Posts Tagged ‘ environmental protection agency ’

Intel And OSU Top Green Power List

April 27, 2009
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Intel is the largest buyer of renewable energy in the country, according to a list released today by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA says Intel purchased more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours of green power this year, about the same amount of electricity it takes to power 130,000 homes.  This is the second year in a row that Intel has topped the EPA’s green power list.  Intel gets its renewable energy from wind, which provides about 46% of the company’s energy needs.

Oregon State University ranked high, too.  It’s the country’s 49th largest buyer of renewable energy, getting nearly 67 million kilowatt hours of power from biogas, biomass and wind.  The school gets 74% of its electricity from green power.  OSU students pay about $8.50 in extra fees to help the school buy renewable energy.

Other Oregon institutions fared well on the list, too.  Southern Oregon University, Kettle Foods, and the Tualatin Valley Water District are among several Oregon schools, businesses and agencies that purchase 100% of their power from renewable sources.

NOAA: Pesticides “Threaten” Northwest Salmon and Steelhead

April 21, 2009
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Columbia River Salmon Courtesy WDFW

Columbia River Salmon Courtesy WDFW

Three pesticides have been added to a growing list of chemicals that are considered a threat to endangered and threatened salmon and steelhead populations across the Northwest.

That finding, just released by NOAA Fisheries, covers pesticides containing carbaryl, carbofuran, and methomyl.  The pesticides are used in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California on a wide variety of crops including fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains.

Exposure to these chemicals can kill salmon, or damage their central nervous systems, making it harder for them to catch food, avoid predators and spawn.   An even bigger problem is that when these chemicals wash into streams and rivers, they kill the aquatic insects that salmon eat.

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Is Your Computer Green?

April 9, 2009
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Here’s an interesting announcement from the EPA.

The agency is raising the standards for the Energy Star label on computer monitors. They are also making more types of monitors eligible for the Energy Star rating. Digital picture frames and oversized monitors that display advertising are now eligible too.

But here’s the line that really caught our attention.

If all displays sold in the United States meet this new specification, the energy savings would grow to about $1 billion each year and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from nearly 1.5 million vehicles.

-Environmental Protection Agency

Because most people leave their computers on all the time, the EPA says having an efficient monitor can save you $115 in power costs during the time you own it. And reducing greenhouse gases doesn’t hurt either.

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