March 16, 2011
International Poster Art Shows: Water is Life!
Photo: Winning Poster by Pawel Dadok, Poland.
‘Water is Life’. Under this slogan, the German Sanitation, Heating and Air Conditioning Association (ZVSHK) held an international poster competition in which 4,862 artists from 83 countries took part.
“With our poster competition, we wanted to address the problems caused by water shortage and water wastage on a worldwide scale. The competition seeks to raise people’s awareness of how important it is to have secure access to clean drinking water,” explained Manfred Stather, the President of the ZVSHK, at the award ceremony in Frankfurt.
The entry from Polish artist, Pawel Dadok, was declared the winner. His poster shows a person, in peaceful coexistence with different wild animals, drinking from a water hole. The poster caption has the following challenge for the observer: “Behave yourself. Be an animal. Water is life.”
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February 25, 2011
Zero Emissions Vehicles Round off Global Tour in Geneva
Photo: The Zero Emissions Race, co-sponsored by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), comes to a close as electric vehicles cruise through the finish line at the UN Office at Geneva, Switzerland. The “zero emissions” vehicles, powered by renewable energies like solar, wind, wave and geothermal, drove across the globe in 80 days, through 16 countries, for a total of 3,000 kilometres. February 24, 2011. Geneva, Switzerland. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre.
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June 5, 2010
The ENERGY GLOBE World Award goes to India
• Winner: India.
• Top environmental gala televised worldwide from Rwanda.
Photo: Moderator: Desirée Nosbusch, Winner Bhagwati Prasad Agrawal, Award Presenter: UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
Photo: Winner Bhagwati Prasad Agrawal, Award Presenter: UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
Top-ranking UN VIPs, famous environmental champions, a glamorous gala, and, above all, the world's best environmental projects comprised the ENERGY GLOBE Gala Rwanda 2010. This year the top environmental gala served as the official opening event for the UN World Environment Day.
Before a full house, environmental VIPs delivered the introductions: top Rwandan politicians, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, UNEP climate hero Luo Hong, Peter Rae (vice president of the environmental initiative REN21) and Ian Redmond (patron of the Great Apes Survival Project).
As the winner of the ENERGY GLOBE in the category Water was announced, emotions began to rise in the hall: Rejoicing erupted among the team of a project from India, "River from Heaven", which works to supply water to rural areas. Then everything went quickly at the Awards: The ENERGY GLOBE in the category Earth went to Mauritius, where "Seeds of Hope" achieves reforestation and biodiversity. The award for the category Fire distinguished floating power plants in Norway. In the category Air, a CO2 saving engine from Taiwan took the prize. The Youth winner was a school self-sufficiency concept from Argentina that provides healthy nutrition for pupils and teaches them cultivation.
The ENERGY GLOBE World Award goes to ...
The climax was the selection of the ENERGY GLOBE World Award by the audience. Moderator Desirée Nosbusch talked with UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, the award presenter, about World Environment Day. Meanwhile in the background the audience votes were being counted. Then finally came the announcement: With a clear margin, the victory went to the winner of the Water Award, India!
However, the nominees were not the only excitement: During the Gala and at the after-show concert, pop and chanson diva Viktor Lazlo delivered samba flair. Inganzo Ngali, Rwanda's best-known folklore group, added local color to the Gala.
Photo: Viktor Lazlo performing at the gala.
• The impressive and committed projects that received the awards ensured that this high-class gala did not lose sight of its actual purpose. These projects made the glamorous festival a highly visible signal for sustainability and environmental awareness.
• The ENERGY GLOBE World Award is an annual event honoring top environmental projects from around the world. It was established in 2000 by Wolfgang Neumann from Austria and has become the most prestigious international environmental prize. Every year approximately 1000 projects are submitted by over 100 countries for the prize, which is awarded in the categories earth, fire, water, air and youth.
The nominees:
Category Earth:
• Federated States of Micronesia: On the island of Korae, Micronesia Eco Inc. has established a recycling system that conserves resources and generates income for inhabitants.
• Mauritius: The seedling program of Flora Marketing CO LTD offers residents new sources of income while ensuring biodiversity and combating massive deforestation.
• Austria: Meeting the German passive house standard with the renovation of an energy-hungry old apartment building was a challenge. A special solar façade enabled GIWOG to succeed.
Category Fire:
• Bangladesh: Shobuj Angira Foundation supplies portable solar energy in rural Bangladesh. Centrally located solar panels and portable batteries now bring light to villagers.
• Nepal: The improved water mills of the Centre for Rural Technology not only make work easier; they also deliver urgently needed, clean power in rural Nepal.
• Norway: Statoil ASA New Energy has constructed a prototype of a floating wind power plant. Now wind energy can also be harvested on the open sea.
Category Water:
• India: Networked underground rain water tanks supplied by Sustainable Innovations already provide 10,000 residents of rural India with clean drinking water.
• Pakistan: The extensive water and hygiene program of Aga Khan Planning and Building Service delivers water supply systems and health training to Pakistani villages.
• Germany: HelioTech Türk GmbH has implemented an economical desalination plant that uses solar energy to make salt water drinkable and works even in remote areas.
Category Air:
• Taiwan: Less CO2 through more efficient engines was the idea behind Epoch Energy Technology Corp.'s Hybrid Fuel System. It can be retrofitted into any engine and produces a hydrogen/oxygen mixture as additional fuel.
• USA: The city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, has saved money and energy since transforming its street lighting to LEDs. This perfectly combines economy and CO2 reduction.
• Sweden: The Malmö Environment Department supports public photovoltaic projects and so advertises for CO2-free energy production.
Category Youth:
• Argentina: The self-sufficiency program of CiudadanÃa Solidaria provides healthy nourishment at the school in La Soledad while teaching pupils and teachers about sustainable organic farming.
• Slovenia: The project "Ustanova Ekosola kot nacin zivljenja" lets pupils in the school center in Velnje test how energy saving works. This prototype is affecting all of Slovenia.
• Morocco: Under the motto "Ecology live", the Mohammed VEX Foundation for Environment Protection supports schools toward becoming eco-schools.
Source: Energy Globe Foundation
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June 4, 2010
World Environment Day: United Nations International Children's Painting Competition
Photo: Sylvia Gong, an eighth grader at Hopkins Junior High School in Fremont, California, won the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) International Children's Painting Competition (ICPC) in North America. Gong's painting portrays a tiger grieving over a world where human activities are depleting resources.
• Sylvia Gong, an eighth grader at Hopkins Junior High School in Fremont, California, received the top North American prize in the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) 19th annual International Children's Painting Competition (ICPC). Her painting addresses the theme, "Biodiversity - Connecting with Nature."
Gong was honored at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh as Bayer Corporation and UNEP unveiled the 2010 ICPC Exhibition to herald World Environment Day celebrations in Pittsburgh, this year's North American host city. The 77-picture exhibition features the three winning paintings, including Gong's portrayal of a tiger grieving over a world where human activities are depleting resources.
Her first place award included a $1,000 cash prize and an all-expense paid trip for her and a chaperone to UNEP's TUNZA International Children's Conference in Nagoya, Japan, in October. While there, she will join the first place winners from UNEP's six global regions. This year, nearly 1.1 million paintings from 88 countries were received.
The ICPC is a signature event of UNEP's annual World Environment Day celebrations. The painting competition is sponsored globally by Bayer AG, an international health care, nutrition and high-tech materials group headquartered in Germany.
Established in 1991 and organized annually by partners UNEP, Bayer AG, Nikon and the Foundation for Global Peace and the Environment, the ICPC invites elementary and middle school students, ages six to 14, to learn about the environment and express that knowledge creatively through art.
Regional winners are selected from UNEP's six regions including North America; Africa; Asia and the Pacific; West Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean; and Europe. They are announced during the six-week period between Earth Day in April and World Environment Day on June 5.
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April 26, 2010
World Premiere Of Disneynature's OCEANS
Disneynature's OCEANS opened on Earth Day, April 22, 2010.
Disneynature, the studio that presented the record-breaking film "Earth," brought OCEANS to the big screen on Earth Day, 2010.
Nearly three-quarters of the Earth's surface is covered by water and OCEANS boldly chronicles the mysteries that lie beneath. Directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud dive deep into the very waters that sustain all of mankind -- exploring the harsh reality and the amazing creatures that live within. Narrated by Pierce Brosnan and featuring spectacular never-before-seen imagery captured by the latest underwater technologies, OCEANS offers an unprecedented look beneath the sea in a powerful motion picture.
All Photos are Copyright © Disneynature.
Photo: (Location: Hollywood, CA, USA.) Maguy Maccario, Vice President of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation-USA; Bob Iger, President and CEO The Walt Disney Company; Pierce Brosnan, the film's narrator; Demi Lovato, who sings the film's theme song; Rich Ross, Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios; Alan Bergman, President of the Walt Disney Studios.
The star-studded blue carpet screening of "Disneynature's Oceans" took place at the legendary El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. [El Capitan Theatre is a movie palace at Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It serves as the venue for many of Walt Disney Pictures' movie premieres.]
Those present were the film's narrator, Pierce Brosnan; the duo who sing the film's theme song, "Make A Wave", Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas; renowned oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, Sylvia Earle; the grandson and granddaughter of famed ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Fabien & Celine Cousteau; the world's foremost ocean artist, Wyland; some of the film's crew members; and high-ranking executives from the Walt Disney Company. Representing the Principality of Monaco was Maguy Maccario, vice president of the US chapter of the Prince's Foundation.
• Download Educational Activity Guide. This 8-Page Guide can be used to enhance students' scientific and geographic knowledge of Earth's oceans as presented in the new DisneyNature film OCEANS.
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April 1, 2010
Shell Starts Production at Perdido - World's Deepest Offshore Drilling and Production Facility
Photo: The deep blue sea is on display in the remote, isolated sector of the Gulf of Mexico where Shell's Perdido platform sits in water deeper than any other facility in the world.
Photo: Spar on board giant barge, Mighty Servant 1.
Shell today produced its first oil and natural gas from the Perdido Development, the world's deepest offshore drilling and production facility. Located in an isolated, ultra-deep sector of the Gulf of Mexico, The facility sits in approximately 2,450 meters (8,000 feet) of water.
• View the Map: Location of Perdido in the Gulf of Mexico
"Perdido is an impressive project in a strong Gulf of Mexico portfolio that continues to grow," said Marvin Odum, Upstream Americas Director, Shell Energy Resources Company. "Perdido presented technical challenges unlike we've ever seen in the Gulf of Mexico. Shell's team used its expertise to open this new frontier and confront complex reservoir characteristics, extreme marine conditions, and record water depth pressures. Perdido demonstrates what companies like Shell can do when US federal lands and waters are opened to responsible energy exploration and production."
From the first lease purchase to today's production, the Perdido Development required an industry workforce of approximately 12,000 people, including employees and contractors. Shell designed, and operates, the Perdido host spar, a floating production facility, which is jointly owned by Shell (35%), Chevron (37.5%), and BP (27.5%).
Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 100 countries.
Source: Shell Oil Company
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March 20, 2010
From Russia with Love: That's the Theme of The Netherlands International Flower Exhibition
Photo: Accompanied by HRH Princess Máxima der Nederlanden, Mrs Svetlana Medvedeva, spouse of the president of the Russian Federation, officially opens the 61st Keukenhof international flower exhibition in Lisse, The Netherlands. She was especially invited because this year's central theme is 'From Russia with Love'.
Source: Keukenhof
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March 19, 2010
Better City, Better Life: Siemens at EXPO 2010
Photos: View of Shanghai
"Better City, Better Life" - that's the theme of EXPO 2010, which will take place in Shanghai from May 1 - October 31, 2010. Siemens is supporting EXPO 2010 with green infrastructure technology.
On the 1st of May, the EXPO 2010 in Shanghai will open its doors to the world. About 70 million visitors are expected in the Chinese metropolis.
It is supposed to be the first green world exhibition in EXPO history.
As a global EXPO partner, Siemens has supplied technology used in more than 40 projects on the exhibition grounds. In addition, Siemens supplied infrastructure including technology for rapid mass transit, clean air, cleaner water and ultra-modern health care in Shanghai.
Photo: Siemens won contracts related to the EXPO. These include high-speed trains at a speed of 300 kph from Beijing to Tianjin.
"Our green technology will continue to upgrade the city's infrastructure well after the EXPO. Thus, it is a triple win for EXPO visitors, for the host city of Shanghai and for Siemens," said Richard Hausmann, CEO Siemens Northeast Asia and President and CEO of Siemens Ltd., China.
Siemens was awarded contracts in connection with the Expo with a total value of more than one billion euros. About 90 percent of this amount is related to environmentally friendly products and solutions.
Photo: In China, ensuring a supply of clean water is a pressing problem. Shanghai, which is naturally rich in water, suffers from polluted springs. Siemens water treatment solutions help clean up Taihu Lake not far from Shanghai.
Photo: Shanghai buildings in the evening.
More than 50,000 energy-saving light-emitting diodes (LEDs) produced by Siemens' lighting subsidiary Osram will illuminate the pavilions and boulevards. LEDs consume 80 percent less electricity than conventional incandescent bulbs.
The China Pavilion, with a total surface area of 160,000 square meters, is one of the largest Siemens projects at the Expo.
In addition to solutions for reduced energy consumption, Siemens also supplied infrastructure in advance of the Expo that will assure adequate power supply to the city of Shanghai both during and after the event.
Source: Siemens AG, Berlin
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March 4, 2010
The Plastiki Expedition
An 11,000 nautical mile journey-with-a-message from San Francisco, California, to Sydney, Australia, setting sail March 2010.
Photo: Eco-Friendly Catamaran, The Plastiki, Made From 12,500 Reclaimed Plastic Bottles Prepares to Embark on Transpacific Voyage From US to Australia. February 25, 2010. San Francisco, CA. (Photo: Luca Babini).
The Plastiki, an eco-conscious catamaran made from reclaimed plastic bottles is embarking on transpacific journey to raise awareness of ocean pollution problem by showcasing plastic debris as a resource and demonstrating real world solutions through its design and construction.
The goal of The Plastiki Expedition is to draw attention to the massive amounts of plastic debris in the world's oceans, and to showcase re-thinking waste as a resource by demonstrating real world solutions to this pressing problem.
The legacy of The Plastiki Expedition will be its capacity to shift public thinking and perception from plastics as the enemy to how plastic can become part of the solution. To solve the marine debris and waste issues at large will require a reprogramming of how the global community currently uses, re-uses and ultimately disposes of plastics.
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December 4, 2009
World Bank: Majority of People Want Action on Climate Change, Even if it Entails Costs
Photo: View of lakes and mountains. Photo © Curt Carnemark / World Bank.
A new poll of 15 nations, most of them in the developing world, finds that majorities of the people canvassed want their governments to take steps to fight climate change, even if that entails costs. People signaled they would support public measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions and step up adaptation measures. For example, respondents would support higher fuel efficiency standards for cars, preserving or expanding forests, and extending funding to vulnerable countries so they can develop hardier crops suited to more severe climates.
Photo: Fishing. Photo © Alex Baluyut / World Bank.
"The poll's findings shed light on global attitudes at a particularly important moment: the run-up to the conference on climate change to be held December 7-18 in Copenhagen. Hearing from people in the developing world offers a new lens on this issue," says Katherine Sierra, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development.
Photo: Horse-drawn cart. Mali. Photo © Curt Carnemark / World Bank.
Photo: Mali. Photo © Curt Carnemark / World Bank.
Carried out by WorldPublicOpinion.org and commissioned by the World Bank, the poll questioned 13,518 respondents in 15 nations -- Bangladesh, China, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, Senegal, Turkey, the United States, and Vietnam.
Other key findings include:
• Public concern about climate change is high worldwide, but it's generally higher in developing countries.
• Publics, particularly in developing countries, believe climate change is already having negative effects.
• In most countries, wealthy and poor alike, large majorities are willing to pay to fight climate change.
• Support for increased adaptation funding to poor countries is widespread worldwide.
Photo: View of river and mountains. Bhutan. Photo © Curt Carnemark / World Bank.
"It is encouraging indeed to see strong across-the-board support for committing to emissions limits in both developed and developing nations, since behavior change and attitudes will help determine whether we succeed or fail in addressing this global issue," says Marianne Fay, World Bank Chief Economist for Sustainable Development and Co-Director of the World Development Report 2010: Development and Climate Change.
Ms. Fay explained that the poll was commissioned as a follow-up to the recently released WDR. The aim was to gain a better understanding of how the recommendations of the Report to invest substantially and immediately to manage climate change ("Act now, act together, and act differently") resonate in a cross-section of countries.
In the low-income country of Vietnam, for example, 98% say their government should commit to limiting emissions as part of a deal, and 93% support the same course in the absence of a deal. At the other end of the wealth spectrum, the people of France express 97% support if an agreement is reached at Copenhagen, and 87% if no agreement emerges.
Photo: View of road before storm. Ghana. Photo © Curt Carnemark / World Bank.
Majorities in 14 of 15 countries are willing to pay to fight global climate change.
Majorities in most countries also support measures that would raise costs for energy and transportation.
Photo: Portrait of children. India. Photo © World Bank / Curt Carnemark.
Similarly, majorities in 12 countries support "gradually increasing the requirements for fuel efficiency in automobiles, even if this raises the cost of cars and bus fares." Majorities in 11 countries support "gradually reducing government subsidies that favor private transportation, even if this raises its cost." Majorities in all countries polled support "preserving or expanding forested areas, even if this means less land for agriculture or construction."
WorldPublicOpinion.org operates as a collaborative project involving research centers from around the world that is managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. The margins of error for each country range from +/-3 to 4 percentage points. The surveys were conducted across the different nations in September and October 2009.
Source: World Bank
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"We, the Heads of the MDBs and the IMF, appeal to the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to agree in Copenhagen the foundations for an ambitious, comprehensive, and equitable global climate change regime that enables all countries to achieve sustainable development along climate-resilient and low greenhouse gas emission-intensive paths. We recognise the primacy of the UNFCCC, whose principles and process we have supported from the start. We endeavour, in accordance with our organizations' respective mandates, expertise, and resources, to further coordinate our financing and analyses of climate change actions and enable our client partners to maximise the effective use of new financial flows."
-- Joint statement by the heads of the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund.
The International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC) has released the names of over 140 leading climate experts from 17 countries who are asking the United Nations and other supporters of this month's Climate Change Conference to produce convincing OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE for their claims of dangerous human-caused global warming (AGW) and other changes in climate.
• "With revelations that critical temperature data used by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change appear to have been intentionally distorted to increase warming trends, national representatives to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference must demand a thorough re-examination of the scientific evidence supporting proposed mitigation actions. This should not be limited to simple temperature data auditing but must also include a re-evaluation of many of the climate-related assertions uncritically accepted by politicians and media worldwide."
-- Dr. Tim Patterson, ICSC Chair and Professor of Earth Sciences at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
• "While policies designed to conserve energy, reduce pollution and help vulnerable peoples adapt to climate change are important to pursue, proposals to severely curtail GHG emissions in an effort to control climate make no sense, given the current state of scientific knowledge. Instead we need to focus on environmental issues we know we can positively impact - air, land and water pollution being primary examples."
-- Dr. Wibjörn Karlén, Professor Emeritus, Physical Geography, Stockholm University, Sweden.
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November 30, 2009
U.S. Crude Oil Production in 2009 Poised To Show Big Jump: Platts Analysis
Photo: Platts' new 100-year anniversary global branding ad for oil rolled out in February issue of UK's Energy Risk Magazine; first in a series of Platts' 2009 ads to highlight the commodities it covers: Oil, Petrochemicals, Electricity, Natural Gas, Metals and Renewable Fuels.
• United States crude oil production for 2009 is on target to have its biggest one-year jump since 1970, according to a Platts analysis of industry data.
Platts, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is a leading global provider of energy and commodities information.
With U.S. oil production averaging 5.268 million barrels per day (b/d) through October, the gain in U.S. output will be the most since the country produced 9.637-million b/d in 1970, which turned out to be the peak year of U.S. crude output, according to Platts' analysis of data published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). If that 5.268 million b/d figure holds through December, this year would show a 6.4% boost from the 4.95 million b/d average of 2008 and rank as the best U.S. oil production year since 2004, when output averaged 5.419 million b/d.
Projections from the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) indicate that the primary driver for this year's U.S. oil production resurgence is actually just getting started. That driver is the Gulf of Mexico, where operators have begun launching a group of new fields, fulfilling what has been a decade-long focus on unlocking the promise of deepwater exploration there.
Photo: Oil tanker and offshore drill on ocean.
In its reporting, Platts concluded that with the jump in the Gulf of Mexico, combined with the emergence of two other new oil-production trends, it appears the U.S. has a chance of at least maintaining oil output in the range of five million to six million b/d for some years to come.
The Gulf posted its biggest oil production year in 2002 with 1.556 million b/d, but only 61% of that total came from deepwater. In contrast, this year the MMS projects oil output of 1.213 million b/d with 76% from deepwater as the Gulf ramps toward an expected new oil production record of 1.635 million b/d by 2011.
Besides growth in the Gulf, those other trends involve further development of the Bakken Shale oil play in North Dakota and success by a group of operators now training their onshore exploration sights toward new oil targets at the expense of natural gas.
Photo: Oil Rig at Sunset.
As for companies shifting their strategies, that group includes large Houston independent and Bakken pioneer EOG Resources, which has set a goal of shifting from a 70% gas production share to a 50:50 oil and gas mix by 2011 with a comprehensive review of additional potential North American shale oil targets.
This rise in output has helped the U.S. reduce its net imports -- defined as imports less exports, both crude and petroleum products -- by a substantial amount. While there are many factors that go into the United States' net import figure, the decline has been striking, according to EIA data.
And while the drop in U.S. consumption can be seen as accounting for much of that decline, the U.S. also has put more than 140 million barrels of crude oil and products into inventory since the beginning of October 2008, something made possible in part by the rise in crude oil output.
Source: Platts
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November 19, 2009
Bridget Moynahan is the Newest Spokesmodel for Garnier Nutritioniste
Moynahan will be the face of the Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift product collection.
Global skincare company Garnier Nutritioniste is introducing actress Bridget Moynahan as the latest spokesmodel for the brand. Moynahan will appear in print and TV campaigns for the brand's top-selling Ultra-Lift skincare collection, set to debut July 2010.
Moynahan joins an impressive roster of Garnier spokesmodels, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Bar Rafaeli and Alana de la Garza.
"We are thrilled to partner with the beautiful Bridget Moynahan," says Maybelline New York-Garnier President David Greenberg. "Her class, grace and accessibility make her a model representative of the Garnier brand. Most importantly, she exhibits a likeable, healthy beauty that speaks to our consumer in such a positive way."
Moynahan is an all-American girl raised in the East Coast town of Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Before earning international recognition in films and TV, she had a successful modeling career, appearing on the covers of numerous magazines including Glamour, Vogue, Elle and Self. Moynahan has since appeared in a number of major films, such as Serendipity, The Sum of All Fears, The Recruit, I, Robot, and Lord of War. She is the star of the upcoming 2010 film Ramona and Beezus and is currently shooting the film Battle: Los Angeles.
Source: Garnier
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November 12, 2009
Marriott International Developing Green Hotels
Photo: Marriott International will expand its green hotel portfolio ten-fold in five years, with a new green hotel prototype for its Courtyard brand that will be pre-certified LEED(R) (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) by the U.S. Green Building Council. Shown here, the Courtyard Portland City Center, which is certified LEED-Gold. (© Marriott International, Inc., William James Photography)
• Marriott International, Inc. announced today that it will expand its green hotel portfolio ten-fold over the next five years by introducing a green hotel prototype that will be pre-certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), an internationally recognized green building certification system designed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
The green hotel prototype, which will be available in April 2010, will save owners approximately $100,000 and six months in design time, and reduce a hotel's energy and water consumption by up to 25 percent.
The green hotel prototype, referred to by the USGBC as "volume build certification," has been created for Marriott's Courtyard brand, which has a development pipeline of nearly 160 hotels worldwide. In 2010, the company expects to introduce similar green hotel prototypes for its Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites brands, which represent more than 290 hotels in the pipeline worldwide.
"Marriott's' commitment makes it among the first in the world to commit to implementing green buildings on this scale," said Doug Gatlin, Vice President, USGBC. Marriott was the first hospitality member of the USGBC, and has more than 20 LEED accredited professionals on staff.
While many of the benefits of LEED certification, such as improved energy savings, better indoor air quality and reduced CO2 emissions, are transparent to guests, others are easier to identify such as easy access to public transportation, in-room recycling, and light sensors in the guest rooms.
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October 21, 2009
Tokyo Motor Show: Honda CR-Z Concept 2009 Makes World Debut
• Stylish hybrid coupe will arrive in North America in 2010 as 2-seat model.
Honda today debuted CR-Z Concept 2009, the second concept version of the stylish, sporty hybrid coupe, at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show. While the vehicle displayed at the show is a global concept with a rear seat, the production version that will be introduced to North America in the second half of 2010 will be packaged as a sporty, 2-seat hybrid that provides a personal driving experience for North American customers.
"The Honda CR-Z will expand our lineup of hybrid vehicles and reinforce the fun-to-drive values associated with the Honda brand," said Erik Berkman, vice president of Automobile Corporate Planning and Logistics for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Beyond great styling and features, CR-Z will bring new levels of engagement and fun to customers interested a small car or a hybrid vehicle."
The production version of the Honda CR-Z will make its world debut at the January 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Source: American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
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September 30, 2009
All-Electric Navistar Truck Unveiled on Capitol Hill
• Navistar Developing Clean Transportation Technologies.
Photo: At the U.S. Capitol today, U.S. Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), on right, inspects Navistar Inc.'s zero emissions, all-electric delivery truck designed for maximum efficiency in urban environments. With help from a $39 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Navistar Inc. initially will build 400 of these clean technology trucks at its facility in Elkhart, Indiana, and expects to be producing several thousand trucks annually within a few years.
Today, members of the U.S. Congress were shown an all-electric commercial truck from Navistar, Inc. that does not depend on oil.
With the help of a $39 million U.S. Department of Energy grant announced by President Obama in August, Navistar will build these high technology trucks, designed for maximum efficiency in urban environments.
Navistar intends to build 400 all-electric delivery trucks in 2010 at its facility in Elkhart County, Indiana, and expects within a few years to be producing several thousand vehicles annually as the market grows.
"The all-electric commercial truck is a concrete example of advanced technology that will be swiftly brought to market with government incentives, just like diesel-hybrid trucks and school buses," said Greg Elliott, senior vice president, Navistar. "We must continue to invest together for the next generation of advanced vehicles with innovative aerodynamic design and greater hybrid and electric market penetration across the nation."
This zero tailpipe emission electric commercial truck is the latest of Navistar's green vehicle advancements.
Navistar International Corporation is a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliates produce International brand commercial and military trucks, MaxxForce brand diesel engines, IC Bus™ brand school and commercial buses, Monaco RV brands of recreational vehicles, and Workhorse brand chassis for motor homes and step vans.
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September 28, 2009
Corcoran Gallery Of Art to Exhibit Landscapes by Canadian Photographer Edward Burtynsky
Photo: Edward Burtynsky, SOCAR Oil Fields #3, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2006. Chromogenic color print. (© Corcoran Gallery of Art).
Corcoran Gallery of Art has invited the media to an exclusive preview of Edward Burtynsky: Oil.
Organized by the Corcoran, this exhibition will show 56 large-scale color landscapes, many on view for the first time, by Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky.
The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, October 3, 2009.
Edward Burtynsky: Oil is organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and sponsored by the Scotiabank Group.
"For Oil, Burtynsky traveled for more than a decade to chronicle the global production, distribution, and use of oil, the energy source that has shaped the modern world," informs Corcoran. "This world premiere exhibition provides a penetrating look at one of the most important subjects of our time, by one of the most respected and recognized contemporary photographers in the world."
After closing at the Corcoran on December 13, the exhibition will embark on an international tour through 2012.
Source: Corcoran Gallery of Art
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Edited & Posted by Editor | 5:44 AM | Link to this Post
September 25, 2009
New York City Green Buildings Program Launch: Building Owners, Union Leader Joined By Mayor Bloomberg
Labor-Management Program to Train 1,000 Building Supers.
Photo: New York Mayor Bloomberg, along with union president Mike Fishman, launched a green building worker training program at an apartment building in Manhattan on Friday, September 25, 2009. The One Year, One Thousand Supers program, said the mayor, "is a smart, practical, effective way to help make the Big apple green.".
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined Realty Advisory Board President Jim Berg and 32BJ President Mike Fishman today in launching an ambitious green buildings program to train one thousand superintendents and resident managers in one year in the latest energy efficient practices.
The launch of One Year, One Thousand Green Supers, which took place at a downtown apartment building, was attended by Jeff Brodsky, President of Related Management, and James O'Connor, President of Douglas Elliman, two of the first companies to have their employees participate in this labor-management green buildings program.
"By working together, 32BJ and New York's building owners have put into place a smart, practical and effective way to help make the Big Apple green," said Mayor Bloomberg. "One Year, One Thousand Green Supers provides a low-cost way to make our buildings more energy and cost efficient, and our environment cleaner, all while saving our city millions of dollars."
"With 77 percent of our city's greenhouse gas emissions generated by buildings, we must all work together to protect the environment," said Mike Fishman. "Making the Big Apple green starts with recognizing the vital role of building service workers."
• With more than 85,000 members in six states and Washington, DC, SEIU Local 32BJ is the largest property service workers union in the country. The union represents window cleaners, doormen, building maintenance workers, cleaners, porters, and security officers in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Connecticut, Maryland, and Virginia.
• One Year, One Thousand Green Supers is part of the Thomas Shortman Training Fund. The program is a 40 hour class that provides building service workers with the latest, state-of-the-art practices in energy efficient operations. The curriculum trains workers to identify and address wasted energy, create a green operating plan and perform cost-benefit analysis for building owners and managers.
"By learning how to air seal a building, improve heating and air conditioning performance and reduce overall energy use in a building's common areas, graduates can achieve substantial savings at their buildings," said Linda Nelson, Director of the Thomas Shortman Training Fund. The third and final pilot class of building service workers in the program is set to graduate next week.
• The Fund's programs provide 150,000 hours of industry, academic, and computer courses at over 20 locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
• The One Year, One Thousand Supers curriculum combines classes and field exercises with elective courses, including renewable technologies, green roofs and water reuse.
With a growing demand for greener buildings, smarter management practices could reduce energy use in buildings by twenty to forty percent, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Source: SEIU Local 32BJ
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Edited & Posted by Editor | 10:46 PM | Link to this Post
September 22, 2009
Clinton Global Initiative: President Barack Obama and President Bill Clinton Address the Opening Plenary Session of the Fifth Annual Meeting
Among others, following are joining President Clinton in Panel Discussion on Global Challenges:
• Michelle Bachelet, President of the Republic of Chile.
• Mike Duke, CEO of Wal-Mart Stores.
• Muhtar Kent, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Coca-Cola.
• Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia.
Photo: President Barack Obama and President Bill Clinton Greet Each Other on Stage at the Opening Plenary Session of the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative.
Today, in New York, President Barack Obama joined President Bill Clinton to open the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative.
The meeting is bringing together leaders from the political, corporate, and civil sectors to develop and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing problems.
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) brings together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges.
"This week, even as we gather at the United Nations to discuss what governments can do to confront the challenges of our time, even as we're joined tonight by so many presidents and prime ministers - this Global Initiative reminds us what we can do as individuals: that you don't have to hold public office to be a public servant," President Obama said, adding: "That's the beauty of service - anyone can do it and everyone should try."
"In the midst of a global financial crisis, I don't think it's a coincidence that more people are attending this meeting than ever before," President Clinton said. "Since 2005, it has become clear that CGI has found an effective model for addressing challenges around the world. Our members have made more than 1,400 commitments affecting more than 200 million people around the world. Because of their efforts, more than 10 million children have access to a better education, 48 million people have better health care, and more than 12 people million have safe drinking water. But there is still work to be done."
President Clinton announced that more than 60 current and former heads of state, 500 business leaders, and 400 leaders from nongovernmental and philanthropic organizations will be attending the meeting, representing 84 countries.
Photo (Added Sep 23): From left: Diane Sawyer moderates panel including Lloyd Blankfein, chairman and CEO of The Goldman Sachs Group, Merlanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for global women's issues at the U.S. Department of State, Robert Zoellick, president of The World Bank Group, Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women for Women International, Rex Tillerson, chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, and Edna Adan, director and founder of the Edna Adan Maternity and Teaching Hospital (speaking).
Photo (Added Sept 23): From left to right, Matthew Bishop, New York Bureau Chief and American Business Editor, The Economist, Al Gore, Chairman, The Alliance for Climate Protection, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director, The World Bank Group, Jack Ma, Chairman and CEO, Alibaba Group, Judith Robin, President, The Rockefeller Foundation, Muhammad Yunus, Founder and Managing Director, Grameen Bank.
Source: Clinton Global Initiative
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Edited & Posted by Editor | 11:44 PM | Link to this Post
September 14, 2009
Dow Corning Celebrates "Solar Day'
• Begins Construction at Solar Monosilanes Facility.
• Unveils Solar Array and Education Center.
Photo: Dow Corning installed solar panels at its corporate headquarters in Michigan that also serve as a testing site for its silicone-based solar materials.
"Autumn may be approaching, but the sun is shining brightly at Dow Corning. And it is waiting for us," said Stephanie A. Burns, Dow Corning's chairman, president and CEO. "There is still much work to do to make solar energy a sustainable energy option for everyone, everywhere. These investments represent our continued commitment to both innovating and using alternative energy technologies."
At an event the company is calling "Solar Day," Dow Corning will announce the start of construction in Thomas Twp., Michigan of a manufacturing plant that will manufacture monosilane gas-a key material used to manufacture thin-film solar cells.
Dow Corning will also unveil a solar panel installation and Solar Discovery Center at its corporate headquarters in Midland, Michigan.
Photo: Dow Corning Solar Solutions Researchers.
The Dow Corning Monosilanes facility will manufacture high purity monosilane, a key specialty gas used to manufacture thin-film solar cells and liquid crystal displays. The Dow Corning Monosilanes facility is expected to be completed in 2011.
"This significant investment to become a leading supplier of monosilane for thin film solar technology will expand our feedstock offering and will further reinforce Dow Corning's position as a material supplier across multiple solar technologies," said Eric Peeters, global executive director, Dow Corning Solar Solutions.
The solar installation at Dow Corning headquarters features 136 solar panels and will produce approximately 30 kilowatt-hours of power--the amount of electricity consumed by approximately seven to 10 homes in a year.
Photo: A Dow Corning lab technician conducting a product performance test.
"It is important for everyone in our community, especially students, to understand both how solar technology works and the opportunity it represents for the world," said Marie N. Eckstein, Dow Corning's vice president and chief administrative officer. "We would like to invite community and student groups to contact us if they're interested in seeing the solar panels and solar education center."
Dow Corning's silicon-based materials are used in solar cell manufacturing, solar module assembly and installation. In the past five years, Dow Corning and its joint ventures, the Hemlock Semiconductor Group, have announced investments of more than $5 billion to research and develop as well as to expand production of materials critical to the solar industry.
A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning offers more than 7,000 products and services via the company's Dow Corning and XIAMETER brands. Dow Corning is a joint venture equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning's annual sales are outside the United States.
Source: Dow Corning Corporation
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Edited & Posted by Editor | 12:48 PM | Link to this Post
September 4, 2009
Climate Change: Helena Christensen Witnesses its Impacts in Peru
Photo: Model and photographer Helena Christensen traveled to Peru with humanitarian organization Oxfam to document the impacts of climate change on poor people ahead of an important global conference on climate. Photo Credit: Jason Mcdonald/Oxfam.
Model and photographer Helena Christensen traveled with international humanitarian organization Oxfam to her mother's native country to witness and document the dramatic effects that climate change is having on poor people today in Peru.
"The impacts of climate change are extremely severe in the areas we visited," said Christensen in Peru today. "The farmers we met and talked to are already living very hard lives, and are now being forced to adapt to the effects of the rapidly changing climate."
Christensen has documented the trip with a series of photographs that will be exhibited in New York, Washington, London and at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December. A short film of the expedition, captured by award-winning Director Richard Bullock, will also be shown.
"One of the women I spoke to, Elizabeth Ayma, told me that because rainfall are less frequent now and impossible to predict due to the climate changes, this is having a huge effect on crop production," said Christensen. "As a result, her family has less food to eat and less produce to sell, resulting in her not being able to afford her children's school fees. The lack of nutritional vegetables also affects her family's health."
"Climate change in Peru is already devastating and we welcome Helena's commitment to show this to the rest of the world. Peru is on the frontline of climate change, along with other developing countries, which have played little part in causing the problem," said Frank Boeren, Oxfam's coordinator in Peru. "It is crucial that rich leaders do the right thing at Copenhagen so that we can begin to stop run away climate change and protect vulnerable people around the world."
"We are at a critical tipping point. We need to put pressure on our governments in order for them to take the necessary, radical steps that are needed. There's no time left, it is absolutely imperative to act now," said Christensen.
Source: Oxfam America
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Edited & Posted by Editor | 1:29 PM | Link to this Post
