Make It a Green
Sweep This Spring
By Barbara Mahany

Nazaroff

Excuse me while I finish something here — gurgle, slurp, kerplunk. That noise in the background? The sound of me dumping out my old toxic cleaning caddy. William Nazaroff, with Berkeley Lab's Environmental Enery Technologies Division, led a study on what he calls "the pollution sources right under our nose." Looking at 17 cleaning products and four air fresheners, the researchers found that, under normal conditions, six of the cleaning products emitted a toxic compound, ethyl-based glycols, at levels up to three times higher than what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would allow for outdoor pollution standards. Full story (registration required).

Green Chemistry Movement
Looks at Fume Hoods

Fumehood

As part of their efforts to embrace "green chemistry," several academic laboratories have reported hefty savings from the elimination or reduction of the number of fume hoods in their facilities. In a recent report making the case for sustainable laboratories, a team cited evidence that U.S. laboratories typically use about four to five times the amount of energy consumed in the average commercial setting, per square foot. Citing data generated by Berkeley Lab in 2002, the report noted that in normal U.S. climate, the average fume hood burns more than $4,300 in fuel a year. Full story.

NERSC Co-Hosts Cognitive Computing Meeting

NERSC, DOE's supercomputing center at Berkeley Lab, and CITRIS, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society, are co-hosting a two-day meeting on “Cognitive Computing: A Multi-Disciplinary Synthesis of Neuroscience, Computer Science, Mathematics, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Information Theory.” The gathering will be held at the campus's Berkeley Art Museum May 2-3. The field of cognitive computing combines computer science and neuroscience to explain and implement psychology. Go here to register and learn more about this free meeting.

Plenty of Activities
Planned for Earth Day

People across the country will celebrate Earth Day this weekend. Locally, numerous activities are planned for those who want to get involved. From fairs and tours to restoration and clean-up drives, there is something for everyone in the Bay Area. Go here to view a list of events taking place in Berkeley, Emeryville, El Cerrito, Orinda, Lafayette, Alameda, and Richmond this weekend and next.

Policy Expert Appointed
To Biofuels Roundtable

Alex Farrell, an assistant professor of energy and resources at UC Berkeley, and a guest with Berkeley Lab's Earth Sciences Division, has been named to a new international panel of environmental, energy, economic and cultural experts to develop standards by which nations and consumers can judge biofuels and their impact on the environment and society. The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels will draft a global standard methodology for determining the social and environmental impacts, as well as the greenhouse gas emissions efficiency, of specific technologies for producing and processing biofuels. Full story.

Library Closed Tomorrow
To Accommodate Repairs

The Lab's library, located in Building 50B, will be closed tomorrow for repairs. The closure will run from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact John Hutchings (x7505) or Dennis Nielsen (x4055) for more information.

Lab's Ethanol Pump
Closed This Morning

The Lab's E85 pump near Building 76 will be out of service from approximately 9 to 11 a.m. today to accommodate quarterly safety testing. The pump is normally available 24 hours per day.