I’m introducing a new Friday feature today on Vox Viridis.  I’ll provide some quick hits on sustainable news items I’ve collected.  I’m pleased to also introduce the Vox Viridis Non-Profit of the Week.  I will take a look at a different non-profit each week and explore how that entity is trying to make a difference for people, planet and profits.

Sustainable Legal News Roundup:

• A US Senate committee proposed climate-change legislation Wednesday, that may be tougher than a version that narrowly passed the House this spring.  The bill would require the country to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 but would limit the amount a company would pay for each ton of carbon it produces to $28.  “Litigation from industry is highly likely,” according to Jon Anderson of the Boston Environmental Policy Examiner.  No matter the result of any litigation, ignoring this issue of carbon is no longer an option. 
• In the largest settlement of a single lawsuit alleging violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act, Sears Holdings Corp agreed to pay $6.2 million to settle a lawsuit by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  The EEOC had accused the operator of Sears and Kmart stores of maintaining an inflexible leave policy, and firing more than 100 employees who wanted to return to work rather than provide them with reasonable accommodations for their disabilities. 
• The Green Car Congress noted that the number of states with geothermal electrical power projects under development increased from 12 to 14 over the past six months.  It cited a Geothermal Energy Association report which identified 144 new geothermal projects under development that could represent as much as 7,100 MW of new baseload power capacity.