Japan Situation Underlines Food Price Crisis

Global food prices rose sharply in December, following an increasing trend that brings them close to levels that led to shortages and riots three years ago in developing countries. February marked an eleven-month trend of new monthly highs for food prices. Prices for grain alone have increased dramatically with wheat elevating over 55 percent and corn…

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Water District Center Now Powered By Sun

EL CAJON — The Helix Water District last week switched on a new solar panel system that is designed to provide the bulk of electricity needed to run its operations center in El Cajon. The photovoltaic panels were largely funded with a $463,000 rebate awarded through the California Center for Sustainable Energy in San Diego. A…

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What Does It Mean To Be Green

What does it mean to be green? In today’s society it is a word that can dichotomize or unite. Individuals use it to identify themselves as caring f or the environment. Corporations use it as a way to improve their images, a practice that is degrading its eco-friendly connotation. For some, it means reducing your…

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Sowing The Seeds Of Sustainable Foods

Sustainability has become firmly planted in the food sector, as noted in the State of Green Business report. TIME even conjectured that the food movement stands to drive wider environmentalism. Consumers are increasingly demanding edibles that are better for people and planet, traceable and transparent in their production, likely due to mounting recalls and exposes on the…

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Solving the Green Building Policy Puzzle

Welcome to another extremely busy season for state legislative activity. If you haven’t started paying attention, the action in most states is in high gear, as most state legislatures meet in the first quarter of the year. Some states are even finishing their 2011 sessions and are already closing their doors until next time around.…

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The Greening of Professional Sports

You’re looking above at AT&T Park, where the World Series champion San Francisco Giants play. It’s one of the greenest stadiums in the country, writes Amanda Little in Forbes: “[The Giants’] stadium, AT&T Park, which accommodates about 45,000 fans, runs its scoreboard on solar power, recycles and composts nearly 50 percent of its waste, sources eco-friendly…

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Red Robin Slices Energy Costs With LED Retrofits

Three years ago, lighting manufacturer Eco-story supplied corporate Red Robin restaurants with 10,000 LED lamps, enabling the company to save $600,000 in electricity costs a year. This past February, the Ansara Restaurant Group Inc., a Red Robin franchisee, worked with Eco-story to install 3,500 LED lamps in its 22 restaurants and now expects to save more than $117,000…

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