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Ecobreves – MEXICO: Government of the Capital Wins Award for Urban Lighting Project

The French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) has granted a special recognition award to the “Energy, Innovation and Performance in Urban Lighting” project being implemented by the leftist government of Mexico City.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Selective Waste Collection Available to Very Few

By IPS Correspondents and - -

According to a survey conducted by the Brazilian Water Program, 64 percent of Brazilians still do not have access to selective waste collection as a means of recycling.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Cracks in Ralco Hydro Dam Raise Concern

By IPS Correspondents and - -

The Aukin Wallmapu indigenous community in Alto Bíobío, 500 kilometers south of Santiago, has denounced the presence of cracks and leaks in the Ralco hydroelectric dam.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Scientists Call for Preservation of Forest Remnant

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Researchers at Venezuela’s University of the Andes are urging the government to adopt a management plan for the 7,000 hectares of the Caparo Experimental Station, the remnant of what was a forest covering millions of hectares in the country’s western lowlands less than a century ago.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: São Paulo Solar Plant Will Supply Electricity to Public Grid

By IPS Correspondents and - -

The University of São Paulo will construct a photovoltaic power plant, in association with a local electric company, which will be the third solar power plant and the second to supply electricity to the public grid in Brazil.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Women Farmers Producing Better Grains

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Women farmers in seven departments of Honduras are working towards higher-quality, environmentally friendly agricultural production to gain better access to markets and fairer prices.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Nuclear Technology for More Resistant Crops

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Agricultural researchers in Cuba are using radiation in an attempt to develop banana, rice, avocado and tomato strains that are more resistant to drought and salinity, as part of a Latin American cooperation project.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Waste Management Training for Market Vendors

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Young volunteers from the Vida Foundation of Honduras have launched a six-month campaign to raise awareness among street market vendors in Tegucigalpa of the importance of proper waste management and recycling.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA : E-Waste Bill In Danger, Say Activists

By IPS Correspondents and - -

The Argentine government is blocking final approval of a bill on electronic waste that was passed four years ago by the country’s senate, according to the Argentine branch of Greenpeace.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Energy and Waste Generate the Bulk of CO2 Emissions in São Paulo

By IPS Correspondents and - -

The energy and waste sectors were responsible for the emission of 16.43 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents in São Paulo last year, according to a study commissioned by the city’s department of the environment.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Brazil Joins Global Biodiversity Platform

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Brazil has become the latest country to join the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), dedicated to promoting free and open access to data on biological diversity.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Microfinance to Promote Clean Energy

By IPS Correspondents and - -

The Microfinance Network of Honduras (Redmicroh) is promoting small-scale clean energy projects through its 27 member organizations willing to finance family farmers interested in entering this field.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Courts Rule Against Oil Company in Pollution Case

By IPS Correspondents and - -

A Chilean court has ruled in favor of an appeal for legal protection filed by the community of Hualpén against Empresa Nacional del Petróleo, spurred by the foul odor produced by the oil company’s Biobío refinery in Concepción, 500 km south of Santiago.

Ecobreves – ARGENTINA : Social and Environmental Certification for Textiles

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Argentine government certification to promote better social and environmental conditions in the textile industry has been granted for the first time to a clothing company.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Agreement with EU to Protect Forests

By IPS Correspondents and - -

The government of Honduras and the European Union have signed an agreement aimed at improving forest governance by prohibiting the illegal harvesting and sale of timber and establishing effective forest protection standards.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Studying the Effect of Pollen on Human Allergies

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Researchers in Mexico are studying the effect of pollen and spores on the incidence of human allergies in Mexico City.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Amazon Soy Moratorium Extended

By IPS Correspondents and - -

Private companies, civil society organizations and the Ministry of Environment of Brazil have agreed to extend the Soy Moratorium – an agreement prohibiting the planting of soybeans on newly deforested areas in the Amazon region – until January 2014.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Fighting Greenhouse Gas Emissions with Nanotechnology

By IPS Correspondents and - -

The Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC), a government agency, is experimenting with the addition of diminutive particles – in this case, mineral salts such as iron, cobalt and nickel nitrate – to decrease the greenhouse gas emissions that are characteristic of the oil industry.