At home with nature: early reflections on green building laws and the transformation of the built environment
Environmental Law, Summer, 2009 by Keith H. Hirokawa
I. INTRODUCTION
II. WHAT IS GREEN BUILDING?
III. EXAMINING THE REVOLUTION OF GREEN IN BUILDING PRACTICES
A. Challenges to Overcome
1. Information
gary silverston 2. Leadership
3. Liability Concerns
4. Building Costs, Perceived and Real
B. The Informational Approach to Green Building
1. Leadership from the Building Community: LEED and Beyond
2. Voluntary and Incentive Programs for Private Builders
a. Voluntary Green Building Codes
b. Expedited Review
c. Tax Incentives
d. Grants and Loans
e. Other Incentive Programs
3. Leadership by Example
4. Green Building Education
C. Successes of the Informational Approach
IV. MOVING INTO MANDATORY GREEN BUILDING LAWS AND NAVIGATING THE
TRADITIONAL DIVIDE BETWEEN LAND USE RESTRICTIONS AND LAND USE
RIGHTS
A. Requiring Green Building Practices in the Built Environment
B. Will the Imposition Go 'Too Far'? property Rights and Green
Building
V. REFLECTIONS ON GREEN BUILDING AS A NEW IDEA: PUTTING HUMANS BACK
INTO NATURE, AND PUTTING ANTHROPOCENTRISM TO WORK
VI. CONCLUSION: THE CONTRIBUTION OF GREEN BUILDING TO ENVIRONMENTAL
LAW
I. INTRODUCTION
Buildings are one of the distinguishing elements of human civilization, but if they are not constructed thoughtfully they can waste precious natural and financial resources, as well as harm the environment and the health of people who use them. (1)
Although it is generally accepted that the built environment (homes, office buildings, schools, roads, dams, etc.) imposes adverse but avoidable impacts on the natural environment, we have had some trouble identifying what changes to make in our building practices
Erickson Honored as Minnesota’s Chiropractor of the Year
U.S. Newswire, May, 2009
To: STATE EDITORS
Contact: Debra Hurston of the Minnesota Chiropractic Association,
1-952-882-9411
EDINA, Minn., May 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Dr. Kent Erickson
was recognized as the “Chiropractor of the Year”for 2009 by the
Minnesota Chiropractic Association (MCA) during their recent
Convention and Annual louisville chiropractors Meeting in Brainerd, MN.
Honored for his outstanding service to the profession, Dr.
Erickson has been a member and champion of the MCA for nearly 30
years. During his tenure with the association he has lead the
organization’s legislative efforts by serving as chairperson of the
legislative and political action committees.
In addition to volunteering his time and resources to the MCA,
Dr
Brand new pet supplies shop now open within Mucky Pupz dog grooming salon
Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), May 4, 2009
A NEW pet supplies shop is now open alongside the established dog grooming salon Mucky Pupz at Dalton Bank Road.
The recent addition of pet supplies by salon owner Michele Pickard promotes healthy natural food and treats for dogs, cats, small animals, birds and wild birds.
Offering good affordable prices, the shop offers safe off-road parking for customers and stocks a great range of food and pet products including treats, collars and leads, beds, toys, coats, brushes and combs, herbal remedies, hay, straw, seed, dishes and litter.
Open Monday to Saturday, the shop has only been opened recently to supplement the pet services already offered at Mucky Pupz.
As well as dog grooming, Michele offers free weight checks and nutritional advice for pets as well as microchipping. In June for National Microchipping Month, Michele will be offering microchipping for just pounds 15.
With a collection and delivery service Michele offers grooming for all breeds of dog. She is City & Guilds qualified and is an award winning groomer. Fully insured, the Mucky Pupz grooming service includes bathing, clipping, trimming and hand stripping.
Michele is a member of the Pet Care Trust and the British Dog Grooming Association.
Opened last year, the Mucky Pupz salon is housed in a brand new, clean and spacious unit with convenient car parking just outside for customers.
Michele originally trained as a horse groom and riding instructor before taking time out to raise her family.
Now having retrained as a dog groomer to City and Guilds standard, Michele took the plunge to open her own salon after enjoying success in October’s British Dog Grooming Championships 2007 when she picked up the ‘newcomer of the year’ award.
She said: “All dogs require grooming to keep their skin and coat in a clean and healthy state.
Grooming also provides an opportunity to inspect the dog for any skin, coat or health problems.
Grooming also includes maintenance of the ears and nails.
“Puppies should start regular trips to the grooming salon as soon as they have had all their injections
Nearby deals to the rescue as national park visitation slides
0 Comments | USA TODAY, July, 2009 | by Roger Yu
U.S. national parks enjoy a reputation as affordable destinations but haven’t been immune from the downturn in travel, which has prompted surrounding businesses to issue deep discounts.
In 2008, the number of visitors to the 391 national parks in the USA — including monuments, seashores, battlefields and historic destinations overseen by the National Park Service — fell for the first time in three years. It was down 0.4% to 275 million, says David Barna, a Park Service spokesman.
As more Americans cancel expensive European or Caribbean vacations amid the rough economy, travel experts expected better results for national parks. They envisioned families packing into their minivans and camping out at Yosemite, Yellowstone or Shenandoah.
Barna says several…
Wedding videos offer
Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), April 7, 2007
Couples who had their weddings videoed between 1986 and 1996 have the chance to have their special days put on DVD for free.
Holmfirth firm Yorkshire Videoarts is calling on people to get in touch to mark 21 years of its video work in the area.
Mike Wade, who started the business in 1986, said: “We are keen to be reminded of what weddings looked like 20 years ago and how our filming of them has changed wedding photographer long island over the years.
“Weddings are very much social documents, as well as personal mementoes.
“It is surprising how the look of weddings can change in two or three years, let alone 21.”
To have your wedding video put on DVD call Yorkshire Videoarts on 01484 684617.
Prod Research (Middle East) – REVENUES OF LAND AND SURVEY DEPARTMENT IN WEST AMMAN ESTIMATED
- You must register or login to add a comment
Basic HTML tags that work in comments are: bold (<b></b>), italic (<i></i>), underline (<u></u>), and hyperlink (<a href></a)
PDF: Defense attorney's court order requesting new examination of
- You must register or login to add a comment
Basic HTML tags that work in comments are: bold (<b></b>), italic (<i></i>), underline (<u></u>), and hyperlink (<a href></a)
Transportation brokerage services and Medicaid beneficiaries’ access to care
Health Services Research, Feb, 2009 by Jinkyung Kim, Edward C. Norton, Sally C. Stearns
Transportation can be a major access barrier to timely health care for low-income populations. The literature shows two distinct health effects of poor transportation: less use of preventive and primary care, and more use of the emergency department (Wilson and Jonathan 2000; Johnson and Rimsza 2004; Arcury et al. 2005). These associations are particularly significant for those people who live in rural areas, and are also found for medical care services such as prescription drugs and pediatric dental care (Saunders 1987; Mofidi, Rozier, and King 2002). The provision of and access to reliable transportation increases the likelihood of primary care physician visits in the pediatric population (Johnson and Rimsza 2004), HIV-positive adults (Messeri et al. 2002), and frequent emergency room users (Nemet and Bailey 2000; Baren et al. 2001). Overall, these studies suggest that provision of reliable transportation services is important to enable patients to have access regular and preventive care.
Transportation is a particularly important issue for Medicaid, both because Medicaid beneficiaries represent a vulnerable population and because states are concerned with controlling costs. By 2001, 10 percent of the Medicaid population (about four million beneficiaries nationwide) relied primarily on Medicaid to pay for transportation services to get to medical appointments (Rafael 2001). Nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) services are federally mandated Medicaid services to meet the transportation needs of vulnerable populations. However, many states found that transportation costs were high under fee-for-service arrangements, in which transportation providers typically billed Medicaid based on reported trips and miles. Anecdotal reports indicate that to get higher reimbursement, some providers generated phantom trips, inflated mileage, and misclassified eligible clients. Absence of oversight further exacerbated the possibility of transportation-related fraud and abuse. Finally, inefficient and limited provision of NEMT services could potentially increase total Medicaid expenditures via delayed and expensive care.
By 2001, 21 states contracted with brokers (i.e., profit or nonprofit organizations) to manage nonemergency transportation services on a capitated basis for Medicaid beneficiaries (Rafael 2001). The goal of transportation brokerage services is to provide reliable transportation for Medicaid beneficiaries at minimum cost. Before transportation brokerage services, Medicaid funding for NEMT services was strictly cost based. Under transportation brokerage services, all nonemergency transportation services are included in capitated rates that are adjusted by beneficiaries’ health status and by geographic area (e.g., urban or rural). The brokers are responsible for negotiating payment rates with transportation providers, beneficiaries’ service eligibility verification, timely transportation reservation, and monitoring quality of services (Kulkarni 2000; Rafael 2001). The success of transportation brokerage services also depends on the expanded availability of transportation in underserved areas. Brokers therefore reach out to eligible beneficiaries by giving out public transportation schedules, providing user-friendly trip reminders, and educating beneficiaries about the available transportation options.
A review of the brief literature suggests that states that contracted with transportation brokerage services improved cost savings and quality (O’Connell et al. 2002; Dai 2005). One study using Florida data suggests that transportation brokerage services are associated with substantially decreased unit cost per trip and more accountability (Dai 2005). A study of the effect of prior-approval requirement for Medicaid transportation services in Indiana found a decrease in primary care visits and prescription refills, but did not find any measurable short-term effects on health outcomes (Tierney et al
Relevant Products. (Wedding Favors And Gifts).
Gifts & Decorative Accessories, April, 2003
Relevant Products offers The Wed Threads Collection of T-shirts, boxers, and pillowcases for the bride, groom, and wedding party. All the products in the collection are 100 percent cotton and are priced from $16-$28. Relevant Products, Oklahoma City, OK
INSIDE AN INKJET PHOTO PRINTER
Popular Science, Apr 2009 by Nikitas, Theano
EVERY TIME YOU HIT “?PRINT,?” THIS $100 INKJET LAYS DOWN THOUSANDS OF DROPLETS PER INCH OF PAPER, WITH MICROSCOPIC PRECISION
Even today’s budget-priced home printers churn out quality photos that a few years ago you could have gotten only from a professional printing house. Key to the high quality are steady improvements in print heads, which can eject smaller and smaller droplets of ink with ever-greater precision. A decade ago, eight-picoliter drops (that’s eight trillionths of a liter) were considered small. These days, inkjet printers deliver drops as tiny as one picoliter through thousands of nozzles-some less than half the width of a human hair. To make prints that look like photos instead of finger paintings, the printer must precisely control how much ink comes out of every nozzle, every time, at a rate of up to 22,000 drops per second