<?xml version="1.0" ?><rdf:RDF    xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"   xmlns:newmoa="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/"   xmlns="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/"   xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">   <channel rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/">      <title>Northeast Waste Management Officials&apos; Association (NEWMOA) P2 News</title>      <link>http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/</link>      <description>Pollution Prevention News from the NEWMOA Northeast Regional Pollution Prevention Information Center.</description>      <items>         <rdf:Seq>        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=989" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=988" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=987" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=986" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=985" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=983" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=982" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=981" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=977" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=980" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=979" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=976" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=975" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=974" />        <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=973" />         </rdf:Seq>      </items>   </channel>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=989">      <title>EPA grants help New England </title>      <link>http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6d651d23f5a91b768525735900400c28/26451e735d85335c8525750c00715a49!OpenDocument</link>      <description><![CDATA[(Boston, Mass. - Nov. 25, 2008) -- Over $380,000 is being awarded to New England programs, promoting ongoing environmental and public health initiatives. The grants are part of EPA&apos;s 2008 Healthy Communities Grant Program.

The 14 grants, totaling $380,426, will fund projects working to reduce environmental risk, protect and improve human health, and improve the quality of life for communities across New England.

EPA&apos;s Healthy Communities Grant Program joins resources from nine EPA programs to strategically address environmental and public health issues burdening New England communities. Funding is used to restore or revitalize the environment; provide education, outreach, and training; and organize and conduct community planning activities.]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-12-02T07:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=988">      <title>12 Steps To A &apos;Greener&apos; Supply Chain</title>      <link>http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/11/30/12-steps-to-a-greener-supply-chain/</link>      <description><![CDATA[In the 12-step movement, they say admitting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery.

And when it comes to energy usage and waste in supply chains, we have a major problem.

The U.S. Department of Energy&apos;s Annual Energy Review shows that industrial and transportation sectors--those that coincide with supply chain activities--account for 61 percent of U.S. carbon emissions. This indicates that a careful examination of energy use throughout the supply chain provides substantial opportunities for improvement.
]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-12-01T07:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=987">      <title>Changing the Climate: Looking Toward a More Cost Effective, Energy Efficient Future </title>      <link>http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/2a136aff7c04e9b4852575050069f220!OpenDocument</link>      <description><![CDATA[(Washington, D.C. --Nov.18, 2008) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy are helping states lead the way in an effort to promote low cost energy efficiency. More than 60 energy, environmental and state policy leaders from across the country have come together to produce the updated National Action Plan Vision for 2025: A Framework for Change. The action plan outlines strategies to help lower the growth in energy demand across the country by more than 50 percent, and shows ways to save more than $500 billion in net savings over the next 20 years. These actions may help to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 90 million vehicles. 

&quot;The significant action taken by states, utilities and energy customers advances low cost energy solutions,&quot; said Robert Meyers, principal deputy assistant administrator for EPA&apos;s Office of Air and Radiation. &quot;The plan is a big step toward a more energy-efficient future, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while growing the American economy.&quot; 

]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-24T07:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=986">      <title>Funding: Pollution prevention grants available for hospitality industry</title>      <link>http://www.newarkpostonline.com/articles/2008/11/21/news/doc4927388b49588478966279.txt</link>      <description><![CDATA[DNREC&apos;s Pollution Prevention Program announced on Thursday that $15,000 in competitive grant funding is available to Delaware&apos;s hospitality industry for pollution prevention projects.

The cost-share funds are to be used for projects that prevent or reduce pollution at the source. The deadline for submission of project proposals is Jan. 15, 2009.
]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-24T07:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=985">      <title>Getting rid of mercury</title>      <link>http://pubs.acs.org/cen/business/86/8647bus1.html</link>      <description><![CDATA[In ancient Roman mythology, Mercury was the fleet-footed messenger of the gods. But in today&apos;s world, mercury is an unloved messenger of destruction. A neurotoxic metal, mercury spews from coal-fired power plants and infiltrates the environment; it is especially damaging to fetuses as they are developing.

Mercury is present in coal in only minute amounts, but the 1,100 electricity-generating utilities in the U.S. burn so much coal that they send 48 tons of mercury up and out their chimneys each year. To reduce the public health threat, about 20 eastern states have either begun or will shortly begin to regulate mercury emissions from the largest coal-burning power plants.

By 2013, if a long-anticipated federal rule imposing such regulations nationwide goes into place, mercury control will be big business. Suppliers of abatement chemicals and catalyst control technologies expect a market of $500 million a year or more. Many providers are racing now to position themselves for this new market.
]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-24T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=983">      <title>Student brain power wins EPA grant for MIT Design of Alternative Energy Systems </title>      <link>http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/5C368B57487A242B852575070054CCE7</link>      <description><![CDATA[Boston, Mass. -- Nov. 20, 2008) -- Students at MIT working on designing a system that creates power using solar heat and methane gas received one of 49 national EPA grants which are helping programs that protect the environment and are economically profitable. 

The $10,000 grant has been awarded to the Mass. Institute of Technology in Cambridge through EPA&apos;s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) program, which provides funds for designs to move developed and developing world toward sustainability. EPA awarded a total of $880,000 in P3 grants to student teams representing 39 universities in 23 states. 

As one of the 43 grants for new projects, MIT&apos;s project will involve researching and developing a design for a system to generate renewable energy using the solar and organic resources available in a region and that best meet the needs of local communities. By focusing on solar thermal, biogas, and algal CO2 technologies, the MIT system aims to increase the efficiency and decrease the CO2 load to the atmosphere of a traditional diesel generator. The system will be designed with widely available materials so it can be manufactured and distributed locally by energy entrepreneurs in the developing world. 
]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-24T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=982">      <title>U.N. energy efficiency project targets hotels</title>      <link>http://www.eponline.com/articles/69305/</link>      <description><![CDATA[The U.N. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has launched a new project leading to at least 20 percent overall energy savings and increasing renewable energy use by 10 percent in hotels. It targets particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which represent the vast majority of hotel rooms in the accommodation sector and that can benefit from best practice trends and technology advances, according to a Nov. 13 press release. 
The project brings together partners from the hotel, environment, and renewable energy communities and is supported by the European Union (EU). 
Over half of the world&apos;s 5.9 million hotel rooms are located in Europe. 90 percent of these are in small and medium sized hotels, while the remaining 10 percent belong to major groups. 
Energy 
]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-21T07:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=981">      <title>EU chemical registration REACH nears deadline</title>      <link>http://www.themanufacturer.com/uk/content/8753/EU_chemical_registration_REACH_nears_deadline</link>      <description><![CDATA[Manufacturers that make chemicals in the European Union member states or import them in from outside the zone have until December 1 to pre-register with the EU&apos;s legislative REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals).

The decree has been in force since June 2007 and applies to any firm making or importing over a tonne per year of an individual chemical. Any company using such a quantity of a chemical on its own or as part of a product will have to have it registered with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) after a phased implementation over the next decade.

The REACH initiative replaces around 40 separate legislations that previously governed the use of chemicals in the EU. Its four objectives, according to the ECHA, are to &apos;improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals&apos;; &apos;Enhance the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry, a key sector for the economy of the EU&apos;; &apos;Promote alternative methods for the assessment of hazards of substances&apos;; and &apos;Ensure the free circulation of substances on the internal market of the European Union&apos;.
]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-20T07:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=977">      <title>KY: State wants new rules to reduce mercury</title>      <link>http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/597975.html</link>      <description><![CDATA[In what they describe as a major undertaking, Kentucky officials are starting to work on regulations that would reduce the amount of mercury put into the air by coal-fired power plants.

John Lyons, director of the state Division of Air Quality, said 10 to 20 states already regulate mercury. Kentucky, he said, would be the first in the Southeast to do so.


Federal regulations proposed by the Bush administration&apos;s Environmental Protection Agency have been thrown out by the courts, and developing new ones could take a long time, Lyons said. Kentucky, which had planned to follow the federal lead, has to act on its own, he said.

]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-20T07:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=980">      <title>Vermont hotel project awarded grant to reduce waste </title>      <link>http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6d651d23f5a91b768525735900400c28/e004cb8fcc6e107c85257506005385e5!OpenDocument</link>      <description><![CDATA[(Boston, Mass. -- Nov. 19, 2008) - A project to reduce waste at hotels in Vermont has received $25,000. The funding comes from the &quot;Resource Conservation Challenge,&quot; an EPA program to conserve natural resources and energy by managing materials more efficiently. 

The Northeast Recycling Council, working with the Vermont Green Hotels program, was given the money for a three-year project aimed at reducing the amount of sold waste generated, increasing recycling, increasing the rescue and composting of food and reducing the use of toxic chemicals in hotels. ]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-20T07:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=979">      <title>Funding: Environmental Education Grants Available </title>      <link>http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6d651d23f5a91b768525735900400c28/04ed52f9c9c7839385257506004b58c2!OpenDocument</link>      <description><![CDATA[(Boston, Mass. -- Nov. 19, 2008) The call is going out to educators, education institutions, public/state environmental agencies and non-profit organizations that EPA is seeking applications for environmental education grants for fiscal year 2009. The applications must be postmarked by Dec. 18, 2008. 

EPA funds environmental education projects that focus on educating teachers, students, parents or the general public about human health problems. These issues range from pollution; improving teaching tools and techniques for educators through workshops; building state or local capability to develop and deliver environmental education or public outreach programs; or promoting environmental careers and stewardship among students through hands-on activities. 
]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-20T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=976">      <title>MA: Green Transportation: MassDEP puts electric bike into use around downtown Boston</title>      <link>http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/publications/1108bike.htm</link>      <description><![CDATA[MassDEP&apos;s fleet of vehicles expanded recently, but only for those who either work in the Boston office or are spending the day at One Winter Street. And the good news is you won&apos;t need to worry about re-filling the gas tank, the windshield wiper fluid or even having a driver&apos;s license. But you will need dry road conditions and some familiarity with the rules of riding a bike downtown.  

That&apos;s because this new addition is an electric bike donated to MassDEP by the utility company N-Star in 2000; until recently, it was sitting in storage. Dusted off, refurbished and tuned up by Steve White and his colleagues in MassDEP&apos;s Bureau of Waste Prevention, this foldable mountain bike is blue in color, but &quot;green&quot; in its deployment. It will be available for use for treks around town, mainly to get to meetings.

]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-19T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=975">      <title>Researchers work on easier tracking of dangerous mercury emissions</title>      <link>http://blog.mlive.com/cns/2008/11/researchers_work_on_easier_tra.html</link>      <description><![CDATA[Researchers at the University of Michigan are in the early stages of finding a way to track harmful mercury emissions from coal-burning plants. And if mercury emissions can be tracked, perhaps they can be better regulated.

&quot;There&apos;s a considerable amount of coal being burnt in Michigan and mercury advisories in lakes in Michigan,&quot; said Joel Blum, a professor of geological science at U-M. &quot;We&apos;d like to understand better the details of how mercury gets into our lakes and into our fish.&quot; 

Mercury is a natural occurring element, but it enters the environment through human-generated sources like incinerators, chlorine-producing plants and coal-burning power plants. In 2002, about 2,000 lbs of it was emitted in Michigan, according to the Department of Environmental Quality. 

]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-14T07:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=974">      <title>TEXT-ICL launches product to reduce mercury emissions</title>      <link>http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=788503</link>      <description><![CDATA[ICL IndustrialProducts (ICL-IP) is launching Merquel, a new product line for reduction of mercury emissions from coal fired power plants, kilns and incinerators.

The Merquel product line is based on ICL-IP&apos;s line of inorganic bromides tailored specifically to be applied in various proprietary technologies developed in recent years to reduce mercury emission.


Mercury is a neurotoxin affecting child and infant development. According to the UN Environment program, once released, mercury persists in the environment where it circulates between air, water, sediments, soil and biotain various forms.


Current emissions add to the global accumulation; and as mercury pollution travels great distances through the atmosphere, it is a global problem.
]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-14T07:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item>   <item rdf:about="http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/p2news/NewsItem.cfm?ID=973">      <title>Dry cleaners invest in eco-friendly solutions</title>      <link>http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/11/03/daily57.html</link>      <description><![CDATA[Donn Frye sees green as a bottom-line issue for the dry cleaning industry.

As president of Scottsdale-based Prestige Cleaners Inc., Frye has practiced sustainability for more than 12 years because it saves him money, even when the products cost more up front.

It&apos;s a move many in the industry have yet to take, largely because the costs can reach into the tens of thousands of dollars. But they all will have to make some changes eventually, as they are faced with increased U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulation of the most widely used dry cleaning chemical: perchloroethylene, a petroleum-based solution often called perc.

]]></description>     <dc:date>2008-11-10T07:00:00-05:00</dc:date>   </item></rdf:RDF>