Hart Energy Publishing Brings the World’s Leading Experts Together for The Carbon Challenge Webinar Series as Part of Global Carbon Initiative
First of eleven live webcasts – Adapting to New Policies – is scheduled for July 28 at 10:00 AM ET
Hart Energy Publishing (Hart) announces the launch of The Carbon Challenge webinar series designed to aid the global energy industry and policy-makers in understanding the impact of carbon-related issues on their businesses and constituents. Leading international experts will inform participants of the latest strategies, investment challenges and technologies needed to remain competitive in an increasingly carbon-constrained global economy.
The series begins on Tuesday, July 28 at 10:00 a.m. EDT (3:00 pm. GMT) with “The Carbon Challenge: Adapting to New Policies” and will cover the following topics:
- The scientific background to the carbon challenge
- A U.S. summary of the path to climate regulation, the Waxman-Markey Bill, the time frame and possible roadblocks, and the major players
- How European, Canadian, and Asian governments are moving forward and their likely position at The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December
The event will feature an introduction by James A. Slutz, President and Managing Director, Global Energy Strategies LLC and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy and chair of the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum; and an overview of the carbon challenge by Dr. Donald L. Paul, Executive Director, University of Southern California Energy Institute and former Chevron Corp. chief technology officer.
Slutz and Paul will be joined by an international panel of experts including:
- USA: Jim Connaughton, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Environmental Policy, Constellation Energy Group, and former chairman, White House Council on Environmental Quality
- Europe: Dr. Stefan Singer, Director of Global Energy Policy, WWF International (formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund)
- Australia: Belinda Robinson, Chief Executive of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association
- China: Guo Yuan, Professor and Senior Researcher, Energy Research Institute, National Development and Reform Commission
- Canada: David Manning, Executive Vice President, U.S. External Affairs, National Grid
To register for this webinar and the rest of the events in The Carbon Challenge series visit www.hartcarbon.com/shop. For media, government and NGO officials, this webinar series is complimentary. Contact Linda Carter for credentials at lcarter@hartenergy.com or +1.703.891.4804.
Additional webinars in the Carbon Challenge series include:
– August 25 – Technology Today and to Come
– September 1 – Cap-and-Trade: Creating More Trading Profit
– September 8 – The Impact on Oil Producers
– September 15 – The Impact on the Natural Gas Sector
– September 22 – The Impact on the Coal Industry & Utilities
– September 29 – The Impact on the Refining Industry
– October 6 – The Impact on the Transportation Industry
– October 13 – The Impact on the Renewable Industry
– October 20 – Carbon Capture & Sequestration
– October 27 – Bring it Back Together
Starting in September, Hart will also launch a weekly subscription e-newsletter featuring:
- The latest carbon news and special editorial sections
- An event section presenting the next webinar
- The Q&A from the previous webinar
As part of Hart’s Global Carbon Initiative, the webinar series will culminate with a Summary Executive Meeting on November 3, 2009, at the Energy Solutions Conference in Houston, Texas. More information about this event is available at www.energysolutionsconf.com. To learn more about the Carbon Challenge webinar series, visit www.hartcarbon.com.
“As the world prepares for Copenhagen, understanding the complexity in policies, technical innovation and investment challenges will be the key to developing strategies that chart a course for success in a carbon-constrained world. Policies to address climate change will have a far-reaching effect on energy and economic systems,” says E. Kristine Klavers, Vice President, Hart Energy Consulting. “We invite energy executives, NGOs and governmental officials to use this Carbon Challenge webinar series to help navigate the issue divides and establish a path to determine a winning plan for the global economy and sound public policy.”
Source: Hart Energy Publishing
While July Fourth is America’s favorite grilling holiday, other countries celebrate their National Holidays much the same way
While the Fourth of July barbecue is as uniquely American as baseball and apple pie, the first International Weber GrillWatch Survey(TM) shows that outdoor cooks around the globe celebrate their own national holidays in much the same way.
Independence Day is the number one grilling holiday in the United States, according to the Survey, with 88 percent of American grill owners choosing to cook outside during this day. Interestingly, grillers from Canada and Australia also cite their countries’ national holidays as their top days for grilling–as well as those from France and Denmark.
The recent International Weber GrillWatch Survey, the only one of its kind, probes the grilling habits, knowledge, and preferences of 15,614 grill owners in 15 countries across five continents, representing a total of 390 million grillers in countries with populations totaling 2.1 billion people:
Canada / Canada Day: Canada Day commemorates the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act (which united Canada as a single country of four provinces), and is the top grilling holiday with 73 percent of Canadian grillers cooking outside. Labour Day is a close second there at 63 percent, followed by Father’s Day (53 percent), and Victoria Day (50 percent).
Australia / Australia Day: Australia Day is celebrated annually on January 26. It recognizes the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia. According to the Survey, 69 percent of outdoor cooks there grill this day, with Christmas and New Year’s Day as a close second and third (65 and 63 percent, respectively).
France / 14 Juillet (Bastille Day): Fifty-four percent of French grillers cook outside on Bastille Day, the national holiday commemorating the end of the French Revolution and the symbolic storming of the Bastille. Ponts du mois de Mai (long holiday weekends in May) are second at 52 percent.
Denmark / Grundlovsdag: Fifty-two percent of Danish Survey respondents say this is their favorite day to barbecue, making it the number one choice. While not an official holiday, the Danes celebrate this day when King Frederik the VII signed the first Danish democratic constitution on June 5, 1849-putting an end to the absolute monarchy. Coincidentally, it’s also Father’s Day there.
Norway and Sweden / Mid-summer’s Eve: Called St. Hans aften in Norway and Midsommarafton in Sweden, 81 percent of Norwegian and 75 percent of Swedish Weber International Survey respondents cite this June 23 holiday as their favorite. Also according to the Survey, both countries choose their respective national holidays as their second most popular times to cook outdoors: Fifty-eight percent of Norwegians grill on Nasjonaldag (celebrating the 1814 ratification of the country’s constitution) and 40 percent of Swedes grill on Sveriges nationaldag, which celebrates their country’s origins.
Here are some more favorite grilling holidays from other countries that were included in the International Weber GrillWatch Survey:
Mexico / Dia del Padre: Mexican grill owners responded that Father’s Day is a top grilling holiday at 57 percent, but their number one favorite occasion to grill overall is birthdays (77 percent).
Brazil / Ano Novo: New Year’s is a huge grilling holiday in Brazil, with 78 percent of Survey respondents there celebrating around the barbecue.
Germany / An Geburstagen (birthdays): While 76 percent of German Survey respondents cited birthdays as their favorite occasion to grill, Pfingsten, a religious holiday, is second at 56 percent. Pfingsten celebrates Pentecost, 50 days after Easter Sunday.
UK / Summer Bank Holiday: Eighty-two percent of UK grillers cook outdoors on the Summer Bank Holiday that falls on the last Monday in August.
Holland / Verjaardag: The Dutch choose birthdays and anniversaries as their favorite grilling occasions (69 percent) with Pinksteren, a religious holiday celebrating Pentecost, second at 37 percent.
Spain / 15 de Agosto Asuncion: International Weber GrillWatch Survey respondents in Spain choose this August 15 holiday as their favorite day to cook outside (57 percent); it commemorates the assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Italy / Ferragosto: As their top grilling occasion, 76 percent of Italian grillers light the outdoor barbecue on August 15 to also recognize the assumption of the Virgin Mary during the middle of the country’s month-long August holiday.
India / Festival Season: While store-bought barbecues is a slowly burgeoning market in this country, 56 percent of those who grill choose birthdays as their favorite occasions followed by the late summer/early fall “Festival season” at 50 percent.
Methodology
All online fieldwork was conducted by U.S.-based Greenfield Online in 12 countries, while telephone interviews in Mexico and India were conducted by TNS, and in Brazil by Synovate. Final data was analyzed by Denver-based KeyStat Marketing, Inc.
Historic signing finalizes equivalency agreement between U.S. and Canada
USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, in her keynote address at the Organic Trade Association (OTA)’s All Things Organic(TM) Conference and Trade Show, announced that an equivalency agreement has been reached between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
This historic equivalency agreement will allow the continued smooth flow of certified organic products between the two countries and support the continued growth of this rapidly expanding market in North America. It is the first such equivalency agreement worldwide for the organic industry.
The official signing will take place at Organic Trade Association (OTA)’s All Things Organic(TM) Conference and Trade Show at Lakeview Center, McCormick Place this afternoon during the State of the Organic Industry in North America session. The agreement, signed by the two government agencies, takes effect on June 30.
“This is the first step toward global harmonization of organic standards, and marks an historic moment for the organic community,” Merrigan told a standing-room-only audience at All Things Organic(TM).
As a result of the historic equivalency agreement, certified organic products as of July 1 can continue to move freely across the U.S. and Canadian border provided they use the new Canada Organic Biologique label or the USDA Organic seal.
“Consumers will benefit from equivalency, as they have access to a more affordable range of organic products, increased product diversity, and a reliable supply chain. As a result, consumers will continue to have confidence in the organic integrity and government oversight of the products they buy,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s Executive Director.
Under equivalency, producers certified to NOP regulations by a USDA accredited certifying agent do not have to double-certify to the Canadian organic standards in order to meet Canadian labeling requirements when exporting to the Canadian market. Similarly, Canadian producers certified to Canadian organic standards by a CFIA accredited certifying body will be deemed equivalent to the NOP to meet the labeling requirements of the U.S. market when selling to the U.S.
Founded nearly 25 years ago, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy( www.ota.com).
Source: Organic Trade Association
Shell first to sell gasoline blended with advanced biofuel
From today, customers at a Shell service station will become the first in the world to fill their tanks with gasoline containing advanced biofuel made from wheat straw.
For one month starting June 10, the regular gasoline purchased at a Shell service station in Ottawa, Canada will contain 10% cellulosic ethanol. The biofuel is produced locally from non-food raw materials at Iogen Energy Corporation’s demonstration plant, using advanced conversion processes. Iogen and Shell are partners in the plant, which now produces 40,000 liters of fuel per month.
Cellulosic ethanol, as an end fuel, is identical to ethanol but it can offer up to 90% less lifecycle CO2 emissions than gasoline. It is a key part of Shell’s strategic investment and development program in sustainable biofuels.
“I am excited we are leading the pack in cellulosic ethanol production technology and, with this event, showing what is possible in the future,” said Dr. Graeme Sweeney, Shell Executive Vice President Future Fuels and CO2. “While it will be some time before general customers can buy this product at local service stations, we are working with governments to make large-scale production economic.”
“We’re proud of this world-first,” said Brian Foody, Chief Executive Officer of Iogen Corporation. “Building a demo plant is one thing but you then need to go through the process of operating the new technology at scale, learning, modifying and lowering costs. With the volumes we’re producing today, we’re confident about the future.”
Source: Shell
Genomics for a Greener World
With the Alberta Government’s May 20th announcement of its contribution towards 2 new genomics projects, Genome Alberta has completed the funding puzzle and is pleased to announce these new and very special projects that will play a leading role in genomic research.
Helping Energy Extraction Become a Little Bit Greener:
Deep inside the world’s hydrocarbon deposits are naturally occurring microbes that have been hard at work for untold years. These microbes have the potential to make it easier and more efficient to pull oil out of conventional wells, remove the bitumen from the oil sands, and clean up tailings ponds. A team led by Dr. Gerrit Voordouw of the University of Calgary now has a total of 11.6 million dollars to work on the project which will sample and explore the biological processes at work in oil wells, oils sands, tailings ponds, and coal beds. At the core of this project is the analysis of the sequencing data with the goal of understanding and exploiting the biological processes at work in hydrocarbon reserves. The project hopes to decrease water use, lower the emission of greenhouse gases, and enhance the extraction of clean burning natural gas from coal beds.
Green and Natural Plant Factories:
“Plants are the world’s best chemists. They can synthesize an immense diversity of molecules. We’re going to identify the genes from more than 75 plants that make those plants produce valuable compounds.” says Dr. Peter Facchini of the University of Calgary. He along with Project Co-leader Dr. Vince Martin from Concordia University has assembled a team of plant biochemists, metabolic modelers, bioinformaticians, and synthetic biologists to harness the potential of plants with high medicinal and industrial value. The initiative will discover plant genes that can be sequenced and used in yeast to produce industrial-scale volumes of biologically derived chemicals such as, pharmaceuticals, food products and insecticides. Dubbed PhytoMetaSyn, the project is worth 13.6 million dollars and will use state-of-the-art metabolomic, genomic, and bioinformatic technologies over the next 4 years to develop the science and commercial potential of synthetic plant biology.
A Funding Leader:
Genome Alberta is excited to have put together 2 such outstanding projects which cross over disciplines and borders. With partners, participants, and supporters from across Canada and into the United States these projects will enhance Genome Alberta’s role as an organization which can initiate, fund, and manage large scale genomics projects. Doctors Facchini, Martin, and Voordouw are leaders in their respective fields and Genome Alberta is looking forward to working with them over the next few years.
Genome Alberta is a not-for-profit organization based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada which initiates, funds, and manages large-scale projects in genomics and other related ‘omic’ areas.
- Genome Alberta is one of 6 similar Genome Centres across Canada funded in part by Industry Canada through Genome Canada.
- These 2 projects are worth a total of 25.2 million dollars over approximately 4 years
- A full and complete description of the projects can be found at
- http://genomealberta.ca/research/projects/environment/PhytoMetaSyn.aspx
- http://genomealberta.ca/research/new_initiatives/oil_sands/
- Major funding for the projects has come from Industry Canada through Genome Canada and the Government of Alberta through Alberta Advanced Education and Technology.
- Genome Alberta was incorporated in 2005 and officially launched in 2006 and since then has invested approximately 17 million dollars in salaries and benefits, 4 million dollars in consumables, and almost 3 million dollars in equipment.
- These projects were reviewed by an International Science Panel and Genome Alberta’s future role will include monitoring the project finances and milestones and bringing together advisory boards to review the science.
- The official titles for the projects are: Metagenomics for Greener Production and Extraction of Hydrocarbon Energy AND Synthetic Biosystems for the Production of High-Value Plant Metabolites
Source: Genome Alberta
First Section of Canada’s Commercial Seal Hunt Closes – Over 17,200 Seals Killed in Just Over Two Days
Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) closed the first zone of the seal hunt today after the earliest group of sealers killed 17,200 harp seals thus far. DFO is set to re-open the hunt in another area of the Gulf this Friday.
Observers with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare – www.ifaw.org) have just returned after witnessing the slaughter of harp seal pups during this year’s commercial seal hunt.
“We witnessed today a classic example of the cruelty associated with this hunt. An injured, bleeding seal escaped into the water before a sealer could get to it. The sealer tried to pull the seal out by the hind flippers but it slipped underwater anyway,” said Cheryl Jacobson, hunt observer with IFAW. “This wounded seal will most likely die underwater and unbelievably, that kill won’t even be counted in the official catch number.”
“I’m confident we will gather enough footage to provide European policy makers with the cold hard facts about Canada’s commercial seal hunt – that it’s unacceptably cruel,” said Sheryl Fink, a senior researcher with IFAW. “Sealers rush to club as many seals as possible in a short period of time, combine this with slippery ice conditions and we quickly see animal welfare fall to the wayside in the blind pursuit of profit,” added Fink.
Canada’s commercial seal hunt comes just weeks before the EU considers banning the trade in seal products throughout its member states.
Recent economic evaluations have indicated that the market for seal fur is saturated, causing prices to drop by almost half. Processors report that sales of seal pelts all but stopped at the end of 2007, and in early 2009, still do not appear to have recovered.
This hunt for harp seal pups is the largest hunt for a marine mammal in the world, with this year’s commercial total allowable catch limit set at an unsustainable 280,000 seals.
To learn more about IFAW’s efforts to end the Canadian commercial seal hunt, visit www.stopthesealhunt.org today.
Source: International Fund for Animal Welfare
The Home Phone Experience Changes Forever
New Verizon Hub Puts a Communications Command Center in the Home; Available in More Than 2,500 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores
Households across the nation can now experience for themselves the most talked-about new consumer electronics device on the market, the Verizon Hub. The Verizon Hub is an intuitive device that puts a communications command center in the home that bridges wireline and wireless connectivity and runs on any broadband connection — whether supplied by Verizon FiOS Internet or DSL or any other high-speed service provider.
Starting Sunday, Feb. 1, all Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the nation will have live Verizon Hubs available to test out. The Verizon Hub, the first-ever VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) home telecommunications system featuring fully integrated connectivity with family members’ wireless phones, gives busy families information at their fingertips from an easy-to-navigate touch screen with clear icons. With the Verizon Hub, adults and kids get on-demand access to customized and family-specific information and entertainment by just touching the screen:
- Manage the family calendar and send reminder texts to family members’ mobile phones — and text updates when appointments change;
- Look up a business address and send a place-message to family members who use VZ Navigator(SM) to help them easily access GPS turn-by-turn directions to the business;
- Find recipes and watch instructional cooking shows for those recipes from the best names in cooking;
- Check local traffic conditions and get the latest weather forecasts for cities you choose;
- Catch up on the latest news, sports and entertainment of the day with V CAST videos; and
- Read a summary of an upcoming movie, watch a movie trailer, find local theaters and show times, and purchase tickets.
The Verizon Hub’s Web management site gives families the freedom to view customized information and share content on their Verizon Hub from any Internet connection. By logging into the Web site, family members can check missed calls, listen to voicemail and quickly upload favorite pictures to display on the Verizon Hub’s digital photo frame.
Full Integration with Verizon Wireless Phones
The Verizon Hub is the first VoIP phone designed from the ground up to be integrated with popular Verizon Wireless services: messaging, Chaperone(R) and VZ Navigator functions are all available on the Verizon Hub. For text, picture and video messaging-happy families, users can send and receive multimedia messages between the Verizon Hub and messaging-capable Verizon Wireless handsets and other Verizon Hub devices.
The Verizon Hub makes it a snap to use and manage the company’s Chaperone child location service. Parents can view a list of family members using Chaperone directly from the Hub’s home page, and hit “Locate Now” to see a map showing the Chaperone device’s location. Then, by hitting “Send to VZ Navigator,” a parent immediately has directions to that Chaperone phone sent to their own mobile phone. A subscription to Chaperone is required.
Several VZ Navigator-based services are available — after looking up an address, it’s easy to send a place message from the Hub to any VZ Navigator-enabled mobile device. Verizon Wireless customers without a VZ Navigator subscription receive just a text message with the location information, but not GPS turn-by-turn directions.
A True Communications Command Center
The Verizon Hub is a family communications command center, helping busy families manage their lives. From the touch screen, there’s access to:
- Calendar (with Text Message Reminders) — View a monthly calendar, navigate forward and backward from the current month, set Calendar Alerts with a subject field for a specific time and date and reminder notification to appear on the Verizon Hub. Calendar Alerts can also be sent as a text message to any Verizon Wireless mobile phone.
- Contact List — Create a personalized address book by storing contact information for friends, family and businesses. Contact list entries are synchronized between the Verizon Hub, Verizon Hub handsets and the Verizon Hub Web management site for quick and easy access.
- Movie Listings, Show Times and Ticketing — Find out what’s playing at local theaters, view show times, play trailers and purchase movie tickets directly from the Verizon Hub’s touch screen.
- Ringtones — Customize the Verizon Hub with a selection of free embedded ringtones.
- Traffic — Get current video reports of slowdowns and accidents in top metropolitan areas.
- V CAST News and Sports — Watch video of headline, financial and sports news, check sports scores and schedules.
- V CAST Entertainment — View entertainment and celebrity news, kids’ entertainment and horoscopes.
- V CAST Food & Dining — Access and view recipes (some with video demonstrations), tips and techniques, and healthy eating information.
- V CAST Lifestyle — View tips and information on parenting and family, home and garden, going green, beauty and fashion, health and wellness, and travel.
- Verizon Relay — View photos received via picture messaging from family and others, all in one place.
- Visual Voice Mail — Browse voicemails in the voicemail box through a graphical interface, view message information before choosing which message to play, prioritize message playback order.
- White Pages and Yellow Pages — Perform name-based searches of white page directory listings by city and state and search the entire Yellow Pages by keyword or business name, along with the option to browse by category.
- Weather — View five-day forecasts for a location right from the home screen (multiple city views available).
The Verizon Hub has added features that make it the go-to consumer electronics device in the kitchen: a full-screen calculator, intercom and handset paging, a variety of screensavers and custom slideshows for customizing when the base is in an idle state, wallpapers, plus time and date shown on the home screen with a shortcut to the calendar. Family members can use call logs to view missed, incoming and outgoing calls, look up contact information with reverse number lookup, call control for managing popular calling features and settings, and message status to get alerts for new calls, voicemails and messages.
Voice Features
The new Verizon Hub reaches beyond plain old voice, but families still need a reliable way to make and receive calls at home. With a Verizon Digital Voice plan, Verizon Hub customers get unlimited calling to numbers in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada, as well as American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus access to many features available on traditional home phones or phone service. The Verizon Digital Voice plan includes call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID, caller ID with name, caller ID block, incoming and international call block, anonymous call rejection, remote access to voicemail, 10-number speed dial, and three-way calling.
In addition, the Verizon Hub offers a variety of advanced options and features for voice calls:
- 10-Digit Dialing — The Verizon Hub uses standard American 10-digit dialing behavior so the “1″ will not have to be dialed in order to make domestic calls. For international calls, customers will dial 011 before the country code and number.
- Back-Up Number — Allows customers to designate an alternate number (e.g. wireless or office number) where calls would be automatically forwarded in the event of a power outage or failure of the broadband connection.
- Call Logs — Lists the caller’s telephone number, date, time of day, physical location, and duration of every incoming, outgoing and missed call made during the current billing cycle; allows customers to quickly scan calls to determine which are domestic or international.
- Contacts — Create a personalized address book by storing contact information for friends, family and businesses. The contact list entries are synchronized between the Verizon Hub, additional Verizon Hub handsets and the Verizon Hub Web management site for easy access.
- Do Not Disturb — Using two separate menu options, customers can either send all calls directly to voicemail or receive calls only from those they have identified as an “accepted” caller (all other calls will receive a Do Not Disturb message and be rejected).
- Return Call (*69) — Quickly return any incoming call, even if the customer didn’t answer the call.
- Simultaneous Ring — Incoming calls can ring on up to three unique phone numbers plus the Verizon Hub number, and the first phone that’s answered connects to the caller.
- Visual Voice Mail — Subscribers can view voicemails in their voicemail box, plus delete, reply and forward their voicemail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions.
Customers can view Visual Voice Mail from both the Verizon Hub and from the Verizon Hub Web management site.
Pricing and Availability
To get and use the Verizon Hub, potential customers need:
- 911 service in the location they plan to use the Verizon Hub (virtually the entire nation);
- A home broadband connection of any sort — from Verizon or any telecommunications or cable company;
- A wireless router in the home;
- Verizon Wireless service;
- Verizon Digital Voice plan: $34.99 a month for unlimited calling in the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories and Canada, and unlimited messaging to and from Verizon Wireless phones with Unlimited Messaging.
The Verizon Hub costs $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year agreement; additional cordless handsets, which can be used throughout the home, will be available for $79.99 each. For customers who do not have a wireless router, Verizon Wireless will also offer one for $69.99.
For more information on the Verizon Hub, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hub.