The GREEN MARKET ORACLE

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Event - How I Became an Environmental Professional

How I Became an Environmental Professional will take place on Tuesday February 11, 2014, 6:30pm to 9:30pm at The Wolf and Firkin, 43 Elm St. (East of Bay), in Toronto, Ontario. This event is present by CEP Toronto.

This is a Connecting Environmental Professionals Toronto's (CEP Toronto) launch event! They will be showcasing environmental leaders working in various sectors across the Greater Toronto Area. Enjoy an evening learning about how each speaker ended up in their current role, lessons they learned along the way, and their outlook for the future of the sustainability/environmental field.

Here are the Green Market Oracle's (GMO) top political stories for 2013 organized under the headings of the 20 most important related subjects.

This assemblage of 170 articles is comprised of stories that address the environmental efforts of US President Barack Obama (including his climate action plan and executive orders), US government standards (EPA and DOE), US legislation and law, the Republican party, the US shutdown (debt ceiling), cities, communities, sustainable development, the UN and the COP process, the Arctic, Canada, Europe (Germany and the UK), China, Russia, as well as indigenous and aboriginal people.

Ahead of the 2015 deadline for a global climate deal the Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) sought action from business, governments and investors. WED took place in Davos Switzerland on January 22-25, 2014. The theme of the summit was "Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business." As the year before we are scheduled to forge an international climate agreement, 2014 is a critical year for the international community.

The Problems

As profound forces transform our world the international community is focused on crisis rather than the long view of a strategically driven approach. With the aim of helping to encourage business to engage the risks associated with climate change, the Davos Summit dedicated an entire day to and 23 sessions to discussing climate change, building resilience, and sustainable development through public-private partnerships.. WEF said that it hopes that this new push will “drive the subjects of economic risk and resilience back to the top of the climate change agenda - where they belong”.

Infographic - Water and Energy (World Bank)

While the US is in the grip of a second Polar Vortex, California has been denied the precipitation that usually falls in winter. With almost 90 percent of California in severe or extreme drought, water is in very short supply in the state. Water is at its lowest water levels in the state's 153 year history. Ranchers are selling their herds and farmers are letting their fields lie fallow. The consequences of the drought extend well beyond cattle and agriculture, impacting the state's economy and the environment.

Governor Jerry Brown of California declared a drought emergency as the state deals with its lowest water levels in its 153-year history. Although the Democratic governor of California, has a history of environmental advocacy including support for clean energy and carbon trading, he has also softened his stance on fracking, which is a tragic waste of water resources. (fracking uses between 2 and 10 million gallons of fresh water per well in its lifetime).

Here are the Green Market Oracle's (GMO) top energy stories for 2013 organized under the headings of the 20 most important related subjects.

This assemblage of 202 articles is comprised of stories that address renewables (including solar, wind and hydrogen), greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon and methane), fossil fuels (including tar sands, natural gas, coal, and petcoke), the transportation of fossil fuels (including pipelines, trains and trucks), fossil fuel subsidies and divestment, oil companies, ALEC, greener cars, charging stations and solar transportation.

A massive explosion and fire occurred at a TransCanada Pipeline valve site near St. Pierre-Jolys in the Canadian province of Manitoba early in the morning on Saturday January 25. Local citizens were evacuated immediately after the blast and nearby roads were closed. Flames from the fireball shot 200 to 300 meters into the air and although the fire was extinguished by Saturday afternoon, thousands of citizens are without heating. Natural gas provides essential heating to areas that are enduring extreme cold temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius in addition to whiteout conditions due to blowing snow.

Tanker trucks are carrying limited supplies of natural gas to vital institutions in areas that have been effected by the explosion. This trucked in gas will only go to health care centers and personal care facilities. According to local natural gas services a total of around four thousand people in municipalities south of Winnipeg.

Although no injuries have been reported, the explosion denied natural gas to Manitoba Hydro, and it could keep citizens without heating for days.

Event - Community Power: Democratizing Solar Power with Community Funding

Community Power – Democratizing Solar Power with Community Funding will take place on Monday February 10, 2014, 11:30am-1:00pm, Ottawa University, Social Sciences Building, FSS 4007. This talk will cover details on the feed-in-tariff program, solar photovoltaic systems, and the community power/renewable energy co-operative model (specific examples from the Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-op), including the regulatory framework, the business model and governance implications.

The 2009 Green Energy Act in Ontario provides for individual households and larger corporations to generate renewable electricity (RE) and sell it to the grid. Guaranteed elevated prices, or feed-in-tariffs, for electricity generated are provided to offset the capital investments in the systems, such that small positive returns are available. The program has been very successful, attracting more than 24,000 residential size system owners, which has driven down the costs of renewable energy systems and made a cleaner grid in Ontario. This talk will cover details on the feed-in-tariff program, solar photovoltaic systems, and the community power/RE cooperative model, including the regulatory framework, the business model and governance implications.

Green Your Power: Tangible Solutions with OREC & Bullfrog Power will take place on Sunday February 2, 2014, in Ottawa, Ontario from 12:45pm - 2:00pm, at the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa, 30 Cleary Ave (off Richmond Rd. east of Woodroffe).

All are welcome to hear from OREC and Bullfrog Power about the options for greening your power, as well as your portfolio.

Feel good when you flick the switch ON.

Canada's first conference on sustainable practice in the performing arts will take place on Sunday February 2 to Wednesday February 5, 2014, in Toronto, Ontario.

Staging Sustainability is a chance to be inspired by what the future might hold for the Canadian performance scene, to take up today’s challenges with the latest technology, and to learn from case studies of organizations like yours who have creatively addressed our common challenges.

Energy & Sustainability Conference will take place on February 11–12, 2014 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia. A leader in sustainability, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce are excited to host the largest energy and sustainability conference in Virginia. The 2014 Energy and Sustainability Conference features national leaders from across business and institutional market sectors. They'll discuss how sustainability is changing their organizations and how they're adapting and leveraging sustainability to enhance their business results.

A tour to stop the tar sands organized will be in Montreal on Sunday January 26th at 2 PM. This tour of powerful speakers from the front lines of the tar sands fight that will be making its way through New England in late January and early February. This tour has been created by 350 Maine, working in collaboration with numerous organizations across the region to build a united front against tar sands expansion.

The tour will explore the human and environmental costs of the tar sands. It will confront the raw realities and pull back the curtain on tar sands destruction and build the movement for action in the Northeast.

The Keystone XL pipeline has generated a great deal of opposition. However, the threat of tar sands oil being transported along existing and new pipelines in the northeast -- including the Portland-Montreal and Enbridge pipelines, and the proposed Energy East -- is also a very real and present danger.

SolarTech Germany 2014 Green World Conferences, will take place on February, 10 - 11, 2014 at the Kempinski Hotel Bristol, Kurfürstendamm 27, 10719 Berlin, Germany. This conference will focus on recent developments in the renewable energy sector in Germany, solar projects finance and opportunities for co-operation between international and German companies involved in the solar energy market.

Conference Overview

SolarTech Germany 2014, a strictly business-to-business conference and exhibition will be held in Berlin on 10-11 February 2014. The conference addressess the current and future issues for the entire European market.

Over two days of sales conversations, meetings with customers, suppliers and new contacts, top insights from seasoned industry experts and - above all - high-level networking, the event will bring together top solar energy technology companies, project finance providers, developers and installers. and allow your company to market itself towards high-profile audiences across the entire supply chain.

Solar Energy Resiliency for NYC: Peak Demand Peak Power will take place on January 29, 2014 from 5:30 - 8:30 pm at Gallery 75, John Hayes Holmes Community House, 28 East 35th Street, Manhattan. This event will feature an evening with Dr. Richard Perez, PhD. as he presents the ability of the photovoltaic module to produce energy when we need it most.

Why is solar PV the best and least expensive way to produce energy for the peak demand time here in NYC and around the world.

The 14th national conference and global forum on science, policy and the environment will take place on January 28 - 30, 2014 in Washington D.C. hosted by the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE). At this conference leading decision-makers will convene to advance climate solutions. The two central topics will be the Built Environment and Agriculture & Natural Resources.

Sound Recording - Malaysian Frogs Considered to be the Most Beautiful Sound in the World

A competition to find the most beautiful sound in the world was won by Malaysian frogs. The competition was organized by sound expert Julian Treasure. "It was a sound of a swamp with a frogs singing. The most amazing, rich recording of just life — teeming life," Treasure said. "And listening to it you really get the sense of nature at its fullest, and most abundant and most exciting."

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Video - The Business Case for Conserving Nature
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Video - Greenpeace Direct Action Camp 2014

The 3rd Annual Greenpeace Direct Action Camp will be held in Arizona March 23-28, 2014. We will be accepting applications for the camp until January 31, 2014.

Video - Ongoing West Virginia Water Crisis

The water crisis in West Virginia due to the poisoning of the Elk River by Freedom Industries is causing people to get sick. Ten days after a toxic chemical spill local residents are still struggling to find clean drinking water. Grassroots organizing groups like The West Virginia CARE Campaign and the West Virginia Clean Water Hub are filling in the gaps; working to deliver water to affected regions in need.

Related Articles
Duke Energy Spills Tons of Coal Ash into the Dan River
West Virginia Chemical Spill: Water Contamination from Coal and Regulatory Insufficiency
Video - Ongoing West Virginia Water Crisis
Bankruptcy Protection for the Company the Poisoned Drinking Water in Virginia
Another Water Contaminating Coal Industry Spill
Environmental Impacts of Duke Energy's Coal Ash Spill
West Virginia Chemical Spill: Water Contamination from Coal and Regulatory Insufficiency
Train Derails Spilling Coal into a BC Waterway

Video - Debate on the Science of Climate Change

Bill Nye takes on fast talking climate denier Marc Morano on CNN's Pierce Morgan. Few popular news sources have provided more of a platform for climate deniers than Pierce Morgan, however Nye does a good job taking on the ignorant views of Morano who says that rising levels of CO2 are "not a problem."

Video - NASA Releases New Global Warming Animation 1950 - 2013

This new visualization from a January 21, 2014 report by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) shows how global temperatures have risen from 1950 through the end of 2013. NASA scientists say 2013 tied for the seventh warmest of any year since 1880, continuing a long-term trend of rising global temperatures. With the exception of 1998, the 10 warmest years in the 133-year record all have occurred since 2000, with 2010 and 2005 ranking as the hottest years on record.

Review of Online Environmental Education, Past, Present and Future

Digital learning has been steadily growing over the last several years and it is a major trend for 2014. According to Trends Journal people will definitively overcome their misgivings about online education this year. Online learning will continue to expand in 2014 and nowhere is this more in evidence than in the business community. Sustainability and environmental concerns are destined to garner even more attention in 2014 and this is especially true of online learning opportunities.

What harm can there be from celebrities who provide material support, raise environmental awareness and encourage ecological action? We live in a culture of celebrity worship, we are bombarded with their images in advertising, film, television and online. Whether we are consumers of pop culture or not, there is no denying that celebrities hold a lot of sway with the general public. The fact is that television, movie and music personalities have vastly larger audiences than the most popular climate scientists.

Many of these stars do more than pay lip service to green lifestyles, they show their concern for the environment by driving hybrid cars, living in green homes or changing their dietary habits. A few have even become stalwart activists.

Free Online Course on Water and Sanitation Policy in Developing Countries

Another accredited Coursera study program has been announced that will provide free online access to important information about water sanitation policy. This spring the University of Manchester will offer a new Massive Online Open-Access Course (MOOC) on water and sanitation policy in developing countries. The course is free and open to everyone. The Global Water Partnership has endorsed this MOOC.

On January 21, 2014, Montreal, Maine and Atlantic (MMA) Railway was sold at auction to a subsidiary of a New York City-based investment management company. On August 8, 2013, the train company that killed 47 people and leveled 30 buildings in the tiny town of Lac Megantic Quebec, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

On July 6, 2013, the unattended train comprised of 72 oil bearing tanker cars derailed and exploded decimating the town and ruining the lives of many in the small community.

The company that contaminated the Elk River and poisoned the water supply of more than 300,000 people in West Virginia has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. They have impacted the environment, deprived businesses of their livelihood and made lots of people sick. Now they are walking away from the mess they made.

In addition to the coal processing chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, it has been recently reported that another chemical called PPH also in the leaked into the river. The long term effects of both chemicals on human and environmental health are not known.

While authorities say it is now safe to drink the water, people are still getting sick. At least 179 people have reportedly gotten sick due to the chemical spill. The state’s Education Department has recommended that nine school districts continue using bottled water.

GMO's Top Climate Change Stories of 2013

Here are the Green Market Oracle's (GMO) top climate change stories for 2013 organized under the headings of the 20 most important related subjects.

This assemblage of 158 climate change articles is comprised of stories that address scientific studies (including the IPCC's findings), extreme weather (floods, droughts, desertification, cold, costs, Typhoon Haiyan, and Hurricane Sandy), the social impacts of climate change (health, population, food, agriculture, organics, GMOs, conflict and climate refugees), and natural resources (biodiversity, water, oceans, forests and trees).

On January 22, 2014 the Keystone XL South made its first deliveries of oil. The Keystone XL saga has been an ongoing drama for years now. The seemingly endless starts and stops, misrepresentations and outright corruption that are part of this story would be comical if the soap opera did not have such deleterious environmental consequences.

We know that we will not be able to curtail the worst impacts of climate change and expand our use of petrochemicals, particularly the tar sands, the world's most destructive form of fossil fuels.

The southern leg of the Keystone XL links the crude oil hub in Cushing, Okla., with terminals in Southeast Texas. The builder of the Keystone pipeline project is TransCanada, the same company that hopes to extend the pipeline from Alberta's tar sands all the way to Texas. A decision on the northern leg of the pipeline is not expected until after the 2014 midterm elections.

An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tool called the Power Profiler allows you to plug in your US zip code and get an idea of how clean (or dirty) your electricity is. The environmental impact of electricity varies greatly depending on where you live. In the US, electricity is generated in many different ways, from clean renewable sources of energy like wind and solar to dirty fossil fuel based sources like coal. Burning fossil fuels for electricity contributes toward unhealthy air quality, acid rain, and global climate change. While renewable sources of electricity are emissions free and do not pollute the air or contribute to global warming.

Use this tool to find out if your electricity providers offer green power. Where available choose cleaner, more environmentally friendly sources of energy.

Power Profiler will:

A new kind of capitalism is emerging in which mission driven companies prioritize social and environmental concerns. One of the leaders of this movement is known as the "B" corporation by B Lab. The "B" stands for "Beneficial", and illustrates a commitment to high standards in the pursuit of social and environmental performance which includes transparency and accountability.

Infographic - Our Ecological Footprint

Is This Really the End for the PTC? Legislators from Coal Producing States Hope So

If you want to know who killed the the wind production tax credit (PTC) you need look no further than a map of coal producing US states. After legislators failed to extend the PTC in 2013 a lot of people were eagerly waiting to see what would happen when Congress reconvened in the new year. In previous years the PTC has been saved by last minute action or retroactive revival. So far this year legislators have done nothing to rescue the PTC from the abyss. Until December 31, 2013, The PTC provided 2.3 cents per kilowatt hour. As it now stands, all wind plants starting construction this year will not be eligible for a federal government credit.

Here are the Green Market Oracle's (GMO) top sustainability and green economy stories for 2013 organized under the headings of the 20 most important related subjects.

This assemblage of 151 sustainability and green economy articles is comprised of stories that address sustainability in business, investing (risk), CSR, best practices, supply chains, reporting, the low carbon (green) economy, efficiency, waste, recycling, innovation, jobs, corruption, the World Bank and the G8, chemicals, building, guides, CDC, sustainable companies, and the hotel industry.

On Tuesday January 21, people are coming together to advocate for clean water and a clean environment. In the US, Canada, India, Australia, Peru, and New Zealand people are hosting vigils in solidarity with West Virginians to honor and protect water.

The recent contamination of the Elk River in West Virginia highlights the urgency of the growing concern about our water resources. Water is vital to life and many governments, NGOs, businesses and private citizens realize that we need to do a much better job of managing this precious and finite resource.

Clean water is an increasingly scarce resource and the global water crisis is destined to get worse as the global population increases. In many places we are using aquifers in an unsustainable fashion and the amount of carbon in the atmosphere is causing ocean acidification. According to a 2013 IPSO report, the extinction of the oceans may have already begun.

Direct Action Camp - How to Peacefully Protest (Greenpeace)

On March 23-28 Greenpeace is facilitating a direct action camp in Phoenix, Arizona that teaches people how to creatively and peacefully protest while connecting with activists from all over the US. We need to see movement on an number of fronts including climate change and other environmental issues. No organization has more experience or is better equipped to instruct people about how to peacefully protest than Greenpeace.

Participants will learn a number of valuable and exciting skills related to advocacy. Specifically they can learn about climbing, boating, arts, blockades, research and even how to protest using an airship. These are just some of the offerings at Greenpeace’s non-violent direct action camp this year in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

The course on on Social LIfe Cycle Assessment will take place in Barcelona Spain and will start on Wednesday, February 19, 2014 and run through Friday, February 21, 2014. This course is composed of 10 hours of lectures and 10 hours of workshops/exercises. It is an ILCA Approved ILCA course.

This seminar will take place on January 22, 2014 in the Mississauga Grand Banquet Hall and Convention Centre located at 35 Brunel Road, in Mississauga, Ontario.

ALS Environmental is teaming up with Industry Leaders & Regulators to bring you this exclusive half-day educational seminar.

Do you know where your risks lie and how you can limit your liability? Let ALS help you improve your bottom line. This session is a must for anyone involved with project management, supervising environmental sampling programs, mentoring technical staff, or having responsibility for environmental compliance.

This year represents the fourth installment of the Green Market Oracle's (GMO) annual sustainable school series. Each year GMO puts together a summary of some of the latest information and resources on environmentally oriented academics and activities as well as green infrastructure in pedagogical settings. Taken together these efforts contribute to the growth of a well informed population, an environmentally sound economy and a healthier planet.

Event - Venture Summit West

This event will take place on February 12, 2014, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. The summit content will include discussions and educational tracks focused on cleantech. The Second annual Venture Summit West, presented by youngStartup Ventures, is the premier industry gathering connecting venture capitalists, corporate VCs, angel investors, technology transfer professionals, senior executives of early stage and emerging growth companies, university researchers, incubators and premier service providers.

The inaugural Wind Energy Summit South Africa will take place on April 9 and 10, 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. It is designed to help participants construct and deliver successful, profitable South African wind projects. WESSA is the most targeted South African wind summit for the community to date. Specifically tailored to facilitate and drive forward the development of partnerships whilst tackling emerging issues as the competitive bidding rounds progress.

Five key drivers behind the success of this summit:

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