The Home Depot® Foundation has just announced the release of its 2009 annual report. Demonstrating its commitment to building sustainable homes and communities and preserving resources, the Foundation has issued its report in an online version only, saving 200 trees, 44,640 gallons of water, 100 million BTUs of energy, 9,760 pounds of solid waste and more than 16,000 pounds of greenhouse gases.* The annual report highlights the Foundation’s 2009 successes and contains an update on The Home Depot Foundation’s 10-year pledge to provide $400 million in grants to build or refurbish 100,000 affordable, healthy homes and plant or restore 3 million community trees. Packed with interactive features, including videos and the ability to share information by email or social media outlets, this annual report is informative and entertaining.

The Home Depot® Foundation announced the release of its 2009 annual report. Because of its commitment to building sustainable homes and communities and preserving resources, the Foundation has issued its report in an online version only, saving 200 trees, 44,640 gallons of water, 100 million BTUs of energy, 9,760 pounds of solid waste and more than 16,000 pounds of greenhouse gases.* The annual report contains an update on The Home Depot Foundation’s 10-year pledge to provide $400 million in grants to build or refurbish 100,000 affordable, healthy homes and plant or restore 3 million community trees. The report contains interactive features, including videos and the ability to share information by email or social media outlets, as well as a downloadable PDF version.

Wireless network company Verizon Communications has been listed on the Maplecroft Climate Innovation Benchmark Index (CII), among 300 of the largest companies in the US, for its efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In the reportAccording to the report, Verizon’s strengths include policies and procedures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; programs to encourage innovation related to those emissions and energy conservation; and partnerships and public disclosures. The Maplecroft CII lists, which are calculated by global financial news company Bloomberg, provide investors with useful insight into companies with climate-related innovations and carbon management systems

A Brazilian judge on Wednesday suspended the preliminary license for the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, a controversial project in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, citing “danger of irreparable harm,” reports the Amazon Watch, an NGO that has been campaigning on the issue. The move comes just days after a high-profile visit by James Cameron, director of the box office hit Avatar, and Sigourney Weaver, one of the stars of Avatar, to indigenous communities potentially affected by the dam. Judge Antonio Carlos de Almeida Campelo also cancelled the construction auction for the project scheduled for April 20 and ruled that IBAMA, Brazil’s environmental agency, refrain from issuing a new license for the project.

Aquaculture industry urged to look at location and management techniques to reduce the environmental impact of rapidly expanding sector Bigger fish farms do not necessarily have a greater impact on their surrounding marine ecosystems, according to an analysis of Scottish fish farms. Researchers from Oceanlab at the University of Aberdeen studied data from 50 salmon and cod farms collected by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

The California Air Resources Board recently announced that they will begin monitoring and limiting the emissions of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) in high-voltage electrical equipment starting in 2011. SF6 is the most potent of all greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change. SF6 is approximately 23,900 times as potent as carbon dioxide, the world’s most prevalent greenhouse gas, at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

An investigation by The Ecologist reveals that three-quarters of London councils giving out wrong advice on the safe disposal of mercury-containing compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) The majority of local authorities in London are advising residents to throw compact fluorescent lightbulbs in their general waste, despite the hazard posed by their mercury content.

Investors want oil giants to answer questions on their involvement in the environmentally damaging extraction of oil from tar sands Shareholders at BP and Shell will get the chance to vote at upcoming AGMs on whether to force oil giants to come clean on their Canadian tar sands involvement. Institutional investors including The Co-operative Asset Management and Rathbone Greenbank have co-signed a ‘special resolution,’ which would force the two companies to fully disclose and justify their involvement in Canadian tar sands.

Overuse of nitrogen fertilisers in China is leading to rapid soil acidification and is causing lasting damage to ecosystems, according to soil study Nitrogen fertilisers used to increase crop yields in China are having “extreme” environmental consequences, according to a study from leading soil scientists.

The Global Wind Energy Council, a trade association based in Brussels, estimates that wind power capacity grew by 31 percent worldwide in 2009, with 37.5 additional gigawatts installed, bringing global wind power capacity to 157.9 gigawatts. China accounted for a third of the new capacity, and the Chinese market experienced more than 100 percent growth. According to the trade group, more than 500,000 people are now employed by the wind power industry around the world, and the market for wind turbine installations last year was worth about $63 billion. The primary markets today are in Asia, Europe and North America.