On September 9, a high-capacity cargo rail route, dubbed the “Heartland Corridor,” will open. Norfolk Southern’s new corridor will link Columbus to the Port of Virginia and allow freight trains to more efficiently reach its container-transfer facility near Rickenbacker International Airport. Additional information is available from Business First of Columbus.

Today (Tuesday, August 31) has been declared an Air Quality Action Day, with the AQI (Air Quality Index) remaining above 100. High levels of smog continue to make regional air quality “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” For more details, and to sign up for air quality notifications, visit airquality.morpc.org.

In Paris, streets are lined with garbage bags – minus the cans. The clear bags keep garbage (“les déchets”) visible and function as a security measure. Specifically, they are intended to discourage people from depositing dangerous items (e.g., bombs), which could be more easily concealed in a can.

Sunday, August 29, and Monday August 30 have been declared “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” as a result of elevated smog levels. While air quality is forecasted to improve on Tuesday, the AQI (Air Quality Index) will only drop to 93 (from 111), or “moderate” conditions. For more details, visit airquality.morpc.org.

Cleveland is now requiring residents to recycle or pay a fine. The city’s residential bins now feature sensors, which have been installed to monitor whether residents are bringing their bins to the curb for weekly collection. If the bins are not brought to the curb regularly, trash collectors are empowered to begin checking to see [...]

On Friday, an article by Katy Rank Lev of Mother Nature Network highlighted recent environmental achievements by the U.S. Postal Service. These include recycling (220,000 tons in 2009), using electric vehicles, reducing energy consumption, and achieving Cradle-to-Cradle certification for packaging. To read the full article, click here.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has featured Columbus among its “2010 Smarter Cities,” in recognition of the city’s investments in green power, energy efficiency measures, and conservation. In total, 22 cities are highlighted by the project. Among large cities (those with populations greater than 250,000), Columbus is joined by Austin, New York, Chicago, Seattle, [...]

A recent New York Times video, “Toxic Waters: From Air to Water Waste,” examines growing concerns about health hazards linked to buried wastes from coal-fired power plants. A number of Ohio landfills accept such wastes, termed coal combustion wastes (CCW), produced by plants such as the AEP Generating Station in Conesville. To watch the NY [...]

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, a settlement is anticipated within the next several months for office workers who claim their illnesses result from exposures while working in buildings near Ground Zero following 9/11. The case involves approximately 1,300 employees who have sued various parties, including owners and contractors, responsible for 160+ [...]

Tickets are still available for the final workshop in the Room-by-Room: Green Building & Your Health series. The Sept. 2 workshop will focus on ways to create a more healthful garage with proper ventilation and safe disposal of household hazardous waste. It will also identify health hazards linked to automobile exhaust and benefits associated with [...]