HORIZON SOLUTIONS SITE

Historic ‘mercury and air toxics standards’ meet 20-year old requirement to cut dangerous smokestack emissions: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, the first national standards to protect American families from power plant emissions of mercury and toxic air pollution like arsenic, acid gas, nickel, sele nium, and cyanide. The standards will slash emissions of these dangerous pollutants by relying on widely available, proven pollution controls that are already in use at more than half of the nation’s coal-fired power plants.

Traditionally celebrated by having a family barbecue or going to the beach, this year’s Australia Day -- marked nationwide on 26 January 2009 -- is all about going carbon neutral for some of the country’s best-known cities, companies and community initiatives.

China, the world's largest producer of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and halons, shut down five of its six remaining plants on July 1, 2007.  This action puts the country two and a half years ahead of the Montreal Protocol's 2010 deadline for phase-out of the two ozone-depleting chemicals.

The "OzonAction Education Pack," launched globally on September 15, 2006, in English, French and Spanish, contains an entire teaching and learning programme, based on basic knowledge, practical skills and participation, to enable children to learn about simple solutions to protect the ozone layer and safely enjoy the sun.