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Sustainability News in Green Valley

On this page, you will find various articles and information regarding the use and development of sustainable practices in Green Valley.

  • Silicon Solar Solutions to Close the NASDAQ Aug. 20th

    Silicon Solar Solutions, an R&D company with a strong patent portfolio focused on silicon-based photovoltaic devices, will ring the closing bell at NASDAQ on Friday, Aug. 20th. The company is commercializing technology to create large grain polysilicon that could reduce the cost of solar cells by 26 percent, or $.42 per watt. Closing the NASDAQ is part of winning the Stuart Clark Venture Challenge and will be broadcast onto the NASDAQ Tower overlooking Times Square. Representatives from the University of Arkansas, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Innovate Arkansas and Green Valley Development will also attend.

  • Northwest Arkansas Energy Companies Launch Rooftop Solar Power Installation

    TremWel Energy, a Fayetteville-based renewable energy and energy efficiency development company together with Rocky Grove Sun Company and Besser Electric announced the completion and the bringing on-line of "Roadrunner," a 21 kW solar power installation on the roof of a home in Fayetteville, Ark. Roadrunner is the largest known residental rooftop solar power installation in Arkansas and the south central U.S.

  • Renewable Energy Company Announces Construction in Arkansas

Phoenix Renewable Energy announced in July they will begin building a 250,000-ton-per-year wood pellet plant in Camden, Ark. They will also be building a 20-megawatt power plant run off tree scraps that will feed heat to the pellet plant.

The first phase of homes at Vertical Modern Urban Lofts in Little Rock was awarded LEED Homes Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Vertical Modern Lofts is the first residential project in Arkansas to achieve the LEED Platinum status.

The first wind turbines could go up in about a year if two wind-testing towers installed by Chicago wind-energy company Invenergy show commercial promise in the coming months. Invenergy received approval to install the towers in January.

The U.S. Department of Energy allocated $657,100 in grant money to Springdale, to be used in programs which reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions. The programs include energy audits, energy-efficiency remodeling, energy savings in transportation and energy-efficient traffic signals and street lighting.

DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE) and the University of Tennessee (UT) Research Foundation, through its Genera Energy LLC, announced a partnership to construct an innovative pilot-scale biorefinery and state-of-the-art research and development facility for cellulosic ethanol in Vonore, Tenn.

The National Energy Policy Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to determining the cost benefits to alternative energy and reversing climate change, will reside at Tulsa University, with the university providing academic education focused on the non-profit's efforts.

The Fayetteville Public Housing Authority executed a step to build the region's first solar-powered housing project to serve the city's lowest-income seniors.

In what should be the first of many exciting announcements, NanoMech subsidiary Duralor has perfected cubic boron nitrate composite coatings for metal cutting tools and is now marketing the technology under the brand name TuffTek. The first contract for TuffTek is with a major automobile manufacturer.

The Public Facilities Board on Thursday discussed plans to expand the Springdale Technology Park, a 34-acre site on the city's east side.

Sustainability is becoming a household word, particularly in Northwest Arkansas, where retailing giant Wal-Mart three years ago made the pledge to implement sustainable practices throughout its global operations.

Using an idle sewer plant in town, the city of Clinton has found a way to recycle contaminated water used in the natural-gas drilling process.

The Arkansas Research and Technology Park wants to build a knowledge-based economy using development platforms such as energy, electronics and photonics, nanotechnology, biotechnology and clean, "green" products and techniques.

A Swedish metal-cutting product debuted on a local tool and die maker's machine in Fayetteville last week as part of an effort to recruit "green" businesses from Sweden.

A utility under fire by environmentalists and landowners for construction of a $1.5 billion coal-fired power plant in southwest Arkansas has announced plans to buy all the electricity generated by a Texas wind farm.

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    Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced a major purchase of wind power from Duke's wind farm in Notrees, Texas, and will start receiving the first of some 226 million kWh of power in April 2009.

    The purchase is expected to supply up to 15 percent of Wal-Mart's energy load in its approximately 360 Texas stores and facilities.

  •  
    In announcing the contest Nov. 12, the university challenged students to craft “practical innovations to address the environmental and energy problems of the 21 st Century by greatly reducing the negative environmental impact of their campus.

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    The Benton County Quorum Court should consider adopting regulations for wind farms before any more developers seek to construct them, said Benton County Planning Director Ashley Pope.

  • A Sweden-based manufacturing company that specializes in advanced metalcutting technology could be moving to Fayetteville

  • A Chicago-based energy company wants to build two towers in south Washington County to test if there is enough wind to erect power generating turbines.

  • Fayetteville Home to New Center that Turns Garbage Into Fuel

    Turning trash into car fuel is something straight out of a "Back to the Future "movie, but Fayetteville is now the home to the technology center of a company that can do just that. 

       
  • John Brown University Announces Addition of Renewable Energy Degree

    JBU’s program in renewable energy will include courses in wind, solar and biomass energy, practical experience in designing, construction, monitoring renewable energy generators, and possible related study abroad opportunities.  

     
  • Builders of Northwest Arkansas honored at banquet

    Men and women who've physically made Northwest Arkansas a better place to live were honored at the seventh annual Construction Industry Appreciation Night on Monday.

  • Wind Turbine Maker To Employ 700 in Jonesboro, Invest $100 Million

    A wind turbine manufacturer announced Friday it will employ 700 people at a $100 million plant it plans to build in Jonesboro.

  • Fayetteville Mayoral Candidates spell out plans to build up Local Business

    Though the presence of economic giants like Wal-Mart and Tyson has shielded much of Northwest Arkansas from the current downturn, citizens want to know what the next mayor of Fayetteville plans to do on a local level to promote economic development in their city, bring in more jobs and encourage prosperity in the county seat.

  • Fayetteville Mayor

    Fayetteville has to recruit and locate new knowledgebased green technology jobs. The national economy is not holding Fayetteville back. It is lack of leadership. In 2007-2008, Jonesboro located 1, 000 new jobs; Little Rock 850 new jobs; Conway 1, 200 new jobs.

  • Ground Broken For Synthetic Fuel Plant

    The plant, located near Baton Rouge, will produce diesel and jet fuels from animal fats and greases and is expected to cost $138 million to construct.

  • While many are familiar with the potential of RFID in supply chain management through its promotion by giant companies like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., there is another company in Bentonville that is taking RFID, along with other tracking solutions, to new and innovative levels.

  • While it may seem like a contradiction for a printing company that uses tons of paper to "go green," that is exactly what The RoArk Group Inc. is doing.


  • Green Valley Network, along with a 70-acre sustainable business park, is expected to generate millions of dollars in economic development. 



  • Green Valley Network is an asset to Northwest Arkansas and the region should further 'latch' on to the sustainability initiative, according to a consulting firm developing an economoc development plan for the city of Fayetteville. 



  • Fayetteville community leaders discussed the possibility of branding the city as sustainable, using initiatives like Green Valley Network as the foundation. 



  • A groundbreaking Thursday for Mountain Ranch Business Park was an opportunity for an update on efforts to identify Northwest Arkansas as the place for emerging “green” businesses. 

     

  • Green Materials, Construction Techniques Used At Site

    City leaders broke ground Thursday on Arkansas' first sustainable business park. Sustainable business parks are usually built by companies that have some business similarities. They also use green technology and construction materials.


  • Business Park to be State's First 'Green' Commercial Development

    A mulch turning and a recycled ribbon cutting Thursday marked the beginning of the construction of Arkansas’ first business park that will incorporate sustainable development practices. 

    The 70-acre Mountain Ranch Business Park is scheduled to be completed sometime next year, Ramsay Ball, principal developer for Colliers International, said.

     

  • Sustainable Business Park Unveiled

    Fayetteville officials on Thursday unveiled plans for a sustainable business park that they hope will spur business growth and cement the city's brand as the Green Valley.


  • The messages floating to the top of the discussions leaned heavily toward the obvious recycle, reduce and reuse. But also the need to live denser and reduce urban sprawl.

    "The real challenge comes in land use," Wynn said. "How do you have population growth, and not have vehicle miles grow faster than your population."

  •  Fayetteville Courting Another Swedish Company

    Fayetteville is attempting to woo another Swedish company considering making the Green Valley its U.S. headquarters.

    Representatives from Sweden Water will be spending the week meeting with members of the Fayetteville Economic Development Council, Fayetteville-based Global Java and potential new clients.

  •  Community College Awarded $3,000 Grant

    Northwest Arkansas Community College has been awarded a $ 3,000 grant to research the viability of sustainable practices in packaging training for two-year colleges. The grant was made by the Council on North Central Two-Year Colleges and the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, an NWACC news release states.

  • Wal-Mart Welcomes Makers of Products Easy on Environment

    Inside the Lights of America company’s booth on the top floor of the Bentonville Plaza office building Tuesday, dozens of LED undefined light emitting diode undefined lights for various applications glowed from a mere 350 watts of power.

    The Walnut, Calif.-based company displayed vanity globes, accent lighting, track lights and other applications, with 1.5-watt bulbs providing light equivalent to a 40-watt incandescent bulb.

  •  Another Swedish Company comes to Fayetteville

    Another Swedish company could be coming to Northwest Arkansas, and it would be the fifth in Fayetteville.

    It's all part of the Green Valley Network, an idea which could soon bring businesses from all over the world to this area. But only if they had the same goal in mind: Sustainability.

  •  RF Controls Sponsors University of Arkansas RFID Research Center

    RF Controls LLC of St. Louis announced this week that it has become a lab sponsor of the RFID Research Center at the University of Arkansas' Information Technology Research Institute of the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

    RF Controls has donated one of its Intelligent Tracking and Control Systems to the university, where it is used to assist students and demonstrate the capabilities of advanced data capture systems.

  •  Hundreds expected to attend the first annual sustainability conference

    Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody on Thursday announced a new, annual sustainability summit that will be paid for by sponsors and open to the public at no charge.

    Participants must register to attend the one-day Fayetteville Sustainability Summit on Oct. 10 in the Fayetteville Town Center. Breakout sessions will spill over into the University of Arkansas' nearby Continuing Education Center.

  •  Fayetteville Hosts Environment Conference

    Fayetteville's green wattage gets a little brighter next month when the city hosts the first Fayetteville Sustainability Summit.

    With a list of speakers extending to Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark.; Austin, Texas, Mayor Will Wynn and Chapel Hill, N.C., Mayor Kevin Foy, the conference aims to spark interest around investing and researching green technology, said Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coodyems

  •  Benton County: Wind Company Wants Turbines on 15,000 Acres

    A Kansas-based energy company is preparing plans for a giant wind farm for west Benton County that would build about 100 turbines generating enough electricity to power up to 40,000 houses.

    TradeWind Energy of Lenexa, Kan., finalized lease agreements for the initial 2,000 acres just north of Maysville for what it’s calling the Honey Creek Wind Project, said Aaron Weigel, the project’s development manager.

  • Investment in Renewable Energy Could Create 19,000 jobs in Arkansas

    Representatives of several environmentalist groups in Arkansas said Tuesday they will urge the Governor's Commission on Global Warming to consider a new report that suggests investment in renewable energy and energy conservation could create two million new jobs, 19,500 of them in Arkansas, over two years.

    In a report commissioned by the Center for American Progress and released Tuesday, researchers with the Department of Economics and Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst recommend a $100 billion program to reduce American dependence on petroleum-based energy sources.

  • Balance key to environmental communication Efforts

    Throughout most of modern-day business, the color green has traditionally been associated with money and wealth. But in the 21st century, green is more commonly used in business circles to describe sustainable or environmentally conscious initiatives.

    Some would say the two definitions are near opposites; but many are finding green can beget green, and an eco-friendly approach to business can actually help realize a number of cost-saving, revenue-generating and reputation-enhancing benefits. Ultimately, companies are looking for ways to strike a balance between the need for bottom-line success and doing the right thing for the environment.

  • Swedish Company Boosts Fayetteville Economy

    A Swedish company will set up shop in Fayetteville and bring with it 25 new jobs. It's the result of thousands of dollars invested by the city made to boost business and further its Green Valley Initiative.

    Thirty-Seven Swedish businesses are considering moving to Fayetteville, bringing a potential $780,000,000 economic boost to Northwest Arkansas.

  • Wal-Mart turning Trash into Cash

    Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has taken its legendary frugality to a whole new level by turning its trash into cash.

    The retailer has set an ambitious goal to become waste-free by 2010, and in the process is finding out that nearly everything it has been throwing out all those years can be recycled, sold or turned into new products.

  • Green Valley Network offers environmental opportunities for students

    Two other Walton College centers support Green Valley's network - the Center for Business and Economic Research headed by Kathy Deck and the Center for Retailing Excellence under the direction of Claudia Mobley.

    The Green Valley Network evolved after Fayetteville's business and the region's green-minded leaders collectively looked at the city's future, Deck said. When Benton County's growth drew consumers north, away from Fayetteville, the city's leaders knew they needed to find creative ways to expand the city's revenue resources and to enlarge its tax base. Their homework led them to develop a plan.


  • BioBased builds LEED-Certified Corporate Headquarters

    The BioBased group is scheduled to move into a new 30,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in October. The building is designed to meet the Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

    The headquarters will consolidate the product, process and application development laboratories and administrative offices for BioBased Technologies, BioBased Systems and BioBased Insulation from three locations into one in Fayetteville, Arkanasas.


  • Atwell- Hicks Arrives in Bentonville

    A land development firm with a 103-year history is setting up shop in Bentonville.
    Atwell-Hicks has opened an office on Main Street and hired three consultants from CEI Engineering Associates Inc. to launch local operations and support national client programs.
    It is Michigan-based Atwell-Hicks’ fourth office in the southeast, joining Tampa, Orlando and Nashville and will serve clients in Arkansas and Texas.


  • Pacific Vet Acquires Sirah- Zellet

    Reports that Pacific Vet Group announced on 11 August that it has purchased the products and assets of Sigrah-Zellet LLC, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. The new entity, named Pacific Vet Group-USA, will be headquartered in Fayetteville.

    The new company will research, develop and commercialize products for global use in the poultry industry, according to the press release announcing the deal.


  • Thermoenergy Announces $500,000 Contract to Supply Wastewater Recovery System

    "We have been working closely with the client's engineers for the past year to produce a custom designed system that meets their exacting specifications," said Jeffrey Powell, EVP of ThermoEnergy and President of the Castion division. "We are very pleased that Castion was selected as the vendor of choice to provide this system." The Castion system includes an ultraviolet sanitation unit, a high recovery dual membrane system, a CAST 2500 vacuum distillation system, an integrated control system and additional ancillary equipment.

  • Enterprise Rent A Car Founder Gives 25 Million to Create a New Institute for Renewable Fuels at DanForth Center

    The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced that the Taylor family, owners of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, has given a $25 million gift to create the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels. The Institute is named for the company founded by Jack Taylor in 1957 and is still owned by the Taylor family today.
    The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute will expand the scientific expertise of the Danforth Center to speed up development of plant-based renewable biofuels. These fuels will decrease the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and reduce the current dependency on finite fossil fuels in future years.

  • Tyson and ConocoPhillips announce historic BioFuel Alliance

    ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods have announced a strategic alliance to produce and market the next generation of renewable diesel fuel, which will help supplement the traditional petroleum-based diesel fuel supply. The alliance plans to use beef, pork and poultry by-product fat to create a transportation fuel. The company claims this fuel will contribute to America’s energy security and help to address climate change concerns.

  • New Fedex Express Hybrid Electric Truck Begin Service

    FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), has placed into service the first of its new, low-emission, hybrid electric powered delivery vehicles in concert with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, Environmental Defense and Eaton Corporation (NYSE: ETN).

    The official roll out took place at a state capitol ceremony today attended by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The FedEx OptiFleet E700 hybrid electric vehicle will decrease particulate emissions by 90 percent, reduce smog-causing emissions by 75 percent and travel 50 percent farther on a gallon of fuel, reducing fuel costs by one-third.

  • Arkansas Farmers Boosting Use of Biodiesel in Schools, Municipalities

    Crittenden County soybean farmers are putting their money where their mouth is, so to speak, spending several cents per gallon to burn a biodiesel blend containing soy oil in their tractors.

    And they’re also working with local school districts and municipalities to encourage them to use biodiesel in their diesel-powered vehicles to improve fuel efficiency and air quality for school children and other local residents.

  • Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.- Wal-Mart Earth Month Campaign Takes "Going Green" Mainstream

    Wal-Mart today launched its most comprehensive environmental sustainability campaign, demonstrating it's serious about moving 'green' from costly dream to routine for its customers. The Earth Month merchandising and marketing campaign during the month of April, with national television advertising breaking today, highlights eco-friendly products available at budget-friendly prices. The moves tap into the growing influence of environmental concerns on consumer shopping behavior.

  • New Water Purification Product from Reliance Products and Proctle and Gamble now Available

    A new water purification technology by Reliance Products L.P., is now available inretail stores in the U.S. The product, PUR9TM) Purifier of Water (http://purpurifierofwater.com), is a powdered water clarifier and disinfectant designed for outdoor recreation and emergency preparedness use.



 
 

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