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New York Passes Historic Green Jobs Financing Law

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Jun 28, 2011

photo by Daniel Schwen, via Wikimedia Commons

An innovative financing mechanism for achieving the green jobs and carbon cuts mandated in New York was passed last week by the state legislature. The “Power NY Act” funnels energy savings from individual electric bills to the cause of financing energy efficient retrofits on one million buildings and homes.

The win-win-win strategy of “on-bill financing” will create 14,000 living-wage jobs, cut carbon emissions, lower utility bills for working families, and enable moderate-income homeowners to access safe loans for retrofits and use energy savings to repay the loan.

New York Passes Historic Green Jobs Financing Law

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By

Good News Network

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Jun 28, 2011

photo by Daniel Schwen, via Wikimedia Commons

An innovative financing mechanism for achieving the green jobs and carbon cuts mandated in New York was passed last week by the state legislature. The “Power NY Act” funnels energy savings from individual electric bills to the cause of financing energy efficient retrofits on one million buildings and homes.

The win-win-win strategy of “on-bill financing” will create 14,000 living-wage jobs, cut carbon emissions, lower utility bills for working families, and enable moderate-income homeowners to access safe loans for retrofits and use energy savings to repay the loan.

College Football Player Lifts Cadillac to Save Man’s Life

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Jun 28, 2011

Danous Estenor portrait

Lucky for Maria Uribe, a football player heard her scream when she discovered a Cadillac had pinned her husband, who had been working on the car, under its rear tire.

Not just any college player, Danous Estenor is a 6-foot-3, 295-pound offensive lineman.

“I tried to lift the car, and when I first tried, it didn’t budge, said Danous. I backed up. I don’t know. But I felt this energy come, and I lifted it…”

Tobacco Sales to Minors at Record Low

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Jun 28, 2011

Tobacco sales to minors fell to an all-time low in 2010, a new report shows.

Retailers in the US sold tobacco to minors 9.3% of the time — the lowest in the 14-year history of surveys by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The Puerto Rican Parrot Back from Near Extinction

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Jun 27, 2011

Puerto Rican parrot - USFW photo

The outlook is increasingly positive for the Puerto Rican parrot, which has hovered near extinction for decades, with slightly more than a dozen left in the wild at one point.

‘Everything is moving in a positive direction,’ said Tom White, a Fish and Wildlife biologist who helps manage the island’s wild parrot populations.

Solar Energy From Windows

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Jun 27, 2011

solar smart energy glass bldg

A start-up in Northern California is working on creating “solar windows” that could act as solar panels at the same time as blocking sunlight from entering office buildings to reduce their energy needs, according to a story in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle.

The company, Pythagoras Solar, won a $100,000 prize last week in GE’s Ecomagination Challenge, for its idea.

Is Shyness an Evolutionary Tactic?

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Jun 27, 2011

shy girl photo by CCMackay

Shyness and introversion — or more precisely, the careful, sensitive temperament from which both often spring — are not just normal. They are valuable. And they may be essential to the survival of our species.

Shy and introverted people have been part of our species for a very long time, often in leadership positions. Charles Darwin, Marcel Proust, Albert Einstein, Google’s Larry Page, and Harry Potter’s creator, J. K. Rowling were all considered timid in social situations.

Royal Wedding Fund Raises $1.7 Million for Charity

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Jun 27, 2011

Prince William and Kate, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Plenty of people this spring wanted to send a wedding gift to Prince William and Kate Middleton, even after the couple asked that donations be made to one of 26 chosen charities instead.

More than $1.7 million (over a million pounds) was raised for the occasion for the Royal Wedding Charitable Gift Fund, according to Buckingham Palace.

Israel Begins Dismantling Section of West Bank Barrier

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Jun 27, 2011

Arab man leans against wall

Israel on Sunday began tearing down a section of its contentious West Bank separation, marking a major victory for the village residents of Bilin, which lost half its land to the barrier.

The dismantling of the section comes four years after Israel’s Supreme Court ordered it torn down, rejecting the military’s argument that the route was necessary for security.

Selling Eye Glasses at Cost While Giving a Pair to the Needy With Every Sale

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Jun 26, 2011

Warby Parker Eyeglasses giveaway helps poor to see

Warby Parker is a new web-based company with a mission that goes far beyond profit.

They want to help people find affordable eyeglasses by cutting out the middleman that normally marks up prices ten to 20 times the manufacturing cost.

They also want to make a difference, by donating one pair of glasses to a person in need for every pair sold.

So far, in one year, the startup has sold 60,000 glasses with prescription lenses.

(WATCH or READ the story from CBS News “Sunday Morning”)

Boeing Rights a Wrong: the Flight Attendant Button Next to Light Button

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Jun 26, 2011

airline cabin photo by Chris Sloan via airchive.com

In the long history of bad industrial design, the flight attendant call button on commercial airlines takes top prize.

Usually located next to the reading light button and often indistinguishable from it, the dreaded button causes flight attendants to make countless pointless trips down the aisles, only to hear embarrassed passengers say they were just trying to switch on the light.

Not for much longer, thanks to a new interior design on Boeing’s 737 passenger jet.

Neighbor Helps Neighbor In Flooding North Dakota Town

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Jun 26, 2011

sand bagging along a river

Stories of people helping each other, often without being asked and demanding nothing in return, were a heartwarming counterpoint to the destruction from unprecedented flooding along the Souris valley in north-central North Dakota. Brought together by word of mouth, church and civic networks, social media and random encounters, those with housing and supplies to spare gave willingly to those without.

“They just showed up on Tuesday and carted stuff off for us,” said one local in the flood zone.

(READ the article from NPR News)

South Korean Pastor Accepts Unwanted Babies in Drop Box

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Jun 26, 2011

photo of Asian baby by Opencage.info -CC

In a country that prizes physical perfection, Korean Pastor Lee Jong-rak, his eyes opened after caring for his own disabled son, has been taking in unwanted infants, who if not for the drop box in the front of his building would be left in the street.

To Pastor Lee Jong-rak, babies with Down syndrome or cerebral palsy are all perfect. And they have found a home here at the ad hoc orphanage he runs with his wife and small staff. It is the only private center for disabled children in South Korea.

(READ the article from the LA Times)

Thanks to Joel Arellano for submitting the story to our Facebook page!

Food Bank Shortages Lead To Innovation

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Jun 25, 2011

Trey Morgan helps at a food bank - courtesy photo

Food banks around the country are trying to keep their shelves stocked as more people in the U.S. struggle to get enough to eat. That means finding new ways to salvage food that would otherwise go to waste.

One innovation is being tested at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee, where a vacuum packaging machine is being used to test dented food cans for quality.

The machine can show whether a damaged can has any leaks that would jeopardize the quality of the food.

Second Harvest also plans to approach other potential donors, like hospitals, hotels, caterers, and restaurants that could donate prepared food that has not been utilized.

(READ the story at NPR)

Five Economic Lessons from Sweden, the Rock Star of the Recovery

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Jun 25, 2011

Swedish flag by seemann -CC via Morguefile

Almost every developed nation in the world was hit by the financial crisis. Their economies became paralyzed. And then there’s Sweden.

The Scandinavian nation has accomplished what the United States, Britain and Japan can only dream of: Growing rapidly, creating jobs and gaining a competitive edge. The banks are lending, the housing market booming. The budget is balanced.

Tom Hanks Wants to Spread Optimism With his New Movie ‘Larry Crowne’

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Jun 25, 2011

Larry Crowne film features Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts

Optimism is something Hanks has never been shy about bringing to his movies. Whether it is Forrest Gump’s naïve faith in people or the dogged determination to survive and be rescued in “Cast Away,” Hanks identifies with characters he describes as “one of the faithful.”

His new film, “Larry Crowne,” opening Friday, July 1, gives that optimism a real test torn straight from the American zeitgeist.

Like many Americans during the recent recession, Crowne goes back to Community College after losing his job. Searching for something positive, that is what he finds.

Judge Halts Indiana Cuts To Planned Parenthood

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Jun 25, 2011

gavel

Planned Parenthood of Indiana expects to start offering services to Medicaid patients again Saturday after a federal judge ruled the state is not allowed to cut off the organization’s public funding for general health services, thereby restricting Medicaid recipients’ freedom to choose their health care provider.

Huge $1.4 Billion Solar Project Using Existing Rooftops Will Almost Double 2010 U.S. Capacity

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Jun 24, 2011

solar rooftop

One obstacle for large standalone solar projects is the disruption of land that could be used for other purposes including nature conservation and farming.

This week, the U.S. Department of Energy launched a $1.4 billion loan guarantee project to build 733 megawatts worth of solar panels, which is nearly the equivalent of all the photovoltaic installations in the U.S. in 2010.

The program, called Project Amp, which will create more than 1,000 green jobs, is unique compared to other big solar programs because instead of focusing on one giant standalone tower or array, it involves the use of 750 existing rooftops.

Sustainability and Waste Reduction Win the Day in 23rd Annual Packaging Awards

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Jun 24, 2011

eco-friendly packaging awards

Winners of the 23rd DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation, represent breakthrough developments in sustainability from brand giants like Coca Cola, Intel and Heinz.

“Sustainability considerations are driving innovation” said Shanna Moore, a director of DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers. “The innovations stem from use of organic or renewably sourced materials to the relentless drive to reduce waste and weight.”

The independent jury panel, which evaluated more than 200 entries, said nearly all of the winning innovations related to reducing waste in the system.

Sustainability and Waste Reduction Win the Day at Packaging Awards

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By

Good News Network

-

Jun 24, 2011

eco-friendly packaging awards

Winners of the 23rd DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation, represent breakthrough developments in sustainability from brand giants like Coca Cola, Intel and Heinz.

“Sustainability considerations are driving innovation” said Shanna Moore, a director of DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers. “The innovations stem from use of organic or renewably sourced materials to the relentless drive to reduce waste and weight.”

The independent jury panel, which evaluated more than 200 entries, said nearly all of the winning innovations related to reducing waste in the system.

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