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THE ANSWERS ARE BLOWING IN THE WIND
Mini wind turbines generate wild questions, clean energy
A lot of people are scratching their heads over those odd contraptions perched atop the Global Institute of Sustainability building on ASU's Tempe campus. What's their deal? Are they space-age gargoyles? Why are they wearing parachutes? Are they just going to turn cartwheels or will they eventually make the jump? Actually, these daredevils on the roof are parapet wind turbines. They can generate clean electric power from wind speeds as low as 5 mph, no matter which way the wind blows. There aren't quite enough of them to make up a full-fledged wind farm -- more of a rooftop wind garden -- but these mini-turbines are feeding emission-free renewable energy into the grid and doing their part to reduce ASU's carbon footprint. Read more.
 TREE FOR ALL
ASU awarded 100 trees to replace ones lost in storm
It's not often that the Arizona desert sees hurricane-force winds. Last August, however, winds up to 100 mph snapped, cracked, and toppled 400 trees on ASU's Tempe campus during a ferocious monsoon-season thunderstorm. Fortunately, Tree Campus USA, a partnership of the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota, agreed to donate 100 new trees to replace some of those lost, including dozens of fruit and nut trees that will be part of the Campus Harvest program. The gift is in recognition of ASU's efforts toward sustainability, promoting healthy urban forest management, and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship. At a celebration on Nov. 7, more than 100 ASU volunteers planted the donated trees. "The 100 trees we won couldn't come at a more opportune time," said Deborah Thirkhill, ASU Arboretum/Grounds Volunteer Coordinator. "These trees will not only beautify the campus, but are beneficial to the environment." Learn more about how ASU was selected to be a Tree Campus USA university, and read a recap of the event.
 ROYAL RECOGNITION
ASU Decision Center receives princely prize for water research
You know you're doing something right when a prince from halfway around the world takes notice. That's what happened when ASU's Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) was picked for the prestigious Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water. This biannual award recognizes scientific research that addresses water-supply problems, especially those affecting arid regions -- exactly the kind of problem DCDC is working to tackle in the American Southwest. DCDC was honored for its focus on improving water management and decision-making under climatic uncertainty, including its advanced simulation and policy tool called WaterSim. Patricia Gober (pictured), co-director of DCDC and professor of geographical sciences and sustainability, travels to Saudi Arabia this week to accept the prize. Learn more about DCDC's award.
 HERE COMES TEAM SUN
ASU team earns top-5 finish in pursuit of 'Global Champions of Sustainable Innovation' title
Proving that sustainability and business can be a winning combination, a team of ASU grad students scored a 4th-place finish last weekend in the Thunderbird School of Global Management's 2008 Sustainable Innovation Summit Challenge. ASU's "Team Sun" -- Kushal Chawda, Andrew Harbut, Laurence Rosenberg, and Wayne Porter from the W.P. Carey School of Business and the School of Sustainability -- competed against 138 teams from 47 universities and 11 countries. The contest called on participants to develop effective business plans for solving real-world sustainability problems. Both the business problems and the judges came from sponsoring corporations, including Johnson & Johnson, APS, and ECOLAB. "The synergy between our business-school people and our School of Sustainability people is what made our team so successful," said Porter, a PhD student at the School of Sustainability. He predicts that collaborations such as Team Sun will enhance both programs of study.
» The above content is provided by ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability
AN AVERAGE JO GOT IT STICK-FIGURED OUT
A video story of post-election hopes for the planet
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 Hyper Sensitive
'Hypermiling' is the word of the year
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"Hypermiling" -- shorthand for uber-efficient driving -- has been crowned the 2008 Word of the Year by the New Oxford American Dictionary. Other eco-words made the list of runners-up, including "staycation," "CarrotMob," "ecohacking," and "rewilding."
source: Oxford University Press blog
see also, in Grist: The 2007 word of the year: locavore
 FLOW AND TELL
A review of eco-friendly feminine products
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It can be a delicate topic, but menstruation is an indelicate reality for most women. And it's not exactly a party for the planet, either, considering all the waste generated by dealing with Aunt Flo. What's a green-leaning woman to do? In a two-part series, Grist reviews eco-options for that time of the month; check out part one and part two.
new in Grist: Flow and Tell
 LET'S MOCHA DEAL
Starbucks will double its purchase of fair-trade coffee
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Starbucks will buy 40 million pounds of fair-trade-certified coffee next year, doubling the hill of beans it bought this year and becoming the largest purchaser of fair-trade coffee in the world. The caffeine giant, though struggling financially and recognizing the price premium of sustainable bean-buying, has a goal of selling only "responsibly grown and ethically traded" coffee by 2015.
sources: Sustainable Industries, Starbucks
see also, in Grist: Starbucks addresses water wastage following tabloid indictment
 EPIC WHALE
Navy can use sonar despite risk of whale harm, says Supreme Court
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In a big setback for whales and environmentalists, the U.S. Supreme Court has yanked restrictions on sonar use in Navy training exercises near the California coast. The court, which split 5-4, didn't quibble with the Navy's own estimates that sonar can lead to substantial and irreparable harm to whales. However, the majority opinion stated that those concerns are "plainly outweighed by the Navy's need to conduct realistic training exercises."
sources: Associated Press, Bloomberg, Agence France-Presse, Reuters
get the backstory, in Grist: Appeals court rules against Navy in sonar case
 BIN THERE, DUNG THAT
Umbra on composting with worms
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Q. Dear Umbra,
I looked into getting a worm bin to use inside my apartment, but the cheapest ones seem to run around $200 and don't hold very much. Can you recommend something for someone in a tight space, on a tight budget, that holds a lot of food scraps?
Lauren L.
A. Dearest Lauren,
Red wiggler worms and their decompository companions make excellent compost, and a worm bin is pretty much the only choice for a snug, yardless apartment situation. Whether you can find one that both fits your apartment and accommodates oodles of food scraps remains to be seen. Cost, however, we can get around. A few plastic bins will do you just fine ...
Read the rest of Umbra's answer.
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