Ariella Halevi

What does 🍕 have to do with supply chains? Researchers here at Idaho National Laboratory are working on decontaminating cardboards utilizing material separation techniques. By addressing this issue, the study is making pizza-eating more ecologically friendly but also reducing supply concerns for US soldiers. Read more about the #PizzaBoxExperiment using the link below 👇🏽 https://lnkd.in/gG6Rt8vc #inl #idahofalls #energy #supply #pizza #research

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May is National Clean Air Month and we are transforming Idaho National Laboratory into a net-zero greenhouse gas campus by decarbonizing our 700+ vehicles, 300+ buildings and on-site landfill. Additionally, we are working to secure cleaner electricity to power our 890-square mile site. 🌎🍃⚡️ INL purchased an electric motorcoach about a year ago, marking a significant milestone as the first of its kind at any federal facility. As we continue to integrate the electric coach into our operations, we’re gaining valuable insights into its suitability for the site’s unique requirements. Given INL’s diverse topography, extreme weather conditions and operation spanning both rural and urban areas, it serves as an ideal test site for low- and zero- carbon public transportation systems. Learn more ➡️ https://inl.gov/net-zero/ #NationalCleanAirMonth #CleanAir #NetZero #CarbonNeutral #SustainableFleet #transportation #EcoFriendly #climate #RenewableEnergy #energy #Idaho

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Embodied Carbon Nonsense - Shame on the AIA The new embodied carbon requirements being required by the upcoming interim CalGreen Code change is another example of the insanity of the "green" industry. I have been in the building engineering and design industry in California for 40 years. The California Energy Commission is completely out of touch with the industry. It keeps allowing this insane green building movement to force unproven increases in design and construction costs on an industry that is so overloaded with regulation that no building in California can ever meet every single code requirement. Half the building departments in the state don't even enforce the CalGreen Code. They never even look at the issues during permitting and construction - because they don't have the funding and staff to deal with non-life safety issues. Without enforcement, there is no compliance. What the CEC needs to do is take 80% of the money they are passing thru to plethora of "green consultants" and give it to the 528 building jurisdictions in the state. Maybe then, they can have the staff and budget to enforce the current CalGreen Code requirements. The building code requirements need to have critical oversight. Currently there is no such thing. It's just a group of green consultants, architects who want to promote themselves, and green vendors who are involved to promote their products. There is zero critical analysis. All members perpetuate their own positions by pushing ever more "green" requirements on the industry. The way the California Green Building Code adoption process has spawned a massive industry built on self-promotion is not fair to the building industry as a whole. Unfortunately, the CEC has no over-sight, and no one is actually in charge. There is no one to stand up and say, "Has anyone, at all, really looked at the basis for this proposed new requirement critically? Really critically? Or have we simply taken the data provided by self-promoting green consultants at face value?" No one is watching the CEC henhouse and it's created a code nightmare that has grown out of all proportion to any kind of common sense. No engineer, no architect, no building department official in the state can possibly keep up with this massive pandora's box of ever expanding requirements. At some point, I hope the state legislature will step in and provide over-sight and control over the CEC. It is sorely needed. I also think that the AIA needs to do a better job of standing up for it's clients by pushing back on government-promoted issues which do not benefit the people who are paying their bills - building owners and developers. The next time your client asks why his building costs so much just tell them the truth - because you and your organization promote the ever-increasing code changes and costs!

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I am excited to share this new research from our Pacific Northwest National Laboratory research team and colleagues at Berkeley Lab. In the past year both ASHRAE and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new first-of-its-kind clean air targets to reduce the transmission of airborne diseases in buildings. The targets are much higher than previous building ventilation standards. Large increases to building energy use and carbon emissions will result if they are implemented using traditional HVAC ventilation approaches. Our analysis and this paper started with a prototypical office building, where we examined what measures can achieve the new targets and their corresponding energy use. Among our findings, we find that a typical office building HVAC system is not capable to achieve the CDC targets unless supplemented with in-room technologies such as GUV or room air cleaners. Further, we find the scenarios with GUV or room air cleaners use approximately 75-80% less energy per unit of equivalent clean air than HVAC-only approaches. We are working now to apply this analysis to other building types (school, healthcare, restaurant) and climate zones. You can download the office paper at this link for free until June 5, 2024. Congratulations to my colleague Cary Faulkner in leading this work. https://lnkd.in/ezDRvRrV #ashrae241 #CDC #IAQ #cleanair #healthybuildings #decarbonization

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🌟 Bridging the Gap in Wildfire Communication! 🌟 Did you know nearly 30% of California residents speak Spanish at home (US Census), yet wildfire safety information is often only available in English? We're here to change that! Our new program, the Cross-border WUI and Wildfire Subregion of the California Fire Science Consortium, is dedicated to enhancing wildfire outreach to bilingual communities and fostering international collaboration. What we offer: Translating your existing English wildfire materials into Spanish. Collaborative public science communication strategies. Integrated fire science research. Potential Partnering Organizations: government agencies, non-profits, academic institutions and other hazards or wildfire related organizations. 🔥 Join us in making crucial wildfire safety information accessible to Spanish-speaking communities! If your organization is interested in having their materials translated, contact us for details at jcobian3@ucmerced.edu. Let’s work together to ensure a safer and more prepared community. 🔗 Check out our recent translations here: https://lnkd.in/gi3QhjEP - all translations are free and done by our talented student researchers at UC Merced. #WildfireSafety #BilingualFire #CommunityPreparednes #HazardsCommunications Contact us to get started and help us spread the word with your networks!

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We are transforming Idaho National Laboratory into a net-zero greenhouse gas campus by decarbonizing our 700+ vehicles, 300+ buildings and on-site landfill. ⚡🍃 Additionally, we are working to secure cleaner electricity to power our 890-square mile site. INL purchased an electric motorcoach about a year ago, marking a significant milestone as the first of its kind at any federal facility. As we continue to integrate the electric coach into our operations, we’re gaining valuable insights into its suitability for the site’s unique requirements. Given INL’s diverse topography, extreme weather conditions and operation spanning both rural and urban areas, it serves as an ideal test site for low- and zero- carbon public transportation systems. Learn more 🍃 https://inl.gov/net-zero/ #EarthDay #EarthDay2024 #NetZero #CarbonNeutral #SustainableFleet #GreenTransportation #EcoFriendly #ClimateAction #RenewableEnergy #CleanMobility #CorporateResponsibility

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Oregon State University’s Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex broke ground last weekend! Collaborating closely with our project partners at ZGF Architects, KPFF Consulting Engineers, and others, #AEI is designing the #MEP systems for this revolutionary #masstimber education center and supercomputing space. Equipped with clean rooms, labs, and a powerful NVIDIA AI supercomputer, this high-performance research building will support advanced research in artificial intelligence (#AI), materials science, robotics, and more. The waste heat energy from the liquid-cooled supercomputer will heat other spaces within the dynamic research facility and contribute to campus district heating. Learn more ➡ https://bit.ly/49JQl7r Delve into our mission critical expertise ➡ https://bit.ly/3TjwR4Q #AffiliatedEngineers #AEIMissionCritical #ArtificialIntelligence

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Expanding our local water resources while preserving our current imported water resources is more crucial than ever as we navigate our changing climate. Learn about the work our region’s water agencies are doing to advance southern California’s water systems. Southern California Water Coalition

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Stratospheric ozone, part 2! The red you're seeing on Saturday morning's RGB GOES satellite product indicates stratospheric air entering the northern California coast. Despite clouds and rain, 11 am ozone readings in Vallejo and Oakland were nearing the low-Moderate AQI category. ICYMI, the latest #HighPressurePodcast explains how these stratospheric ozone events work: https://lnkd.in/grAA2TWY

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Read more about the research of UC Merced professor and CITRIS PI Shijia Pan in this featured profile:

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So happy to see this program that help address well known issues with health effects of airborne exposures in nail salons. Happy to see my alma mater be part of the solution. Per the article - in short - The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles ($800,000): The UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program will partner with the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative and Black Women for Wellness to provide technical assistance to nail and hair salons to promote the adoption of safer products, P2, and overall environmental stewardship. Technical assistance will include outreach and training, environmental sampling, and pilot projects that track safer product use and impacts over time. The proposed project will improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities by lowering workers’ exposure to chemicals linked to chronic and acute illnesses, respiratory and skin issues, memory loss, cancer, and reproductive harm in California nail salons that are primarily owned and operated by Vietnamese migrants, and in hair salons that are primarily owned and operated by Black individuals. The Environmental Justice in Communities grant program will provide pollution prevention technical assistance to businesses to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities. The Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products grant program will assist businesses to increase the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing. https://lnkd.in/e4gc6zYw

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PGE’s Portland Oregon proposed rate increase for 2025. The cost of free solar is not that free, because it doesn't work at night. PGE’s Portland Oregon wants to increase residential rates – on average – more than 7% next year, on the heels of an 18% increase in 2024 and a roughly 7% increase in 2023. If you want green energy you pay for it. https://lnkd.in/gQzPh-ke

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Securing California's Water Future: From an insightful article on California's evolving water landscape: As climate change accelerates, our state anticipates a 10% reduction in water supply by 2040. Here's our strategic approach: Infrastructure Expansion: Projects like raising the San Luis Reservoir dam and the Sites Project will enhance storage capacity. Innovative Solutions: Desalination, wastewater recycling (e.g., Orange County's GWRS), and the Delta Conveyance Project diversify water sources sustainably. Conservation Efforts: Despite hurdles, modernizing water usage and enforcing regulations (SB 389) remain top priorities. Environmental Balance: Balancing water allocations among drinking, agriculture, and environmental needs is crucial for ecosystem health. This article underscores California's commitment to innovation and resilience in shaping a sustainable water future.

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Here's a review from one of our California Annual Precipitation subscribers for the 2022-2023 water year. “Purchasing a subscription to the California Annual Precipitation (CAP) forecast from Weather Tools, Inc has proven to be an invaluable asset. I wholeheartedly recommend this service to any business owner seeking to make data-driven decisions and secure a competitive advantage. One of the most significant impacts of the CAP service was on my equipment purchasing decisions. CAP called for a significantly wetter than normal water year and that, in combination with several other factors, gave me the confidence I needed to move forward with the purchase of a new harvester. Furthermore, having a clear understanding of the expected water year and the impact on farmable acreage, I was able to better strategize and optimize my income and tax planning.” Don Traynham Family Rice Farmer Check out https://lnkd.in/gHwghCAA to see how the CAP report can help you make data-driven decisions and secure you a competitive advantage!

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Let’s talk SB-1383 🌎 -In 2016, California Governor Jerry Brown, signed the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Act (SB-1383) which aims to combat climate change by diverting organic waste from landfills. The statewide goal is to reduce organic waste in landfills by 75% by January 2025. -When organic waste goes to landfills, it releases methane, a gas 84x more potent than carbon dioxide. Each year, over 7 million tons of methane leak out of landfills. -In order to comply with SB-1383 and combat climate change, CR&R has converted to a three cart system. Our newest cart, the green-lid cart, is designated for organic waste. Once collected, we use our one-of-a-kind Anaerobic Digester to turn the waste into Renewable Natural Gas that can be used to power our fleet, as well as Natural Soil Amendment, that can be used as compost 🌱 Let’s all do our part by separating organics into the designated cart ♻️ #sb1383 #organicwaste #anaerobicdigestion #recycleright #crr #sustainability #environmentalservices #climatechange

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clean energy is on the upswing

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