Month: December 2011

Upcoming Practice Greenhealth webinars

These webinars are FREE for Practice Greenhealth members and $99 for non-members. Register here.

Green Operations Series:  Healthy Hospitals: Managing Facilities Without Toxic Pesticides Through Integrated Pest Management (IPM) & Organic Land Care: This webinar is scheduled for December 14 at 2 p.m. ET.

The need to ensure that health care facilities’ indoor environment is healthy and patients are specifically protected form toxic pesticides is drawing increasing public attention at a time when there is heightened concern about toxic chemical practices and products that can adversely affect human and environmental health. Based on the success of the Maryland Integrated Pest Management in Health Care Facilities project, participants will learn about the issue from leading experts and practitioners in the field with on-the-ground experience in health care facilities.

Green Operations Series: Greening Sharps Management and Disposal: This webinar is scheduled for January 12th, 2:00-3:00 PM Eastern
Hospitals generate approximately 26.8 pounds of waste per staffed bed per day. Practice Greenhealth award winning facilities, on average, segregate 9% of that as potentially infectious material, or regulated medical waste. A subset of this 9% is sharps waste – that is, anything that can cut or puncture the skin. Proper sharps management is a regulatory, safety, infection control and environmental issue. Whether using disposable, recyclable or reusable sharps containers, hospitals benefit from a close scrutiny of this process to improve efficiency, safety and associated costs.

Learn about sharps management and hear two case studies – one with a reusable sharps management program and one that recycles both the container and its contents. Join us and bring your team!

This webinar is brought to you through an educational grant from BD

Greening the OR: Reusable Hard Cases for Surgery: This webinar is scheduled for February 9th, 2:00-3:00 PM Eastern

Disposable blue sterile wrap, made of polypropylene plastic (#5) , is used to wrap kits for different procedures prior to sterilization and delivery to the surgery suite. After the kit is opened, the sterile blue wrap is thrown away, creating approximately 19% of the waste generated in surgical services . Hospitals have explored a variety of mechanisms for reducing blue wrap waste including recycling this plastic at some sites. But beyond recycling, there is a viable option for source reduction of this material. As a mechanism to reduce the waste generated by blue wrap, and avoid new purchase costs for blue wrap, many organizations are opting to purchase reusable rigid metal sterilization cases to replace the blue wrap. These containers are sterilized and then brought to the OR on the supply cart and generate no waste-except for the occasional filter. While there is an up-front financial investment for the reusable sterilization cases, the payback period is often short, as avoided costs for blue wrap purchase and avoided waste disposal fees quickly add up. Come and hear from hospitals who have made the transition to reusable hard cases for surgical kits and learn more about the business case for moving your organization in this direction.

Field-portable Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) Unit for Semi-volatile Compound Analysis in Groundwater

ERDC TR-11-11
Field-portable Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) Unit for Semi-volatile Compound Analysis in Groundwater
By Anthony J. Bednar, Amber L. Russell, Thomas Georgian, David Splichal, Charolett A. Hayes, Phil Tackett, William T. Jones, Dina Justes, Louise Parker, Robert A. Kirgan, and Mitch Wells

Abstract: This effort demonstrated the use of field-portable instrumentation for the quantification of munitions constituents in groundwater, without the need to ship water samples to a fixed analytical laboratory. The results indicate that similar reporting limits can be obtained using the field-portable instrument when coupled to solid phase extraction sample preparation, yet instrument stability at the low concentration range is an issue. The instrumentation was tested on 28 groundwater samples for a variety of analytes with concentrations ranging up to 3 orders of magnitude. Detection limits for the field instrumentation are generally below regulatory thresholds. Linear regression comparison of the field results to laboratory-based analysis suggest comparability between the techniques, with the slope of the regression for all analytes being between 0.8 and 1.2, except for TNB and RDX. The RDX field results were about 70% of the laboratory results on the average. The field method consistently exhibits a significant positive bias for TNB. The field and laboratory NB results were consistent in that both the field and laboratory methods reported non-detects.

If you wish to access/download this document (152 pages, 1.6 mb) in pdf format, the address is: http://acwc.sdp.sirsi.net/client/search/asset:asset?t:ac=$N/1005602

Optimal Selection of Conservation Lands at Fort Stewart Using Integer Programming

ERDC/CERL TR-11-39
Optimal Selection of Conservation Lands at Fort Stewart Using Integer Programming
By Sahan T. M. Dissanayake, Hayri Önal, James D. Westervelt, and Harold E. Balbach

ABSTRACT: This report documents an application of linear integer programming for determining compact and ecologically valuable conservation management areas (CMAs) on a military installation with populations of at-risk animal species. Two models were developed and applied to the conservation efforts Fort Stewart, GA, involving the at-risk Gopher Tortoise (GT) and the tortoise-dependent Gopher Frog (GF).

The models produced solutions that are consistent with the species conservation and military training land-use objectives at Fort Stewart. They identified suitable, compact GT habitat clusters and were able to minimize the total amount of managed areas by selecting fewer and better sites. In runs that incorporated GF requirements into the GT analysis, the model was able to determine that the optimized GT CMAs also will support a small number of GF sites. However, on runs that assumed a large required number of GF sites, the GT results changed considerably in order to incorporate the GF sites. Both the single and joint species conservation management models were solvable in a short computation time, suggesting that these models may be applied to much larger data sets without significant data processing problems. The methods introduced here may be modified for application to other species, locations, and land uses.

If you wish to access/download the document (1.8 Mb) in pdf format, the address is: http://acwc.sdp.sirsi.net/client/search/asset:asset?t:ac=$N/1005600

Optimum Selection of Clustered Conservation Areas Within Military Installations

ERDC/CERL TR-11-40
Optimum Selection of Clustered Conservation Areas Within Military Installations
By Sahan T. M. Dissanayake, Hayri Önal, James D. Westervelt, and Harold E. Balbach

ABSTRACT: Suitable habitat areas for many rare, threatened, or endangered species in the United States are found inside the boundaries of military installations. Because these same lands are also needed for conventional and emerging training requirements, there is growing need to manage military landscapes in a balanced way that can satisfy competing goals. This study introduces linear integer programming formulations that can be used as a decision-support tool for relocating multiple populations of a species at risk to clustered conservation areas inside a military installation.

The authors present a basic clustered relocation model and extend it to minimize the distances of relocation and to produce “meta-clustering” of separate conservation areas. Two meta-clustering methods are introduced, the first using a constraint and the second using a multi-objective function. The models are applied to a dataset related to the Gopher Tortoise (GT), a keystone species determined to be at risk at Fort Benning, GA. Analysis of the results is presented. The results illustrate that, using integer programming, it is possible to optimally design habitat areas that incorporate spatial and ecological consideration for species relocation where competing land uses must be supported.

If you wish to access/download the document (1.3 Mb) in pdf format, the address is: http://acwc.sdp.sirsi.net/client/search/asset:asset?t:ac=$N/1005601

National Environmental Education Foundation and Samsung Electronics Partner for $10,000 Sustainable Energy Award

NEEF and Samsung are partnering to celebrate those innovative schools from across the country that have used energy efficiency to enhance education, reduce environmental impacts and generate cost savings. The $10,000 Sustainable Energy Award will be presented to the top three high schools that can demonstrate how they have engaged students and teachers in school-wide energy savings through the creative and innovative use of technology. Their achievement will be showcased as models for other schools looking to take on this challenge.

The national Sustainable Energy Award is made possible through the generous support of Samsung Electronics America.

Apply now!  Applications are due February 10, 2012. 

BuzzData

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2011. http://scout.wisc.edu/

The tagline of BuzzData is that it “lets you share your data in a smarter, easier way.” BuzzData is a social platform that allows users to share a range of data with other interested parties in a way that is intuitive and easy to use. After signing up, visitors can upload their data to a dedicated home page, and attach visualizations, articles, and other documents that offer context to their work and information. Also, visitors can invite collaborators over to their site and track changes over time. This version is compatible with all operating systems.

The Dirty Secrets About Toxic Chemicals Lurking in Common Cleaners

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

The cleaning products that we use to wipe down our countertops, wash our dishes and clothes and scent our air contain potentially toxic chemicals, and they’re getting into our bodies.

That’s according to a recent report that I authored, “Dirty Secrets: What’s Hiding in Your Cleaning Products,” for the NGO Women’s Voices for the Earth.

IKEA Expands Solar Initiative to 75 Percent of US Locations

Read the full story at GreenBiz.

Editor’s Note: Updated December 8, 2011, to reflect a 13th installation officially going on line today.

Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has decided to bring solar power to 33 of its 44 stores, distribution centers and office buildings in the U.S. in its latest expansion of an ambitious renewable energy initiative.

IKEA told of its plans this week, saying that it will add 10 installations in the South and Southwest to the 10 that are already in the company’s pipeline for construction and the 13 solar power systems now in place within the firm’s U.S. property portfolio.

6 Glaring Unanswered Policy Questions Raised at COP17

Read the full post at GreenBiz.

As ministers begin to arrive during the second week of negotiations here at COP 17 in Durban, we see a growing gap between lofty statements of political aspiration and the development of actual policies and programs that will aid in the fight against climate change.

The negotiating texts are heavily bracketed in critical areas, and it will be up to high-level government representatives to break, or steer around, looming deadlocks. While real progress has been made toward putting the technology and finance institutions into operation that were agreed upon last year, there remain many significant unresolved political issues in these complicated negotiations.

For Midwesterners, More Boxcars Mean Cleaner Air

Read the full story from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Shifting a fraction of truck-borne freight onto trains would have an outsized impact on air quality in the Midwest, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Much of that impact boils down to simple efficiency, according to Erica Bickford, a graduate student in UW–Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. For each ton they carry, long-distance trucks go about 150 miles on a gallon of diesel fuel. Trains can move a ton more than 400 miles per gallon.

EPA and New York State Announce Ban on Dumping Sewage from Boats into Lake Ontario

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation today announced that a 3,675 square mile area of Lake Ontario is now a “no discharge zone,” which means that boats are completely banned from discharging sewage into the water. EPA reviewed DEC’s proposal to establish a no discharge zone for the lake and determined that there are adequate facilities in the area for boats to pump out their sewage. Boaters must now dispose of their sewage at one of the lake’s 37 specially-designated pump-out stations. This action is part of a joint EPA and New York State strategy to eliminate the discharge of sewage from boats into the state’s waterways.

“Clean water is one of New York’s most valuable assets, and pumping sewage from boats into local waters is a practice that is both harmful and completely unnecessary,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “Lake Ontario provides drinking water to hundreds of thousands of New York residents. Establishing a no discharge zone for the lake is an important step in cleaning up New York’s treasured water bodies.”

“The designation of Lake Ontario as a ‘no discharge zone’ by the EPA strengthens New York’s efforts to improve water quality in the Great Lakes by stopping pollution from boaters,” said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. “We will continue to work with the EPA, Environmental Facilities Corporation, Department of State and other partners to reach our common goal of swimmable, drinkable and fishable Lake Ontario waters to support our health, economy and quality of life.”

Discharges of sewage from boats can contain harmful levels of pathogens and chemicals such as formaldehyde, phenols and chlorine, which have a negative impact on water quality, pose a risk to people’s health and impair marine life. EPA reviewed public comments on its tentative determination for the establishment of a no discharge zone, which was proposed in May 2011.

The no discharge zone encompasses the New York portion of Lake Ontario, including the waters of the Lake within the New York State boundary, stretching from the Niagara River (including the Niagara River up to Niagara Falls) in the west, to Tibbetts Point at the Lake’s outlet to the Saint Lawrence River in the east. The no discharge zone encompasses approximately 3,675 square miles and 326 shoreline miles, including the navigable portions of the Lower Genesee, Oswego, Black Rivers and numerous other tributaries and harbors, embayments of the Lake including Irondequoit Bay, Sodus Bay, North/South Ponds, Henderson Bay, Black River Bay and Chautmont Bay, and an abundance of formally designated habitats and waterways of local, state, and national significance.

For centuries, Lake Ontario has played an important role in the history of New York State and several Indian Nations. In addition to being a place of great natural beauty, the Lake serves as an economic engine for the region, and is a source of drinking water for seven hundred and sixty thousand people. The lake’s water quality is designated as “Class A,” which means that it’s recommended for drinking, swimming, fishing, and in the commercial processing of food.

To read EPA’s final determination or for more information about no discharge zones, go to http://www.epa.gov/region02/water/ndz/index.html

Great Lakes waves could power your TV

Read the full post at SmartPlanet.

Tremont Electric, creator of the motion-powered gadget charger, wants to scale up its kinetic energy harvesting tech to turn the Great Lakes into a power plant— of sorts.

The nPower Wave Energy Converter developed by the Cleveland-based company is about the size of an automobile and can be integrated into buoys. Inside the converter is a magnet, which moves along with an induction coil to generate pulses of current. A mechanical fuse line would runs from the anchor to the buoy as a primary elastic line (see graphic below). That current is then collected at a transfer hub and delivered to the power grid. Voilà, wave-generated electricity for all! Or at least for folks who live nearby.

For Philadelphia’s LEED Platinum urban infill project, thin is in

Read the full story at SmartPlanet.

Thin Flats, an urban infill project in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia, is a modern take on the Philadelphia row house. Developed by Onion Flats, a design-build-develop firm, the 20,000 square foot (1,858 square meters) project is the first duplex building to be certified LEED-Homes Platinum in the US.

TED Prize envisions ‘The City 2.0’

Read the full post at SmartPlanet.

It seems like everyone has an idea about what the city of the future looks like. And it’s no wonder cities are a hot topic. Billions of people live in them and they have the potential to create a more sustainable world.

It’s only fitting that TED, the organization that brings people together around innovative thoughts and ideas, is presenting their annual TED Prize to an idea: The City 2.0, the city of the future where we live more sustainably and promote “innovation, education, culture, and economic opportunity.”

US HUD announces 2011 Sustainable Communities Grants

Read the full post at SmartPlanet.

The recipients of the 2011 United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Sustainable Development Awards were recently announced. The grant program, in partnership with the US Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, was put in place to help communities across the country achieve their economic and environmental development goals, by connecting housing with good jobs, quality schools and transportation.

In total, nearly $96 million was given to 27 communities and organizations in the Community Challenge category and 29 regional areas received Regional Planning awards.