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Energy efficient 15-watt T8 LED replacement tubes are now available from Orbit/UMI to retrofit existing T8 fluorescent fixtures. The T8 LEDs feature a T8 bi-pin prong and are UL-approved. They offer the equivalent output of standard 32-watt T8 fluorescents and are available in warm (4300K) or cool white (4500K). As building owners and managers look for solutions to high energy costs, electrical professionals can now offer Orbit/UMI T8 LED fixtures that look and feel just like existing fluorescent tubes. Electrical retrofits are increasingly popular in schools and colleges, office and commercial centers, retail stores, healthcare facilities and government buildings. The fixtures measure 48” x 1.18” and weigh 14.09 oz. Because they do not require a ballast, installation is fast and easy. Mercury-free and cool to the touch, Orbit/UMI T8 LEDs are also RoHS-compliant and environmentally-friendly. Orbit Industries/UMI is a leading manufacturer of electrical products for the professional installer. The company continues to expand its LED product line and has introduced a new range of LED replacement lamps for landscape lighting fixtures. All Orbit/UMI products are UL or ETL listed and include: NEMA enclosures; steel boxes; weatherproof products; emergency/exit signs and lights; photoelectric controls; fasteners, fittings and grounding devices; landscape lighting fixtures and accessories. For more information about Orbit/UMI, visit the web site at

Ever since the Minnesota Twins unveiled their new home in 2010, Target Field has been lauded for its fan-friendly, innovative design—including being named best stadium in the country by ESPN Magazine. As part of that design, the award-winning “TargetPlaza” outside the right field gate is an active and engaging pedestrian area thanks to elements like iLight’s Plexineon White 1X Series fixtures. For oslund.and.assoc., the landscape architect, the challenge was creating a welcoming, park-like space despite surrounding urban influences. Not only is the plaza comprised of multiple bridges suspended 25 feet above an interstate highway, there also are challenging pedestrian connections to downtown Minneapolis, plus a commuter rail line. “Having used iLight Plexineon before, we were very confident in the performance and effect we would get.” Tadd Kreun Partner, oslund.and.assoc. To offset so much hardscape, incorporating green space was key. As a solution, Tadd Kreun, partner at the firm, designed circular stone planters with benches around the perimeter that are illuminated with White Plexineon. Filled with ornamental grasses, the planters resemble pitchers’ mounds. “It’s a really nice quality,” Kreun says. “The lighting gives the impression that the planters are floating.” Plexineon also illuminates a low planter wall that stretches the length of the plaza, providing additional seating and more areas for plantings. “We were looking for something to guide people from downtown,” Kreun says. For the project, Plexineon offered several advantages. Kreun especially liked that the LED strip is fully encapsulated. “It’s a very simple, clean system that gives a nice bright line of light,” he says. “We also liked the rigid nature of the product. It’s easy to install and provides a straight, crisp line.” The firm had used Plexineon before with excellent results. In developing the award-winning design forMinneapolis’sGoldMedalParkoutside the acclaimed Guthrie Theater, Kreun specified Plexineon Blue Series fixtures to illuminate custom park benches at night. Three years later, the fixtures continue to provide a reliable, uniform lighting solution. As a result, Kreun says that forTargetPlaza, “Having used iLight Plexineon before, we were very confident in the performance and effect we would get.

The American Red Cross in New Mexico received $11,100 from Summit Electric Supply, $100 for every home run hit by the Isotopes, Albuquerque’s AAA baseball team, during the regular season. The home run donation has become an annual tradition for the company. Adrian Montoya, operations manager, presented the check to Red Cross Regional CEO Cindy Adams on the Isotopes field. “We are so grateful to Summit Electric Supply for their ongoing support,”Adams said. “Our focus this year is on replenishing our disaster supplies that we used during this summer’s wildfires. We also will focus on educating our communities on being prepared for disasters like those we experienced.” Summit supports the American Red Cross both locally and nationally. “With so many natural disasters occurring this year, we are happy to continue our support for the vital work of the Red Cross,” said Victor R. Jury Jr.,Summit’s President and CEO. Founded in 1977, Summit Electric Supply is an independent, privately held electrical distributor headquartered in Albuquerque, N.M. Summit employs 500 and operates in 19 markets across four states, as well as in Dubai, UAE. See locations and more at

Korea has aggressively carried out projects to boost “low-carbon green growth” over the past years and now seeks to share its experience with other nations for sustainable development, Environment Minister Yoo Young-sook said Tuesday. Her remark was made prior to the Asian and Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the　United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), which will be held at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul starting today for a two-day run. “The hosting of this preparatory meeting here implies that the international community recognizes Korea as an initiative country for green growth,” Yoo said in an interview. “We will share our experience with the international community by presenting examples of environment-friendly policies such as the four major rivers restoration project during this meeting.” The four rivers project, designed to restore water ecosystems and prevent droughts and floods, was a good example of green growth and is in line with U.N. environment-friendly programs, the minister said. Yoo said the four river restoration project was acclaimed in a recent UN report as a successful example of green growth. The project was included in “Toward a GREEN ECONOMY: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication” by the UN Environment Program. The ministry co-hosts the meeting with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), ahead of the UNCSD, also known as “Rio+20,” which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2012. Rio+20 is a 20-year follow-up to the historic 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) with its three main objectives — securing renewed political commitment to sustainable development, assessing the progress and implementation gaps in meeting already agreed commitments and addressing new and emerging challenges. Seoul plans to reflect its stance in preparing the Asian and Pacific Regional Statement on Sustainable Development through discussions with other member countries in the region during the preparatory meeting and then submitting it to Rio+20. Yoo said green growth will provide a big leverage for nations to resolve current economic and environmental crises. “We seek to contribute to global efforts directed toward accomplishing sustainable development by playing a bridging role between the developed and developing countries,” she said. Vice Environment Minister Yoon Jong-soo will serve as chairman in the plenary and informal working group on a draft statement at the meeting. The minister attended the Global Green Growth Forum held in Copenhagen, Denmark, last week as part of a “Korea-Denmark Green Growth Partnership” which was signed when President Lee Myung-bak made a state visit to Denmark last May. At the forum, there were more than 200 dignitaries including representatives of international organizations including the U.N. secretary general Ban Ki-moon, UNEP secretary general Angel Gurria and government ministers from various countries. During the two-day forum, participants discussed such green growth issues as energy efficiency, renewable energy, electric car and water management. “I introduced accomplishments and our political will for green growth by establishing ’Global Green Growth Institute’ in order to spread the green growth worldwide and carrying on the four rivers restoration project,” she said. “By participating in this forum, I have clearly reaffirmed that the green growth is the global alternative and ‘green economy’ is the best means to implement sustainable development,” she said. To expand its influence, she also expressed her hope and strong will to host the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP18 in 2012, believing it is crucial for the establishment of international framework to counter climate change. “The year 2012 bears historic importance in that it marks the 20th anniversary since the adoption of the Climate Change Convention as well as the expiration of the 1st commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. Therefore it is a turning point before the inauguration of a post-2012 framework which will be applied from 2013,” she said. The host country of the COP18 will preside over official and unofficial pre-meetings, she said.

the Natural Resources Defense Council and Facebook have partnered on a scheme called "Green on Facebook" that lets you share information on your energy use with your friends. It'll take the form of an app, to be revealed in 2012, that will let US users log into a nationwide network and compare their energy use with others around the country, share tips on saving energy, and enter contents aimed at promoting lower energy use. The principle behind the scheme was laid clear in OPower CEO Alex Laskey's recent Wired 2011 talk. In it, he discussed how an average citizen in the industrialised world spends just six minutes thinking about their energy use each year. "I spend more time thinking about Justin Bieber", he said. The peer pressure aspect is an important part of making schemes like this work. Laskey argued that recycling spread from green-leaning households to the wider population because people didn't want to be seen on recycling day without the bright orange box on the pavement outside their house -- making the process extremely visible increased the peer pressure on the hold-outs. OPower likely hopes that the same principle will apply in the virtual world too. You'll want to appear on the energy-use charts alongside your friends so they don't think less of you. For the time being, the scheme looks to be limited to the United States, where there's somewhat wider adoption of smart meter equipment. However, given OPower announced in July that it's moving into Britain, perhaps we could see a roll-out on this side of the pond sooner, rather than later.