As Jon Entine of the Genetic Literacy Project reports, the NRDC is not exactly known for scientific nuance. So, there was little surprise when blogger Mae Wu took to the cyberwaves recently to plug an NBC Dateline story promoting the alleged dangers of “endocrine disrupting” chemicals.
Tag Archives: NRDC
NBA Green Week Presented by Sprint Tips Off Encouraging Fans to Go Green
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
NBA Green Week Presented by Sprint Tips Off Encouraging Fans to Go Green
– NBA and Sprint Launch “Pledge to Recycle”; Fans Who Commit to Recycling Their Mobile Devices
Can Enter to Win a Trip for Two to 2013 Finals –
– NBA to Offset Electricity Used During All Games Taking Place April 4-12 –
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The NBA today tips off NBA Green Week presented by Sprint, featuring community greening projects, recycling programs, green giveaways, special adidas oncourt apparel, and auctions to encourage fans to “go green.” Continuing through April 12, this marks the fifth year of the leaguewide Green Week hosted in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
In conjunction with Green Week, the NBA is also launching Mosaic, an on-line tool designed to measure environmental impact. In partnership with NRDC and Renewable Choice Energy, Mosaic will allow all NBA teams and venues to track, analyze, and identify cost savings opportunities within their environmental footprint. In addition, as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, the league also will work with Sterling Planet – a leading supplier of renewable energy – to offset the amount of electricity used during all 67 NBA games taking place during Green Week. This commitment will result in a carbon avoidance of more than 10 million pounds, which will be one of the largest pollution offset initiatives by any sports league worldwide, and the only one to involve every team in the league.
Throughout NBA Green Week presented by Sprint, adidas – the league’s official oncourt apparel provider – will outfit all players with 100 percent organic cotton adidas shooting shirts, available at NBAStore.com and the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Players will also wear NBA Green headbands and wristbands made from 45 percent organic cotton, while NBA coaches and broadcasters will wear NBA Green lapel pins, all in an effort to raise additional awareness. NBA teams across the league will also host in-arena nights along with a variety of events and activities in the community to support environmental protection. In addition, the NBA and Sprint are launching “Pledge to Recycle”, a fan contest that tips off today, April 4, and continues through May 16. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
EPA proposes new Tier 3 emission rules, requiring cleaner cars and gasoline in 2017
Filed under: Legislation and Policy, USA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added a new word to the wider public lexicon today when it proposed new emission and fuel standards for cars and gasoline: Tier 3. This new regulation is “sensible” and will “significantly reduce harmful pollution, prevent thousands of premature deaths and illnesses, while also enabling efficiency improvements in the cars and trucks we drive,” the EPA says. Unsurprisingly, not everyone agrees.
The rules (885-page PDF here) would require that gasoline have a lower sulfur content – dropping from 30 parts per million today to 10 parts per million by 2017 – which will make it easier for cars to meet the new reduced tailpipe and evaporative emissions requirements. If the proposed rules take effect, they “will help avoid up to 2,400 premature deaths per year and 23,000 cases of respiratory ailments in children,” the EPA says. The European Respiratory Journal recently published a study that found that vehicle emissions can cause asthma in children.
Some numbers from the proposed rules: Smog-forming volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides will need to be reduced by 80 percent. Toxic air pollutants, such as benzene and 1,3-butadiene, will need to be cut by up to 40 percent. A particulate matter standard will need to be 70 percent tighter. Fuel vapor emissions will need to drop to “near zero.” The rules would go into effect in 2017 and are basically taking rules from the California Air Resources Board and making them valid nationwide.
The EPA says it had “extensive” input from “auto manufactures, refiners, and states,” which implies there is broad agreement on the rules. But Republican politicians and members of the gas and oil industy say that gas prices will rise, up to nine cents a gallon, if the EPA gets its way. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-MI, said in a statement that, “The Obama administration cannot be more out of touch” with the economic burden this will place on drivers. The EPA, instead, estimates it’ll cost less than a penny a gallon, but it will add an average cost of $130 per vehicle to new cars in 2025.
The Natural Resources Defense Council fought back against the criticism. Luke Tonachel, NRDC senior vehicles analyst, said in a statement that the new standards will save lives at a minimal cost, and that, “Big Oil companies want us to believe these benefits aren’t worth it. But that’s because they care about profits above all else.”
Continue reading EPA proposes new Tier 3 emission rules, requiring cleaner cars and gasoline in 2017
EPA proposes new Tier 3 emission rules, requiring cleaner cars and gasoline in 2017 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
<a target=_blank href="http://green.autoblog.com/2013/03/29/epa-proposes-new-tier-3-emission-rules-cleaner-cars-gasoline/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog