(Washington, D.C.-Nov. 30, 2005) EPA today awarded $410,000 to 41 student teams for the 2005-2006 academic year to research and develop sustainable designs through the People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) competition. Sustainable development maintains economic growth while protecting the natural systems of the planet, thus preserving natural resources for future generations. The P3 student design competition was launched in January 2004, and several 2004 winners' designs have been successfully implemented into business practices.

"In an era of rising energy costs, the results of the first year of the P3 competition should make people sit up and take notice! They not only demonstrated that companies can reduce their bottom line by sustainable practices, but also the marketability of new conservation tools," said George Gray, assistant administrator for the Office of Research and Development. "In last year's competition, four student projects became new businesses with clients, two of them marketing energy monitoring systems. Other designs explored biodiesel production, solar thermal heating systems, green roofs, and stormwater management. We look forward to seeing the results of the competition for the 2005-2006 awards announced today."

A specially developed oil mixture reduced airborne levels of particulate matter at a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) in a study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The researchers evaluated an oil spray developed to reduce the airborne health hazards at industrial feeding facilities. Chronic respiratory illnesses are a serious concern for CAFO workers, as well as for the surrounding communities and animals themselves. The study, published in the current online edition of Environmental, Science and Technology, measured indoor air pollution in a mid-Atlantic swine facility. It found ten-fold reductions in the amounts of dust and bacteria in a barn where the spray was used compared with an identical barn where no spray was used. In contrast, however, the oil spray did not impact levels of ammonia, another pollutant generated from CAFO facilities.

Keys to keeping air compressor systems from putting downward pressure on the bottom line.

Compressed air is used throughout the manufacturing industry in a multitude of applications. When compressed air systems aren’t operating at peak efficiency, they become a huge drain on the bottom line. Air systems are vulnerable to energy waste, leaks, contaminants, pressure variability and artificial demand. Problems might be attributable to incorrect piping, high operating temperature, poor condensate control or other detrimental conditions.

Installation and maintenance performed in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications should alleviate many of these issues. When problems occur, seemingly minor adjustments often can save a plant thousands of dollars.

Ed Bishop
If you have a heating or cooling systems that uses air ducts, you could have a problem.

There are many duct systems that are poorly designed and installed that have the ability to bring pollutants into your home.

Some are ducts are located in wet or damp crawl spaces and basements.

I've seen some of these areas and some look like an open sewer.

Having ducts that are not properly sealed or insulated in these locations can draw moisture, mold, bacteria and even carbon monoxide into the building.

Unsealed ducts have the same effect as opening a hatch to these ares, the only difference is that you don't see it and the fan from the heating or cooling appliance will force more of the pollutants into the living space at a much higher rate.

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute has awarded GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification to Nevamar® high- pressure decorative laminates and metal surfaces. The Nevamar laminates were scientifically tested to the GREENGUARD Standards for Low Emitting Products. Earning GREENGUARD Certification means that professionals and homeowners alike can trust the Nevamar decorative surfaces to create spaces free of harmful pollutants.

"Nevamar Company is committed to the environment and protecting our customers," commented Joe Black, Nevamar's North America Specifications Manager. "Our GREENGUARD Certification illustrates how much importance we place on the indoor environment and the health of our customers."

EPA updated air quality monitoring data with particle pollution measurements from both Mississippi and New Orleans Oct. 15, 2005 through Nov. 7, 2005. Results show that measurements of fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) particles from all locations were below EPA's health-based screening level for the general population (65 micrograms per cubic meter for PM2.5, 250 micrograms per cubic meter for PM10). However, for two sites, Dedeaux Road in Gulfport, Miss., and Klondyke Road, Long Beach, Miss., spikes were recorded in fine particles above the screening level established for sensitive groups (40 micrograms per cubic meter). These two monitoring stations were established to evaluate the impact burning debris has on nearby air quality. Elevated levels at these sites were reported for a total of eight days, with concentrations ranging from 58 - 43 micrograms per cubic meter. After each spike, fine particle concentrations dropped below health-based screening levels for sensitive groups.

Tokyo, Japan - Total sales of products from Sharp Corporation and from companies in other industries equipped with Plasmacluster Ion(R) technology, Sharp's proprietary air purification technology, reached 10 million units*1 worldwide on November 21, 2005. Sharp first embedded this technology in air purifiers in September 2000, as a revolutionary cleaning system that deactivates harmful substances in the air. Since then, Sharp has equipped products such as air conditioners and refrigerators with Plasmacluster Ion generators, and now, use of this technology has expanded to products in other industries as well, including toilets with bidet seats and in-vehicle air purifiers. The ratio of sales in Japan versus internationally is 9:1, and in Japan*2, one in five households have at least one Plasmacluster Ion product.

This year's surge in gasoline prices was a reminder that America's energy policies have failed to promote the development of alternative fuels with the urgency needed.
Wisconsin has an opportunity to start correcting that failure by jump-starting the use and production of ethanol, an alcohol fuel that in the United States is made chiefly from corn, a home- grown crop.

The state Legislature should take advantage of that opportunity by requiring that most gasoline in Wisconsin be blended with ethanol to produce E10, a fuel that is 10 percent ethanol.

By increasing the demand for ethanol, the E10 proposal has the potential to expand ethanol production in Wisconsin, creating jobs and income. E10 also shows promise for reducing the pump price for consumers, and it can enhance energy security by developing renewable energy to cut our dependence on imported oil.

By now everybody knows climate change is with us. The scientists are saying so. Government departments are saying so. Even big business is saying so. Most nation states are saying so. Even countries like Australia, the world's biggest coal exporter and the US, the world's biggest global warmer, who both refused to be party to the Kyoto Protocol, acknowledge climate change is upon us. Everybody's also acutely aware of the likely scenarios that climate change will bring if it goes unchecked _ more frequent hurricanes, landslides, flooding, drought, glacial retreat, rising sea levels, community displacement, starvation, environmental degradation. So when the 149 signatories to the Kyoto pact sit down in Montreal for the first time on Nov 28 it's to be hoped that they realise the magnitude of the responsibility they have to lead the planet towards some semblance of a solution.

By Gary Feuerberg

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) will be held from Nov 28 to Dec 9 in Montreal, Canada, and promises to be the largest intergovernmental climate conference since the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997. The expectation is that 8,000 to 10,000 participants will be attending from 189 countries and the European Union.

Why all the hullabaloo for the Montreal 2005 climate change conference?

This is not the first such conference but actually the 11th. To sort out all the history, previous conferences, and scientific background related to this issue is a daunting task. The science, politics, and business of climate change is a very complicated subject. It's difficult to follow the many conferences, treaties, protocols, and technological advances.