BOCA RATON, FL--OpenPeak Inc., a provider of touch screen multimedia devices and VoIP telephony systems, has announced the debut of its new Home Energy Management Solution that allows utility companies and their customers to more actively manage in-home energy consumption to save money and help preserve the environment.
SALEM, OR--By a vote of 46 to 11, the Oregon House has passed SB 676, a bill that permits production and possession of industrial hemp and trade in industrial hemp commodities and products.
MIDLAND, MI-- The Dow Chemical Company plans to work with Algenol Biofuels, Inc. to build and operate a pilot-scale algae-based integrated biorefinery that will convert CO2 into ethanol.
NEWARK, NJ--Calling the passage today of the American Clean Energy and Security Act a significant step towards getting comprehensive climate change legislation signed into law, PSEG Chairman Ralph Izzo thanked the members of the New Jersey delegation for voting in favor of the bill and recognizing the opportunities for economic growth, and consumer and environmental protection.
NEW YORK--Environmental Defense Fund today testified that if the New York City Council passes a green building legislative package, it could "generate thousands of jobs" and "position the city and its workforce as national leaders in green building technology."
HOUSTON-- FC Holdings, Inc., parent company of First Community Bank, N.A., broke ground last week on a new 24,000-sf headquarters building located at 12400 Gulf Freeway, on the Northeast corner of I-45 and the Beltway 8 intersection.
WASHINGTON--The co-owner of a Martinsville, NJ, landscaping company pleaded guilty to participating in a fraud conspiracy at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-designated Superfund site, Federal Creosote, located in Manville, NJ, the Department of Justice announced yesterday.
EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ--Whitman, an environmental, engineering and management firm, has announced that they will be collaborating with a world-renowned researcher and environmental biotechnology company to study new methods of bioremediation.
TEANECK, NJ--Encelium's Energy Control System (ECS) with Tridium’s Niagara AX building automation software platform can provide building owners with lower energy costs and a better return on investment. The integration of HVAC and other embedded devices with lighting is made possible by the Niagara AX Driver, according to Tony Marano, President and CEO of Encelium.
CHICAGO--Sears Tower has announced plans for a significant sustainable modernization project.
MEMPHIS, TN-- During a visit to Memphis, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced five grant competitions, totaling $500 million, to fund projects that prepare workers for green jobs in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.
NEW WINDSOR, NY--Joseph J. Minuta, lead architect and founder of Minuta Architecture PLLC, has announced that two members of his team have recently earned the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Professional Accreditation.
CORNWALL, NY-–Black Rock Forest, a nature preserve, scientific research station and education center in the Hudson Highlands, takes its mission to promote sustainability seriously, as evidenced by its “green” facilities featuring geothermal heating and cooling systems and array of 80 electricity-generating solar panels.
HOBOKEN, NJ-- Later this week, researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology will equip the sloop Clearwater with instrumentation that will provide real-time transmission of position, time, surface water temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen concentrations in the northern area of the Hudson River.
ARLINGTON, VA-- A new study shows that clean diesel technologies in engines manufactured beginning in 2007 not only reduced certain emissions by 90 percent over 2004 models, but far exceeded expectations in their performance in cleaning up the nation's air quality.
LISLE, IL-- Mitigating negative quality-of-life impacts of highway and rail improvement and expansion projects is an increasingly important aspect of planning for state and local government transportation officials.
CHARLOTTE, NC--Optima Engineering, P.A. earned LEED(R) (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its South End office at 1927 South Tryon St.
NEW YORK, NY-- A new generation of writers and photographers with a personal connection to global warming are taking inspiration from Henry David Thoreau and other legendary environmental authors by publishing their works in a special anthology from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and Penguin Classics.
TEANECK, NJ-- Encelium’s Energy Reporting Module (ERM) provides comprehensive and in-depth information on savings from the use of Encelium’s Energy Control System (ECS), the company’s energy management and lighting control system.
LOS ANGELES-- The City of Santa Monica has purchased the first ZeroTruck all-electric zero emission medium duty truck. The vehicle will be equipped with a Scelzi utility body for use in the City of Santa Monica.
SCRANTON, PA-- New state investments will help transform central business districts in Scranton and Archbald, Lackawanna County, help revitalize the South Scranton neighborhood, and turn a long-vacant lot into a beautiful civic and recreational "pocket park."
NEW YORK, NY-–Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management division (DeAM) today launched the world’s first scientifically valid, real-time carbon counter, a nearly 70-foot-tall digital billboard displaying the running total of long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
SAN FRANCISCO-- AvalonBay Communities, a leading Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) with multi-family apartment communities in high barrier-to-entry markets of the United States, is celebrating the grand opening of Avalon at Mission Bay III, located in San Francisco, CA.
PIKETON, OH-- Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland yesterday joined executives from Duke Energy, AREVA, USEC Inc., UniStar Nuclear Energy and the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI) to announce the formation of an alliance to pursue the development of America's first clean energy park project at a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) site in Piketon, Ohio.
BAYONNE, NJ--544-unit Alexan CityView, the largest LEED for Homes multifamily community in the country, is officially open with the recent move-in of the first residents of the luxury rental community, according to Richard Murphy, managing director of Trammel Crow Residential, developer of the property.
NEWARK, NJ--Mayor Cory A. Booker, Deputy Mayor for Economic and Housing Development Stefan Pryor, and other dignitaries will host the First Annual Northeast Sustainable Communities Workshop at the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Campus Center Ballroom, located at 154 Summit Street, in Newark today at 8:30 a.m.
CHICAGO-- The American Medical Association (AMA) has approved a new policy resolution in support of practices and policies within health care systems that promote and model a healthy and ecologically sustainable food system.
TRENTON, NJ-–A new funding resource in support of Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s commitment to promote economic development and a more secure environmentally responsible energy future for New Jersey was revealed yesterday.
MADISON, NJ--U.S. buildings are responsible for 40 percent of primary energy use, 72 percent of electricity consumption and 39 percent of CO2 emissions. By reducing their buildings’ energy consumption, owners and sustainability leaders can make a significant impact on the environment and their bottom lines.
CHARLOTTE, NC-- An array of 213 solar panels will soon provide electricity to homes served by Duke Energy's McAlpine Creek substation in south Charlotte - all part of an effort to implement new smart grid technology.
PROVIDENCE, RI-- The U.S. Conference of Mayors, the largest gathering of mayors in the nation, has commissioned an investigation into the true costs of water bottling to American cities. The study was triggered by the passage of a resolution titled Ensuring Fair and Equitable Use of and Compensation for Municipal Water Systems, introduced by Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez and co-sponsored by nine mayors.
COLUMBIA, SC-- Provost Academy South Carolina recently reached the half-way enrollment milestone with 500 students, marking the academy's continued growth as many students and parents choose an online educational experience. An added and often unseen benefit of the shift to online education has been the reduction in natural resources that are heavily utilized in traditional schools.
PITTSBURGH-- Green Building Alliance's (GBA) 3,850-sf office space in the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA, has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED(R)) Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
HOUSTON--Waste Management has entered into an agreement with BigBelly Solar, under which Waste Management will provide WM Solar Powered Trash Compactors to its customers, including municipalities and high-traffic facilities.
ALBANY, NY--This summer, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is hosting several turn-in events across the state this spring and offering energy-saving tips to help New Yorkers keep their homes cool without breaking their budgets.
EDISON, NJ--Partipants will learn about New Jersey’s brand new Licensed Site Remediation Professionals program, as well as other site remediation and planning issues, at NAIOP New Jersey’s Regulatory Update Seminar to be held June 23 at The Pines Manor in Edison.
MONROE, MI-- Detroit Edison has reached a milestone in a decade-long project to install state-of-the-art emissions control equipment at its Monroe Power Plant.
SAN JOSE, CA-- SunPower Corp., a manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, has announced a solar loan program that makes solar power systems more affordable for homeowners in the U.S.
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ--The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) recently recognized Bristol-Myers Squibb Company with the 2008 NJ Clean Energy Leadership Award – Business Leader of the Year.
SAN FRANCISCO--A new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley finds that continuing on a business-as-usual energy path risks greater economic insecurity, while aggressive acceleration of clean energy assures faster and more sustained economic growth.
CHICAGO--A Michigan housing development focused on the needs of homeless residents with disabilities, including homeless veterans, has won top honors for its unique design and its impact on the community in which it was built.
TEANECK, NJ-- Encelium Technologies, a technology development firm specializing in integrated lighting control systems for commercial buildings, has partnered with SLS Lighting of British Columbia, a division of SLS Group Industries, Inc. Through this partnership, SLS will serve as a sales representative for Encelium in British Columbia.
With operations in Canada, the United States, and Europe, Encelium stands at the forefront of meeting today’s energy challenges through its state-of-the-art product, the Energy Control System™ (ECS). Designed to reduce lighting-related costs by 50 to 75 percent, ECS is the only lighting control system on the market that integrates and deploys six energy management strategies on a facility-wide basis, giving property owners and managers unprecedented digital control. Strategies include personal control, occupancy control, daylight harvesting, smart-time scheduling, task tuning and variable load shedding.
Installing ECS enhances a building’s ability to achieve certification for Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC)’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Canada for New Construction, falling under the Energy and Atmosphere category. The system contributes between 12 and 22 points and in as many as four categories for certification including sustainable sites, energy, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design.
Since Encelium’s founding in 2001, the company has installed its ECS in more than 15 million sf of commercial space or 150 projects across Europe and North America. Projects have included large-scale entertainment complexes such as the 1.4 million-sf Rogers Centre and mixed-use commercial space such as the R. Fraser Elliot Building of Toronto General Hospital as well as industrial space, parking garages, colleges, and 50 United States Postal Offices.
Encelium Technologies
www.encelium.com
TRENTON, NJ-- CSX Transportation (CSXT) and PSEG Power met yesterday with state and local officials at the Trenton Transit Center to unveil new ultra-low emission GenSet locomotives to be operated in New Jersey.
BROOKLYN, NY-- BLUM Enterprises, LLC opened a new progressive restaurant named Green Canteen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York on June 9.
SADDLE BROOK, NJ--CB Richard Ellis has been selected to receive the 2009 Building Owners and Managers (BOMA) Earth Award in recognition for its excellence in environmentally sound office management at 600 Alexander Park in Princeton, New Jersey.
BREINIGSVILLE, PA-- Nestle Waters North America's Nestle(R) Pure Life(R) water bottling facility in Breinigsville, PA, officially received the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design(R) (LEED) Gold certification.
SANTA CLARA, CA-- Ice Energy, a provider of distributed energy storage and smart grid solutions for optimizing energy system efficiency, has teamed with Data Aire, a provider of computer room air conditioning systems, to offer the industry's first cost-effective energy storage solution specifically developed to address peak cooling loads in data and telecom centers.
HARTFORD, CT-- United Technologies Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Louis Chenevert received a 2009 National Building Museum Honor Award for the company's energy efficient building products and for creating sweeping energy and environmental improvements in its manufacturing operations.
NEW YORK, NY-- Seedco has received a $500,000 grant from the Starr International Foundation to launch an effort to help low-income workers train for and connect to jobs in New York City's emerging building energy retrofit industry.
CHATHAM, NY--SunDog Solar, a renewable energy company, will host the first annual Summer Solstice Family Picnic & Energy Fair on Saturday, June 20, 2009, from noon to 4pm, at Crellin Park on Route 66 in Chatham, NY.
NEW YORK, NY-- A year after it began a comprehensive Green Initiative in its three U.S. offices, the international law firm of Chadbourne & Parke has been ranked at the top of the ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Change Challenge in three additional categories that focus on resource and energy conservation and recycling.
ROCKVILLE, MD-- The Tower Companies has announced that Tower's corporate offices at 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard, designed by Kishimoto.Gordon.Dalaya PC, were awarded LEED Platinum certification under the USGBC's Commercial Interiors green building rating system.
IRVINE, CA-- Toyota Industries Corporation has announced it will launch the world's first internal combustion hybrid lift truck. Sales of the Toyota diesel hybrid lift trucks will begin in the Japanese market this December.
NEWARK, NJ--Teachers interested in vying for one of PSEG's Environmental Education Grants now have a few more days to work on their applications. Company officials announced a one week extension today, and said that applications must be postmarked by Friday, June 12, 2009.
NEW YORK, NY--The National Brownfield Associations (NBA) will host its fourth annual Tri-State Conference presented by members of the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut chapters on June 4 at the New York Information Technology Center in New York City.
RALEIGH, NC--Progress Energy today unveiled an expanded solar energy strategy in the Carolinas and Florida - including a range of new residential and commercial solar incentives and programs.
NEWARK, NJ--The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has authorized grants of $711,000 to Johnson Matthey, Inc., and $800,000 to KPMG, LLP, as incentives for their investments in CHP systems, which generate on-site power and recycle waste heat.
SAN FRANCISCO-- Twenty-six business students will spend their summer break working with companies across the country to cut energy use, save money and enhance operational efficiency.
WASHINGTON-- In his effort to develop a national biofuels strategy to reduce America's dependence on imported oil, President Barack Obama invited the Governors' Biofuels Coalition to partner with key members of his Administration to achieve his vision for energy independence.
NEW YORK, NY-- Upper West Side’s Mandell School is set to expand into a new state-of-the-art facility at 795 Columbus Avenue – a 15 story apartment building that is part of Columbus Square, a retail and residential community currently under development between 97th and 100th Streets.
WASHINGTON—-The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International has launched the BOMA 360 Performance Program, a new program designed to recognize commercial properties that demonstrate best practices in building operations and management.
PHILADELPHIA-- The Job Opportunity Investment Network has announced new grants totaling $850,000 for initiatives that will qualify more of the region's underemployed workers and new job seekers for living-wage jobs in the "green" and health care industries. JOIN, a regional funding collaborative founded in 2008, will invest at least $2.7 million to increase the number of workers in the Greater Philadelphia area who earn family-sustaining wages.
Living Cities, an innovative philanthropic collaborative of 21 of the world's largest foundations and financial institutions, awarded JOIN a grant of $250,000 for an initiative to prepare low-skilled job seekers for employment in the clean energy sector.
This pilot project, under the leadership of one of JOIN's founding partners, the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board, brings together the Smart Energy Initiative of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Federation of Neighborhood Centers and three of its member agencies (Diversified Community Services, Friends Neighborhood Guild, and United Communities Southeast Philadelphia), and the City of Philadelphia to ensure low-skilled adults have access to well-paying jobs and advancement opportunities in this emerging industry. Specifically, the grant will support the development and implementation of a coordinated infrastructure to assess new and marginally employed Philadelphia workers and connect them to pipelines for advancement in green jobs. Grant activities begin in May 2009, and will continue through August 2010.
JOIN has awarded $300,000 over three years to each of two Industry Partnerships, The Pennsylvania Partnership for Direct Care Workers, managed by the District 1199C Training and Upgrading Fund, and the Delaware County Health Care Employers Consortium, managed by Pathways PA. The grants will fund initiatives to qualify unemployed adults and workers in low-skill, low-wage jobs for higher-skill positions in allied health and nursing that pay family-sustaining wages. The initiatives will help meet the needs of health care providers, which are currently facing critical shortages of qualified allied health and nursing professionals.
Industry Partnerships include groups of employers and workers from within the same industry, collaborating with education and training providers to address employers' common workforce needs.
According to a study released this month by PathWays PA, a third of Philadelphia households and more than one out of every five Delaware County households lacks income sufficient to meet basic family needs. Forty percent of working Philadelphians are earning poverty wages, and 36% have found only part-time work. More than 60% of Philadelphia adults are classified as "low-literate."
The Founding Partners in this public-private initiative are the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, The William Penn Foundation, the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Labor and Industry. JOIN is also supported by contributions from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions and Living Cities.
United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania
www.liveunitedsepa.org
NEWARK, NJ--The Northern New Jersey District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI-NNJ) along with 11 other companies and organizations, including the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP) will sponsor an all-day workshop on brownfields entitled, "Northeast Sustainable Community Workshop," which will take place in Newark on June 18 at The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).
COLUMBIA, MD-- Through its subsidiary, ESIC New Markets Partners LP, Enterprise Community Investment, Inc. (Enterprise) received $95 million in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) authority from the U.S. Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.
EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ-- A wide range of professionals concerned with the current regulatory policy and practice in the field of site investigation and remediation in New Jersey are invited to attend a one-day seminar focused on the practical application of recently updated soil cleanup standards, being hosted by the New Jersey Water Environment Association's Site Remediation Committee on June 3 at the National Conference Center at the Holiday Inn in East Windsor, NJ.
