CGC & EMA Honor Simi Valley for Sustainable Achievements

By EMA Staff | Wednesday July 18, 2012 @ 10:09am PDT
Tags: California Green Communities, Silver level, Simi Valley, sustainable

The Environmental Media Association along with Southern California Edison and Green Seal honored the city of Simi Valley with a Silver level status in So Cal Edison’s California Green Communities Program (CGC) this past Monday night.

Simi Valley is the first city in Ventura County to achieve Silver level status in the CGC program.

California Green Communities encourages cities to adopt innovative and environmentally sound practices involving energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation, renewable and alternative fuels, efficient transportation and other activities. The goal is to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption, while building sustainable communities.

Amongst other efforts, Simi Valley succeeded in achieving the following sustainable practices:

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Japanese Village Goes All-Solar Post Fukushima Disaster

By EMA Staff | Tuesday July 17, 2012 @ 12:13pm PDT
Tags: Fukushima, Japan, renewable energy, Sanno, solar power

Following the horrific earthquake, tsunami, and the proceeding nuclear meltdown at the facility in Fukushima, a small Japanese village decided it wanted a cleaner way to get its energy. In a little over a year, Sanno, a rural community of less than a dozen households has managed to become fully solar-powered. In doing so, Sanno became the first municipality in Japan to produce all its own electricity from renewable energy.

According to MSN.com, the solar installation went live this past March and is now fully operational.

They are expected to generate 40,000 kwh annually. Given that the average household consumes 3,400 kwh in a year, that’s enough for 12 households. Sanno has 11. Continue reading →

Green at Home: A Natural Remedy for Fruit Flies

By EMA Staff | Tuesday July 17, 2012 @ 10:00am PDT
Tags: fruit, fruit flies, green, natural remedy, summer

With the heat of summer comes the reward of sweet summer fruit – and with that fruit, unfortunately comes fruit flies. Fruit flies usually begin to swarm and rapidly multiply once fruit starts to become overripe. Check out this super simple (and natural) solution below to get rid of fruit flies without having to use harmful pesticides or sprays.

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Apple Reverses Its Decision to Back Away from Environmentally Friendly EPEAT Standards

By EMA Staff | Monday July 16, 2012 @ 10:44am PDT
Tags: Apple, EPEAT, gren philosophy, reverse decision

After last week’s decision that they would no longer abide by eco-friendly standards set by certifier, EPEAT, Apple was met with an onslaught of criticism from both the environmental community and loyal consumers alike. Luckily, Apple has decided to go back on its word and continue conforming to EPEAT standards.

“We’ve recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT,” Bob Mansfield, SVP of Hardware Engineering at Apple, wrote in a letter on Apple’s site.

EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) reduces the environmental impact of computer desktops, laptops, and monitors by certifying them on 51 environmental criteria developed through an extensive stakeholder consensus process supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Continue reading →

The California Right-to-Know GMO Ballot Initiative Gets Its Official Prop Number

By EMA Staff | Tuesday July 10, 2012 @ 02:49pm PDT
Tags: California, GMO, label, Prop 37, right-to-know

If you live in California, you’re going to be seeing a lot of the number 37 from now until November. Prop 37 is the initiative that will appear on ballots in November giving consumers the option to vote on placing labels on genetically modified foods (GMOs).

If Prop 37 passes, food products using genetically modified ingredients would be labeled as such. Be prepared to see a lot of Yes on 37 advocates at your local farmer’s market and tapered to the cars of the majority of the general public. According to JustLabelIt.org, 92% of Americans want the FDA to label genetically modified foods.

According to KCET, opponents of Prop 37 include the companies that make GMOs, particularly Monsanto, who have incredibly deep pockets and the best marketers money can buy, so the passing of Prop 37, even in a consumer-friendly state like California, is not a given. Continue reading →

Major League Baseball Goes Green for All-Star Week

By EMA Staff | Tuesday July 10, 2012 @ 11:44am PDT
Tags: All-Star Week, eco-friendly, green, MLB

Major League Baseball’s All-Star week is currently underway, with the big All-Star game taking place tonight. Partnering with the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), MLB has once again gone green for all of the week’s games and events. By making eco-conscious efforts, Major League Baseball is demonstrating to millions of people how to be environmental stewards by leading by example.

MLB’s ecologically responsible efforts during All-Star Week include:

EnergyOffsets– 120,000 KWh of energy used during the All-Star Game and related events, including the Home Run Derby, the Legends & Celebrity Softball Game and the All-Star Futures Game will be offset with Green-e Certified Renewable Energy Credits supplied by Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
Solar Panels- In advance of the All-Star Game, the Royals and KCP&L installed on Kauffman Stadium 120 solar panels that will produce 36,000 kw/annually.
Water –Major League Baseball is purchasing water restoration credits from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation for the 600,000 gallons of water that will be used during All-Star Week ballpark activities. In March 2012 the Royals and Grundfos, a vendor of pumps, partnered to improve the efficiency of Kauffman Stadium’s signature fountains.
Recycling – Recycling containers are located throughout the offices, suites, concourses and parking lots at Kauffman Stadium. All MLB-hosted events will include recycling programs. To reinforce this message All-Star Green Teams of volunteers will circulate throughout Kauffman Stadium during the All-Star Game collecting recyclables from fans. The food concession company at Kauffman Stadium, Aramark, collects the grease from all kitchens and concession stands to be recycled as bio fuel.
Awareness – MLB will promote “Green” messaging with a PSA highlighting the NRDC partnership; in-stadium signage and an ad in the 2012 All-Star Game Program. Continue reading →

SAG Upholds Commitment to Sustainability with Online-Only Submissions for Awards

By EMA Staff | Monday July 9, 2012 @ 12:34pm PDT
Tags: Green Seal, online submissions, SAG Awards, sustainable

Starting today, for the first time ever, the Screen Actor’s Guild will be accepting awards submissions of performances online — at sagawards.org/submissions. While SAG has accepted online submissions in the past, this year marks the first time that all submissions will be received online. The deadline for submissions is October 25.

“Implementing an online-submissions-only policy this year reflects SAG Awards continuing commitment to environmentally sound practices,” said JoBeth Williams, SAG Awards committee chair.

The SAG Awards was honored in 2009, 2010 and 2011 with the Environmental Media Association’s Green Seal, recognizing a production’s outstanding efforts to implement sustainable initiatives and promote environmental awareness. Continue reading →

Upcycling: Turn Old Containers Into Useful Household Items

By EMA Staff | Monday July 9, 2012 @ 10:28am PDT
Tags: household items, old containers, upcycling

This is amazingly simple to do and useful! We can all use an extra dustpan and shovel around the house. Instead of buying new, just cut them out from old containers – and recycle the rest when you’re done.

Source: Recycle or Regret