Switchboard: Natural Resource Defense Council Blog

Make Your Voices Heard: Vote in the 2014 Elections

Frances Beinecke – President of NRDC: Posted October 27, 2014 in U.S. Law and Policy

Tags:: campaignads, citizenaction, climatechange, polluters

Now is the time of year Americans can exercise our most powerful form of citizen activism. We get to cast our ballots for the leaders of our choice. This is an opportunity not to be squandered, and I urge you...continued→ | comments (3)

New Study Reveals Computer Insomnia, and Higher Energy Costs and Pollution than Previously Estimated

Pierre Delforge – Director, High Tech Sector Energy Efficiency: Posted October 27, 2014 in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: CaliforniaEnergyCommission, computerefficiency, efficiencystandards, energy, energyefficiency, EnergyStar, keystrokesleep, plugload, UCI

A new study released today defies the conventional assumption that computers spend approximately half of their time switched on and the other half either in “sleep mode” using very little electricity or turned off altogether. This also means the estimates...continued→ | comments

Fact, Not Fiction: Floridians Support Action on Carbon Pollution

Pamela Rivera – Latino Engagement Associate / Program Assistant: Posted October 27, 2014 in Curbing Pollution

Tags:: cleanpowerplan, florida, pollution

On Wednesday, a group called "Partnership for a Better Energy Future," released a poll purporting to show that a "plurality of voters (47 percent) oppose" the EPA's Clean Power Plan. At first glance, those results might seem alarming, until you...continued→ | comments

Virginia's Utility Regulatory Staff: Wielding a Nuclear Ax When Toothpicks Would Do

Walton Shepherd – Staff Attorney: Posted October 27, 2014

Tags:: actonclimate, CleanPowerPlan

With Virginia already 80 percent of the way toward meeting its climate pollution reduction target under the proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP), and Governor McAuliffe’s Energy Plan poised to get the state the rest of the way, it’s perplexing that...continued→ | comments

New guide from ASLA highlights urban green, literally, in Portland

Kaid Benfield – Special Counsel for Urban Solutions, Washington, DC: Posted October 27, 2014 in Green Enterprise, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably

Tags:: ASLA, greeninfrastructure, landscapearchitecture, portland, smartgrowth

As many readers know, I am a huge fan of the American Society of Landscape Architects and their leadership on thoughtful ways to integrate nature into our cities. It’s easy to take nature for granted when we are in...continued→ | comments

China Environmental News Alert October 20-26

Greenlaw from NRDC China – NRDC China Program: Posted October 27, 2014 in Greening China

Tags:: china, chinaair, chinacoal, chinaenergy, chinaenvironment, chinaoffshore, mining, oil, smog

China's coal use falls for first time this century, analysis suggests Guardian (October 22, 2014) The amount of coal burned in the first three-quarters of 2014 was 1-2% lower than a year earlier, according to Greenpeace energy analysts in China. The drop...continued→ | comments

India's Latest Step Towards Becoming Solar Leader

Anjali Jaiswal – Senior Attorney: Posted October 24, 2014 in Curbing Pollution, Green Enterprise, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: india, international, MNRE, nationalsolarmission, nsm, solar, solarenergy, solarguidelines, solarmission

Co-authored by Meredith Connolly, NRDC Energy Law and Policy Fellow In the midst of celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights, India is making progress in expanding its solar energy market. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is moving...continued→ | comments

The Zero Food Waste Forum: A Place Where Waste Reduction Magic Happened

Dana Gunders – Project Scientist, Food and Agriculture: Posted October 24, 2014 in Living Sustainably

Tags:: food, foodefficiency, foodtips, foodwaste, footprint, sustainableagriculture, sustainablefood, waste, wastedfood

This is a guest blog by my new fabulous Program Assistant Ariel Cooper, who attended the Zero Food Waste Forum last week. Hopefully you can all make the next one! Last week people gathered from over 30 states, 6 different...continued→ | comments

Russian roulette in the shale patch III - Exposure of oil and gas workers to silica sand

Tanja Srebotnjak – Public Health Research Fellow: Posted October 24, 2014

Tags:: drilling, gas, health, hydraulicfracturing, occupational, oil, safety, sand, silica, worker

This is part three in a three-part series on the occupational health and safety risks of workers in the booming oil and gas industry. A study of oil and gas workers found unsafe exposures to a contaminant that can cause...continued→ | comments (1)

Russian roulette in the shale patch II - Oil and gas workers exposed to hazardous chemicals

Tanja Srebotnjak – Public Health Research Fellow: Posted October 24, 2014

Tags:: drilling, gas, health, hydraulicfracturing, oil, safety, worker

This is part two in a three-part series on the occupational health and safety risks of workers in the booming oil and gas industry. The expansion in U.S. oil and gas production due to advances in horizontal drilling techniques and...continued→ | comments

Russian roulette in the shale patch I - The oil and gas industry has one of the highest fatality rates across all industries

Tanja Srebotnjak – Public Health Research Fellow: Posted October 24, 2014

Tags:: accidents, drilling, fatalities, gas, health, hydraulicfracturing, occupational, oil, safety, worker

This is part one in a three-part series on the occupational health and safety risks of workers in the booming oil and gas industry. Occupational fatality data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveal that an oil and...continued→ | comments

I can't hear you: Noise pollution is a health threat near unconventional oil and gas sites

Tanja Srebotnjak – Public Health Research Fellow: Posted October 24, 2014

Tags:: drilling, gas, health, hydraulicfracturing, noise, occupational, oil, safety, workers

The concerns about air and water pollution resulting from the explosive growth in unconventional oil and gas development using hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) and other controversial stimulation methods have received a lot of attention recently. Increased oil and gas production using...continued→ | comments (1)

Latin America Green News: renewed threat to Cabo Pulmo in Mexico, change in electric model needed in Chile, deforestation up in Brazil

Maria Martinez – Program Assistant, Director of Programs & Latin America Project: Posted October 24, 2014

Tags:: argentina, baja, brazil, cabocortes, cabopulmo, change, chile, climate, conservation, deforestation, dondiego, energy, international, latingreennews, marine, mexico, mining, renewables

Latin America Green News is a selection of weekly news highlights about environmental and energy issues in Latin America. October 20th – October 24th, 2014 Renewable Energy In Chile, non-conventional renewable energy generation from wind, thermo solar, and photo voltaic...continued→ | comments

New Operations Center To Help New York State Save 5 Percent On Energy

Kit Kennedy – Director of Energy and Transportation: Posted October 24, 2014 in Curbing Pollution, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: buildsmartny, energyefficiency, energymanagement, lloydkass, nyenergymanager, nypa, renewableenergy, sunypolytechnicinstitute

New York State faces a challenge as it ramps up energy efficiency and renewable energy use in its 3,000-plus state buildings. To get the most bang for its buck, the state needs to make sure the systems are working right,...continued→ | comments

Europe takes first step towards Paris agreement: Commits to next round of emissions cuts

Jake Schmidt – International Climate Policy Director: Posted October 24, 2014 in Solving Global Warming

Tags:: climatechange, climatetalks, european, globalwarming, international, parisclimate2015, union

The European Union has agreed to an additional package of measures to address climate change as they become the first country to announce their post-2020 climate targets in advance of the Paris agreement next December. Europe agreed to cut their...continued→ | comments

Polluters Push a Paragon of Misinformation, But Most Americans Want Climate Action

Pete Altman – Climate and Clean Air Campaign Director: Posted October 24, 2014 in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Solving Global Warming

Tags:: carbonpollution, climate, epa

A new “poll,” with some state-by-state results, is part of a larger, polluter-coordinated, national disinformation campaign to keep our air dirty, our health in jeopardy and our country paralyzed in the face of real and growing threats from climate change....continued→ | comments (1)

NRDC helping to launch local climate resiliency effort in North Carolina - Luis Martinez (October 23, 2014)
Halloween Energy Vampires Survival Guide 2014 - Noah Horowitz (October 23, 2014)
Floridian's Deliver over 92,000 Petitions to Governor Scott Asking Him to #ActOnClimate - Pamela Rivera (October 23, 2014)
The City of New Orleans Announces New Resiliency Initiative: Benchmarking Energy Use of Municipal Buildings - Kimi Narita (October 23, 2014)
First New York Green Bank deals to bring up to $800MM in Clean Energy Investments to New York State - Doug Sims (October 22, 2014)
A Major Agreement That is Good News for Utah Wilderness - Bobby McEnaney (October 22, 2014)
Threat to Cabo Pulmo National Park from Cabo Cortés project re-emerges - Carolina Herrera (October 22, 2014)
The Clean Water Act -- 42 Birthday Candles and Half a Million Americans Who Support It - Jon Devine (October 22, 2014)
Burden of the Boom: Who Will Pay the Price for Fracking in California? - Miriam Rotkin-Ellman (October 22, 2014)
Feeding the 5000 Oakland: Bringing Food Waste Awareness by the Dumpster Load - Tiffany Traynum (October 21, 2014)
This Is How America Will Cut Dangerous Pollution and Stamp Out Our Carbon Footprint - Frances Beinecke (October 21, 2014)
AWEA's Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition Emphasizes Offshore Wind's Bright Future While Also Calling for Action - Kit Kennedy (October 21, 2014)
The tar sands train that couldn't - Anthony Swift (October 21, 2014)
Grid Modernization and Public Lands - Carl Zichella (October 20, 2014)
How a Koch-Funded Group Attacking Clean Fuels Standards Flubs the Math - Simon Mui (October 20, 2014)
The Benefits of Wind Energy in Iowa: A Valuable, Reliable Crop for This Agricultural State - Katharine McCormick (October 20, 2014)
Compact and connected communities improve public health, says new research - Kaid Benfield (October 20, 2014)
China Environmental News Alert (10/11 - 10/19/2014) - Greenlaw from NRDC China (October 19, 2014)
Fossil-fuel funded study: net gains from EPA's Clean Power Plan - Laurie Johnson (October 18, 2014)
Latin America Green News: Peru's melting glaciers, Paraguay's new deforestation fine, Mexico's proposed offshore phosphate mine, Chile's recent oil spill - Carolina Herrera (October 17, 2014)

About

Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.

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