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The Cool Roof Rating Council http://www.coolroofs.org was created in 1998 as a non-profit independent organization to establish accurate and credible test methods for evaluating and labeling the solar reflectance and thermal emittance (radiative properties) of roofing products. That information is disseminated to all interested parties including building code bodies, energy service providers, architects, specifiers, property owners and community planners.

The mission of the CRRC is three-fold:
1. To implement and communicate fair, accurate, and credible radiative energy performance rating systems for all types of roof surfaces.

2. To support research into energy related radiative properties of roofing surfaces, including durability of those properties.

3. To provide education and objective support to parties interested in understanding and comparing various roofing options. At the core of the CRRC is its Product Rating Program, in which roofing manufacturers can label various roof surface products with radiative property values rated under a strict program administered by the CRRC. In the labeling program there are no thresholds for criteria that define “cool roofing”. The program developed by CRRC has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Also the CRRC is the sole authoritative entity for cool roof properties used in the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Part 6, Title 24.

For more information on U.S Green Building and Product programs please see:
http://www.steelscape.com

A precision-extruded aluminum framing system manufactured by Hydro has been installed at a 500-kilowatt electric generation facility in Durango, Mexico, the largest concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar facility in Latin America. Located about 550 miles north of Mexico City, the Durango site is already designated to expand to 10 megawatts total capacity in the near future.

The solar plant comprises 184 Skyline Solar X14 arrays. It uses parabolic mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto crystalline silicon PV cells. These arrays are mounted on extruded aluminum space-frames that raise them off the ground and allow them to track the sun through its daily east-west arc. Extruded aluminum was chosen for the frame structures because it provides efficient material utilization, low capital costs and short development times. Aluminum is corrosion-resistant and provides high stiffness to resist wind, improving this system’s accuracy and robustness.

“Our solar engineering specialists worked with Skyline’s team to review their design and were able to help optimize the frame design and identify cost saving opportunities using Hydro’s extensive library of alloys and extrusion expertise,” said Allan Bennett, vice president of solar market development for Hydro‘s Extrusion North America unit. “Together, the engineering teams were able to remove 40 percent of the structural material used in early frame prototypes. That reduced Skyline’s costs for raw materials, manufacturing and shipping.”

In sunny climates, CPV is the lowest cost solar technology for medium (less than 20 MW) and large-scale electricity generating facilities. Today, these constitute the fastest growing portion of the solar market.

About Skyline Solar: Skyline Solar manufactures integrated concentrated photovoltaic systems, incorporating industry-proven silicon cells, durable mirrors and single-axis tracking. The company was founded in 2007 and is funded by NEA and other investors. It has been awarded contracts by the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Defense. Skyline Solar has 11 patents to date on its CPV architecture. For more information, visit, www.skyline-solar.com.
About Hydro: Extrusion North America is a unit of Norsk Hydro, a global supplier of aluminum and aluminum products. Based in Norway, the company employs 23,000 people in 40 countries and has activities on all continents. Rooted in a century of experience in renewable energy production, technology development and progressive partnerships, Hydro is committed to strengthening the viability of the customers and communities we serve.
In North America, Hydro is a leading provider of extruded aluminum solutions including supply sourcing, extrusion, finishing, and fabrication of components, as well as contract manufacturing services, for a variety of industries. For more information, please visit, www.hydro.com/northamerica.

USAgain, a Chicago-based textile collection company, announced its annual collection figures.  In 2011 alone USAgain collected 60 million pounds of textiles for reuse and recycling around the globe.

Textile waste is a huge environmental issue.  According to the EPA, Americans discard approximately 13.1 million tons of textiles annually.  Only 15% of which is collected for reuse and recycling – leaving 11.2 million tons of textiles to be dumped in our nation’s landfills.

In 2011 USAgain kept 54.5 million items out of landfills, saving 342,857 cubic yards of landfill space and preventing 420,000,000 pounds of C02 from being released into the atmosphere.

“Everyday people throw away perfectly reusable and recyclable textiles, clothes and shoes because they don’t have a convenient option for recycling them,” said USAgain CEO Mattias Wallander. “It is our goal to prevent these items from being trashed and put them back in the use stream.”

USAgain, a green for-profit company, with over 10,000 drop-boxes located across 15 States, offers residents a convenient option for disposing unwanted clothing, shoes and other textiles.  The collected textiles are sold second-hand in the United States and around the globe.  Items that are not re-wearable are recycled into industrial wiping rags, furniture padding, insulation and more. 

To find a drop box near you visit: www.usagain.com
About 
USAgain, a leader in the textile recycling industry, with corporate headquarters in Chicago, is a for-profit company that recycles and resells unwanted clothing and other textiles. In 2011 alone, the company collected 60 million pounds of discarded clothing. USAgain operates over 10,000 collection bins in fifteen states. Their mission is to provide consumers with a convenient and eco-friendly option to rid themselves of excess clothing, which are then diverted from landfills.

Our philosophy is simple, really. People should use only what they need. With a few easy lifestyle changes, anyone can help save the environment, and save money on their utility bills at the same time.

Pleaseconserve.com is in no way politically affiliated. We believe that conservation is a choice best handled by individuals and businesses that can move far faster and more effectively than any politician or mandate. With the information we provide, we want to help create a society that is resource independent and not driven by thoughtless consumption.

Please peruse our pages for information on how to protect and conserve water, oil, wood, soil, and electricity.