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Greenbang went down to Kyocera's Green Card event earlier this year to hook up with Adrian Harding of the Environment Agency - he told us what's happening with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive… Check him out on this film…

It's been an incredible year in green news, and coverage on the environment seems to increase every week. Below, you will find links from the last year that I think are important. Unfortunately, tons of good stories didn't make the cut because the links were broken and I couldn't find an adequate replacement. Regardless, 2007 has been a great year, don't you think? Collectively, we're taking big steps to respect the environment. Republicans, Democrats, businesses, individuals, etc. Everyone wants to do their part. And even if you don't click all, er, 151 links below, scan the titles as a reminder of what has been accomplished. Let's keep the momentum in 2008.

PARIS (Reuters) - France may extend a system aimed at encouraging people to buy more fuel-efficient cars to products such as electronics, Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo told business daily Les Echos.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and leading economists are calling for a radical shift to a new "green" economy.

Related article: http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/35971/113/ Biofuels could actually increase greenhouse gases by a recent study.

Texas-based wire manufacturer Encore Wire saw its net income fall by 65% in 2012 to US$19.8M, as reduced prices for building wire pressured margins. The spread the company earns between the sale price of wire and the cost of purchasing raw material, mostly copper, fell by 9.4% in 2012. The company's CEO said that the fourth quarter of 2012 "was another fairly steady volume quarter, considering the time of the year and the current economic and construction industry environment." Encore is more optimistic about the operating environment in 2013 and CEO Daniel Jones said most of Encore's electrical distributor customers have lean inventories so demand should be stronger.

"This market insight provides an outlook of the growth opportunities for the rail industry in India. Ambitious government plans coupled with unprecedented levels of foreign investment are leading to a complete overhaul of the rail environment in India. Over 39 cities are planning to invest in expansive urban rail networks to address severe traffic congestion problems. High-speed rail and dedicated freight corridors are planned to separate passenger and freight traffic to increase operating efficiency."

"That's where Ethernet extension comes in. Depending on your environment and application, there are three ways to extend your Ethernet LAN beyond the nearest closet."

Unless there is a shift in world energy policies, global energy demand is set to accelerate, putting increasing strain on the world economy and the environment.

Applied Nanotech Holdings Inc announced that its subsidiary, Applied Nanotech Inc (ANI), established a strategic development program with Optomec, Inc, a provider of printed electronics for solar, display, electronic packaging and flexible electronics applications. As a part of the commitment, ANI will install a dedicated Optomec M3D aerosol jet printer at its facilities in order to adapt its copper ink to Optomec's patented ultra high resolution printing technology. By utilizing ANI's copper ink, the Optomec printer will offer the solar, display, flexible circuit and PCB manufacturers contact-free deposition of high quality, low cost metal lines, the companies said. According to the companies, the Optomec printing solution is able to produce much finer lines than is currently possible with traditional screen printing and inkjet printing equipment. The combined ANI/Optomec copper ink printing solution will provide an alternative to silver inks facilitating lower cost, coupled with the promise of higher reliability. Furthermore, ANI's copper inks do not require expensive vacuum installation or inert gas environment lowering the cost of the capital for manufacturing equipment.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the EnergySmart Hospitals initiative, with the aim of increasing the use of energy efficient technologies in hospitals across the United States. \n\nThe EnergySmart Hospital initiative will provide hospitals with design strategies, advanced energy design guides, technology assessments, case studies, training sessions, and an interactive Website to help hospitals increase their energy efficiency. The initiative intends to improve energy efficiency in existing hospitals by 20 percent and to help develop new hospitals that are 30 percent more efficient than current building standards. It will also support hospitals in meeting the challenge of lowering costs while delivering quality patient care and maintaining healthy healing and work environments. \n

For the past two years, the US has been promoting GNEP as a way of meeting the developing world's burgeoning appetite for energy.

Sierra Pacific Power and Nevada Power Company have announced that they are expanding their SolarGenerations renewable energy programs to include cash incentives for wind and hydroelectric power systems as well as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Both Nevada utilities are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Sierra Pacific Resources. "These projects deliver benefits on many levels: they reduce energy bills, provide learning opportunities, help the environment, and increase our energy independence by taking advantage of abundant natural energy sources right in our own backyard." -- John Hargrove, Program Manage, Sierra Pacific & Nevada Power The last session of the Nevada State Legislature made the SolarGenerations demonstration program permanent, doubling the total amount of installed photovoltaic energy eligible for rebates from 1,900 kilowatts (kW) to 3,760 kW, and adding the new WindGenerations and HydroGenerations programs. Together, these programs are called RenewableGenerations.

"We showed that copper ions diffuse out from a brass plate into a fish tank filled with seawater, and within 40 hours the copper killed 99.99% of the Vibrio food poisoning bacteria contaminating the living fish and shellfish," says Dr Jeong-Weon Huh from the Department of Health Research, at Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment, Republic of Korea. The copper is absorbed by the bacteria, causing them to die and fall off the gills and skin of the fish. Vibrio are even flushed from the internal organs of the fresh fish, sinking to the bottom of the tank. The remaining copper ions are absorbed from the seawater in the tank by sand and polyester filters, leaving safe, clean fish ready to be eaten by restaurant diners. "By being able to remove the copper ions, we can prevent people from consuming excess copper themselves, but let them safely enjoy any kind of fish, either raw or cooked," says Dr Jeong-Weon Huh.

South Korea has experienced a sharp decrease in its entire copper semis range production in November 2008 according to the Korean Nonferrous Metal Association. Copper wirerod totalled 46,007 tonnes, falling by 18% y-o-y. Copper plate and strip plunged by almost 42% y-o-y to 10,744 tonnes. Copper tube also declined by approximately 26% to 9,448 tonnes, while copper and copper alloy bar production fell to 16,191 tonnes, a decline of approximately 8%. Overall, copper semis production in November 2008 dropped by 21.4% y-o-y. For the first eleven months of 2008, copper semis output amounted to 1,097,154 tonnes compared to 1,193,092 tonnes from the same period in 2007, declining by 8%. The economy has been hit by shrinking exports and weakening domestic demand. In response to the downturn, the government announced that it will invest 50 trillion won within the next four years in infrastructure and environment projects.