JGI Reports Sequencing
Termite Gut Microbes

Termites — notorious for their voracious appetite for wood, rendering houses to dust and causing billions of dollars in damage per year — may provide the biochemical means to a greener biofuel future. The bellies of these tiny beasts actually harbor a gold mine of microbes that have now been tapped as a rich source of enzymes for improving the conversion of wood or waste biomass to valuable biofuels. The genomic sequencing and analysis of the termite gut microbes by the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and several research partners are highlighted in the Nov. 22 edition of the journal Nature. Full story.

Can LEED Survive Carbon-Neutral Era?
By James S. Russell

LEED, for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the voluntary green-building rating system, is on everyone’s radar. After all, buildings use about 70 percent of the electricity produced in the United States. LEED has almost by default become the primary way American builders tackle our daunting environmental challenges. And yet the program has only certified about a thousand buildings since its inception in 2000. The program has been slow to reflect the importance of climate change. The primary reason: it is not easy to get certified. Still, LEED building numbers continue to grow. “People who were doing something for the first time five or six years ago have learned a lot, and they can do it faster and cheaper now,” says Stephen Selkowitz, who heads the Building Technologies Department at Berkeley Lab. “If a client asks whether A is better than B, they can give an answer in five minutes rather than having to do a week of research.” Full story.

Word, Excel, PPT
Classes Offered by BLI

The Berkeley Lab Institute (BLI) is offering Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint classes on Dec. 12, 13 and 14. Due to its popularity, another Excel class will be offered on Jan.16. The classes, taught by Learn iT, are $40 each. Due to limited space, interested employees are encouraged to sign up soon. Go here for more information (LDAP sign-in required) and to register, or call Karen Paris (x5122) to have your name on a waiting list for the next class scheduled.

Green Team Suggestion:
Say ‘No’ to Catalogs

Tired of all those unwanted catalogs jamming your mailbox? The Berkeley Lab Green Team suggests you check out Catalog Choice, a new free service that you can use to opt out of junk catalog mailings. Signup is free; once you've created a simple profile, you can find the company that's sending you material and ask to be taken off the list. The catalog name and the information from the mailing label are all that’s required. Catalog Choice is a sponsored project of the Ecology Center of Berkeley. It is endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Go here for more information on junk mail reduction.

Lab’s Galitsky to Give
Women-in-Science Talk

Galitsky

The East Bay Association for Women in Science (AWIS) will feature Christina Galitsky, staff research associate in the Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Berkeley Lab, this Thursday at a light dinner and talk program. Galitsky will speak on “Using Science and Technologies for Environmental and Health Problems in Developing Countries” at the event, which takes place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Novartis in Emeryville. Meetings are free and open to non-AWIS members. Go here for more information and directions.