Metrics details Can organic chemistry mimic nature in efficiency and sustainability but recent developments in photoredox catalysis animated the synthetic chemistry field providing greener opportunities for industry and academia Light radiation is its primary energy source and environmentally friendly (energy efficiency) Photons provide enough energy to achieve the desired reactivity without the high temperatures or harsh conditions often required by thermal activation The light-absorbing species (photocatalysts) can be used in low catalytic amounts (use of catalytic reagents) By reaching an electronically excited state they trigger single-electron transfer (SET) events to or from inactive/stable substrates This generates highly reactive species in a mild and controlled manner This has two positive impacts on sustainability one can use less reactive low-energy reagents allowing less hazardous and safer synthetic routes and easier disposal of less toxic or polluting by-products photoredox catalysis can activate generally poor reactive moieties within molecules (e.g while showing heightened functional group tolerance This makes photoredox catalysis invaluable for designing shorter synthetic routes with enhanced atom economy a Drug development (synthesis of key drug intermediates) b sustainable catalysis for the valorisation of renewable feedstock (lignin biomass depolymerisation and direct functionalisation of natural gases) c biomedicinal chemistry (provision of radiolabelled tracers) TBADT: tetra-n-butylammonium decatungstenate; NFSI: N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide; HAT: hydrogen atom transfer; NSAID: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; PET: positron emission tomography; SET: single electron transfer although a natural direction for this research area would be to achieve more sustainable iron and cobalt catalysis which can provide for faster processes while avoiding the need for artificial light sources and exogenous catalytic entities We have not yet fully emulated the leaves of a plant the most primitive yet most efficient photoreactors but recent developments in photochemistry suggest that the future will be bright and green Visible light photocatalysis: applications and new disconnections in the synthesis of pharmaceutical agents Applications of visible light photoredox catalysis to the synthesis of natural products and related compounds Metrics of green chemistry and sustainability: past Organic synthesis provides opportunities to transform drug discovery Lipophilicity in Drug Action and Toxicology (Wiley-VCH Applications of organocatalysed visible-light photoredox reactions for medicinal chemistry Development of a direct photocatalytic C−H fluorination for the preparative synthesis of odanacatib Late-stage functionalization of biologically active heterocycles through photoredox catalysis Alkyl carbon–carbon bond formation by nickel/photoredox cross-coupling A radical approach to the copper oxidative addition problem: trifluoromethylation of bromoarenes Nguyen, S. T., Murray, P. R. D. & Knowles, R. R. Light-driven depolymerization of native lignin enabled by proton-coupled electron transfer. Preprint at https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv.9702377.v1 (2019) and higher alkanes by cerium photocatalysis Circular chemistry to enable a circular economy Applications of continuous-flow photochemistry in organic synthesis Acridinium-based photocatalysts: a sustainable option in photoredox catalysis Direct arene C–H fluorination with18F− via organic photoredox catalysis Solar photochemical synthesis: from the beginnings of organic photochemistry to the solar manufacturing of commodity chemicals Enhancing the potential of enantioselective organocatalysis with light Download references Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia - the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies contributed to writing the paper and approved the final version of the paper for submission The authors declare no competing interests Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Reprints and permissions Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13887-8 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time Sydney’s train network has become the first in Australia to transition to net zero emissions after the NSW government moved to power the massive transport system with renewable energy The government has committed to a four-year agreement with Snowy Hydro-owned Red Energy for the electricity used by the network which produced close to 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide last financial year Sydney’s rail network will run at net-zero emissions after the state government signed a four-year renewable energy deal.Credit: Janie Barrett Former transport minister Andrew Constance in June revealed the government would push to power the train network with green energy by 2025 Rob Stokes said the latest agreement means the state will have “smashed” the target by more than four years in “becoming the first heavy rail network in Australia to transition to completely green energy” The Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink networks represents about 1.3 per cent of the state’s electricity usage with the government now purchasing renewable energy certificates from Red Energy which generates clean energy from wind and solar The certificates provide evidence that the source of the energy is renewable Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said the agency was preparing to go to market in 2024 to “test solutions” to maintain net zero into the future A Sydney Trains spokeswoman said the certificates were identified as the best available strategy for the agency to achieve net-zero though that could change “following further engagement with the market” Sydney Trains will also reduce energy consumption by at least 10 per cent by 2025 through solar energy generation at close to 30 locations across the network While the government seeks to offset its public transport network, a $500 million budget commitment it made to incentivise the take-up of electric vehicles will come into effect from November after new laws passed Parliament on Wednesday State government rebates of $3000 will be given to the first 25,000 vehicles sold for under $68,000 while stamp duty will also be removed from EVs that cost less than $78,000 under the plan that was announced in June People who have bought an EV since September will be able to apply for a refund in stamp duty the majority of new cars sold in NSW need to be EVs by 2035,” Treasurer Matt Kean said Electric vehicles will be able to use transit T2 and T3 lanes until at least October 2022 As NSW subsidises the uptake of electric cars 40 electric buses will be rolled out across Sydney over coming months The federal government will invest close to $30 million in the program to transition diesel buses to electric The first 12 of the electric bus fleet are expected to enter service on Sydney roads this month while the rest will progressively roll out over the next six months “The aim of the pilot is to show the technical and commercial viability of using electric buses travelling a full route without the need to stop to recharge along the way,” Mr Taylor said The pilot will also retrofit the Leichhardt bus depot with a host of new electric bus chargers The majority of the funding is being drawn from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation while $5 million will come from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here Sydney\\u2019s train network has become the first in Australia to transition to net zero emissions after the NSW government moved to power the massive transport system with renewable energy Former transport minister Andrew Constance in June the train network with green energy by 2025 Rob Stokes said the latest agreement means the state will have \\u201Csmashed\\u201D the target by more than four years in \\u201Cbecoming the first heavy rail network in Australia to transition to completely green energy\\u201D The Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink networks represents about 1.3 per cent of the state\\u2019s electricity usage Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said the agency was preparing to go to market in 2024 to \\u201Ctest solutions\\u201D to maintain net zero into the future though that could change \\u201Cfollowing further engagement with the market\\u201D While the government seeks to offset its public transport network a it made to incentivise the take-up of electric vehicles will come into effect from November after new laws passed Parliament on Wednesday \\u201CTo achieve net zero emissions by 2050 the majority of new cars sold in NSW need to be EVs by 2035,\\u201D Treasurer Matt Kean said \\u201CThe aim of the pilot is to show the technical and commercial viability of using electric buses travelling a full route without the need to stop to recharge along the way,\\u201D Mr Taylor said The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day\\u2019s most important and interesting stories the upper-mid market womenswear chain which calls itself the "Australian destination for fashion" is shutting its doors after almost two decades "The end of an era!" the retailer told its mailing list this morning Green with Envy to shut its doorsCredit: Simon Schulter The news caused the company's website to crash Its voice mailbox was full and its stores - in the Melbourne CBD and on Chapel Street Green with Envy sells dresses ranging in price from about $280 and $600 It was founded by Irene Nicholas who also owns the Nicholas clothing brand which is sold at Green with Envy wealthy and professional women and has more than 73,000 followers on Facebook It said it "searched the globe for the world's best new talents whilst continuing to strengthen its brand offering with leading brand names has seen it grow a cult following amongst its loyal clientele "Working closely with each designer allows Green with Envy to offer its customers a range of exclusive styles and one off pieces each season." The retail sector is "verging on recession" investment bank UBS said earlier this year as people cut back in response to low wage growth and high utility and housing costs Detailed employment numbers released on Thursday showed the retail sector had shed almost 20,000 jobs in the year to the end of May Do you know more? Email: Mheffernan@fairfaxmedia.com.au​ the upper-mid market womenswear chain which calls itself the \\\"Australian destination for fashion\\\" \\\"The end of an era!\\\" the retailer told its mailing list this morning The news caused the company's website to crash It said it \\\"searched the globe for the world's best new talents whilst continuing to strengthen its brand offering with leading brand names has seen it grow a cult following amongst its loyal clientele \\\"Working closely with each designer allows Green with Envy to offer its customers a range of exclusive styles and one off pieces each season.\\\" The retail sector is \\\"verging on recession\\\" Detailed employment numbers released on Thursday showed the retail sector Entrepreneur® and its related marks are registered trademarks of Entrepreneur Media LLC Going green is no longer just a niche catchphrase. It has become an increasingly mainstream part of doing business. In fact, in one recent study, 78 percent of Americans said they would be more likely to purchase environmentally friendly products with 64 percent also willing to pay more for these products an environmental focus in business doesn't just help the environment — it can also have a direct impact on your bottom line When you make sustainability a key focus of your business ventures you will become much more appealing to customers who share similar values there are many ways your company can go green Product packaging is one of the biggest sources of waste. As a report from Business News Daily notes 77 percent of customers feel that plastic is not environmentally responsible when packaging products paper was considered the most eco-friendly packaging option as it is more easily recyclable Something as simple as replacing packing peanuts with paper can reduce the environmental impact of your packaging Smaller packaging design can further reduce your environmental impact Eco-focused brands will often highlight their sustainability efforts (and encourage customers to recycle the packaging) right on the box The supply chain can be a major source of a business's carbon footprint. Mainly because of the pollution that is produced to transport supplies and materials to your facility. This is most commonly seen with food, where initiatives to buy local aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions And this can be done simply by limiting how many miles food travels to get to someone's dinner plate the same can be accomplished with any other supplies or materials your business might need An emphasis on local sourcing will reduce your carbon footprint while also supporting your local economy — likely a key driver of your own company's success You can further improve the sustainability of your materials by sourcing from eco-conscious suppliers that have enacted their own green initiatives Related: 9 Easy Ways Companies Can Save Money By Going Green For businesses that manufacture their own products, identifying ways to minimize the waste potential of their products should be a top priority for going green. The use of biodegradable or recyclable materials ensures that your products don't add to millions of tons of landfill waste generated in the U.S The energy sources you use to power your office and run your business's most vital processes significantly impacts your carbon footprint Renewable energy sources such as rooftop solar and wind have become more accessible than ever Both can serve as valuable long-term investments for going green Many utility providers use coal and natural gas, which combine to produce billions of metric tons of CO2 emissions each year Switching to solar or other renewable sources is your way to ensure that your electricity is sourced sustainably In the U.S., these green investments also qualify businesses for tax credits that offset the cost of the installation. The federal solar investment tax credit currently provides a credit for 26 percent of the cost of a new system that begins construction in 2022 this credit drops to 22 percent in 2023 and 10 percent in 2024 — so the sooner you implement this Another option for going green is to come up with a green version of a service-based business an environmentally friendly landscaping business would avoid the use of chemical herbicides and use electric equipment instead of gas-powered equipment An organic catering company would use organic Sustainability consultants can advise other businesses on key steps they can take to go green These examples are just a few ways that a service-oriented business could provide a more sustainable offering to its customers your efforts to go green become the key differentiating feature that sets your company apart from other competitors within the niche Ample opportunities exist for both B2B and B2C companies Related: 5 Green Franchises For Eco-Focused Entrepreneurs going green can be embedded into your company's identity from the ground up Consider how you can improve your impact on the environment in every facet of your business You can find creative solutions and carve out a unique niche within your market you can help the planet and become a valued asset to others who are trying to reduce their impact on the environment Related: 6 Ways Going Green Can Make You More Profitable We'll be in your inbox every morning Monday-Saturday with all the day’s top business news best advice and exclusive reporting from Entrepreneur Metrics details As indocyanine green (ICG) with near-infrared (NIR) endoscopy enhances real-time intraoperative tissue microperfusion appreciation it may also dynamically reveal neoplasia distinctively from normal tissue especially with video software fluorescence analysis Colorectal tumours of patients were imaged mucosally following ICG administration (0.25 mg/kg i.v.) using an endo-laparoscopic NIR system (PINPOINT Endoscopic Fluorescence System continuous in situ visualization of rectal lesions transanally for up to 20 min Spot and dynamic temporal fluorescence intensities (FI) were quantified using ImageJ (including videos at one frame/second fps) and by a bespoke MATLAB® application that provided digitalized video tracking and signal logging at 30fps (Fluorescence Tracker App downloadable via MATLAB® file exchange) Statistical analysis of FI-time plots compared tumours (benign and malignant) against control during FI curve rise Early kinetic FI signal measurement delineated discriminative temporal signatures from tumours (n = 20 9 cancers) offering rich data for analysis versus delayed spot measurement (n = 10 cancers) Malignant lesion dynamic curves peaked significantly later with a shallower gradient than normal tissue while benign lesions showed significantly greater and faster intensity drop from apex versus cancer Automated tracker quantification efficiently expanded manual results and provided algorithmic KNN clustering Photobleaching appeared clinically irrelevant Analysis of a continuous stream of intraoperatively acquired early ICG fluorescence data can act as an in situ tumour-identifier with greater detail than later snapshot observation alone Software quantification of such kinetic signatures may distinguish invasive from non-invasive neoplasia with potential for real-time in silico diagnosis As the processes being visualized are more complex than perfusion alone and non-tumour background noise may manifest video-based analytics could de-risk image interpretation permitting greater interpretative clarity and even potentially a ‘digital tissue biopsy’ through software Herein we pilot the use of systemic NIR-ICG as a licensed available-now agent for endoscopic colorectal neoplasia perfusion interrogation with the goal of identifying discriminant tissue characterisation features The automated operative perfusion quantification methodology developed and used for this study is available for download so others may test and add to this exploratory work while we continue to expand our clinical series on a collaborative basis This clinical experience involved adult patients already undergoing endolaparoscopic diagnostic or therapeutic procedures for colorectal neoplasia under general anaesthesia Informed consent was obtained from all participants in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations and with institutional (Mater Misericordiae University Hospital ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04220242) ICG is licensed internationally for tissue perfusion characterisation and has an excellent safety profile NIR Endoscopic Systems are commercially available with the one used in this study (PINPOINT Endoscopic Fluorescence System USA) being capable simultaneous white light and NIR display no experimental agents or devices were used and no clinical care decisions changed based on NIR-ICG appearances Patients with colorectal tumors were administered ICG intravenously at a dose of 0.25 mg/kg intraprocedurally The endoscopic NIR system was used to directly visualise rectal tumours continuously transanally for up to 20 subsequent minutes and enabled a video recording to be made of endoscopic white light and NIR appearances simultaneously Ex vivo resection specimens from a separate cohort also receiving the same dose of ICG systemically were opened and their mucosal surfaces examined post-operatively with the same camera for still image analysis to examine for photobleaching effects in tissue two opened specimens were examined continuously postoperatively for 20 min at the site of neoplasia and the recording analysed similarly to the in situ rectal recordings (see below) The videos along with similar high-resolution photographs of the opened mucosal surface of any resected specimens ex vivo underwent post-hoc fluorescence intensity (FI) analysis All imagery contained both the neoplastic lesion and some adjacent normal tissue Patient demographics and reactions possibly related to ICG usage were recorded prospectively along with the routine pre and postoperative pathological and radiological reports to capture cancer-relevant details Photograph of mucosal surface of an ex vivo opened resection specimen in a patient with rectal adenocarcinoma being assessed for tumour static signal intensity using ImageJ ICG was administered at the time of surgery commencement with the photograph being taken postoperatively using the Pinpoint endoscopic NIR system Screenshot of Fluorescence Tracker App (FTA MATLAB®) showing post-hoc automated video-based classification of tumour (blue cluster) versus control tissue (orange cluster) once the regions of interest have been defined via initial annotation by a surgeon on the video frame corresponding to the time of fluorescence inflow Videos are taken in vivo endorectally using the Pinpoint endoscopic NIR laparoscope while injecting 0.25 mg/kg ICG Representative graph (Microsoft Excel for Microsoft 365) of in vivo NIR intensity patterns plotting fluorescence intensity versus time to show the curve variables selected for statistical comparison between malignant benign and normal tissue in videos from patients in this series Diagram (Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365) showing cohorts of patients in this study by their methods of fluorescence intensity analysis Box plots (SPSS Software version 26) of mean fluorescence mucosal intensity measurements for cancers vs control tissue on postoperative, ex vivo, opened resection specimens via still image analysis with ImageJ in patients receiving ICG at operation commencement. Photograph and graph (Microsoft Excel for Microsoft 365) showing the set-up and impact of continuous illumination on ex-vivo tissue containing cancer hours after systemic administration of ICG in vivo the specimen was opened and illuminated with a clamped NIR camera and the video recording tracked continuously to elucidate FI over time with static position and in situ dye concentration This showed minimal induction of photobleaching both at the centre and peripheries of the image field of view Graph (Microsoft Excel for Microsoft 365) of mean fluorescence intensity per frame vs time for continuous (video) in vivo fluorescence signals using (a) manual Image J methodology (1 fps) and (b) the Fluorescence Tracker App (30 fps) with automated feature detection and tracker in the video recordings of patients with both benign and malignant rectal lesions. Mean frame intensity for cancer/benign tumours and normal tissue (solid lines) and logarithmic fitted curves (dotted lines). Illustrative example graphs (Microsoft Excel for Microsoft 365) of dynamic time vs fluorescence signal intensity plots for both (a) a benign lesion using the manual (ImageJ) method above and (b) a cancer using the automated Fluorescence Tracker App for endoluminal in vivo assessment while injecting 0.25 mg/kg ICG Tables 2 and 3 show the measures of graph parameters from the lesions viewed endoscopically by both manual ImageJ and automated FTA FI curves Statistical analysis of temporal kinetic patterns generated by the manual quantificative method with respect to flow milestones of lesions versus global control readings revealed significant peak intensity differences (p = 0.047 Direct Fmax comparisons showed that the cancer intensity curve zenith (Fmax 202 ± 35.68) was significantly higher than for both the benign tumours (165.8 ± 11.69 p = 0.02) and control tissue (169.63 ± 12.84 three-way analysis using Kruskal–Wallis comparison of cancer benign and control regions showed significant differences in upslope (gradient from baseline to Fmax p = 0.039) and for both the downslope and fall between Fmax and T100 (p = 0.046 for each) Direct comparison with Mann–Whitney U between cancers and control regions showed that cancers peaked significantly later took significantly longer to rise from baseline to maximum and exhibited a shallower gradient to the peak This resulted in a significantly later T100 Skew for cancers was further to the right (− 1.69 ± 1.17 vs − 0.41 ± 1.37 p = 0.04) there were also significant differences by T100 in terms of both fall and downward gradient There was no statistically significant difference in these measures between all lesions together and benign lesions alone compared with the controls six cancer cases underwent application of the KNN classification algorithm With surgeon ROI (lesion and control) selection the algorithm was able to cluster the data into two groups segregating cancer from normal tissue automatically in a fashion not significantly different to the manually segregated data (Wilcoxon signed rank resting) the automated classification was unable to reproduce the significantly raised ‘time to rise’ demonstrated on neoplastic tissue (p = 0.041) versus control when these were manually grouped Given that cancers likely act to accumulate agents in their vicinity differently to other areas that trap agents more passively we thought to observe dynamically the processing of ICG by tumours under continuous direct observation different to others who have focused on single point in time observations This desktop post-hoc based assessment of the curve metadata has demonstrated possible discriminative flow milestones and timepoints related to the early phase behaviour of the dye in the peritumoral environment that preludes late stage appearances While additional distinguishing parameters may also exist and could be identifiable via longer videos enabling analysis of dye processing and efflux patterns and/or by using more sophisticated analytical methods this initial work is encouraging (and indeed longer in situ observation periods may be clinically impractical) the fluorescence signal in cancers takes longer to peak and retains this intensity longer (consistent with impaired local pharmacokinetics compared with healthy tissue) Such a distinct FI signature could be visually noticed in both grey-scale composite and threshold modes and could be quantified with post-hoc image data analysis Manual intensity quantification allowed mathematical comparisons of the FI time patterns although such data generation was labour-intensive while episodic sampling (even at 1fps) made smoothing of data difficult and background noise impaired statistical analysis tracking and quantification enabled higher sampling rates (30fps) and so provided richer data for analysis with processing time being a function of computational ability rather than human labour In lesions where biopsy is still indicated the fluorescent signal profile could indicate the site of most relevant yield re cancer detection the key issue to discriminate is cancer versus not cancer and so benign tumor behaviour being similar to normal tissue fits the clinical paradigm re lesion management As ICG can be seen in this experience to passively concentrate in tumours Such internalisation mechanisms could prove advantageous in performance over cell-surface or ligand-specific agents which could be limited in applicability due to variance in intra and inter-tumour target expression It is likely also that the ICG uptake mechanisms through cancer pathophysiology seen here are shared across other common cancers and could extend to sites of regional spread and metastatic disease This indicates that a relatively high rate of false positive findings may continue despite any additional tumour targeting features Rigorous preclinical and clinical study controls are required to minimize heuristic mechanistic targeting assumptions While long-in-advance (24–48 h) administration of the fluorophore has been proposed to offset non-cancer signalling (and allow signal strengthening by agent concentration) a significant downside exists with respect to the unpredictability of operative timing and patient-to-patient pharmacokinetic variances While selection of the specific timepoints for analysis (e.g 100 s post-peak timepoint) is somewhat arbitrary they do provide milestones for statistical analysis enabling comparisons between lesions and adjacent healthy tissue as control Statistical curve analysis is currently not calculated in real time and is limited to one curve per ROI Simultaneous synthesis and dissection of multiple curves may further discern tumour heterogeneity Although the automatic classifier diminished the differentiation ability of our metrics when compared to surgeon-based classification better classification algorithmic methods may to some extent replace operator input Other tracking algorithms exist 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Nature 577, 89–94. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1799-6 (2020) Download references This project is supported by government of the Republic of Ireland via the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) analysis of the results and to the writing of the manuscript Prof Cahill is named on a patent filed in relation to processes for visual determination of tissue biology receives speaker fees from Stryker Corp and Ethicon/J&J research funding from Intuitive Corp and Medtronic and holds research funding from the Irish Government in collaboration with IBM Research in Ireland and from EU Horizon 2020 in collaboration with Palliare Drs Dalli and Hardy and Ms Sarkar are employed as researchers in the DTIF Prof O Shea has a financial interest in patents filed and granted relating to NIR-fluorophores and processes for visual determination of tissue biology Mr Loughman and Ms Sarkar have no disclosures to report Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90089-7 Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery (2024) European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (2024) Sign up for the Nature Briefing: AI and Robotics newsletter — what matters in AI and robotics research Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker program manager of Climate and Energy at Greenpeace East Asia Data centers consume more than 120TWH of power in China in 2017 and energy consumption for Internet data centers (IDC) is estimated to grow at a staggering 30 percent rate annually program manager of Climate and Energy at Greenpeace East Asia told DCD especially when most of these data centers are still powered by highly polluting coal As part of a broader mission to reduce pollution and improve air quality the Chinese government has undertaken a huge energy transition to shift the country towards renewable energy over the past decade And it has made substantial progress on that front China has installed the largest amount of renewable energy in the world with solar reaching over 174GW and wind over 184GW by the end of 2018 It is also doing more to increase the efficiency and lower costs for developing additional renewable energy sources in the country “[China’s] National Energy Administration has set targets to significantly reduce the wind and solar curtailment by 2020 and launched [power] grid parity policies to bring down the cost of wind and solar power to the same level as coal fired power in the next two to three years,” said Yuan Elsewhere, China’s cloud giants are playing their part with highly efficient data centers that makes use of renewables. For instance, Tencent is building a data center in the hills of Guizhou that will tap the external cold air for cooling and could potentially access the large supply of hydropower in the region Yuan also drew attention to Alibaba’s data centers in Hebei which uses a “large share” of local wind power for its energy needs On the legislative front, the country has established guidelines to tackle the fast-growing industry. As we reported previously the Guideline for Pilot Projects of Green Data Centers (GPPGDC) was released in 2015 to encourage sustainability in the data center industry that included a pilot of 100 leading green data centers The three government bodies that crafted the earlier guidelines - the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) National Government Offices Administration and National Energy Administration - have since upped the ante with the release of a new framework in January 2019 to further push the industry towards greener data centers Titled “Guidelines on Strengthening the Construction of Green Data Centers," the new guideline frames green data centers as the vital linchpin for power a new generation of digital infrastructure in China it maps out a more comprehensive concept of the green data center which includes encouraging the use of renewable energy through direct power purchase and green energy certificates One aspect of the new guidelines rely on the use of PUE to gauge the efficiency of a data center and this is already making itself felt in the data center industry in China the Shanghai municipal authorities recently issued a three-year action plan that limits new data centers to a PUE value of 1.3 a move which prompted great debate among data center professionals in the country This tightening of PUE is really a continuation of earlier guidelines (GPPGDC) which came into being at a time when most data centers in China had a PUE of 2.2 While the situation has changed for the better is an arbitrary PUE target of 1.3 a reasonable target “[Achieving a] PUE of 1.3 is highly dependent on the ability to use climatic conditions for cooling and free cooling It is also highly dependent on the IT load reaching the threshold to ensure an efficient PUE,” said Verghese Jacob an independent data center consulting firm “There are certainly locations where a PUE to 1.3 will be challenging but in turn there are many more locations where it can be achieved I would congratulate the government for setting the target it is important where it cannot be achieved that the data center developer demonstrate the best-case PUE and the government provide an exemption for these cases,” he said the technical director of solutions architect at AirTrunk the question is not about whether it can be achieved but whether it can promote the progress of the data center industry in China Due to the real-world economics of bulk energy purchases – buying more generally gets you a cheaper rate – and the substantial capital overheads of an energy-efficient data center ironic situations may arise in which a data center with a worse PUE may cost customers less says that modern Chinese data centers are highly energy-efficient facilities “The most energy-efficient data centers in the Asia-Pacific region are in China China data centers have achieved a very competitive foundation relying on a strong manufacturing industry chain and infrastructure capabilities China's data centers are no worse than their peers when it comes to their technology While there is no doubting the importance of improving data center energy efficiency Yuan said: “As China continues to boost its renewable energy development and reforms its power market companies now have more options to procure renewable energy than before." While she praised Chinese cloud giants for what they have done so far "We’d love to see the data center sector and the cloud giants in China making more ambitious moves to reduce climate impact and seize the opportunity moving towards renewable energy," she said is for them to demonstrate strong climate leadership through ambitious goals such as the use of 100 percent renewable energy This is already being done by cloud giants such as Google and Microsoft and will hopefully spur the rest of the industry towards greener heights The 10th annual DCD>Shanghai 2019 conference is all set to take place on June 25th at the Shanghai Center bringing together over 1,300 leading experts in the data center and cloud infrastructure ecosystems in both China and worldwide Discuss how enterprises are transforming and enhancing their data infrastructure to build and maintain competitive advantage - register here Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia TechTarget and Informa Tech’s Digital Business Combine.TechTarget and Informa Together, we power an unparalleled network of 220+ online properties covering 10,000+ granular topics, serving an audience of 50+ million professionals with original, objective content from trusted sources. We help you gain critical insights and make more informed decisions across your business priorities. Financial institutions can make their own contributions to overcoming the challenges of climate change, starting with implementation of regulatory technology. As the popular adage goes that “change is the only constant” and climate change fits the bill perfectly because every notable change in climate patterns brings a greater risk to financial stability. Hence it comes as no surprise that climate risk continues to be one of the top agenda for banking and financial institutions. As regulators, banks and financial institutions are continuing to explore options to manage the financial risks emanating from climate risks in a better way. From a technology perspective regulatory technology (popularly known as RegTech) is emerging as a key technology enabler for managing climate risks. RegTech refers to the use of new technologies to solve regulatory and compliance burdens more effectively and efficiently. But before we get in to how and where RegTech can help, there are some key constructs that need to be in place for financial institutions to enable a meaningful adoption of RegTech, namely: Establishing a climate risk enterprise strategy and a framework that is cognizant of geography climate change requirements, along with a robust operating model and measurable key performance indicators Establishing climate risk policies and procedures and communicating the climate change agenda across all levels in the organization Increased participation in green financing by focusing on a greener product portfolio such as green bonds and better priced loans to climate friendly counterparties. Establishing a RegTech adoption framework for climate risk management, including assessment and identification criteria’s for identifying climate risk areas that can be solutioned using RegTech Leverage existing RegTech solutions that can be extended to manage climate risk. For example, existing regulatory reporting solutions can be extended to manage climate risk-related regulatory reports. A robust reporting mechanism that provides insightful climate disclosures per requirements of internal and external stakeholders Currently, climate risk management is grappling with a host of challenges that primarily include: Lack of holistic enterprise level view of the climate risk and its touch points on varied existing risk types Data availability. Data constitutes a key ingredient in climate risk management. While for traditional risk the historical data reflects the areas where organizations are more exposed, in the case of climate change there are multiple uncertain risk events that have a bearing on it. Data taxonomy. Currently, there are limited defined data standards and taxonomies for gathering data for climate risk management. Climate risk modeling capability. Expanding newer scenario variables related to climate risk for which projection has not been provided requires climate risk modeling capabilities. Individual counterparty analysis. This requires assessing current vulnerability of a counterparty given the impact of scenario variables and a counterparty mitigation and adaptation plan, which is not part of credit risk assessment today. Disclosure management. Banks and financial institutions are already reeling under huge regulatory disclosure requirements, and additional climate-related disclosures are going to add on to the existing workload. While the existing challenges present a difficult path for effective climate risk management, there are areas where RegTech can ease the burden, such as: Leverage RegTech solutions for measuring and assessing the impact of climate risk regulations and policies on existing business processes, data requirements and disclosure management. Leverage machine learning-based RegTech to create hypothetical data sets that can be used as inputs in stress test models and to better assess the risk arising from extreme events. Leverage statistical tools, for generating climate-specific scenarios, conducting simulation and analysis, simulation for better stress testing to enhance risk management and a governance framework. Leverage RegTech data solutions for monitoring of climate risk and environmental data. Leverage artificial intelligence for deriving predictive insights from the climate reports generated for active decision-making. Expanding existing regulatory reporting by RegTech to standardize and incorporate climate related disclosures. Since adoption of the Paris accord, there have been a slew of efforts from various regulatory bodies to improve understanding and adoption of climate risk management in banks and financial institutions. Such efforts from varied bodies include the Network for Greening the Financial System, Prudential Regulatory Authority, and the TCFD Framework (Task force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures), which laid a good foundation for effective management of climate risk. Risk and Compliance Consultant, Tata Consultancy Services Netskope One Digital Experience Management (DEM) Discover emerging managed detection & response services Cybersecurity Consulting Vendor Assessment for 2024 Rocket Software Named a Major Player in the 2024 IDC MarketScape for Intelligent Content Services Rethinking the Role of Mainframe Data in Enterprise AI and Analytics Copyright © 2025. This website is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget, part of a global network that informs, influences and connects the world’s technology buyers and sellers. All copyright resides with them. Informa PLC’s registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. TechTarget, Inc.’s registered office is 275 Grove St. Newton, MA 02466. How you act on social media may alleviate or exacerbate negative emotional states Spending a lot of time on Facebook is linked to diminished well-being Yet questions linger about cause and effect—perhaps people who are already lonely simply spend more time on social media New studies reveal that Facebook can indeed affect mood and mental state and whether the effect is positive or negative depends heavily on how a person interacts with his or her contacts Several of the new findings reveal that when Facebook hurts the underlying culprit is—you guessed it—envy A study published in February 2015 in Computers in Human Behavior surveyed 736 college students and found that when Facebook evoked envy But a March 2015 study from the same journal found that Facebook use can also decrease depression if users sign on seeking social connection and support and then feel they have received it Those studies did not attempt to figure out why some people experienced envy and others did not but others have found that the way a user interacts with Facebook may be crucial researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Leuven in Belgium tracked 173 students’ habits over time and found that passive use—browsing news feeds for example—led to reduced well-being by increasing feelings of envy published in April 2015 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today Another important factor seems to be how close you are to the people with whom you interact Two related experiments published in November 2015 in Computers in Human Behavior were the first to explore the role of relationship strength in users’ emotional responses to posts on the site Among a sample of 207 American adults and 194 German college students the researchers found that people more often felt positive emotions than negative ones when browsing the site and their emotions were amplified when reading posts from someone they knew well “Empathy is more pronounced when the relationship is closer so one is more likely to ‘catch’ the happiness of a close friend than a casual acquaintance,” says study co-author Ruoyun Lin a doctoral student at the Leibniz Institute’s Knowledge Media Research Center in Tübingen but the researchers found that this type of envy tended to be benign—the overall reaction to a friend’s good news was usually positive is that you can control how Facebook makes you feel If you tend to compare yourself with others or get envious easily you might consider limiting your time spent on social networking sites or make a conscious effort to use them in active rather than passive ways “Our findings show the importance of human agency,” says Edson Tandoc co-author of the February 2015 study and assistant professor in the Division of Journalism and Publishing at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore “It is not technology such as Facebook that affects our feelings per se but rather how we use it.”—Tori Rodriguez People who rant online may have offline rage tooReleasing pent-up anger can be very healing so it is no surprise that in this tech-dominated age more of us are turning to the Internet to air our grievances 46 percent of Twitter users said they tweet as a way to deal with anger and 37 percent hoped that the person or group they vented about would see their online commentary according to data collected by Ryan Martin a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay In the short term this "e-anger" may feel cathartic: a study published in Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking by Martin and his colleagues in 2013 found that 100 percent of the 24 participants who ranted online said they felt calm and relaxed afterward Yet unleashing frustrations in the digital space is not always healthy The study had participants fill out a survey which measured their tendency to experience anger how they expressed it and any consequences related to it Researchers found that people who had ranted online were not only more irritable than the average person they also experienced more consequences of anger offline averaging one physical and two verbal fights a month Whether or not posting fiery comments makes you more aggressive is unclear but Martin believes that “the more you vent through social media the more likely you are to utilize negative expression styles in other areas of your life and vice versa.” Our digital and “real-life” selves can feed off each other.—Maggie Puniewska Subscribe to Scientific American to learn and share the most exciting discoveries innovations and ideas shaping our world today Scientific American is part of Springer Nature which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us) Scientific American maintains a strict policy of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers Green with Facebook Envy, Red with Twitter Rage Photograph by Aaron Goodman, Food Styling by Suzanne Lenzer E&E News provides essential energy and environment news for professionals. Climate change could impact where the blooms By Chelsea Harvey & E&E News Matt Davey sampling snow algae at Lagoon Island Sarah Vincent Green snow algae are some of Antarctica’s smallest living organisms they’re visible from space—a rich green stain on the surface of the white snow scientists are using satellite images to determine how much algae is growing in Antarctica One of these first-ever mapping projects was published this week in the journal Nature Communications It identified a large network of algal blooms cropping up each summer across the peninsula of Antarctica and the nearby islands that dot the Southern Ocean The researchers counted a total of 1,679 individual blooms with the largest sometimes covering hundreds of square meters These blooms likely play an important role in the coastal ecosystem Algae are typically a fundamental part of coastal food webs and help to sustain other larger forms of life The study suggests they may also be a small but notable part of the Antarctic carbon cycle sucking up several hundred tons of carbon each summer (although much of this carbon may be released again once the algae die or are eaten) Scientists already knew that snow algae were a part of the coastal Antarctic ecosystem But the study led by Andrew Gray of the University of Cambridge is one of the first to map out where these blooms are occurring and what kinds of conditions they need to survive could help scientists predict how algae may fare as climate change warms the South Pole The mapping project suggests that higher temperatures and a steady supply of nutrients are key to the success of summer snow algae The blooms tend to appear in places where summer temperatures creep above freezing And they’re often found near penguin colonies or other animal communities They also require a reliable supply of snow to grow in That means climate change could affect coastal algae in several ways warming and melting may reduce the snow cover on some parts of the Antarctic Peninsula—especially the smaller Losses from these small islands “could represent a reduction of terrestrial diversity for the Antarctic Peninsula,” the researchers note in the study It’s unclear how the island ecosystems may be affected as a result warming on the larger islands and on the Antarctic Peninsula mainland may actually expand some of the areas where algae can thrive It’s still too early to say for sure but scientists predict that the places where algae disappear will likely be outweighed by the places where they are able to expand which are the easiest to observe by satellite But other algae may also deserve attention In February, at the height of the Antarctic summer, scientists at a Ukrainian research station shared photos of a strange phenomenon just off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula Unusual warmth had contributed to a dramatic Red and orange blooms often occur alongside green algal blooms They’re difficult to detect in satellite images so they weren’t included in the mapping study But they’re another important part of the coastal Antarctic ecosystem and may also be affected by climate change these algal blooms may also speed the effects of climate change Algal blooms darken the surface of the snow causing it to reflect less sunlight than it normally would more sunlight—and more heat—is able to get through to the surface of the Earth warming the surrounding area at a faster rate It’s a well-documented process in other frozen parts of the world Researchers have found that algal blooms on the Greenland ice sheet can cause more warming and faster snowmelt which then contributes to even more warming Similar processes could be at play in Antarctica Reprinted from Climatewire with permission from E&E News. E&E provides daily coverage of essential energy and environmental news at www.eenews.net Chelsea Harvey covers climate science for Climatewire She tracks the big questions being asked by researchers and explains what's known Chelsea began writing about climate science in 2014 Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Popular Science, Men's Journal and others E&E News provides essential energy and environment news for professionals Green snow algae are some of Antarctica’s smallest living organisms Chelsea Harvey covers climate science for Climatewire E&E News provides essential energy and environment news for professionals Sarah Vincent Looking to access paid articles across multiple policy topics Interested in policy insights for EU professional organisations The surge in support for Green parties in the Swiss elections suggests that the Alpine country is shying away from right-wing populism and euroscepticism Switzerland's government pledged to go carbon-neutral by 2050 Denis MacShane is a former Minister of Europe He is a member of the OMFIF National Advisory Council The Swiss election to their 200 strong federal parliament has seen the biggest win for green politics ever in Switzerland and a significant defeat for anti-EU The traditional parties close to Swiss business and banking like the Liberals getting slowly smaller as the new divide in the Alpine country is between opposing variations of populism The right-wing Swiss nationalist populists (the Swiss Peoples’ Party SVP) have campaigned for a quarter of a century against Europe and above all against immigration of any sort – from Europe and from the conflict zones of North Africa and the Middle East caused by western interventions in Iraq But they now face the new green populists of two Swiss green parties – the Swiss Green party which is more radical and leftist and the Green Liberal party which is more centrist and seeks to work with business rather than just attack the modern economy the right-wing racist populism associated with Donald Trump and his European emissary is not gaining ground despite claims by academics and commentators in 2018 that the hard anti-EU were going to take over European politics in the model of Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage perhaps more than any other nation in Europe see the impact of climate change as glaciers have disappeared or are getting smaller I first went to work in Geneva forty years ago and there was much more snow around and the pristine whiteness of the Swiss winter was one of the most attractive aspects of living in the country Now the Swiss winter is grey as often as it is white A fortune has been spent on artificial snow canons to keep the pistes well covered in Davos or Zermatt and scores of low altitude ski resorts have had to find other sports to try and keep their hotels alive The two Swiss green parties gained 24 seats in one of the single biggest wins in one election seen in Swiss politics Together with the Socialist Party which has been painting itself green to profit from what is called the 'Greta effect' in Switzerland they have 71 seats well ahead of the SVP who lost 11 seats and now have 54 The new parliament has to settle in and observers in Switzerland reckon that there well be no change to the composition of the Federal Council – the 7-strong cabinet which is the effective government of Switzerland The MPs are all unpaid and keep their day jobs and Switzerland remains a country of checks and balances with considerable tax raising and other powers left in the hands of the 24 cantons But the loss for the SVP is a defeat for the anti-EU forces in Switzerland and opens up the possibility of a closer Swiss-EU relationship once the new EU Commission has settled in There is likely to be referendum on freedom of movement next May five years after the 2014 referendum which voted to end freedom of movement under the Swiss-EU bilateral treaty system Swiss employers were up in arms at losing their workforce and made clear to the SVP  that party funding would stop if they went ahead with banning freedom of movement Brussels made clear that ending freedom of movement would also end freedom of movement for goods capital and services from Switzerland – a problem the UK government will soon have to face – and Swiss MPs tweaked internal labour market rules that allowed an uneasy compromise to be set up If next year’s referendum again seeks to ban freedom of movement there will be a crisis between Brussels and Bern But the strong showing for pro-European parties suggests that the Swiss do not want a conflict with their European partners Brussels has withdrawn equivalence rights for the Swiss stock exchanges including the giant SIX exchange in Zürich Berne by banning Swiss stocks being traded on EU bourses It is a kind of score draw but Brussels has also raised the possibility of equivalence for Swiss medical products – a CHF16 billion industry which exports 75% of its output to the EU – coming to an end studying Switzerland’s relationship with the EU may repay close study Those hoping for some kind of closure on Brexit can take comfort that the nationalist anti-EU populism like Swiss glaciers is shrinking not growing in force A sustainable Israeli packaging solution is now being offered by Google Express as a cost-effective and plastic-free alternative to the hundreds of retailers and brands on its US shopping platform TIPA innovated an award-winning line of compostable flexible packaging now used in several European countries for food and apparel impermeable TIPA material includes plant-based ingredients such as non-genetically modified corn TIPA is one of four companies whose products are included in The Sustainable Suite of innovative and unique products that have been tested and approved by major retailers across North America and Europe Google Express is encouraging its many partner brands – including Target Costco and Best Buy – to use Sustainable Suite portfolio products to reduce carbon footprint while increasing operational efficiency and decreasing overall packaging costs “The products that we sell and promote will revolutionize the way online retailers pack their products and will definitely increase customer satisfaction and brand loyalty,” said Lorne Herszkowicz president and CEO of The Sustainable Suite “These products will offer retailers and customers an eco-friendly option for shipping and receiving packages with up to 100 percent recyclable content It is bound to set the standard for packaging in the future across North America and beyond.” The announcement was made on June 5 in conjunction with World Environment Day Andy Smith is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) licensed realtor and educator with over 35 years of diverse financial management experience corporate finance and real estate and has assisted thousands of clients in meeting their financial goals over his career CQ Researcher. "Issues for Debate in Corporate Social Responsibility," Page 105 Amundi Asset Management. "Responsible Investing." Mitre Media. "ESG Equity." MSCI. "MSCI KLD 400 Social Index (USD)," Pages 1-2 iShares by BlackRock. "iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social ETF." iShares by BlackRock. "iShares Core S&P 500 ETF." Timberlake x Nike shoe collab early access Here’s a weighty question: A friend tells me that he was recently rebuked by the member of a high-end country club for walking with his golf bag across a green the complaint being that the extra cargo he was carrying risked inflicting damage on the putting surface We know that airlines impose baggage limits Is the violation my pal was accused of actually… a thing “Definitely not a thing!” says course architect David McLay-Kidd, whose credits include Bandon Dunes and Wisconsin newcomer Mammoth Dunes “Unless you are already 300 pounds and walk heels first in football spikes and the superintendent has the greens so soft and mushy that a ballet dancer would leave footprints.” just for fun: a soggy layout being trampled by the love-child of Baryshnikov and Beef McLay-Kidd is from Scotland and the son of a course superintendent himself so we’re tempted to trust his take on this We’re also tempted to trust our own experience which tells us that ever since the dawn of soft spikes footmarks on the greens have grown so scarce that they’re now practically a non-issue the offense is less physical than it is metaphysical It’s not so much that you’re apt to leave a footprint; it’s that you shouldn’t be so spacey Golf bags do indeed amount to extra weight not even the most uptight of clubs discriminate on the basis of body-type Craig Stadler won the Masters and returned for many years to ply those pristine grounds No one at Augusta made him go on Slim-Fast And don’t even get us started on Bandon Dunes a resort that offers “golf as it was meant to be.” At Bandon encourage you — to wheel your pull cart across the greens Turf grass these days is hardy; it can take it Was there any justification for his outrage and one interesting reply came from Ryan Reynolds (no not the actor; another Ryan Reynolds) who suggested that the only risk of humping your bag across a green was that something might fall out and damage the putting surface Bottom line: If someone harangues you on the course for carrying extra weight All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team Carbon-neutral liquefied natural gas (LNG) has emerged as an innovative way to sell natural gas while mitigating its environmental impact As the world is increasingly embracing clean energy oil and gas producers and users are ramping up their efforts to reduce their carbon impact Carbon-neutral LNG has attracted a lot of interest from producers and users who face the challenge of addressing environmental concerns while maintaining shareholder returns The natural gas market faces environmental scrutiny from investors and regulators as well as from lenders who provide access to capital Making cargoes carbon neutral is an attractive way to partly allay such concerns Carbon-neutral LNG involves offsetting the carbon emissions from the LNG supply chain through the purchase of carbon offsets Carbon neutrality can only be achieved through the offsetting of product lifecycle emissions or all the emissions associated with the production which is the most widely used accounting standard lifecycle GHG emissions can be divided and measured according to three ‘scopes’ (Scope 1 Decarbonizing LNG cargoes enhances the environmental competitiveness of the LNG market and allows producers to sell a differentiated and premium product that is attractive to buyers looking for an LNG cargo with environmental added value The first carbon-neutral LNG cargo was traded in 2019 when Tokyo Gas and GS Energy bought a carbon-neutral LNG cargo from Shell the seller committed to the removal of carbon emissions generated from the entire value chain covering Scope 1 other energy companies have announced additional deals with different stipulations such as partial offsets of certain activities i.e end-user combustion as opposed to lifecycle offsets The decision to trade a lifecycle or partial carbon-neutral LNG transaction is driven mainly by the buyers’ requirements and the seller’s capabilities Figure 1: Carbon-Neutral LNG Deal List   link link link link link link link link The decision about which parts of the supply chain should be offset depends on negotiation and on the structure of the deal which will determine the buyer and seller’s relative responsibility for supply chain emissions Integrated LNG sellers have a comprehensive view of the emission profile of the value chain since they own and control the upstream gas supply whereby the LNG seller is responsible for sourcing feedstock gas from upstream producers can make quantifying and measuring emissions more challenging due to the lack of overall control Determining the product lifecycle emissions for an LNG cargo is challenging given the diversity in upstream technology A universally accepted framework focusing on the monitoring and verifying of emissions across all stages of the LNG supply chain would increase accuracy and promote acceptance in the industry2 Firms like Pavilion and Wood Mackenzie are working on bringing such a framework to market as demand and growth expectations for carbon-neutral LNG cargos continue to build public reporting tools can be used to illustrate the approximate emissions resulting from LNG operations and therefore the number of offsets required to achieve carbon neutrality the product lifecycle emissions of a conventional LNG cargo (175,000 cubic meters) are generally estimated at around 250,000 tons of CO2 equivalent This amount can vary depending on various factors such as the source of the LNG or the equipment and procedures in place at the regasification terminal3 Based on UK Government GHG Conversion Factors around 75% of GHG emissions from LNG are associated with its consumption (i.e linked to the combustion of natural gas) 4 the UK Government Emission Factors estimated that GHG emissions from the LNG supply chain were as follows5: Gaining access to and managing price risk in the carbon offset market will be critical in the development and acceptance of carbon-neutral LNG cargos The voluntary carbon offset market can provide the liquidity and credit quality necessary to meet the demand for offsetting LNG cargoes Voluntary offsets have the flexibility to allow firms to reduce carbon emissions outside a regulated framework and to take near-term action to meet carbon reduction goals such as achieving carbon neutrality within the supply chain CME Group offers LNG market participants critical tools to construct carbon-neutral LNG trades By combining CME Group’s benchmark Henry Hub Natural Gas futures contract with the CBL Global Emissions Offset futures (GEO) contract customers can effectively hedge carbon-neutral LNG supply agreements an Xpansiv company and the leading environmental spot commodity exchange is a physically settled contract that allows for delivery of CORSIA-eligible voluntary carbon offsets from three registries: Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Deliveries will be facilitated through CBL GEO is a market-based solution that can be utilized by participants across sectors and geographical borders to reduce emissions and mitigate climate pricing risk GEO futures represent 1,000 emissions offsets per contract and are based on a rigorous selection criteria and review process developed by ICAO and a group of carbon experts from 19 countries known as the Technical Advisory Body (TAB) ICAO and TAB have spent years developing a stringent screening process to determine which offset registries and project types are eligible for CORSIA. The result is a set of criteria that firms across industries can use as guidance to assess the robustness of emissions offset projects and associated credits market participants can be confident that they are receiving a trusted The GEO contract offers standardization and price convergence based on the underlying ICAO selection criteria while CBL markets and CME Group platforms enable accessibility to transparent data for the spot and futures markets Using the UK Government’s emissions factors measurements an LNG cargo emits 250,000 tons of CO2 equivalent of product lifecycle emissions This means that 250,000 emissions offsets (1 offset = 1 MT of CO2) must be purchased to bring the cargo to carbon neutrality Example 1: Carbon-Neutral LNG Trade with Futures A customer locks in one cargo for lifting in January 2022 amounting to approximately 250,000 tons of CO2 equivalent that she plans to mitigate using emissions offsets In order to hedge both the cost of the LNG and the offsets the customer purchases January 2022 NG futures using CME NG futures and 250 CBL Global Emissions Offset (GEO) futures closes out her prompt month NG futures position and lets the GEO futures position for that month go to delivery The customer receives 250,000 emissions offsets (250 x 1,000 offsets per futures contract) and retires them to offset the carbon footprint of that January LNG cargo instead of allowing the GEO futures to go to delivery the customer can close out the January 2022 GEO futures position and purchase 250,000 emissions offsets on CBL’s spot market platform the customer is still able to hedge the cost of the offsets purchased through CBL’s liquid spot market While carbon-neutral LNG is still at an embryonic stage the market has the potential to grow and become more liquid Growth will be driven by corporate climate goals A standardized methodology for measuring GHG emissions in the LNG supply is still being developed and is receiving substantial attention from major market participants CME Group and CBL can facilitate carbon-neutral LNG trading and risk management through our liquid spot and futures products libraries and swimming pools across Newcastle are going green to help tackle climate change Newcastle City Council was awarded £27m from a government fund to improve the energy efficiency of key public buildings across the city It has partnered with sustainability experts EQUANS to support with the delivery of low carbon heating and other energy efficiency measures such as solar panels Newcastle City Council’s Connected City Cabinet member said: “Buildings are one of the biggest sources for carbon emissions so taking action to retrofit these sites is an important step towards creating a more sustainable future for our residents these projects will remove over 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year – the equivalent to taking over 2,800 cars off the road – while saving hundreds of thousands of pounds in running costs for the buildings per year “It is fantastic to see the scheme is progressing well as these improvements will really help towards achieving our ongoing target to become net zero by 2030.” new windows and insulation have been installed at the Theatre Royal's Royal House the Pattern Shop and Newcastle Trampoline Park have all been upgraded with heat pumps and solar panels Solar panels have also been installed at nine schools while four city centre car parks have had LED lighting upgrades Installing solar panels means buildings will be powered by clean helping to reduce the reliance on expensive energy from the national networks Heat pumps are normally three times more efficient than gas boilers helping to save money and improve air quality The council successfully secured the £27m funding through the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme Director of Sustainability & Innovation at EQUANS said: “We are proud to be working alongside Newcastle City Council as it makes significant strides to reduce the carbon emissions of the city “Through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme some of Newcastle’s most iconic landmarks will be upgraded with high-tech energy and heating systems showcasing EQUANS’ innovative solutions focused on delivering an environmentally-friendly future.” Work is currently being carried out at Blandford House while a further six schools will also benefit from upgrades All the projects are expected to be completed this year To find out more about Newcastle’s net zero action plan, visit www.newcastle.gov.uk/netzero If you would like to give us feedback on our website, please complete this short online form We use some essential cookies to make this website work We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK remember your settings and improve government services We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports More green taxis will take to the UK’s roads thanks to an extension to the Plug-in Taxi Grant announced today (21 February 2024) Cab drivers will be able to keep up momentum through extended funding until 5 April 2025 at a rate of £6,000 per vehicle providing certainty to those who are looking to make the switch to electric in the next year the Plug-in Taxi Grant has been met with enthusiasm providing more than £50 million to support the purchase of over 9,000 zero emission cabs – supporting skilled British jobs in the car industry and helping to decarbonise the taxi fleet As a result of the grant driving change in industry over 54% (8,299) of London’s licensed taxis are now electric with the number of electric taxis increasing by 24% in the last year alone as more drivers utilise government funding Taxis are a vital part of our transport network so it’s great to be supporting our iconic black cab industry with further funding to help decarbonise their vehicles part of this government’s plan to back drivers it’s now more likely than ever that your black cab will be green with the majority of taxis sold in London now being electric and I’m pleased our funding will be continued for another year to help cabbies make the switch to new vehicles The electric taxi market has grown rapidly since the grant’s introduction with sales overtaking the number of diesel taxis sold in London in 2022 more than one in ten (12%) taxis are now zero emission capable The government is continuing to target incentives where they have the most impact while delivering value for money for the taxpayer which is why a reduced grant level of £6,000 has been chosen to support the market as it matures further Managing Director at London EV Company said: Today’s announcement is a positive signal to the taxi trade that the government remains committed to supporting the electrification of our iconic industry and provides important support for drivers for another 12 months LEVC is continually innovating to deliver the latest in clean We will continue to work with government to deliver for drivers and passengers across the UK General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association said: London’s licensed taxi drivers are proud to be leading the way in adopting zero emission electric taxis Our members have invested record sums in these clean green vehicles and the PiTG has played a vital role in making this possible Today’s announcement provides the certainty and support hard working taxi drivers and fleets need to continue investing in the future of this important sector and delivering the high-quality accessible service London’s iconic black cabs are known for all whilst helping to clean up our air and working towards net zero Since 2011 the government has provided over £1.9 billion in grant funding to decarbonise our roads supporting the purchase of over 350,000 zero emission vehicles These measures follow the department’s recent announcement that the rollout of EV chargepoints is being accelerated through our Plan for Drivers There are now over 55,000 public chargepoints across the country with the number of chargepoints rising 46% over the last year In addition, the on-street residential chargepoint scheme is open to all UK local authorities while £381 of Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding is already being delivered to English local authorities Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details Help us continue to bring “the science of a meaningful life” to you and to millions around the globe Al Gore and An Inconvenient Truth can only do so much to save the environment so here’s another tool that may help: empathy A recent study published in Environment and Behavior proposes that people will become more concerned about the environment if they try to take the perspective of animals or plants and imagine how those objects are affected by human activity Spanish psychologist Jaime Berenguer presented study participants with an image of a bird or tree harmed by human impact the participant was then either prompted to “feel the full impact of what the bird or tree has been through” or “remain objective and detached.” Compared to participants who remained detached participants instructed to take the perspective of the imperiled bird or tree reported stronger empathic feelings toward those objects These empathic feelings translated into a greater willingness to help the environment: The people prompted to feel empathy wanted to give more money to environmental causes than did the other study participants While previous studies have shown that inducing empathy for people with AIDS and racial and ethnic minorities can improve people’s behavior toward them Berenguer’s study is the first to make such a direct connection between empathy and environmental action Berenguer says his results suggest the value of empathy in achieving a more environmentally sustainable society But he cautions that more research is necessary before these findings can be integrated into environmental programs we find ourselves more at a starting point than at a finishing line,” he says Shannon McIntyre is a Greater Good editorial assistant let nature be your classroom with daily tips from Greater Good Science Center Reading children's books with authentic representations of Arab Americans can cultivate empathy and a sense of identity in children Educators are finding ways to help their students experience the mental and physical health benefits of awe Parents can model and help children practice admitting what they don't know and owning mistakes The Greater Good Science Center studies the psychology Subscribe  Gift a Subscription An employee at a frozen foods company in eastern Germany checks carrots for quality Thinkers from Plato to Einstein to a new cottage industry of color psychologists have studied the importance of color in our daily lives as Joann and Arielle Eckstut write in their book The Secret Language of Color: "Anyone who claims to be an expert on color is a liar." "Color is what tells the male and the female who is the most attractive and who they're going to mate with." "There is the biological part that has a reaction to color and then there's the cultural part of us that is influenced by what's directly around us and then there's the individual," she says but culture plays a big part in how we feel about a color where blue is universally the favorite color you will see lots more blue in people's drawers than if you go to China where reds and yellows are more highly valued than blues are," says Eckstut "So that's a way in which the cultural context helps fuel what we like." ... Or what we don't like. In the movie Reservoir Dogs, the crime boss assigns color names to his team of thieves. Steve Buscemi's character does not want to be named Mr. Pink. (You can see that scene here, but note With pink's checkered past, a thug could learn to love it. Before it was seen as a "girly" color, pink was gender neutral and commonly worn by men. When pink was chosen as the symbolic color of breast cancer, there was a feminist backlash. And when Chicago decided to make one of its subway lines pink A writer for The Chicago Tribune said it was "strange" to have a pink line "in a city known for .. deep-dish pizza and Chicago Bear-loving beer guzzlers." Spectators dressed in pink form the shape of a pink lady for breast cancer awareness in Melbourne There was a backlash when pink was chosen as the symbolic color of breast cancer Chicago's pink line is like a social experiment in color it's a very Mexican color," says Samir Tamer He points out that "the train is running through the Mexican neighborhoods." A spokesperson for the Chicago Transit Authority said she did not think that was intentional Pink line rider Larry McDonald likes it because it's cheerful "It would be nice for all of the lines if it was brighter I guess it's the same way with colors," he says Some prison officials thought pink might soothe convicts. One study showed pink had a calming effect on inmates, so jail cells were painted pink. But another study found prisoners didn't like being "pinked" and tried to scratch it off the walls with their fingernails Marketers spend all kinds of time and money trying to figure out the best color for their brands It's believed that red stimulates your appetite "A study was done on people who regularly took a particular pharmaceutical that was a particular color," says Arielle Eckstut "And when they switched out the pill with these people and made it a different color 53 percent of people stopped taking the pill even though it was important to their health." Become an NPR sponsor An official website of the United States government Latest Earthquakes are planted in the autumn following harvest of summer row crops such as corn and soybeans prior to planting of the subsequent summer crop.  prior to planting of the subsequent summer crop By providing living vegetated cover on agricultural fields that would otherwise be fallow over the winter season they can scavenge soil nitrogen and prevent its loss to groundwater Additional environmental benefits can include reduced soil erosion careful planning and management is required to successfully integrate cover crops into productive farming systems In the Chesapeake Bay region of the Eastern United States the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) provides farmers with incentive funding to support cover crop adoption with payment rates structured to promote effective agronomic management the on-farm environmental performance of cover crops is variable Our research out of the Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center has developed satellite-based analyses to measure cover crop performance on working farms Living green vegetation reflects brightly in the near-infrared wavelengths with additional absorption features associated with nitrogen and cellulose content We use these spectral characteristics to measure aboveground biomass and nitrogen content as well as the fraction of the soil covered by living vegetation.  Each year we support Maryland cover crop conservation program management with an operational analysis that uses Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel (HLS) time-series satellite imagery to identify cover crop emergence and termination dates and to derive wintertime and springtime performance estimates for more than 25,000 enrolled fields per year The resulting data have informed adaptive management of the MDA incentive payment structure to promote effective environmental outcomes and have greatly reduced the workload associated with time-intensive field visits by county agents to confirm springtime termination of cover crop fields.  This project is the result of a decade-long collaboration between the USGS the United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and MDA to develop operational tools to inform cover crop cost-share program management The project is supported by the USGS Land Change Science Program within the Core Science Systems Mission Area by the USDA Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) We are also working in partnership with conservation programs in Missouri and Delaware to supply satellite remote sensing tools supporting implementation and monitoring of cover crop incentive programs including cover crop species mixes and grazing systems when applied in collaboration with conservation program managers can provide valuable input to support adaptive management of conservation incentive programs increase environmental benefits and understanding of management practices and assist in agricultural conservation management These items are in the RSS feed format (Really Simple Syndication) based on categories such as topics You can install and RSS reader browser extension or use a third-party service to receive immediate news updates depending on the feed that you have added they may look strange because they are simply XML code An RSS reader can easily read this code and push out a notification to you when something new is posted to our site Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center News Solar panels will be installed on the White House roof a quarter of a century after they were removed by Ronald Reagan A mix of solar thermal and photovoltaic panels will be fitted in spring 2011 to generate hot water and renewable electricity, said Nancy Sutley, chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, and energy secretary Steven Chu at a conference on how federal government can green up It will be the first time since 1986 that panels have sat on the White House since Reagan removed a solar thermal system installed by Jimmy Carter In 1979 Carter held a conference on the rooftop showing off the 32 solar panels and his desire to reduce America's dependence on oil The move will come as a surprise to many green campaigners after the White House apparently snubbed a request to install the technology from leading environmentalists last month "This project reflects President Obama's strong commitment to US leadership in solar energy and the jobs it will create here at home," Chu said "Deploying solar energy technologies across the country will help America lead the global economy for years to come." The cost and size of the solar panels have not yet been announced The move by Obama's administration follows lobbying by green campaigners, who called on the president to reinstate solar on the White House and have been driving around the US in a biodiesel-powered van with one of the original panels installed by Carter Last month they visited the White House, which declined the symbolic request to fit the old panel Neither did it commit to installing new panels said he welcomed Obama's decision to fit new panels: "It's great news … he listened to the American people who clearly want far more progress on energy than a paralysed congress has provided but under the circumstances it's a great win." He also said in a statement: "Solar panels on one house But they're a powerful symbol to the whole nation about where the future lies And the president will wake up every morning and make his toast by the power of the sun (do presidents make toast?) which will be a constant reminder to be pushing the Congress for the kind of comprehensive reform we need." This Sunday, as part of a 10/10/10 day of mass participation climate events around the world, the president of the Maldives will also be fitting solar. Mohamed Nasheed, whose low-lying island state is at risk from rising sea levels caused by a warming world, will install the panels donated by solar company Sungevity on his home The return of solar at the White House follows other symbolic green efforts since Obama took power, including Michelle Obama's creation of an organic vegetable garden in its grounds last year In the senate Republicans and Democrats are currently trying to push through a renewable energy standard that would require utilities to source 3% of their energy from green sources such as wind and solar power by 2012 But it also comes after the dropping of a climate bill to cap carbon emissions in the summer and a survey that shows all the 48 Republican midterm candidates do not believe in man-made climate change Sofia Bonilla is grateful to incubate her business people around the world celebrate Earth Day by demonstrating their support for environmental protection governments and world citizens of the need to invest in our planet and build a greener future together Toronto Metropolitan University’s Zone Learning network is home to many companies that are tackling tough environmental issues with innovative ideas We spoke with four companies incubated in various Zones about how sustainability is a core component of their business and how they are helping save the planet Sofia Bonilla is committed to creating sustainable pet food Company: HOPE Pet Food  (external link)  former social impact project intern and TMU student How is your company helping the planet? We are closing the gap between nutritious and sustainable pet food by promoting alternative protein-based products that produce less greenhouse gas emissions Our current line of products focuses on insect protein which is more environmentally friendly than traditional protein sources such as beef and chicken I was working at the intersection of biology environment and engineering  for my chemical engineering PhD with a focus on proteins and I wanted to contribute to positive change in our food system I couldn’t understand why traditional pet food products weren’t using alternative proteins which are equally nutritious and much more environmentally friendly How is Zone Learning helping you achieve your goals I joined the Social Ventures Zone in 2020 and I feel so at home with other entrepreneurs who are passionate about solving social problems I have had an incredible experience in the SVZ and it’s how I was able to hire Leo as an intern to help us with our email marketing campaigns He helped us build campaigns to educate customers about what we do and the benefits of alternative protein products for pets Majd Bayouq is a first-year student building a hydrogen fuel station prototype at the Clean Energy Zone Company: Proton Fuels (external link)  compact hydrogen fuel stations that can enable the widespread use of fuel cell vehicles which have many sustainability advantages compared to electric vehicles We want to enable the use of hydrogen energy because its production results in no carbon or emissions footprint My desire to meaningfully contribute to reducing climate change is what got me interested in the clean energy sector I started the business and was incubated in the Clean Energy Zone because I realized that there was massive untapped potential in the hydrogen fuel space and sustainability advantages all limited by the inadequate refueling infrastructure.  Katrina Carlton aims to recycle used coffee grounds with her innovative line of products Company: GroundsUp Products (external link)  we collect used coffee grounds from local coffee shops and use them as a primary material in our products The goal is to upcycle something that would otherwise be thrown out and create beautiful items that can be enjoyed I was inspired to create products that were not only sustainable but also had a story behind them I wanted to explore the idea of the circular economy and how products can be made to last longer as well as made with resources that have been reused The Zone Learning network has allowed me to make amazing connections within the entrepreneurial world and they have guided me through many challenges as well as provided countless funding opportunities for my startup I also participated in a pitch competition put on by the Social Ventures Zone There are so many opportunities when you are a company within the Zones Bob Burrows sees an opportunity to digitize food and pharmaceutical logistics chains Company: Bluicity (external link)  Bluetooth-enabled sensors that logistics companies can attach to the pallets that transport perishable food items and monitor the environmental conditions of the food The sensors track cumulative data and we are able to predict spoilage so that food can be removed and sold before it spoils Our passion is reducing the food that goes to waste when it is on the road We had a core technology in mind and we wanted to focus on sustainability in another way that is not just about reducing our carbon footprint Any food that goes to waste produces methane which is considerably worse for the environment compared to carbon We joined the Brampton Venture Zone and had the pleasure of forming relationships with knowledgeable advisors and industry leaders who advised us on how best to optimize our business processes We were also able to get some funding to develop our prototypes.  Looking to get involved in Zone Learning? Find out more on the website or talk to a Zone Learning Navigator to get started you will be logged out of all the USGBC and GBCI applications in this browser Click the logout button below to continue logging out or cancel button to stay logged in By David Strahan Power lines stretching across continents would allow us to ditch fossil fuels for good THOMAS EDISON might have relished the irony The bulb that has dominated lighting for more than a century is now a pariah in the era of climate change and banned in many countries direct current – defeated by alternating current in the race to capture the electricity market in the 1890s – could help us hold back global warming and utility companies rush to install renewable-energy generators it has become obvious that existing electricity transmission systems can’t cope Engineers in Europe and the US know they need to improve their grids and huge new investment has been announced Yet simply adding extra capacity using the same old systems may not be the best solution putting a new twist on an old technology could transform the way we get electricity Although DC lost out to AC in the early days of electrification high-voltage direct current (HVDC) has long had a niche role – transmitting large amounts of power over long distances because it is more efficient than conventional AC lines Now it is also set to become a key link for the growing number of renewable-energy generators This is leading many in the energy industry to take a fresh look at DC Some engineers are thinking big. Their calculations suggest that continent-wide HVDC “supergrids” could help smooth out the variable… soot-stained veins of the number four blast furnace lie cold and silent Inside the cavernous body of the number three steel mill all is still and dark Beijing's biggest single source of pollution the local government invited the world's media to a triumphant autopsy Located in the densely populated west of the city, very close to the Olympic velodrome, BMX venue and mountain bike course, Shougang is being heralded as a symbol of how the games is helping to green China the factory employed 134,000 workers and belched out a 10th of the particulate matter that made Beijing's air among the foulest in the world But four of its five blast furnaces have been shut down in a pre-Olympic environmental clean-up that will shift into top gear tomorrow with the temporary closure of hundreds of factories and the removal of more than a million cars from the city's roads arguably the most extreme environmental preparations for an Olympics are a sign of the host's authoritarian powers and the scale of the pollution problems the city faces the European Space Agency released satellite data that showed the capital and surrounding areas in northern China had the worst levels of nitrogen dioxide in the world which occasionally hits such noxious levels that the authorities warn children and elderly people to stay indoors The smog prompted the marathon world record-holder to pull out of the event because he has asthma He is expected to concentrate instead on the 10,000m But Olympic organisers are determined that the sky will be blue in time for the opening ceremony on August 8 hundreds of construction sites and factories will be closed and police will oversee a traffic-control system designed to halve the traffic on the roads The city's 3m cars will be allowed on the roads only on alternate days depending on whether their licence plates are odd or even numbered It is the final stage in an air-conditioning operation that has lasted several years and has seen gas replace coal in millions of homes and a fleet of modern clean-energy buses introduced on to the streets This weekend Beijing will also unveil another of its three new subway lines Shougang is the showpiece environmental project says it will have cut production at its Beijing plant by 73% and spent 140bn yuan (£10.3bn) on reducing pollution and improving energy efficiency About 60,000 workers at the state-owned firm are being laid off in a phased relocation to a plant outside the city "We are doing this because of the Olympics at a big financial cost," said Liu Zhangchun the manager of the number four blast furnace "Our factory is making a sacrifice without expecting anything in return It is for blue skies and clearer water." His message is reinforced by a red banner draped beside the defunct furnace: "To contribute to the Green Olympics It comes too late for millions of Beijingers whose health has been damaged over decades Research by the company's environmental department showed that the firm formerly accounted for about 10% of the particulate matter in the capital production of steel and iron at Shougang's complex in Beijing will cease for good A new plant is under construction in Caofeidian a vast plot of reclaimed land in Bohai Bay that is part of China's ambitious campaign to make its industry more environmentally friendly This is the post-Olympic future the government is keen for the world to see it faces the huge task of clearing the Beijing air before the arrival of 10,000 athletes Despite the partial shutdown of Shougang and other plants hundreds more still operate outside the capital the Olympic city was once again shrouded in haze Last week, Kleinman Center staff had the opportunity through A Renewable America to tour the green programs at Lincoln Financial Field is one of the greenest in the world due to its commitment to renewable energies and robust recycling and waste management programs The arena uses 100% green energy and is fitted with over 11,000 solar panels and 14 wind turbines that work around the clock to supply more than 4MW of generating capacity That is over four times the power used during a season of Eagles home games The majority of the power comes from the solar parking panels and the paneling on the south side of the stadium This impressive collection of solar is the largest array in Philadelphia The 14 wind turbines on the south and north side of the stadium provide some power, but the real punch comes from solar. As our tour guide, Norman Vossschulte the Director of Fan Experience described, one turbine might create enough power in a day to run a blow dryer, which is not exactly enough to supply an entire sports arena. As Eagles President Don Smolenski explained the wind turbines are primarily “a visual representation of our commitment to sustainable efforts.” there are only 10 Eagles home games this year The stadium also houses some college sports games and summer concerts the stadium is only operating enough to power office space and other essential equipment the majority of the power generated will be fed back into the grid NRG owns The Eagles have agreed to buy back power from NRG for a predetermined price over 12 years That way when the Eagles need a boost of energy before game day the stadium can purchase renewable energy credits to cover the extra energy used Beyond just energy, the stadium has a strong recycling program The “Green Team Sorters” are a group of about 60 staff members who manually sort all recycling after game and event days generating more than 1,100 tons of recycled material each year The aluminum is stored on site and is sold at peak times in order to maximize profits The Linc also participates in the EPA’s waste to energy program which encourages energy recovery from waste by converting non-recyclable waste materials into usable heat the Eagles divert 99% of their waste from landfills to power the trucks and machinery used in the stadium Philadelphians eat enough Chickie and Pete’s crab fries that there is always plenty of grease available The building is LEED Silver certified from the US Green Building Council and is actively working to bring their certification level up to Gold The LEED lighting retrofit has thus far saved up to five years in electric costs The automated lighting saves over $50,000 a year through automated lighting shutdowns every 30 or 15 minutes Making the switch from electric heat to gas saves over 150,000 a month The team is also considering rooftop gardens an international award that recognizes achievements off the field And other teams are following suit. Of the 126 professional sports teams 38 teams use renewable energy for at least some of their needs and 68 teams have energy-efficiency programs installed on new parking structure and ramps NRG installed a “solar ring” of 1,350 panels that doubles as a dramatic lighting statement CenturyLink Field has 3,750 solar panels (2.5 acres) on the roof of an adjacent events center and Target Field collects rainwater for use in washing down the seating area staff of the Rams came to tour the green facility in order to implement similar technologies in the new LA stadium The Rams stadium will likely also be an industry leader when it is built but for now the Eagles are setting the trend So whether it’s for an Eagles game or a Beyoncé concert the next time you are in the Linc take a minute to see if you can spot all the different behind-the-scenes mechanisms at work to reduce waste Mollie Simon is the senior communications specialist at the Kleinman Center She manages the center’s social media accounts writes and publishes content for our website "Green With Evil" reaches its soul-sizzling finale as we unveil... The Dragonzord JohnDirector: Robert HughesOriginal Air Date: October 9 This week marks the finale of "Green With Evil," and while the whole saga has actually held up pretty well on a close watch I have to admit that from a storytelling standpoint Major plot points from the previous episodes --- like Goldar's attack on the city and the destruction of the Megazord which should have been a huge turning point --- are dismissed without any explanation and their impact on the characters is never even mentioned It all just sort of stops rather than actually coming to an end From a giaint-robots-fighting-each-other standpoint As you may remember, last week's episode ended with the Rangers discovering that their verdant villain was In the first of this week's weak points there's never a moment where they consider that Tommy is evil himself they just immediately arrive at the (correct) conclusion that he's under one of Rita's spells without ever even discussing it I suppose that's actually something nice about the cosmology of the Power Rangers universe in that humanity simply does not have the capacity for the kind of evil that you get from moon witches but it seems like a bit of a cheat to have the solution to this mystery that we've been working on for five episodes just handed to them by the script their priority immediately shifts to rescuing Tommy the priority is getting turnt up in celebration of their victory over the Megazord: And again: Why are they partying right now There is literally nothing standing in the way of Rita making Angel Grove a smoking crater I suppose that's a reason to break for a party now --- it's not like they're going to rebuild the Megazord within the next --- but you'd think that actually achieving their goals would be a better excuse to break out the cranberry and oyster juice I think we can all agree that this scene needs a banner in the background whether it's the traditional "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" or the Transformers style "WE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING." Alpha is freaking out over the loss of their last line of defense terrified that Rita will "destroy the Command Center again!" I suppose that Alpha could be referring to Tommy's invasion of the Command Center a few episodes ago but while he messed up the computers and emptied Zordon's tube I wouldn't say that the Command Center itself was destroyed actually destroyed Zordon's headquarters Presumably this is what left Zordon entubed in the first place some grand final battle that saw Zordon lose his body and Rita wind up in a dumpster for the next ten millennia "Beloved character" my left foot while Alpha goes back to looking for Zordon trying to locate him so they can break the spell we've all seen that Angel Grove is made up of five or fewer locations so they're able to cover all of it at once watching news footage of the Power Rangers' defeat: just glaring at Kimberly while he works out on a chest press machine They both reveal that they know the others' secret Tommy pretty much just says he's going to murder her and her friends not "murder." It's still a show for babies on Fox Kids so naturally he says "destroy" instead because this is when Rita decides to summon the Dragonzord In the interest of charting the show's flaws I do want to point out that it's never explained where the Dragonzord comes from it's never explained where the other Zords come from either but at least with that we've got ten thousand years of Alpha and Zordon having nothing better to do to fill in the gaps and if this is something that Rita's had access to all this time it really raises the question of why she hasn't used it before My girlfriend and I have vastly different opinions on architecture and design --- she likes classic homes with hardwood floors We've joked about how our "dream house" would look like something that Two-Face would build split down the middle between those two ideas intense discussions about how our real ideal home would just be living inside the Dragonzord The Dragonzord is also the tipping point in terms of robot demographics It's been pointed out that I pretty consistently refer to the Zords as "Giant Robot Dinosaurs," but that's not really accurate; only three of the five are mammals that went extinct long after the dinosaurs right around the time that Rita was getting thrown into her Dumpster up on the moon I've always maintained that it's easier to say "Giant Robot Dinosaurs" than "Giant Robot Extinct Animals From Various Historic Eras," but the Dragonzord wrecks even that taxonomy by bringing the dang Monster Manual into things I'm sticking with "dinosaurs," and we can all just agree that I'm aware of the inaccuracy while I've been talking about taxonomy and extinction the Dragonzord has been just straight wrecking Angel Grove: There's not much the Rangers can do about it seemingly cast down into the fiery pits of Hell itself so there's no way the Rangers have anything that can stand up to another giant robot right The minute that Alpha 5 finally locates Zordon Zordon teleports the Rangers into said fiery pits and they emerge piloting their 100% undamaged robot pals once again: There's no reason at all given for reversing the destruction of the Zords --- even something as simple as Zordon using whatever vague nebulous power he has to hold them together while he was "lost" would've been something the stakes that were established in the last episode --- and anything going forward for that matter --- are just swept off the table But the keyword there is "almost." The fight that follows between the Megazord and the Dragonzord is so awesome that you can forgive pretty much anything that leads up to it: never mind that the Megazord was defeated by a giant dude just beating the crap out of it and that a giant robot dragon is probably stronger than just some dude who is pretty good at karate --- okay I don't want to get on JDF's bad side --- and nevermind that the Dragonzord will go on to be considered the Rangers' trump card in future fights the best Megazord fight we have seen on the show was two people in super awkward costumes and a wire rig pretending to punch each other it's shockingly physical --- at one point the Megazord throws the dang Dragonzord through a mountain and the fight that follows between the Green and Red Rangers is pretty awesome That thing where the Rangers will punch someone and they'll just straight up explode in a shower of sparks is maybe my single favorite thing in tokusatsu that the Evil Sword of Darkness is shattered and the spell that made Tommy evil is broken he does still have his Green Ranger powers including the control over the Dragonzord --- the Dragonzord that just happens to fit with all the other Zords in a secondary humanoid "Fighting Mode." I guess there's just an intergalactic standard for fighting robots it is a little anticlimactic that he just immediately falls into step with the rest of the Rangers Even the original five had some reluctance back in the first episode someone who was brainwashed into becoming part of Zordon and Rita's conflict and just woke up on the beach four days later Fortunately for those of us who were okay waiting 23 years to get it, this actually is something that's being explored in the current Power Rangers comics our dudes just skip straight to being Best Friends Forever Or at least until halfway through Season 2 I think it's probably clear by this point that I am by no means a Super Sentai purist but I will say that Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger does a better job of answering my questions than the final episode of "Green With Evil" by a pretty wide margin though --- they have twice as much space to work with and this week's episode is pieced together from both "The Guardian Beast's Great Riot" and "Combine we discovered last week that Daizyuzin is God having cut Him off from His conduit of Gaiatron energy that He is connected to through the sun He was defeated and cast into a pit of fire by the Green Ranger a sequence of events that raises a lot of questions about this new theology it's a victory for Bandora and her boss so they're celebrating just like their American counterparts While everyone is partying --- and in Lamy and Grifforzar's case Bandora keeps talking about how she's going to destroy the Earth but Burai's evil doesn't extend that far The only thing he wants to destroy is Geki; the Earth is for ruling you might think he'd have a pretty clear advantage in this fight As soon as Geki takes a swing with his evil sword breathing fire and shooting lightning out of her hands she hits him so hard that he lands on Earth The obvious question is why doesn't Bandora just do this sort of thing to the Zyurangers themselves it's a nice reminder that she's still a pretty big threat after losing every episode we see her throw a magic wand from the Moon to the Earth all the time but having her do that to an actual person is a pretty big thing Burai proves that he's a tough customer by surviving he's not alone --- there's a weird ghost child bouncing a ball nearby I have played enough D&D in my time to know that this is Bad News and when the ghost child sends it careening through the woods He ends up in a strange room with the same black backdrop that I think we've all come to recognize as belonging to another dimension and the ghost child declares that it represents Burai's life is that this weird little room exists outside of time something that seems pretty unlikely given that he is himself a man from dinosaur times who was raised by a gnome in a magic forest then a ghost showing up to announce your impending death via candle sorcery is probably going to be something you take to heart and the ghost makes it easy for him by presenting him with his own Legendary Weapon: Zyusouken better known to American audiences as the Dragon Dagger: Burai can use it to teleport himself into and out of his candlelit apartment and also use it to summon and control his own Guardian Beast: Dragon Caesar I've always kind of assumed that the distinctive song that Tommy plays on the Dagger to summon the Dragonzord had to have been an American addition to the show since they refer to it as a "flute" and the music is clearly the product of a horn section It turns out that is not the case --- it's actually the same brass riff in Japan literally smacking buildings down with its claws while Burai rides around on top of it: It's at this point that Geki gets so furious with Burai that he basically attempts to fistfight a giant robot dragon (awesome) But it's not just Barza's prayers or Geki's wish that Daizyuzin would return that has brought the Guardian Beasts back to life and raised them up to Heaven --- it turns out that in the absence of sunlight Casting them into a pit allowed the Beasts to recharge see both the Tyrannosaurus and the Pteranodon rise up from lava and a volcano every time they appear was overconfident in his destruction of Daizyuzin We get the same great robot fight that we have in the American version with the difference being that there are no pilots in the Tyrannosaurus or Daizyuzin --- or Dragon Caesar they are fighting over their own free will and even though Geki defeats him --- and even though Daizyuzin orders him to kill Burai Old Testament style --- Geki refuses to take his brother's life giving Burai the chance to murder him if his hate is so strong and instead he sheds a single tear that dissolves his evil sword into dust But there's one more problem --- when Burai uses his dagger to go back to that small room the candle has burned down to half of its previous length and the ghost is there to tell him that he only has about 25 hours of life left And he'd know --- turns out he's not a ghost at all each episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers will be graded on a scale of one to ten in five categories with a final score awarded with a maximum of fifty points With 800 episodes over the course of 22 years the Power Rangers television show is arguably the single most successful live-action superhero franchise of all time Adapted from Japan's long-running Super Sentai series created by manga legend Shotaro Ishinomori the Power Rangers combined the giant robots and monsters of their Japanese counterpart with a completely different set of secret identities and problems That's why we're looking back with an in-depth guide to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers This week, \"Green With Evil\" reaches its soul-sizzling finale as we unveil... The Dragonzord!\nRead More As you may remember, last week's episode ended with the Rangers discovering that their verdant villain was Fortunately for those of us who were okay waiting 23 years to get it, this actually is something that's being explored in the current Power Rangers comics The cities of the world are major contributors to global warming which means they have a particular responsibility and play a major role in the green transformation Aarhus has therefore set its own ambitious target to reduce its CO2 emissions as a step along the way towards the fossil-free society It is conducted by a Climate Strategy and a Climate Action Plan Both will ensure a transformation that will go hand-in hand with commercial development and intelligent urban growth The City Council has been driving the transformation since the plan was conceived in 2008 Examples include the switch to green district heating and electricity in 2016 by burning biomass instead of coal; the new light railway that will reduce the use of fossil fuels in public transportation and the energy renovation programme for the councils own buildings which will mean considerable energy savings but we still need concentrated effort to reach our objective The details of the specific initiatives and projects that will run between 2021 and 2024 is described i the citys Climate Action Plan Aarhus KommuneAarhus Kommune Rådhuset Rådhuspladsen 2 8000 Aarhus CTlf Whistleblowerordning Tilgængelighedserklæring Hack Kampmanns Plads 28000 Aarhus CTlf. 89 40 22 22Kontakt Borgerservice Du skal bestille tid inden dit besøg i Borgerservice Link til tidsbestilling Mandag - fredag: 10.00 - 16.00Lukkedage i Borgerservice Mandag - torsdag: 08.00 - 20.00Fredag: 08.00 - 16.00Søndag: 16.00 - 20.00Tlf. 70 20 00 00Læs mere om Digital Hotline Tilgængelighed på Aarhus.dkTilgængelighedserklæring that changed the Bing logo from the sharp yellow color to a duller green color and capitalizes the lowercase letter B Above is the three logos Bing has been through since they relaunched their search engine in in 2009 - at least they didn't change the name again AdAge reported this saying the changes come partly because the green "is easier to see over yellow," a Microsoft spokeswoman said and because the new look displays well "across Windows devices and services." I am not sure I like the new logo any better than the yellow one but I am no branding expert The Bing iOS app already is using the new logo for its app icon: Forum discussion at Twitter Update: Here is a higher quality version of the new Bing logo: Taylor said the green roof also provides insulation Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.