From Green Right Now Reports

The Roberts Environmental Center at Claremont McKenna College released an analysis of sustainability reporting for the Top 50 U.S. liberal arts colleges. The report contains a compilation of Pacific Sustainability Index (PSI) scores evaluating the environmental and social reporting of these colleges. PSI scoring is based on the transparency, intent, and performance for both environmental and social issues.

The top 10 in overall sustainability are:

[Read more →]

From Green Right Now Reports

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, April 22, 2010, Aaron Brothers Art & Framing is sponsoring a kids’ art contest themed Coloring Earth Green. Entries will be accepted in Aaron Brothers stores from February 28th until April 18th. Approximately $26,000 in prizes will be awarded to kids and their schools – including a Grand Prize trip to the Crayola Factory for two students and their families.

The contest is open to legal residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Washington who are 5 to 12 years of age on Feb. 28, 2010.

Aaron Brothers said it will offer teachers a complimentary kit that contains “Green Thought Starters” — ideas, fun facts and “eco-easy” tips to be green and to raise awareness of the natural environment. Teachers may download or request the free teachers kit, which includes “Coloring Earth Green” art entry examples and the Green Thought Starters Kit.

[Read more →]

From Green Right Now Reports

Enterprise Holdings today announced that it will convert its entire fleet of more than 600 Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental airport shuttle buses  in 50 North American markets to begin using at least 5 percent biodiesel (B5). The company said it will immediately convert buses in nine markets to 20 percent biodiesel (B20) as a first step toward the company’s goal of converting its entire bus fleet to B20 over the next five years.

Enterprise Holdings expects to complete the conversion to all B5 by spring of this year, with at least 50 percent converted to B20 by the end of next year. Buses in nine markets are immediately being converted to run on B20 where the fuel is centrally stored and available: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Raleigh/Durham, San Antonio and San Diego.

[Read more →]

By Tom Kessler
Green Right Now

Much as a forest fire clears the land and leaves behind essential nutrients to enrich a new generation of growth, the devastation of the travel and meetings industry caused by a global economic collapse has left a few seedlings. One of them is the nascent green meeting industry, which has more than gotten a foothold. In many respects, green meetings are fast becoming the only kind of meetings.

[Read more →]

By Bill Sullivan
Green Right Now
Anyone who has ever traveled to a big-time ski resort knows that conquering the mountain is a daunting task – and an expensive one, too.

For the 2009-10season, a one-day lift ticket at Vail (Colorado) is $97 for an adult. Over at Aspen/Snowmass, a two-day advance purchase pass will set you back $191.

Of course, that’s just the beginning. If you’re a flatlander or a relative novice, you’ll probably have to rent equipment. (Plan on $40 a day and up.) If you’ve never skied at all, you’ll want to get a few pointers before climbing onto that lift: At Vail, a one day beginner lesson at Golden Peak Ski and Snowboard School is $165.

[Read more →]

From Green Right Now Reports

Star Market at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Mass., recently became the first grocery store in the nation to receive US Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill Partnership platinum store award. The advanced refrigeration technology in the new store, which is part of the Shaw’s line of supermarkets, significantly reduces its impact on climate change and the stratospheric ozone layer by cutting the use of refrigerants by 85 percent compared with the typical supermarket.

Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, called the store’s efforts “wicked cool.”

[Read more →]

From Green Right Now Reports

Whole Foods Market announced today that it purchased 776 million-kilowatt-hours of renewable energy credits from wind farms — equal to 100 percent of its electricity use in its North American operations. The company said nearly 90 percent of this year’s purchase will help fund E.ON Climate & Renewables’ recently-completed Texas-based Panther Creek wind farm.

The Panther Creek wind farm iis 50 miles east of Midland in Big Spring, Texas. It began operating in 2008, and its final phase of construction was recently completed. The project is built and operated by EC&R North America, a renewable energy developer headquartered in Chicago, with development offices in Austin and Denver. The remaining RECs come from a number of different wind farms in locations across the U.S. and Canada. The total purchase of 776,115,000 kilowatt hours, the largest to date by a U.S. retailer, was made in partnership with Boulder, Colo.-based Renewable Choice Energy.

[Read more →]

By Ashley Phillips
Green Right Now

One of the nation’s leading environmental organizations, The Sierra Club, released their Third Annual Sierra Cool Schools list in the September/October issue of The Sierra Magazine.

The 135 schools were graded on a 100 point scale, and given final grades of A+ to F. There were eight categories that were taken into account:

[Read more →]

From Green Right Now Reports

Signaling that the American marketplace may be at a tipping point, a new survey from Pike Research finds that 48 percent of consumers say they would be “extremely” or “very” interested in purchasing a plug-in hybrid that has a 40-mile range on a single charge.

“Plug-in hybrids match the driving requirements of most consumers we surveyed,” Pike’s managing director Clint Wheelock said in a statement. “Eighty-two percent of respondents drive 40 miles or less per day, with an average daily driving distance of 27 miles.”

[Read more →]

From Green Right Now Reports

Exxon-Mobil Corporation, the world’s largest publicly traded oil and gas company, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Denver to violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) in five states during the past five years, the Justice Department announced.

The company has agreed to pay fines and community service payments totaling $600,000 and will implement an environmental compliance plan over the next three years aimed at preventing bird deaths on the company’s facilities in the affected states. According to papers filed in court, the company has already spent over $2.5 million to begin implementation of the plan.

[Read more →]

From Green Right Now Reports

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) Mayor Thomas Leighton won the 2009 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards, the U.S. Conference of Mayors announced today.

The awards, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., recognizes mayors for innovative practices in their cities designed to increase energy efficiency and curb global warming. An independent panel of judges determined the winners from a pool of 140 applicants.

[Read more →]

From Green Right Now Reports

Dell and Goodwill Industries International announced they are expanding Reconnect, a free drop-off program for consumers who want to responsibly recycle any brand of unwanted computer equipment.
The program is adding 451 new donation sites in seven states — Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and West Virginia. The program also will expand in Wisconsin to the Southeastern and South Central parts of the state.

Reconnect is now available in 18 states, plus the District of Columbia.

[Read more →]