Oak Ridge Today

Linden Elementary, Midway Middle win $1,000 for environmental programs

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“Voice of the Vols” Bob Kesling, director of broadcasting/play-by-play for the Vol Network, and Etta Clark, vice president of global public affairs and policy at Eastman, present the 2016 Good Sports Always Recycle winners at Linden Elementary School with their award. (Submitted photo)

 

Linden Elementary School in Oak Ridge and Midway Middle School in Ten Mile were recognized at the University of Tennessee homecoming game as two of the statewide winners of the Good Sports Always Recycle, or GSAR, program’s school challenge. Seven other schools were also recognized. All nine were awarded $1,000 each for their programs.

The award sponsors were Eastman Chemical Company, Food City, Waste Connections of Tennessee, and the University of Tennessee, a press release said.

The other GSAR School Challenge winners were Abintra Montessori School in Nashville, Cleveland High School in Cleveland, Emmett Elementary School in Bristol, Fayette Academy in Somerville, John Adams Elementary School in Kingsport, Newport Grammar School in Newport, and Union Elementary STEM and Demonstration School in Gallatin.

New Hope Christian Academy in Memphis was awarded $1,500 for the GSAR Sustainability Steward Award, and Libertas School of Memphis was awarded $1,500 for the Best New Program. [Read more…]

ORNL researchers contribute to major UN bioenergy, sustainability report

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Keith Kline and Virginia Dale

ORNL researchers Keith Kline and Virginia Dale contributed to a major United Nations report on bioenergy and sustainability. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

A major United Nations report on bioenergy and sustainability released Tuesday concludes the sustainable production of bioenergy can be an important tool for addressing climate change.

Two researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory contributed to the multinational UN document, which offers science-based evaluations of bioenergy issues—including food and energy crop production and bioenergy—as a climate change mitigation strategy.

Keith Kline of ORNL’s Environmental Sciences Division contributed to a chapter on land use for the UN Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) Bioenergy and Sustainability Report.

“Misconceptions about the availability of land needed for growing food crops and about the opportunities and synergies possible from combined production systems could undermine investment in a key strategy for climate change mitigation,” Kline said. [Read more…]

Y-12, Pantex receive six NNSA Sustainability Awards in 2014

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Y-12 National Security Complex

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is pictured above. (File photo/B&W Y-12)

 

The National Nuclear Security Administration has awarded six 2014 Sustainability Awards for innovation and excellence to the Pantex Plant and the Y-12 National Security Complex, both operated and managed by Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, or CNS, a press release said.

“The awards recognize exemplary individual and team performance in advancing sustainability objectives through innovative and effective programs and projects that increase energy, water and fleet efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gases, pollution, and waste,” the release said. [Read more…]

Education Foundation scholarship helps student with Hong Kong study abroad

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Patricia Garland in Hong Kong

Patricia Garland in Hong Kong (Submitted photo)

 

A cross-cultural learning experience in Hong Kong this summer helped Patricia Garland view sustainability problems and solutions from a new perspective.

“Culturally, it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I had never been able to work with other cultures in this capacity,” said Garland, the 2014 spring recipient of the Dr. Adrian R. Lawler Exchange Scholarship. “It was fascinating.”

The Lawler Scholarship supports international study programs and is administered by the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation. Lawler, an Oak Ridge High School graduate and the second student here to participate in an American Field Service international program in 1957, established the scholarship in 2008 to offer students here similar opportunities to gain tolerance and understanding of people from other cultures.

Garland, 23, a 2009 ORHS graduate, studied abroad through a program at Arizona State University, where she is working on her master’s degree in sustainability. She received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science, with a concentration on sociology and anthropology, from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is the daughter of Sid and Anne Garland. [Read more…]

Sustainability Report: Comparison of European and U.S./Vermont practices

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Dodd Galbreath and PV Panels

Dodd Galbreath, right, with students and photo-voltaic panels. (Submitted photo)

There will be a presentation on sustainability practices by Dodd Galbreath, head of the Institute for Sustainable Practice at David Lipscomb University, on Thursday, April 10. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Pollard Auditorium in Oak Ridge.

It’s co-sponsored by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board, and the program is free and open to the public.

Sustainability is more often associated with European than American culture. This presentation will showcase photographs and technical information documented by the founding director of the Institute during a tour of European sustainability sites, as well as lessons learned during his four years of leading travel courses in Vermont and New England. Topics to be covered will include history and practices involving food, energy, waste, water, transportation, land, building, communities, and culture.

For more information, call or write TCWP Executive Director Sandra K. Goss at (865) 583-3967 or [email protected].

ORNL deputy director to discuss lab’s sustainability program Tuesday

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Melissa Voss Lapsa

Melissa Voss Lapsa

A deputy director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discuss the lab’s award-winning sustainability program during a Tuesday luncheon lecture.

The presentation by Melissa Voss Lapsa, deputy director of ORNL’s Building Technologies Research and Integration Center, starts at noon Tuesday at the University of Tennessee Resource Center on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Lapsa has more than 18 years of experience conducting market research, policy analysis, and institutional and consumer behavior research aimed at deploying cost-effective energy-efficient technologies, a press release said. In addition, Lapsa leads the ORNL Sustainable Campus Initiative. The goal of that initiative is to integrate energy and resource efficiency, cutting-edge technologies, operational and business processes, and institutional behavior to achieve sustainability at work, home, and in the community, the release said. [Read more…]

ORNL receives GreenGov Presidential Award

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Central Campus

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s central campus is pictured above. (Courtesy Oak Ridge National Laboratory/U.S. Dept. of Energy)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory received one of eight GreenGov Presidential Awards announced Tuesday.

The lab won in the Good Neighbor category for a project titled “ORNL Good, Green, Sustainable Neighbor,” a press release said.

The fourth annual awards were announced by the White House Council on Environmental Quality. They honor federal civilian and military personnel as well as agency teams, facilities, and programs that have taken innovative steps to reduce energy use and carbon pollution, curb waste, and save taxpayer money in federal agency operations, the release said.

At a White House ceremony in Washington, D.C., senior administration officials recognized the eight award winners for exemplifying President Barack Obama’s charge to “lead by example and demonstrating extraordinary achievement in the pursuit of the president’s 2009 executive order on federal leadership in environmental, energy, and economic performance,” the release said. [Read more…]

Y-12 receives six of 18 NNSA sustainability awards

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Y-12 National Security Complex Aerial View

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge received six of 18 sustainability awards announced by the National Nuclear Security Administration on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy B&W Y-12)

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge received six of 18 sustainability awards announced by the National Nuclear Security Administration on Tuesday.

The NNSA said the awards were for innovation and excellence at its national laboratories and sites. They recognize exemplary individual and team performance in advancing sustainability goals through innovative and effective programs and projects that increase energy, water, and fleet efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gases, pollution and waste, a press release said.

“I congratulate the winners of this year’s sustainability awards and all those involved in our efforts to implement environmentally responsible and sustainable operations and projects,” said James McConnell, NNSA acting associate administrator for infrastructure and operations. “NNSA will continue striving to develop new and creative solutions to minimize the environmental impact of our vital national security mission.” [Read more…]

Roane County takes green to a new level

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TVA Sustainable Community Silver Seal

Roane County has been designated as a Valley Sustainable Silver Community by the Tennessee Valley Authority through a program initiated by their Economic Development department to help communities improve existing sustainability programs and increase their ability to attract new investment in their community.

Roane County recently completed the TVA-sponsored program, which was developed and administered by consultant Boyette Strategic Advisors. The program documents a community’s assets to increase the likelihood that it will be viewed as progressive and competitive by companies looking to invest in new or expanded locations. [Read more…]

Y-12 recognized as a ‘best workplace for commuters’

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Y-12 Best Work Place for Commuters Award

Durand Carmany talks about how the 4/10 work schedule and on-site taxi service help make the Y‑12 National Security Complex one of the best workplaces for commuters as Sara Martin of Smart Trips looks on. (Photo by Scott Fraker/Y-12)

The Y-12 National Security Complex was one of several East Tennessee businesses recently recognized for meeting the National Standard of Excellence awarded by Best Workplaces for Commuters, or BWC.

Other businesses included Green Mountain Coffee, Home Federal Bank, Tomato Head, and Knoxville Utilities Board. They were recently recognized by Smart Trips, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, and City of Knoxville Deputy Mayor Eddie Mannis. [Read more…]

B&W Y-12 receives DOE sustainability awards

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B&W Y-12 Sustainability Award

Regan Rose, left, and Eric Wright consolidate shredded documents on the Michael Dunn Center’s document destruction truck during an electronic recycling event at New Hope Center on Sept. 14. (Submitted photo)

B&W Y-12 recently received two U.S. Department of Energy Sustainability Awards at a ceremony during the 2012 GreenGov Symposium in Washington, D.C.

The award recognizes innovation and excellence in sustainability, pollution prevention, and environmental sustainability stewardship efforts within DOE, a press release said. An independent panel chose Y-12 from about 137 nominations for two of this year’s 20 awards.

“Today’s Sustainability Award winners are leading by example, showing what’s possible when employees bring creativity, innovation, and dedication to their efforts to make the Department of Energy more sustainable,” DOE Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman said. “The efforts undertaken by these individuals and teams are helping the department to deliver on President Obama’s sustainability goals, while inspiring others both inside and outside of government to start investing in cost-saving clean energy technologies.”

Y-12’s awards were:

  • Reaching Beyond—Y-12 Sustainability Outreach, which included collaborative outreach activities within the Y-12 complex, in the local community, and at the national level, and
  • Y-12 Targeted Excess Materials Program Pursues Sustainable Disposition Paths, which addresses hard-to-disposition excess legacy materials, critical and strategic materials and equipment.

[Read more…]