Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category

Department of Energy Announces Record-Setting 5.8% Decline in Total U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2009

Total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were 6,576 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) in 2009, a decrease of 5.8% from the 2008 level, according to Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2009, a report recently released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Since 1990, U.S. GHG emissions have grown at [...]

Product Monday: EverLast Induction Lighting and CLTC Introduce The BioLume Series

In collaboration with the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) at UC Davis, EverLast Induction Lighting, a product of Full Spectrum Solutions, introduces The BioLume Series. The new patent-pending lighting series is a collection of hybrid bi-level fixtures that utilize a 5000K induction lamp and amber LEDs, coupled with occupancy sensor controls. When the area is [...]

The Fairmont Press Publishes Lighting Redesign for Existing Buildings by LightNOW Editor Craig DiLouie

I’m pleased to announce that I have finally completed the long awaited (by my publisher) update to The Lighting Management Handbook, which came out in 1994, with this 300-page book about redesigning existing lighting systems: Lighting Redesign for Existing Buildings. Because light is used to see but cannot be seen, it is often overlooked by [...]

Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day.

Jim Brodrick on Study Finding Hazardous Materials in LED Products

Guest post by Jim Brodrick, Department of Energy A number of … readers have written regarding a recent study by researchers at the University of California campuses in Irvine and Davis, which reported the presence of hazardous materials in some LED products. Some statements made by the authors have drawn a great deal of media [...]

EPA and DOE Name Technical Consumer Products 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of The Year

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) have named Technical Consumer Products, Inc (TCP) as a 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for its outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by manufacturing energy-efficient products and helping to educate consumers about those products. TCP, an ENERGY STAR partner since [...]

Why Are CFLs Scary And Household Chemicals Like Ammonia Are Not?

Part of the backlash against compact fluorescent lamps has been that they contain mercury. The argument doesn’t hold up on one level, which is that incandescent lamps require more power, which means power plants must burn more fossil fuels to satisfy that requirement, and thereby emit more mercury into the environment than CFLs. This type [...]

Litecontrol Earns Cradle to Cradle Certification for Fourth Year

Litecontrol has earned the prestigious Cradle to Cradle Certification for the fourth year in a row. This third-party certification has to be renewed annually, assuring ongoing improvements in sustainability. The C2C process assesses every nuance in product design and manufacturing, examining details from fixture ingredients to manufacturing practices to renewable energy initiatives. As part of [...]

Study Finds Certain LED Products Contain Toxic Metals

Christmas strand, traffic light and automobile LED lights marketed as safe, environmentally preferable alternatives to traditional light sources may reduce air emissions at power plants by using less energy, but nonetheless contain lead, arsenic and a dozen other potentially hazardous substances, according to newly published research. Scientists at UC Irvine and UC Davis crunched, leached [...]

Txchnologist Publishes 10 Photos of City Lights as Seen from Space

The Txchnologist, sponsored by GE, has published photos of the lights of 10 major cities on Earth as seen from space. Check it out here.