Greenplans News

August 20, 2008

EU Climate Change Policy 2009

The EU is continuing to work on a global and comprehensive post-2012 agreement to be finalized in Copenhagen in 2009. The EU's goals are to curb greenhouse gas emissions in all its areas of activity in a bid to achieve the following objectives: consuming less-polluting energy more efficiently, creating cleaner and more balanced transport options, making companies more environmentally responsible without compromising their competitiveness, ensuring environmentally friendly land-use planning and agriculture and creating conditions conducive to research and innovation. More information is available at http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/s15012.htm

Posted on August 20, 2008 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

New Zealand's Sustainability and Climate Change Plan

New Zealand has been developing a coordinated plan for implementing sustainability in relation to climate change. The Sustainability Package is composed of 6 initiatives: Helping Households towards Sustainability; Business partnerships for sustainability; Eco-verification: demonstrating sustainability of goods and services; Government to buy sustainable goods and services; Public service takes lead in becoming carbon neutral ; Towards zero waste. Work on the six initiatives sits alongside much existing work to promote sustainability, including: The New Zealand Energy Strategy; New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy; New Zealand Transport Strategy; New Zealand Waste Strategy; Climate Change action plan.

Posted on August 20, 2008 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mexico City to Cut GHG Emissions 12% by 2012

Mexico City plans to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 12% by 2012, according to Environmental Secretary Martha Delgado. The capital and the surrounding area emit about 60 million tons of GHG per year. The Climate Action Program of Mexico City 2008-2012 will require investment of around 60 billion pesos (US$5.9 million), half of which the city government will provide, the other half to come from the sale of carbon bonds and other investments. Twenty-six actions will be launched to reduce emissions, including the capture of biogas from the Bordo Poniente landfill, and a program of compulsory public transportation to school. "The Climate Action Program of Mexico City represents an enormous opportunity to contribute and curb global warming. As a city we will reduce emissions by seven million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent...which puts us at the forefront of this issue."

Posted on August 20, 2008 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

July 7, 2008

Netherlands' GIDEON Arrives in 2011

The NL Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment ('VROM') is creating a single, cohesive infrastructure of geographic information ('geo-information') concerning matters such as road networks, soil structure and environmental quality, relating to almost all major social issues such as mobility, care, public order, safety and spatial planning. GIDEON is being built in collaboration with other ministries, government bodies, companies and knowledge institutes. This infrastructure will be freely available to all, enabling citizens, companies and institutes to improve development of products and services. In this way, GIDEON will help reduce companies' administrative burden and improve the delivery of government services to citizens. VROM has not opted for a pre-determined blueprint, but chooses to gradually build up the system in order to increase chances of success and close gaps of knowledge and expertise.

Posted on July 7, 2008 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 30, 2008

EU Agrees to Outlaw "Green Crimes"

The EU has approved legislation that will force national governments to
apply criminal sanctions for deliberate or negligent damage to the
environment. The list of crimes includes, inter alia, unlawful discharges
or emissions into the air, soil or water so as to cause "substantial
damage" to humans and/or to the environment; waste shipments; killing,
destruction, possession, trading of protected fauna or flora specimens,
except when little or no impact on conservation status; any conduct
causing significant deterioration of habitats within protected sites; and,
production, importation, exportation, placing on the market or use of
ozone-depleting substances. Inciting, aiding, abetting are equally
criminal. Penalties are left to member states' with the proviso that they
be "effective, proportionate and dissuasive". The law is limited to areas
where the EU has competence, leaving national legislation intact in other
areas.

Posted on May 30, 2008 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 12, 2008

Guidance for New Zealand Resource Management Plans Issued

The Quality Planning website of New Zealand's Ministry for the Environment
has newly issued Guidance notes on structuring, organizing and writing
provisions of regional and district plans under the Resource Management
Act. Many plans are at the ten-year stage and are coming up for review.
Additional notes on monitoring and enforcement will be available soon,
also at www.qp.org.nz. The QP website promotes best practices for
officials, consultants, environmental managers, and others involved in
resource management.

Posted on May 12, 2008 6:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 2, 2008

Second New Zealand State of the Environment Issued

In January 2008 the NZ Ministry for the Environment issued its second state of the environment report, Environment New Zealand 2007, highlighting the impact and significant improvements, as well as continuing work needed, since the RMA was enacted in 1991. The report uses hard data, reporting on 19 indicators and over 80 specific aspects of resources. All stakeholders welcomed the report as a tool for environmental decision-making. The next report is due in 2012, in addition to regular trend and snapshot updates. The report is available by entering the name of the report in the Search window at http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications.

Posted on May 2, 2008 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

April 10, 2008

Open Access to Environmental Data Moves Forward

In a parallel to Resource Renewal Institute's proposed California
Environmental Data Platform, the European Commission and Council,
promulgated a "Recommendation on the management of intellectual property
in knowledge transfer activities and code of Practice for universities and
other public research organizations." The purpose is to facilitate
knowledge transfer as a strategic mission by taking steps to encourage
open access to research results while enabling the intellectual property
to be protected in a manner that facilitates cross-border collaborations
in research and development and ensures equitable and fair treatment of
participants. The ultimate goal is the circulation and use of ideas in a
dynamic knowledge society. The EU database will be a model and a resource
for RRI's CEDP.

Posted on April 10, 2008 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Going green: White hunter, green heart

Eco pioneer Huey Johnson still has his guns blazing for the environment

Read the full article

Posted on April 10, 2008 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

February 11, 2008

River Warriors Campaign

February 6, 2008
For Immediate Release

"Celebrating Big Achievements of the Little Guys"
Three-dozen environmental activists and organizations got a nice surprise in the mail this week. The Water Heritage Trust, an environmental think tank dedicated to preserving water for nature sent $1000 checks to "River Warriors" in the western United States.

Huey Johnson, President and Founder of the Trust said, "We are celebrating the big achievements of the little guys. Small successes over decades are the reason that we still have any rivers at all."

Johnson, who has been active in environmental preservation efforts for almost fifty years founded the Trust for Public Land, served as Secretary for Resources for the State of California, and has authored several books on environmental problem solving. He was also the recipient of the UN Sasagawa Environment Prize for his championship of the holistic action approach to environmental problem solving called Green Plans.

Johnson said, "When one surveys the emergence of a citizen's movement to save water, the best efforts are those of individuals and small organizations that truly love and care for the rivers they're defending."

Among those groups receiving the micro grants were, Friends of the River, The Smith River Alliance, Mill Valley Stream Keepers, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, Trout Unlimited, The Tuloumne River Trust and Friends of Butte Creek.

"These largely unrecognized groups' expertise and dedication will prove instrumental to improving California and Western states' archaic water practices," said Johnson.

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Posted on February 11, 2008 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)