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The White House has announced a new plan to reduce America's methane emissions, which are thought to account for up to 14% of the country's total greenhouse emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency will monitor methane emissions from the fossil-fuel sector, and the Interior Department will develop a plan to capture and sell methane emitted by coal mines on federal land. The effort will depend on "cost-effective, voluntary actions and common-sense standards," said Dan Utech, special assistant to the president for energy and climate change

There is increasing recognition among both travel professionals and consumers of the importance of responsible travel and "strong evidence" that responsible travel is good for the economic bottom line, according to analysis by Center for Responsible Travel.

*Saved 50 million liters of water in 2013 through the use of DryDye fabric. *Introduced heel inserts for shoes that will divert 1,500 metric tons of polystyrene waste from landfills. *Incorporated sustainable components into 100% of Sport Performance footwear created for 2013. *Obtained over 23% of cotton from Better Cotton-certified sources.

Sainsbury's became the first UK retailer to offer in-store recycling for Easter egg packaging waste, which accounts for 3,000 metric tons of waste in the UK per year.

Up to $10 million in grants from the Department of Energy will be available for advanced biofuel and other biobased product initiatives. The program is in support of the agency's aim to lower the cost of advanced biofuels to $3 per gallon of gasoline equivalent by 2022.

British Airways and biofuel producer Solena Fuels selected a site east of London for building the world's first plant for converting landfill waste to aviation biofuel. British Airways will purchase 50,000 metric tons of jet fuel per year from the facility when it comes online in 2017.

One good place to start when deciding which program to look into is the comprehensive list of sustainability-focused masters programs from The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. It includes some 450 programs that offer training in sustainability, providing an excellent portal to get started. The list is also helpful for those looking to drill deeper into specific fields of sustainable study, with programs that hone in on design, entrepreneurship, policy, sustainable agriculture and more.

The cost of doing business in California has risen for builders who, in the face of the severe drought, now need to find grey water to keep the dust down. In addition, many are building xeriscaping into home design to reduce water use. "We're addressing a social need -- that we have to find ways to live with less water," said Barry Grant, Northern California division president for Meritage Homes. American City Business Journals/Sacramento, Calif. (5/7) 

WASHINGTON - President Obama called out climate change deniers in Congress for being weak on defense, saying it would be "dereliction of duty" for the United States to ignore the national security implications of rising global temperatures.

Consumer goods maker Unilever (ULVR.L) says its brands that most fully embrace its CEO's passion for sustainability perform the best, adding fuel to its oft-repeated argument that social responsibility is good for business.

The solar-friendly state has been working on a laundry list of renewable energy strategies in a coordinated effort to wean itself from fossil fuels. Last week, the state legislature upped the ante by passing a bill that calls for 100 percent renewables by 2045.

IKEA, the world's leading home furnishings retailer, today announced it had officially plugged-in Kansas' largest rooftop solar array, atop the recently opened IKEA Merriam. The 92,000-square-foot solar array consists of a 730.17-kW DC system, comprised of 2,394 panels, and will produce approximately 986,800 kWh of electricity annually for the store, the equivalent of reducing 680 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) - equal to the emissions of 143 cars or providing electricity for 94 homes yearly (calculating clean energy equivalents at www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html).

Dow Chemical, Procter & Gamble, and others have sponsored Materials Recovery for the Future-a research effort to increase the recycling and recovery rates for flexible film and packaging. The group plans to publish results in the second quarter of 2016.

Mercedes-Benz to use Plug Power fro 123 hydrogen-based GenDrive fuel cell units to power forklifts. Fiat selected AeroViroment to provide its home charging stations and installations for the Fiat 500e. Its the 5th auto manufacture to choose Aero for its services.

Airplane engine-maker Pratt & Whitney is going green to attract and keep the best workers, says environmental chief Mary Anne Cannon. The company is aiming for 100% recycling of manufacturing waste, is holding its supply chain accountable for its actions and has curbed factory emissions by 28% since 2000. The company performs life-cycle assessments to measure the effects of its products, Cannon says

A local environmental group slams the plan for the just-approved 58-acre facility, which will eventually employ 2,800 people but faces months of hearings before breaking ground

According to Greenpeace, the fish that sushi restaurants rely upon for their high-priced sashimi dishes is now endangered. Sixty percent of the world's tuna stocks is now harvested from the Pacific Ocean, and bluefin prized for its delicate meat fills a substantial demand in Japan. More than 70 percent of the bluefin that is caught ends up in Japan.

Nike identified water inadequacy and resource cost volatility among the risks, opportunities and challenges surrounding its business. This became the driving force behind the forging of the relationship between Nike and Dutch award-winning startup DyeCoo, a Dutch company that launched the world's first ever industrial dyeing machine that uses high pressure carbon dioxide (CO2) as a replacement for water to dye polyester.

On Thursday, Sunny Delight Beverages Co. (SDBC) released its fifth annual Sustainability Report, detailing its sustainability goals and progress - including an $85 million investment in new production equipment to improve efficiency, reducing the calorie count for its beverages 50 percent, and sustaining zero waste to landfill for the fifth consecutive year

In two years, the global fashion industry uses as much water as is in the entire Mediterranean Sea, and that makes conservation a key priority for sustainably run fashion brands. Nike is working with Dutch eco-dying company DyeCoo to reduce its water consumption and to encourage better conservation practices across the fashion industry