Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program Data for Calendar Year 2010

On January 11, 2012, EPA released greenhouse gas (GHG) data reported from large facilities and suppliers across the U.S. economy for the year 2010.

The 2010 GHG data includes public information from facilities in 9 industry groups, including 29 source categories, which directly emit large quantities of GHGs, as well as suppliers of certain fossil fuels and industrial gases.

This information can be used to help businesses track emissions and identify cost– and fuel–saving efficiencies, identify industry leaders, inform policy at the state and local levels, and provide important information to the finance and investment communities.

More information: 

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgdata/index.html

Ohio Sources 

http://ghgdata.epa.gov/ghgp/main.do#/facility/?q=Facility

Seeing Forests for the Trees (and the Carbon)

The high costs of falls in construction for employers

A new OSHA PowerPoint presentation shows the heavy financial cost resulting from falls in construction. OSHA analyzed workers’ compensation data for injuries resulting from falls from elevations suffered by roofers and carpenters. The data, which covers 2005-2007, comes from 38 states, which comprises approximately 1/3 of total workers’ compensation benefits.
OSHA's analysis of fall injuries for roofers and carpenters found that: falls from elevations by roofers cost an average of approximately $106,000 each; falls from elevations by carpenters cost an average of over $97,000 each. To find out more information, view the PowerPoint presentation of Workers' Compensation Costs of Falls in Construction* posted on OSHA's Residential Fall Protection Web page.

Powerpoint Presentation…

Fall Injuries amongst Roofers and Carpenters

•      Roofing and carpentry workers confront serious hazards on a regular basis. Among these workers, falls from heights comprise significant portions of injuries and costs.

•      OSHA staff performed this analysis by looking at workers’ compensation data for lost-time injuries
resulting from falls from elevations, and from falls from ladders and scaffolds.

•      The data come from statistics collected from insured employers in 36 states, which comprises approximately 1/3 of total workers’ compensation benefits. (Self insured firms and
companies in 13 states are not included.) The data include claims counts and losses that occurred on policies that became effective in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Fall Injuries amongst Roofers and Carpenters

•      Falls from Elevations by roofers cost approximately $106,000 each

•      Falls from Elevations by Carpenters cost over $97,000 each

•      The average cost of a fall from elevation for all other occupational classifications was under
        $50,000

•      Falls from ladders or scaffolds by roofers cost approximately $68,000 each

•      Falls from ladders or scaffolds by carpenters cost nearly $62,000 each.

The Cleveland State Wind Amplification System Unveiling

Dr Majid Rashidi was installed today as the Betty L. Gorgon Alternative Energy Research Endowed Professor.

He spent most of his acceptance speech time recognizing and thanking the whole cast of characters there in the various departments there at CSU who had helped turn this concept into an actual "real world" device.

These folks ranged from the CSU Business Department, to the individuals who had coordinated today's locally grown offerings.

Dr. Rashidi then offered a simple description of the basic principles of his design in language that the common person could easily comprehend.

There were a few questions from the 250+ people in attendence, and then Dr. Rashidi wandered around the room meeting and greeting with all of us.

It was a most pleasant activity to have been invited to.

Corals upgrade algae to beat the heat

14:55 22 May 2009 by Catherine Brahic
For similar stories, visit the Endangered Species , Mysteries of the Deep Sea and Climate Change Topic Guides
In oceans around the world, heat-resistant algae are offering the prospect of a colourful future for corals. The reef-forming animals are upgrading their symbiotic algae so that they can survive the bleaching that occurs in waters warming under climate change.
"The most exciting thing was discovering live, healthy corals on reefs already as hot as the ocean is likely to get 100 years from now," says Stephen Palumbi of Stanford University.
Corals have a symbiotic relationship with tiny algae called zooxanthellae. The corals give the algae a home and, in exchange, the algae provide the corals with food. When water temperatures get too hot, the corals expel the algae. This is what is known as coral bleaching and it is expected to kill coral reefs around the world as global temperatures rise.
In the past few years, biologists have discovered that some zooxanthellae can live at warmer temperatures than others, making the corals that host them naturally heat-resistant. What's more, during a heatwave on the Great Barrier Reef in 2006, an Australian team found that many corals that survived the hot period had swapped their algae for more heat-resistant ones.
Hot pools
To see how widespread this algae upgrading is, Palumbi and Stanford colleague Tom Oliver sampled coral colonies from tidal pools that are naturally at different temperatures on the island of Ofu in American Samoa. They found that the proportion of corals that hosted heat-tolerant algae was directly related to how hot the pools were, suggesting that they are able to adapt to their local conditions.
"From reef to reef, the number of corals that have tolerant algae varies with the local temperature regime," says Palumbi.
The heat-tolerant algae allow corals to survive 1.5 °C rises in temperature above their usual range. In some regions, this may be enough to survive through to the end of the century despite global warming.
Palumbi says that other experiments in American Samoa suggest corals may have more tricks to survive in warmer seas. His team is currently teasing these results apart.
Ultimately, the aim is to determine which reefs will be able to survive warmer seas and which will not, so that conservation efforts can be targeted.
Journal reference: Marine Ecology Progress Series (vol. 378, p 93)

From: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17182-corals-upgrade-algae-to-beat-the-heat.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

Solar Plane Crossing The Alps

Alps Crossing from Solar Flight on Vimeo.

From: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/video-solar-plane-crossing-the-alps-amazing.php