04 | February | 2014 | Indoor Air Quality Lab

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.4.14 share

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS

Mining tar sands produces 2-3 times more air pollution than thought (via Smithsonian)

Keystone Pipeline report fallout: The latest (via National Journal)

Greens warn base will sit out election if Obama approves Keystone XL (via The Hill)

White House vows to keep Keystone call above “political influence” (via The Hill)

Canadian group pitches Alaska rail line for oil sands (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

CLIMATE

Ocean temperatures spiked globally in 2013 (via Grist)

Adapting to sea level rise could save trillions (via Renew Economy)

Winter ice season now 24 days shorter than in 1950s (via Science Recorder)

January’s temperatures leave a nation blowing hot and cold (via Climate Central)

Northern Alaska lake ice shows “dramatic decline” in 20 years (via Climate Progress)

RENEWABLES

FiT has lit up Japan’s solar landscape (via Recharge)

How solar shifted the peak during Australia’s heat waves (via Renew Economy)

Wind industry carries momentum into 2014 – will it last? (via Midwest Energy News)

Will solar energy in Hawaii be a test case for grid penetration? (via Energy Collective)

National Cooperative Bank arranges $82 million in financing for North Carolina solar projects (via Solar Industry)

EMISSIONS

Australia’s new pollution plan starts to look like emissions trading (via Bloomberg)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

China building codes could cut energy use 22% (via Energy Manager Today)

DOE wants to make your phone charger more energy efficient (via National Journal)

OIL

BP quarterly profit falls as divestments impact income (via Houston Chronicle)

TRANSPORTATION

“Insane” GHG savings from workplace EV charging, according to NASA (via CleanTechnica)

Nissan Leaf sales get January jump as Chevy Volt trends down (via Autoblog Green)

Tesla completes cross-country Supercharger drive in Model S EVs (via Autoblog Green)

GRID

Europe introduces harmonized power market across 15 countries (via Reuters)

A next-gen battery tech is coming soon to the power grid (via GigaOm)

A123’s path back to grid-scale battery business (via Greentech Media)

NUCLEAR

EPA seeks to modernize nuclear standards (via The Hill)

ENVIRONMENT

California’s drought raises stakes for water tunnels (via Bloomberg)

Duke pipe break causes coal ash release into North Carolina river (via Bloomberg)

OPINION

Should Obama approve Keystone XL? (via National Journal)

Ten key numbers in the Keystone XL pipeline report (via Washington Post)

Rejecting Keystone XL could damage US environmental movement (via Forbes)

How to convince your friends to believe in climate change…it’s not as hard as you think (via Washington Post)

Posted: | Categories: A123, adaptation, alaska, australia, barack obama, battery, BP, Building codes, california, canada, Carbon market, chevy volt, China, climate, Climate Change, coal ash, Divestment, DOE, drought, duke energy, electric vehicles, emissions, Energy Efficiency, energy storage, EPA, europe, ev, feed-in tariff, Global warming Sea level rise, grid, Hawaii, japan, Keystone XL, NASA, News, nissan LEAF, North Carolina, nuclear, oil, Oil train, renewables, solar, tar sands, Tesla, Tesla Model S, Tesla Supercharger, Transportation, wind

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Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.4.14 share

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS

Mining tar sands produces 2-3 times more air pollution than thought (via Smithsonian)

Keystone Pipeline report fallout: The latest (via National Journal)

Greens warn base will sit out election if Obama approves Keystone XL (via The Hill)

White House vows to keep Keystone call above “political influence” (via The Hill)

Canadian group pitches Alaska rail line for oil sands (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

CLIMATE

Ocean temperatures spiked globally in 2013 (via Grist)

Adapting to sea level rise could save trillions (via Renew Economy)

Winter ice season now 24 days shorter than in 1950s (via Science Recorder)

January’s temperatures leave a nation blowing hot and cold (via Climate Central)

Northern Alaska lake ice shows “dramatic decline” in 20 years (via Climate Progress)

RENEWABLES

FiT has lit up Japan’s solar landscape (via Recharge)

How solar shifted the peak during Australia’s heat waves (via Renew Economy)

Wind industry carries momentum into 2014 – will it last? (via Midwest Energy News)

Will solar energy in Hawaii be a test case for grid penetration? (via Energy Collective)

National Cooperative Bank arranges $82 million in financing for North Carolina solar projects (via Solar Industry)

EMISSIONS

Australia’s new pollution plan starts to look like emissions trading (via Bloomberg)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

China building codes could cut energy use 22% (via Energy Manager Today)

DOE wants to make your phone charger more energy efficient (via National Journal)

OIL

BP quarterly profit falls as divestments impact income (via Houston Chronicle)

TRANSPORTATION

“Insane” GHG savings from workplace EV charging, according to NASA (via CleanTechnica)

Nissan Leaf sales get January jump as Chevy Volt trends down (via Autoblog Green)

Tesla completes cross-country Supercharger drive in Model S EVs (via Autoblog Green)

GRID

Europe introduces harmonized power market across 15 countries (via Reuters)

A next-gen battery tech is coming soon to the power grid (via GigaOm)

A123’s path back to grid-scale battery business (via Greentech Media)

NUCLEAR

EPA seeks to modernize nuclear standards (via The Hill)

ENVIRONMENT

California’s drought raises stakes for water tunnels (via Bloomberg)

Duke pipe break causes coal ash release into North Carolina river (via Bloomberg)

OPINION

Should Obama approve Keystone XL? (via National Journal)

Ten key numbers in the Keystone XL pipeline report (via Washington Post)

Rejecting Keystone XL could damage US environmental movement (via Forbes)

How to convince your friends to believe in climate change…it’s not as hard as you think (via Washington Post)

Posted: | Categories: A123, adaptation, alaska, australia, barack obama, battery, BP, Building codes, california, canada, Carbon market, chevy volt, China, climate, Climate Change, coal ash, Divestment, DOE, drought, duke energy, electric vehicles, emissions, Energy Efficiency, energy storage, EPA, europe, ev, feed-in tariff, Global warming Sea level rise, grid, Hawaii, japan, Keystone XL, NASA, News, nissan LEAF, North Carolina, nuclear, oil, Oil train, renewables, solar, tar sands, Tesla, Tesla Model S, Tesla Supercharger, Transportation, wind

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Green Cleaning: How to Make Infused Vinegar share

Do you love homemade green cleaning supplies but hate the smell of vinegar when you're done? Infusions to the rescue!

When I switched to making my own green cleaning supplies, my husband used to complain about the vinegar smell a lot. The smell fades within a few hours of cleaning, but if you're sensitive to the smell of vinegar like my husband is, that's kind of a long time. I started adding a few drops of essential oil to our vinegar-based cleaners, but Julie Finn at Crafting a Green World has a different take on vinegar cleaners that I thought you guys would like!

Disclosure: I work at CAGW with Julie and am sharing her project here because it is totally awesome.

Julie shares packaging and ingredients ideas to make your homespun green cleaning recipes smell and look as good as the store-bought variety! You can check out her instructions below!

DIY Home + Garden: Make Infused Vinegar for Cleaning (via http://craftingagreenworld.com)

If you make your own cleaning supplies, do you ever get jealous that you can’t have all those fancy-sounding, clean-smelling orange and lemon and pine cleaners? If you buy your cleaning supplies, don’t you wish that you were using products with…

Posted: | Categories: all purpose cleaner, DIY, DIY cleaner, green cleaning, infused vinegar

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