Gas Saving Tips
| Energy Policy Act of 2005 The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is a very important bill that will promote alternative energy usage and a move from petroleum energy sources. |
| Best Hybrid Car What is the best hybrid car on the market? Find out what hybrid car is beating out all the competition. |
| Google goes solar Google is going solar! This new initiative by Google will provide solar power for their campus, and reduce their impact on the environment. |
| Electricians union sees job growth in alternative energy The electrician’s union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, sees alternative energy as a field that will provide more jobs in the future. |
| Press Release: Guidelines for Texas School Construction Endorsed by Leading Environmental Group FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Thomas Glenn, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3460 Media Contact: Chris Smith, Environmental Defense Fund, 512.691.3451-w or 512.659.9264-c or csmith@edf.org (Austin—Oct. 21, 2008) Environmental Defense Fund urged Texas schools today to adopt proposed guidelines promoting the development of energy efficient school buildings. The guidelines, under public review until November 21, are part of Texas CHPS Criteria (TX-CHPS), a program designed to ensure sustainable development and construction of Texas schools.
Experts say that improved classroom settings result in higher student test scores and attendance rates, greater employee retention, reduced environmental impacts and lower operating costs.
“If all districts incorporate TX-CHPS into the design and construction of their new buildings, students will be more academically prepared and districts will save money on facility operating costs,” said Thomas Glenn, clean energy policy specialist for Environmental Defense Fund. “This is a great opportunity for Texas public school districts to invest in the future of high-quality schools.”
The program will not only focus on the construction of new environmentally responsible schools, but will also recommend upgrades for existing schools. If schools choose to adopt TX-CHPS, they will be guided through the implementation process with help from the CHPS organization and a Texas advisory committee, which worked to develop the program.
|
| 2007 Nissan Altima hybrid The 2007 Nissan Altima hybrid is ready to be announced as the newest hybrid car on the market. |
| Solar panel jacket This has got to be the coolest solar jacket available! Solar powered jackets from ScotteVest.com are straight from the future. |
| Beijing 2008 Olympics Solar The Beijing 2008 Olympics will be using an advanced solar system to heat the athletes showers. |
| Solar Power coming for PG&E Customers in California As the nation’s number one distributed solar utility, PG&E supports solar energy in a number of ways. |
| Gas Saving Tips With gas prices stuck in the stratosphere, you can save hundreds of dollars a year by using these tips and tricks to buy your gas for less. |
| Solar battery charger Solar battery chargers are in high demand because they are inexpensive and provide solar battery charging no matter where you go. |
| Press Release: Historic Quota Program Passed for West Coast Groundfish FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJennifer Witherspoon, EDF CA Communications Director, 415.378.1985 (mobile) or jwitherspoon@edf.org;Johanna Thomas, EDF Pacific Oceans Policy Director, 510.703.8484 (mobile) or jthomas@edf.org;(November 8, 2008: San Diego, CA) - The Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC), which governs West Coast fishing, approved late last night a groundbreaking plan to revitalize the multi-million dollar West Coast groundfish trawl fleet, after five years of planning and negotiation.“This is a watershed moment for West Coast fishing,” said Johanna Thomas Pacific Ocean Policy Director of Environmental Defense Fund. “Fishermen have struggled to make a living under ineffective regulations that weren’t working for the fish or the fishermen. Catch share programs have been proven to make fishing sustainable and to increase profits for fishermen, coastal communities and seafood processors alike.”The plan will create financial incentives that encourage fishermen to meet stringent performance standards. Called a catch share, also known as Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQ), it provides fishermen with a guaranteed percentage of the catch based on boat size and fishing history. Old management rules attempted to set a limit on the fishery as a whole through shortened seasons. The final decision on the groundfish catch share came after years of negotiations with communities and other stakeholders. The end result is an innovative new way to manage fisheries on the West Coast and a model for other fisheries around the country.Studies by EDF have shown that catch shares programs reduce bycatch by 40 percent. Bycatch is the unintentional capture of non-targeted species that is often tossed dead or dying overboard. It also fosters conservation and cooperation among fishermen. Competition for ever-dwindling fish is replaced by stewardship, where fishermen advise each other on which areas to fish or leave alone. At the same time, profits increase up to 80 percent per boat due to higher prices at the dock.The groundbreaking vote came late in the evening on Friday, following days of testimony from scores of fishermen and intense lobbying from large seafood processors who wanted allocations of the fishing privileges. Ultimately the Council decided to allocate 90 percent of the fishing shares directly to fishermen and to reserve 10 percent of the fishing rights for an “Adaptive Management” program to be used for communities to adjust to the new program. No fishing shares were allocated directly to seafood processors who had waged a major effort to gain a large percent of the fishing quota.The new IFQ program is considered critical for the recovery of the Pacific groundfish commercial trawl fishery, which was declared a “disaster” by the Secretary of Commerce in 2000 due to major declines in nine of 82 species of groundfish. Groundfish include soles and cod as well as deep-water “rockfish” like colorful canary and thorny heads – that are commonly marketed as red snapper. Landings for west coast trawlers had plummeted 70 percent in the last two decades. Revenues have dropped from $47.3 million to $22.2 million since 1998. Nearly all fish stocks around the world are declining or have collapsed. Studies recently published in the journals Nature and Science show that catch share systems reverse overfishing and even regrow depleted stocks. Catch shares also decrease wasteful discards and improve safety for fishermen. Catch share programs are presently used in parts of the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Iceland.With catch shares, fishermen know how much they can fish in a given year and can fish when prices and weather are best, thereby maximizing profits while fishing in a more careful, efficient, and sustainable way. With the certainty and time provided by catch shares, fishermen can greatly reduce haste and waste.Many positive precedents could be established once the IFQ is implemented, including a first-ever policy to allow fishermen to switch gear types to reduce bycatch and habitat impacts, and potentially allow them to deliver even higher quality harvests. In addition, the IFQ program would be one of a handful of fisheries in the U.S. with observers on every boat, which would improve scientific understanding of the health of the fishery. Once approved by the Department of Commerce, the plan will go into effect in 2011. |