submitted by Florence Gibert

greenbiz.com - March 6, 2012

Though their numbers are still relatively small, so-called zero energy buildings -- ones that generate as much energy as they consume -- are on the rise in the United States.

A new report by the New Buildings Institute and the Zero Energy Commercial Building Consortium identifies 99 structures that can be deemed zero energy commercial buildings or zero-energy capable buildings, ones that are highly energy efficient and could be counted in the zero energy category with the addition of on-site renewable power generation.

The study titled "Getting To Zero 2012 Status Update: A First Look at the Costs and Features of Zero Energy Commercial Buildings" takes a look at the buildings, their types, locations, design strategies and costs.

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by Akhila Vijayaraghavan - triplepundit.com - April 5, 2012

The US Geological Survey (USGS) will be presenting a paper next month at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America in San Diego. The paper will directly link an “unprecedented” increase in frequency and magnitude of earthquakes to drilling for oil and gas.

This link is not a new one. The USGS already linked about 50 earthquakes in Oklahoma due to fracking.

STUTTGART, Germany - Nancy Lindborg, assistant administrator for USAID's Bureau of Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA), addresses staff of U.S. Africa Command, March 30, 2012, as part of the Command Speaker Series. Lindborg talked about USAID's efforts in Africa and discussed how U.S. AFRICOM can better work with the interagency organization to achieve common objectives. (U.S. AFRICOM photo by Danielle Skinner)

submitted by Samuel Bendett

U.S. AFRICOM Public Affairs - by Danielle Skinner

STUTTGART, Germany, Apr 3, 2012 — In developing countries experiencing chronic crises, such as those in the Horn of Africa, disaster risk reduction is often just as important, if not more so, than humanitarian response and recovery, according to a senior official from U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

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The country is in the midst of an unprecedented gas drilling boom—brought on by a controversial technology called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking." Along with this fracking-fueled gas rush have come troubling reports of poisoned drinking water, polluted air, mysterious animal deaths, industrial disasters and explosions. We call them "Fraccidents."

The map below displays a sampling of some of the high profile incidents related to the country's gas drilling boom. Each of the symbols represents a fraccident. Click on any of the highlighted states to learn more about some of the fraccidents in that state, details on the fracking issues facing the state, and resources for getting involved in your local fight against fracking.

You can also visit the state pages directly.

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A new kind of oil from Texas and North Dakota may rescue some East Coast refiners from the brink of oblivion, providing a local alternative to the costly imported crude that had threatened to put them out of business.

Evidence of new buying interest has emerged this week for two other major plants, potentially saving the Northeast region from a summer fuel squeeze that had unnerved politicians all the way to the White House.

One of those bidders is counting on the boom in light, sweet shale oil to help resuscitate the ailing sector, which has been squeezed between costly, imported light crude, falling gasoline demand and new, more sophisticated overseas rivals.

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CNN Heroes - by Allie Torgan - April 6, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Stan Brock made a name for himself lassoing animals on 'Wild Kingdom'

Today, he runs a nonprofit that provides free health care to people all over the world

He started a nonprofit, Remote Area Medical. Since then, the all-volunteer group has held more than 660 medical clinics worldwide, providing free health care to half a million people.

submitted by Janine Rees

The power plant has been shut down since this winter, when a small amount of radioactive gas escaped.

• Anti-nuclear activists warn of a potential environmental catastrophe
• The San Onofre nuclear plant has been shut down since radioactive gas escaped
• Officials have said there's no harm to the public health, but can't identify problem's cause
• The head of the NRC says the plant won't restart until a cause and plan is put forward

(CNN) -- A large Southern California nuclear plant is out of commission indefinitely, and will remain so until there is an understanding of what caused problems at two of its generators and an effective plan to address the issues, the nation's top nuclear regulator said Friday.

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A study of bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, showed that many of the marine mammals were suffering from lung and liver disease. Photograph: Alamy

by Peter Beaumont - guardian.co.uk - March 31, 2012

New studies show impact of BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster on dolphins and other marine wildlife may be far worse than feared.

A new study of dolphins living close to the site of North America's worst ever oil spill – the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe two years ago – has established serious health problems afflicting the marine mammals.

The report, commissioned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], found that many of the 32 dolphins studied were underweight, anaemic and suffering from lung and liver disease, while nearly half had low levels of a hormone that helps the mammals deal with stress as well as regulating their metabolism and immune systems.

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A man refuels his car as gas prices are reflected into the windows of the United Oil gas station in Los Angeles, California March 24, 2012.  REUTERS/Bret Hartman

Reuters - by Rodrigo Campos - March 28, 2012

(Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Wednesday as the U.S. and some European governments mulled the release of strategic oil reserves, while commodity-related shares weighed on global equities.

U.S. stocks closed weaker, though far from the day's lows, in the wake of economic data that was slightly below expectations.

France, the United States and Britain are in talks about the possible release of strategic oil stocks to help push fuel prices lower, French ministers said, only weeks ahead of the country's presidential election. Purchasing power is among voters' top concerns.

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by Jeremy Rifkin - huffingtonpost.com - March 28, 2012

The great economic revolutions in history occur when new communication technologies converge with new energy systems. New energy revolutions make possible more expansive and integrated trade. Accompanying communication revolutions manage the new complex commercial activities made possible by the new energy flows.

Today, Internet technology and renewable energies are beginning to merge to create a new infrastructure for a Third Industrial Revolution (TIR) that will change the way power is distributed in the 21st century.

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The BioSense Program provides local, state, and federal partners a timely regional and national picture of trends in disease syndromes and situation awareness. BioSense is in the midst of a redesign that shifts the program's focus to meet the needs of stakeholders and end users in state and local health departments, CDC programs, hospitals, and other federal programs (i.e. DoD and VA) to improve regional and national coverage.

https://sites.google.com/site/biosenseredesign/about

At a recent Forum hosted by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), state and local health practitioners expressed their desire to more easily access social media data. The Now Trending Challenge was created to help fill this need.

submitted by Gavin Starks

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WASHINGTON, D.C.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 22, 2012

New Industry Commitments to Give 15 Million Households Tools to Shrink Their Energy Bills

Washington, D.C. -- Responding to President Obama’s call for an “all-of-the-above” strategy to help consumers reduce their energy costs, the Administration announced today that nine major utilities and electricity suppliers will commit to providing more than 15 million households access to data about their own energy use with a simple click of an online “Green Button.”  By providing consumers with secure, easy-to-understand information about how they are using energy in their households, Green Button can help them reduce waste and shrink bills.

Thank you for attending the 2011 Community Health Resiliency Workshop; your participation helped make this event a success!

Material from the workshop is now available for download in the attachment below, and at: http://www.communityhealthresilience.com/proceedings.html. 

Respectfully,

The Community Health Resilience Workshop Coordination Team

People walk in front of the Supreme Court as others form a line, Saturday, March 24, 2012. | AP Photo

by Josh Gerstein - politico.com - March 25, 2012

When President Barack Obama signed the health care bill two years ago, the legal challenges to the law were widely belittled as long shots — at best.

But as the cases head to the Supreme Court this week, what looked to many like far-out legal arguments to undo “Obamacare” don’t seem so zany anymore.

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