States and Conservation Groups File Suit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tony Kreindler – 202-572-3378 or 202-210-5791 (cell) or akreindler@edf.org

Vickie Patton – (720) 837-6239-c or vpatton@edf.org

(Washington, D.C. – April 2, 2008) Today a dozen states and eleven non-profit organizations filed suit to require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to comply with a Supreme Court ruling on the regulation of global warming pollution. The suit comes a year after the Court ruled that the EPA has the authority under existing law to regulate greenhouse gases and a week after the head of the EPA recanted his repeated commitment to respond to the decision on a firm and prompt time table.

The legal action asks a federal court in Washington, D.C. to direct the EPA to issue its determination whether global warming pollution endangers public health or welfare within 60 days.

"The EPA is defying the Supreme Court and endangering our economy, our environment, and our health," said Environmental Defense Fund Deputy General Counsel Vickie Patton. "The law and the science are clear: The EPA must act now." Environmental Defense Fund is a party to the suit.

The petitioning states are: Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Maryland and Minnesota. Three cities also joined the suit.

Background on the Issue

Supreme Court Decision and EPA's Broken Commitment to Respond

On April 2, 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the EPA's refusal to address global warming pollution under the Clean Air Act, finding that the statute clearly empowered EPA to address greenhouse gas emissions. In an opinion written by Justice John Paul Stevens, the High Court instructed EPA to determine whether global warming pollution endangers human health or welfare and, if so, to establish greenhouse gas emission standards for motor vehicles.

In the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court decision, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson repeatedly enunciated a public commitment to determine whether global warming pollution endangers human health or welfare and, if so, to issue proposed greenhouse emission standards for motor vehicles by the end of 2007 and final standards by the end of 2008. For example, EPA Administrator Johnson reasserted his firm commitment to act before a November 8, 2007 House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing: "The EPA plans to address the issue of endangerment when we propose regulations on greenhouse gas emissions for motor vehicles and fuels later this year." "EPA is firmly committed to addressing the long-term challenge of global climate change."

On March 12th, Congressman Henry Waxman (CA) released the results of transcribed interviews with senior EPA staff on the status of EPA's response to the Supreme Court's decision. The interviews revealed that some 60 to 70 EPA officials were working on the endangerment determination and proposed greenhouse gas motor vehicle regulations. Work was completed on both. Administrator Johnson had approved an affirmative endangerment determination and the documents were transmitted to the White House in December.

But only a few days ago, on March 27^th, the EPA Administrator effectively recanted his public statements, and informed Congressional leaders that EPA will take no meaningful regulatory action in response to the high Court. The Supreme Court could not have been more clear in compelling EPA to base its decision on science and the law and rejecting EPA's "laundry list" of reasons for inaction. Nearly one year ago, the Supreme Court wrote: "EPA has refused to comply with this clear statutory command. Instead, it has offered a laundry list of reasons not to regulate."

###

About Environmental Defense Fund

Environmental Defense Fund is at the forefront of an innovation revolution, developing new solutions that protect the natural world while growing the economy. Founded in 1967 and representing more than 500,000 members, the group creates powerful economic incentives by working with market leaders and relying on rigorous science. For more information, visit edf.org.

Used Oil Recycling Furnaces Save Big

Yesterday we received a case study about the use of used oil recycling furnaces at four companies in the United States and the before and after energy saving results caught our attention. One firm claims to recycle 10,000 gallons of used oils per year and points out that by doing so they have reduced their liability associated with transporting the used-oils to a disposal site and are doing something positive for the environment.

Read Before and After – Comparing Energy Bills on iGreenBuild.com and share your thoughts with us here on the blog.

EnviroGLAS Back For Year Three

EnviroGLAS, manufacturers of a variety of post-use recycled glass and porcelain products for decorative and practical use in green home building and environmentally friendly commercial construction, has renewed its online advertising with iGreenBuild.com for a third consecutive year.

"Products like EnviroGLAS generate a lot of interest and inquiries from people responsible for designing, building and buying homes, office buildings and school facilities," stated Matt Banes iGreenBuild.com Publisher and CEO of GBM Marketing, Inc.

"Using recycled glass and porcelain to create beautiful, eco friendly floor tiles, counter tops and decorative landscaping has given EnviroGLAS a great marketing edge in the green building business. Architects, home owners and builders are consistently requesting information and samples of this product," commented Stephen Schwing who reviews eco friendly building products for iGreenBuild.com.

Online advertising appears to be on the rise in the green building market. Browse through iGreenBuild.com and you'll find hundreds of companies featuring their products and services and targeting the entire food chain of potential buyers from the end user to the person designing a green home, high performance school or LEED certified building. Needless to say, online advertising is a great fit for challenging economic times as print advertising seems to be costly in comparison to its digital equivalent.

EnviroGLAS information is quick and easy to request at iGreenBuild.com. Advertising is just as simple so give it a click and browse away.

Friday's Green Video

If you haven't signed up for Friday's Green Video email from iGreenBuild.com don't wait any longer! Last month more than 8,000 green building enthusiasts watched the featured video clips emailed to them on two Fridays and the viewer feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

It seems as if our readers like the idea of an educational video clip on Friday, especially since the last day of the week seems to have people in good spirits. We polled a number of our readers and the majority of this group found it easy to watch and listen while handling other end of the week business tasks. With no special player required it's really easy to watch any of the videos we feature.

Today's Green Video publication features two clips. Clip #1 is from this week's "Eco:nomics" conference presented by The Wall Street Journal. Learn what Fred Krupp of The Environmental Defense Fund has to say about the business of going green. Video #2 is another helpful segment from Building Green TV. Play this clip and learn a few interesting statistics about landscaping and some eco friendly techniques for your next project.

Happy Friday!

Greening Technology

Today I learned how the information technology industry plans on reducing the enormous carbon footprint it leaves behind through the use of servers computers and other energy hungry equipment. Watch this informative video on iGreenBuild.com and consider some of the facts and solutions major firms like Microsoft will be implementing for years to come.