Daily Sustainability News Roundup: February 22, 2010

Fleishman-Hillard’s Sustainability blog publishes a daily roundup of compelling stories from traditional media and blogs that straddle the nexus of sustainability, energy policy, and corporate social responsibility. Inclusion of stories does not translate into endorsement of any particular opinion or technology over another.

The Top Five Cities for Clean Energy Jobs (via ClimateProgress)

Clean energy jobs have been created across the country by stimulus funding and pro-renewable energy policies, but these five cities lead the way in green job growth.

Chu to governors: Capital Hill renewable energy plans too weak (via The Hill’s E2 Wire)

Major pending Congressional renewable energy standard (RES) legislation would not prompt additional renewable generation investment beyond the increases expected from existing policies said U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Energy, environment on table in D.C. (via The Montreal Gazette)

Canadian officials worry that plans by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon dioxide emissions will lead to protectionist barriers on carbon-intensive Canadian products in order to protect American businesses.

30-Year Growth Spurt Ends for Average American House Size (via ecopolitology)

New research by the National Association of Home Builders and Better Homes and Gardens has found that the average size of new American homes shrank 100 square feet in 2009, the first time average new home size has shrunk in 30 years.

Awaiting the alternative energy sukuk: Innovation v conservatism (via Reuters)

Middle Eastern bankers and investors are teaming up with international financial institutions to fund renewable energy products in order to abide by sharia (Islamic law) scholars who frown upon money lending.

Hydrogen taxi cabs to serve London by 2012 Olympics (via The Guardian)

Hydrogen-powered taxi cabs are being developed in the United Kingdom with a goal of being road-ready for the 2012 London Summer Olympics. The program intends to have 20-50 taxis and 150 buses on the streets, powered by hydrogen, by 2012.

The Long Road to an Alternative-Energy Future (via The Wall Street Journal)

New clean energy generation sources will eventually reduce our use of fossil fuels and shrink greenhouse gas emissions, but they may not be fully online for 20-30 more years because of various technological, policy, and market factors.

Grids to harness power of electric cars (via The Financial Times)

Electricity grids could operate more efficiently and balance fluctuations in supply and demand if they incorporated vehicle-to-grid (VG2) technology. This technology enables electric car owners to store power from the grid during periods of low demand, and supply power during periods of peak demand.

Climate change’s impact on forests being measured via expanding tree trunks (via The Washington Post)

Trees are growing faster than ever due to greater amounts of carbon in the atmosphere, longer growing seasons, and warmer weather, according to a new research study.

Study: Warming to bring stronger hurricanes (via The Washington Post)

The world will likely experience fewer, but much stronger hurricanes in the future according to a study by the World Meteorological Organization. While experts in climate change and hurricanes agree on the expected effects, they are unsure if the changes are already occurring.

U.S. wind capacity has more than tripled (via USA Today’s Green House)

Wind capacity in the U.S. had tripled and can meet total domestic electricity consumption needs, according to a new report by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The report finds that total national wind capacity is 37 million gigawatt-hours of electricity per year.

U.N. Report to Quantify the Environmental Impact of Major Companies (via New York Times’ Green Inc.)

A United Nations report to be released this spring finds that the world’s top 3,000 companies cause $2.2 trillion in environmental damages per year. The full list of companies studied by the report has not been released, but it does include all 500 companies on Standard and Poor’s list of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S.

Guilt-free plastic for composting in your yard (via CNET’s Green Tech)

A research team at London’s Imperial College has developed a sugar-based biodegradable polymer that can be used in common food containers and reduce the amount of food packaging that now goes to landfills.

Can Lawsuits Stop the EPA’s Carbon Rules (via The New Republic’s The Vine)

A lawsuit from multiple petitioners has been filed recently to prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating greenhouse gas emissions, but will it succeed?

UK plans first nuclear fusion power plant (via The Times)

British scientists have announced plans to build the world’s first operating commercial nuclear fusion power station within 20 years. The plant would provide carbon-free power to the national grid with a minimum amount of nuclear waste.

Green in 2010: Windfarms on your house (via CNNMoney.com)

The 2010 Green Products Expo features multiple projects that homeowners in rural and urban settings can use to generate their own energy and use resources more efficiently.