GreenClips.10 10.26.94 NEW ENERGY STANDARDS FOR REFRIGERATORS Appliance manufacturers and environmental groups announced new energy efficiency standards for refrigerators. If approved, refrigerators will use about 500 kilowatt hours per year instead of the 700 used now. The United States Department of Energy, scheduled to issue refrigerator energy guidelines in 1998, says it is highly likely they will adopt a similar measure. -The New York Times, October 19,1994, p. C2, by Agis Salpukas. O-C CLEANS UP MANUFACTURING PLANT An outdated Owens-Corning plant in Jackson, Tennessee-once bad for the environment and insufficiently automated-has reopened after being closed for seven years. Today the plant produces virtually no air pollution, eliminating the need for clean-up workers and equipment. New technology allows waste to be recycled, eliminating disposal costs. -The Wall Street Journal, October 21, 1994, p. B1, by Fred Bleakley. STUDY SAYS ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COMPATIBLE The Institute for Southern Studies recently released a study suggesting that economic health and environmental quality are compatible. The state-by-state study found that nearly all the states that rank high on environmental criteria also rank high on economic criteria. Some economists applauded the study's general view that environmental and economic health are compatible, but said the interaction between the two was too complicated to allow for simple testing. Others warned that the study does not prove that tight environmental regulation attracts economic development. -The New York Times, October 19, 1994, p. A12, by Ronald Smothers. FUNDING AND LEADERSHIP OBSTACLES TO EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION At a recent conference sponsored by The Earth Times, engineers and transportation officials identified the need for more funding and engineering leadership to design environmentally-effective transportation systems. While the 1991Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) paved the way for more flexible transportation funding, Congress has failed to appropriate all the funding promised under the $151 billion bill. The conference also criticized engineers, citing a tendency to accommodate trends instead of change trends. -The Earth Times, October 15, 1994, p. 9, by Elizabeth Bryant. DISNEY CATALYST FOR OFF-SITE MITIGATION The Disney Wilderness Preserve, dedicated in 1992 to mitigate damage to wetlands caused by Disney development in central Florida, has been a catalyst for many similar off-site mitigation projects within central Florida. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Universal Studios Florida, and the Park Equus Company of Kissimmee have acquired hundreds of acres of land to meet mitigation requirements. This trend in mitigation planning restores and protects intact ecosystems. –Urban Land, October 1994, p. 14, by John Flicker. WOODS OF THE WORLD DATABASE Tree Talk, an educational foundation in Burlington, Vermont, spent two years developing the Woods of the World digital database to help environmentally concerned designers specify wood. The database provides physical, mechanical, environmental, and woodworking characteristics on 750 common and lesser-known tropical and temperate wood species, composite and structural wood products. -Interiors, October 1994, p. 80, by Michael Wagner.