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COMMON GROUND VOL, 12 NO , 2 JANUARY-MARCH 2001
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<br /> More land was developed in the Triangle National wetland loss slowed to 58, 500
<br /> region of North Carolina between 1987 and acres per year between 1986 and 1997, an
<br /> 1997 ( 190,500 acres ) than has ever been pro - 80 % drop from the previous decade , accord - Overall wetland
<br /> tected as open space in the area . Three lakes ing to the Fish and Wildlife Service . In 1997, loss numbers
<br /> and a state park account for two-thirds of the the U . S . had 105 . 5 million acres of wetlands mask a shift from
<br /> 146, 068 acres of preserved land and water in the lower 48 states . Overall numbers mask
<br /> area in the six-county area that includes a shift from vegetated wetlands, which in the vegetated wetlands
<br /> Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill . Only one case of hardwood wetlands can take 80 years to open water
<br /> county—Chatham—has more protected land to replace, to open water wetlands, which are wetlands , which
<br /> than recently developed land, thanks to Jor- the easiest to create . The nation lost 1 . 2 mil-
<br /> dan Lake , built by the Army Corps of Engi- lion acres of forested wetlands and 1 million are the easiest to
<br /> veers . Protecting water quality is the driving acres of freshwater emergent wetlands dur- create .
<br /> force behind local open space preservation, ing the study period . Urban development de-
<br /> according to " State of Open Space 2000 , " stroyed 30 % of the wetlands lost, followed by
<br /> ($ 12, 919 / 833 -3662; free, www . tic-nc . org) , an agriculture (26 % ) , logging (23 % ) and rural
<br /> analysis of the region' s green infrastructure development ( 21 % ) . The Southeast led the
<br /> published by the Triangle Land Conser- nation in wetlands loss , primarily freshwater
<br /> vancy . The group recommended the creation wetlands on the coastal plain, according to
<br /> of a regional greenprint to identify lands to " Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Con-
<br /> be protected and an increase in conservation terminous United States 1986 to 1997 " ( free,
<br /> activity to help implement it. 703 / 358 -2161 , wetlands . fws . gov) .
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<br /> M Oregon' s Department of Environmental 3 A 1999 survey by the National Recycling
<br /> Quality (503 / 229 -5946, www . deq. state . or . us Coalition ( 703 / 683-9025 , www . nrc-recycle .
<br /> / programs / greenpermits ) approved the org) found that 500 million personal comput-
<br /> nation ' s first green permits for Louisiana Pa- ers will become obsolete by 2007. Consumers
<br /> cific Corp . and LSI Logic Corp . The permits and small business owners can ship old comm
<br /> give regulatory flexibility to companies that puters to IBM ( 877 / 999- 7115 , www . ibm .
<br /> plan to exceed federal and state environmen- com / environment) for $29 . 95 . IBM will reuse
<br /> tal standards . LP 's wood products plant in as many parts as possible or refurbish the A green stock
<br /> Hines has set goals to curb energy and water system and donate it to Gifts in Kind Inter- index of 11
<br /> use and expects to eliminate all landfill national . Gateway ( 888 / 285 -6201 , www . emer' in ever'
<br /> waste by 2005 . " Under CEO Mark Suwyn ' s gateway . com / recycle) offers up to $50 g g gy
<br /> leadership, in the past five years LP has gone rebates on new computers if customers re- companies
<br /> from worst to first when trr-L' mes to environ- cycle old computers . Parents, Educators and outperformed the
<br /> mental performance, " said Paul Hansen, ex- Publishers (www . microweb . com / pep site ) seven largest oil
<br /> ecutive director of the Izaak Walton League lists groups that assist with donations .
<br /> of America and LP board member . and gas
<br /> High-efficiency equipment at LSI ' s M Winslow Environmental News ( 617 / 788 - corporations in
<br /> Grisham facility has saved 5 million kilo - 1600, www . w *mslowgreen. com) reports that the S &P 500 by a
<br /> watt-hours of electricity over two years . LSI a green stock index of 11 emerging energy
<br /> also plans to cut the facility ' s wastewater companies outperformed the seven largest huge margin over
<br /> discharges by 80 % ( 180 million gallons ) per oil and gas corporations in the S &P 500 by a the last year.
<br /> year . Epson Portland, Kingsley Field Air huge margin over the last year . Despite the
<br /> National Guard, PacifiCorp and Wacker surge in oil prices, the oil and gas stocks rose
<br /> Siltronics also have applied for the green just 8 % for the 12 months ending Oct . 4,
<br /> permits . Virginia, Wisconsin, Colorado and while the green index of wind, solar, fuel
<br /> Arizona are launching similar programs . cell, battery and flywheel companies sky-
<br /> Nationally, the Environmental Protection rocketed 113 % . The green index : Vestas
<br /> Agency announced the 225 charter members Wind Systems , NEG Micon, IMPCO TechLLL
<br /> "
<br /> of its National Environmental Performance nologies , Evercel, AstroPower, American
<br /> Track program (www . epa . gov / performance Superconductor, Ballard Power Systems , y
<br /> track) , which highlights companies that cut FuelCell Energy, SatCon Technology Corp . ,
<br /> pollution more than required . Active Power and York Research Corp .
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