Alaska Airlines Pilots Go Lean and Green With iPads

First major domestic airline to use iPads to replace flight manuals

SEATTLE, May 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of an ongoing effort to use technology to enhance flight safety, improve efficiency and protect the environment, Alaska Airlines is issuing iPad tablet computers to its pilots. The 1 1/2-pound iPads replace up to 25 pounds of paper flight manuals that pilots are required to carry when they fly.

The iPads are being distributed to all Alaska Airlines pilots, a process that will be complete by mid-June. This follows a successful trial by 100 line and instructor pilots and Air Line Pilots Association representatives, who evaluated the feasibility of using iPads as electronic flight bags this past winter and spring.

M&T Bank Opens Signature Branch in Brooklyn

Brooklyn - Natural light is used throughout M&T Bank's new energy efficient branch on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn's East New York neighborhood. (PRNewsFoto/M&T Bank)

Urban Redevelopment Project is Environmentally Friendly

BROOKLYN, N.Y., May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- M&T Bank has opened a new, energy-efficient, 4500-square-foot retail branch on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, giving the East New York neighborhood one of the most contemporary branches within the bank's multi-state network.
 

The branch was constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards (LEED) established by the U.S. Green Building Council and includes a number of environmentally friendly features to make it a more comfortable place for customers to bank and employees to work including:

• Natural light is used extensively, including a large skylight in the middle of the main lobby.  All glazing contains Low-E (Low Emissivity) coatings reducing solar heat gain.
• Roof Assembly consists of super insulated cavity with solar reflective roofing membrane.
• Interior lighting uses a combination of energy efficient fluorescent lamps, ceramic metal halide lamps, and light emitting diodes (LED's).
• Heating and cooling is provided by high efficiency gas-fired hot water boilers and roof top units.
• The building skin is clad with a composite panel system that contains up to 70% recycled content.

New Travel Care Code Encourages Travel Industry and Vacationers to Think Green

Center for Sustainable Tourism launches first of its kind code of practical suggestions on how vacationers can maximize the positive benefits of travel.

GREENVILLE, N.C., May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Memorial Day serves as the official kick off of the busy summer travel season. As millions of American's take to the sky and road to visit their favorite destinations, attractions, and nature parks, the Center for Sustainable Tourism, at East Carolina University, officially introduces the U.S. Visitor Care Code (www.visitorcarecode.org). The code is designed to highlight small and practical efforts travelers can make to protect the natural environment and unique cultures of the places they visit.

Annually, more than 1.5 billion leisure "person trips" are made in the U.S., even small changes in behavior can make a big difference in tourism's impact on communities. The 10 point code encourages travelers to:

TruGreen's Free MyBotanicPlanet.com Gets High Marks From Educators

Creative Online Educator Resource Inspires Students' Interest in Botany

TruGreen's MyBotanicPlanet.com inspires K-5 students' interest in botany. (PRNewsFoto/TruGreen)

MEMPHIS, Tenn., May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TruGreen recently launched MyBotanicPlanet.com, a free online educator resource to inspire K-5 students' interest in the diverse plant world, to receptive educators attending the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) national conference in San Francisco. TruGreen, the nation's largest professional lawn, tree and shrub care provider, is receiving high marks from educators for the brand's creative resource that enables convenient access to U.S. standardized lesson plans in botany and related interactive activities.

My Botanic Planet curriculum characters Inspector Nectar and Flavor Flores stepped out of the virtual world at TruGreen's NSTA exhibit to demonstrate the creative site with hundreds of enthusiastic educators. A brief video highlighting educator feedback on MyBotanicPlanet.com is available.
TruGreen collaborated with Memphis Botanic Garden on My Botanic Planet, where participants can customize their avatar then discover colorful plant environments and related interactive games as they meet Inspector Nectar on a flower mystery or Flavor Flores on a sensational sap safari. My Botanic Planet is based on the classroom experience offered through the Memphis Botanic Garden that has impacted more than 40,000 children. Created by professional curriculum developers, the initial six lessons meet national education standards and benchmarks and focus on the plant origins of flavors, the parts of the flower, and how pollination occurs.

Nissan Celebrates 30-Year, $3.5 Billion Commitment to State of Tennessee With Installation of 30 Solar EV Chargers

Construction of solar-assisted charging stations is under way at Nissan's Smyrna, Tenn., Vehicle Assembly Plant. The chargers, which also will be installed at Nissan Americas headquarters in Franklin, Tenn., will be operational by July 1 and are designed to charge the Nissan LEAF, the world's first affordable, all-electric zero-emission vehicle designed for the mass market. Nissan soon will build the Nissan LEAF and the batteries that power it at its Smyrna manufacturing complex. (PRNewsFoto/Nissan North America, Inc.)

FRANKLIN, Tenn., May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nissan North America, Inc. has begun installation of 30 solar-assisted charging stations at the Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant and the Nissan Americas headquarters in Franklin, Tenn. The 30 chargers at the two Tennessee facilities mark the latest in a long line of dedicated investments totaling $3.5 billion over the course of Nissan's statewide, 30-year presence.

The advanced solar chargers, which will be operational for use by Nissan employees and visitors by July 1, are designed to charge the Nissan LEAF, the world's first affordable, all-electric zero-emission vehicle designed for the mass market. The Nissan LEAF debuted globally in December 2010, with Tennessee as a key launch market. Nissan soon will build the Nissan LEAF and the batteries that power it at its Smyrna manufacturing complex. The advanced, lithium-ion battery plant is 75-percent complete with an expected operational date of late next year.
"Tennessee is Nissan's home in the Americas region," said Carlos Tavares, chairman, Nissan Americas. "These solar-assisted charging stations demonstrate our dedication to a zero-emissions society, and our dedication to bringing innovation to our home in Tennessee. Nissan in the coming year will expand our manufacturing presence, enhance our philanthropic efforts and make new additions to our headquarters operations, all in Tennessee."
The charging stations illustrate the ability to reduce the impact to the electrical grid through the use of solar power and energy storage. They employ the same lithium-ion battery cells that also power the Nissan LEAF, an innovation that allows Nissan to study the battery's storage capacity as well as demonstrate the second-life use for lithium-ion batteries beyond their use in automotive applications.
Nissan is working with the U.S. Dept. of Energy, which is funding the stations through a matching grant, as well as Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Tennessee Valley Authority, with which Nissan will share usage and technical data from the solar chargers for further study.

SOURCE Nissan North America, Inc.