1/30/2012

The first three pilot projects in the Sustainable Sites Initiative have recevied Certification!  They are:

• Novus Headquarters Campus, St. Charles, Missouri
• The Green at College Park, University of Texas, Arlington, Texas
• Woodland Discovery Playground at Shelby Farms Park, Memphis, Tennessee

To learn more about SITES Certification and these projects, click here.

 

 

 

1/23/2012

Most people are familiar with Energy Star as a certification for energy efficient products.  EPEAT is a rating system for electronic products that are environmentally preferable.  EPEAT was developed in 2001- 2006 through the efforts of the Western Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative (WEPSI) and an EPA grant to the Zero Waste Alliance (ZWA) to develop an electronics environmental assessment tool.

EPEAT stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, and it covers electronic products such as computers, monitors, laptops and thin clients. EPEAT registered products meet the IEEE family of Environmental Assessment Standards.  Products that meet required criteria receive EPEAT Bronze, required plus 50% optional criteria meet EPEAT Silver and required plus 75% of optional criteria meet EPEAT Gold.  The criteria include reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials (eg. mercury, hexavalent chromium, etc.), material selection, design for end of life, produce longevity, energy conservation, corporate performance and packaging.  Most of the criteria are specific to the product, but there are also reporting criteria for the company making the product.

To search for compliant electronics, try this EPEAT link for the US.

Read more ...

1/9/2012

The app "Our Choice:  A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis" was the winner of the 2011 Apple Design Award.  This is a beautifully designed app that uses the interactive opportunities of an app, amazing photos, animations, videos, documentary narration and navigation choices about what you read and what you experience first.  It is much more than a book, and on a very important topic.  Our Choice focuses on solutions that are underway or under study that can inspire readers to take action toward solving the climate crisis.  All proceeds are donated to the Alliance for Climate Protection.  If you are interested in experiencing a new type of book on an important topic, download the app 'Our Choice' for iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.