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In this issue: |
Green About Green
Green Collar Association talks with Ann Duffy, Corporate Sustainability Officer for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC)
By: Dr. Michael O. Dayan, Director of Research & Communications
Green Collar Association is pleased to bring you an inside look at sustainability and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. We interviewed Ann Duffy, Corporate Sustainability Officer for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) just days before the Games started. While one can't plan for all contingencies (such as the warm weather during the Games), Ann reveals how VANOC incorporated sustainability into its plans and execution.
Green Collar Association: You’re VANOC's Corporate Sustainability Officer. Many of our members are unfamiliar with this job title. Can you explain your role? I was hired early in the process, in early 2006, for the position of Corporate Sustainability Officer. I’m responsible for filing an annual sustainability report, for overseeing the implementation of sustainability practices, and for accounting and maintaining goal achievement. I report on the Games' environmental, social, economic, and legacy performance.
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Green Around the Collar
It's the Jobs Stupid: Business and Politics 101 By: Ron Sokolov, Senior Vice President for Strategic Partnerships
I wrote on January 26 that a comprehensive bill to address climate change in 2010 was not in the cards. Conveniently, the next day, none other than Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, speaking in front of the 2010 Clean Energy, Jobs, and Security Forum on the Hill said ‘hold on, we can still do something.’ Senator Graham, along with Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and John Kerry (D-MA) form the basis of a bi-partisan effort to push forward climate change legislation. As we reported back in December, all three signed a letter to President Obama in advance of his trip to Copenhagen outlining what they call a "Framework for Climate Action"
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Legislative TrackerIt may not win the Gold, but lots of interesting twists and turns for the US and Canadian legislative teams. Highlights below. Go to our Advocacy section for complete details.
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Natural CapitalismBy: Joseph Tohill, Green Collar Association Staff WriterTo the average North American, tackling climate change seems to be a daunting challenge. Indeed, the predictions from the scientific community of sea level rise, widespread famine, and increasing incidence of infectious disease paint a tumultuous future for our planet. Many social scientists highlight capitalism as the root cause of our present situation; the unrelenting drive for profit pushes atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to dangerous levels while polluting our oceans and destroying natural habitats.
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How Big is Your Moral Umbrella?By: Anran Luo, Green Collar Association Staff WriterAs all Vancouverites know, quality is not the only factor that contributes to a good umbrella; size also matters. So how does staying waterproof in Vancouver relate to environmentalism? Well, the world we have inherited and live in today is very precipitous in terms of environmental problems. How quickly and efficiently we deal with these problems depends on how big we are willing to make our moral umbrellas.
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Water ManagementBy: Alanna Mackenzie, Green Collar Association Staff Writer
Water, one of the most precious resources on the planet, is frequently perceived of as a renewable resource, continually replenished by the natural water cycle. Yet while it is true that the total amount of water on earth has remained at a constant since geological times, the availability of usable freshwater is diminishing at a rapid pace. This gradual degradation of water is brought about through pollution, abuse and misuse, a tragic predicament for which the only apparent solution is an efficient, equitable system of water management. The water scarcity problem that plagues many regions of the world today has resulted less from water’s physical availability than from the nature of its demand and allocation.
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Green Gaffes
Direct from the Colbert Report Action Eyewitness Weather War Bunker Weather Zone
"In Washington DC where last week it snowed twice, therefore, completely repudiating the theory of global warming." Then Stephen Colbert makes an amazing discovery thanks to his Dopplest 9000 weather forecasting tool: "According to my Dopplest 9000, it is dark outside. Now based on this latest data, we can only assume that the sun has been destroyed. The world has been plunged into total darkness, soon all our crops will die and it's only a matter of time before the mole people emerge from the center fo the earth to enslave us in 'forever night'. Thanks a lot Al Gore!"
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Member NewsMembers are invited to submit news releases to greencollar.org. In addition to posting these to our site, we add them to our newsletter. Please enjoy the following news releases from some of our members. To submit your news, please e-mail us: gcnews@greencollar.org
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NYIT: Introduces Long Island's First Solar CarportCongressman Steve Israel Joins Ceremony to Unveil NYIT's Solar Carport-Key to NYIT's Green Print Initiative and a Major Contribution to Sustainable Energy Solutions for Long Island. New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) officially introduced the first of two solar carports it is developing at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 27 at the Central Islip site. Part of NYIT's "One Spot, One Car, One Commute" solar plug-in hybrid electric vehicle project (S-PHEV), the freestanding, four-car carport prototype has solar panels integrated into its structure. The carport shades parked vehicles while collecting energy from the sun and converting it into power to charge plug-in hybrid vehicles.
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Yale: Yale Building Achieves Highest Rating
Kroon Hall, the new home of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, has been awarded LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system for new construction, Kroon Hall was awarded 59 points, or seven more than required for the top rating of Platinum. Kroon Hall was designed to use 81 percent less water and 58 percent less energy than a comparable building and to generate 25 percent of its electricity onsite from renewable sources.
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Johnson Controls: 2008 Business and Sustainability ReportAt Johnson Controls, our ingenuity is an effective mix of creativity, expertise, resourcefulness and the ability to solve problems. These capabilities – reflected in the skills and dedication of our 140,000 employees worldwide – are crucial. They enable us to support the success of our customers, and ensure the growth of our business. Ingenuity helps us improve the quality of people’s lives through the products, services and innovations we deliver. And it’s what sets us apart in our quest to create a more comfortable, safe and sustainable world – brought to life every day in more than 200 million vehicles, 12 million homes, and 1 million commercial buildings around the globe.
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Johns Hopkins: Five-Course Program
Five-course program will teach sought-after skills to aspiring professionals Students anywhere in the world can now earn a certificate in geographic information systems by taking courses online from The Johns Hopkins University. The online certificate, offered by the university's Environmental Sciences and Policy Program and endorsed by the Maryland Higher Education Commission in July, is opening for student enrollment in the fall 2008 semester. Geographic information systems, or GIS, allow users to collect and interpret data that are displayed as maps, reports, and charts to reveal spatial relationships, patterns and trends.
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Five Winds InternationalOne of the top retail stories in July 2009 was the news that Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, planned to develop a worldwide sustainability index for products sold in its stores. Walmart’s Supplier Sustainability Assessment was the first step toward that index, and they asked top tier global suppliers to complete the questionnaire within three months. For some suppliers who already had a sustainability strategy and team, filling out the questionnaire – which covers energy and climate; material efficiency; natural resources; and people and community – was a relatively easy task. For others, the questionnaire was a wake-up call.
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HVACReducation: Industry CertificationsGreenCollarEdu.net and HVACReducation.net, the leading online industry education providers, deliver the training you need to keep your customer’s homes functioning at the very peak of performance. Now, more than ever, HVACR technicians need certifications. You can study for them in the comfort of your home or office, on your schedule, ONLINE.
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QMI: ISO 14001ISO 14001 - How Your Organization's Commitment to EMS Implementation Can Drive Continual Improvement Throughout Your Organization The demands of ISO 14001 are high. An organization is required to demonstrate a commitment to compliance with environmental laws and other requirements, pollution prevention and continual improvement. Of these three, continual improvement imposes a unique challenge, due to its need for constant renewal. This challenge can be met through an appropriate design for the environmental management system (EMS), i.e. one that fosters continual improvement.
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Laney: Sustainable Building Performance Programs
Laney College, a multi-ethnic urban community college in downtown Oakland, California, has been developing and expanding a series of sustainable building performance programs over the last five years. We are excited to have recently joined the Green Collar Association and look forward to networking with partner colleges. Here we provide a brief overview of our programs: The Environmental Control Technology (ECT) program offers degrees and certificates in residential, light commercial, and commercial HVAC/R (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning and Refrigeration) systems and a new certificate and degree in Building Automation Systems (pending approval). Supported by a National Science Foundation Grant, the program has expanded and deepened its curriculum to focus on best energy management practices in system design, installation, repair, operations, and maintenance. The program has recently joined the U.S. DOE and EPA Labs 21 Initiative as a Center of Excellence in High Performance Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Education and Training.
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UC Berkeley Extension: USGBC Approves Sustainability Studies CoursesUC Berkeley Extension today announced its new designation as a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Education Provider. USGBC sets the standards for the green building industry in the United States and abroad through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System certification program. UC Berkeley Extension is the first continuing education program at the University of California, and one of the few public continuing education programs in the country, to offer USGBC-approved course credits. With the Obama administration's budget proposal this week for $2.4 billion in energy efficiency and renewable energy programs—and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' prediction of a 30 percent growth over the next decade in top green jobs such as mechanical engineer, environmental engineer, environmental educator, and landscape architect—the demand is growing among professionals for more green industry education.
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NLC: Announces Publication of Green Labor JournalThe NLC is pleased to announce the publication of Green Labor Journal, a monthly online journal that examines issues of sustainability, energy use and climate change from a labor movement perspective.
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Columbia: Effective Management for a Sustainable PlanetSchool of Continuing Education and Earth Institute Collaborate to Teach Effective Management for a Sustainable Planet Columbia University’s School of Continuing Education and the Earth Institute have announced a new Master of Science in Sustainability Management, which will enroll its first class in the fall of 2010. All organizations, whether they are multinational corporations or local nonprofits, face a growing number of environmental challenges from limiting carbon emissions to managing water resources. The program trains leaders to bridge the gap between the principle of sustainable development and its practice.
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About Green Collar Association
Green Collar's mission is to advance the socially responsible economy and promote green collar jobs by aligning the interests of companies, educational institutions, and members of the workforce - including professionals and skilled workers. We believe that an issue of such critical importance to our economic growth, national security, and environmental health will require a collaborative approach that engages the best and brightest ideas, people, and resources from each sector. Thus, Green Collar Association is focused on:
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