Content about Environmental Issue

The Toro Co. has announced a partnership with Yanmar America Corp. Yanmar will provide diesel engines for select Toro commercial turf maintenance equipment. The Yanmar diesel engines will allow Toro to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Tier 4 emissions regulations, which go into effect Jan. 1, 2013.

The first Toro products to feature Yanmar's Tier 4 compliant diesel engine technology will be select commercial mowers over 25 horsepower. 

DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products today announced that Panasonic Corporation Eco Solutions Company has adopted biobased resins made with Susterra Propanediol for their new line of kitchen and bathroom systems.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are sponsoring a nationwide competition offering awards to any company that develops a personal, portable sensor system that measures air pollution and a person’s physiological response to it.

The “My Air, My Health Challenge” will be formally announced on June 6 at the Health Data Initiative Forum III: The Health Datapalooza in Washington, D.C. Representatives from both the EPA and the NIH will be present.

In 1992, Energy Star was launched as the first national, market-driven energy efficiency partnership program of its kind. If EPA’s estimates are to be believed, the effort has worked wonders. According to the EPA, Energy Star has helped save Americans $23 billion on their energy bills while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the annual emissions of 41 million vehicles.

CalPortland Company (CPC), a major producer of Portland cement and building materials in the United States, has agreed to pay a $1.425 million penalty to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its cement plant in Mojave, Calif.

As announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), CPC will spend an additional $1.3 million on pollution controls that will reduce harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), pollutants that can lead to childhood asthma and smog.

A new U.S. Forest Service study is urging U.S. builders to prioritize wood as a green building material due to its environmental benefits, low carbon emissions and verifiable third-party rating system for “green” certification.

The authors of “Science Supporting the Economic and Environmental Benefits of Using Wood and Wood Products in Green Building Construction” reviewed the scientific literature and found that using wood in building products yields fewer greenhouse gases than using other common materials.

On the fifth anniversary of the Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program, organizers say the system has saved 125 billion gallons of water. That’s equal to three days’ flow of water over Niagara Falls.

Over the last five years, WaterSense labeled products have also helped users reduce their water and energy bills by more than $2 billion, avoid greenhouse gas emissions equal to removing 1.2 million cars from the road, and save enough energy to power more than 1.5 million American homes for a year.

The Earth Advantage Institute announced its annual selection of top ten green building trends, which range from “affordable green” to lifecycle analysis of materials.

“Despite market conditions, we have seen the market share for high performance homes increase from 18.5% to 23 % in the Portland Metro area alone,” said Sean Penrith, executive director, Earth Advantage Institute. “This is a sure sign that the rate of appeal for these homes is increasing.”