Green Gina

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

2009-10-23T18:19:00.005-07:00

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

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Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

2009-10-23T18:19:00.003-07:00

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

Posted using ShareThis

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

2009-10-23T18:19:00.001-07:00

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

Posted using ShareThis

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

2009-10-23T18:18:00.003-07:00

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

Posted using ShareThis

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

2009-10-23T18:18:00.001-07:00

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

Posted using ShareThis

Biofuel Powered Rocket Reaches Speed of Sound

2009-07-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

Biofuels for airplanes are desperately needed. Every time an airplane flies carbon dioxide is emitted. According to Greenpeace UK, flying is ten times worse than traveling by train in terms of impact to the environment. A "significant proportion" of a plane's carbon dioxide emissions is at altitude, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization's Air Transport Bureau.

A biofueled rocket launched this summer in the Mohave Desert reached 20,000 feet and Mach 1, the speed of sound. The biofuel that powered the rocket is Jet Propellant-8 (JP-8), developed and produced by a team of scientists from the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC). The fuel was made from canola and soybean oils. The rocket was built by Flometrics, Inc. of San Diego, California.

"This is a unique opportunity for the EERC's renewable fuel," said EERC director Gerald Groenwold.

Carsten Heide, associate director of the EERC said, "We demonstrated that this fuel is a flying fuel, and is 100% renewable and burns clean. It would open up the possibility to run 100% renewable, clean planes."

"The demonstration worked very well, and were are pleased with the fuel. In fact, it performed better than expected," said Steve Harrington, President of Flometrics.

Polish Health Clinic Becomes Energy Efficient

2009-07-24T16:53:00.001-07:00

A health clinic in Poland enacts energy efficiency measures.

Small Island Nations Want Deeper Emissions Reductions

2009-07-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) criticized reductions set by G8 and Major Economies Forum (developing countries) in Italy as too weak to protect small island nations from effects of climate change.

G8 nations and Major Economies Forum agreed to a 16 percent reduction by 2020, and to cap temperatures at 3.6 degrees Fahreinheit (two degrees Celsius) above 18^th century levels.

AOSIS nations want a 45 reduction by 2020, an 85 percent reduction by 2050, and temperatures capped at 2.7 degrees Fahreinheit (1.5 degrees Celsius).

“Two degrees of temperature rise is still unacceptable, because it exceeds safe thresholds necessary for the protection and survival of small islands,” according to Dessima Williams, Grenada’s U.N. ambassador and head of AOSIS.

“Given the decades-long time lags between accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and changes in average temperatures, a mere temperature goal is insufficient,” Williams said. “Targets need to be specific, measurable, quantifiable and defined by reference to the 1990 baseline emissions agreed to under the Kyoto Protocol.”

“It is a cruel irony that without adequate global commitments, the countries contributing least to global warming will be the ones most affected by its consequences,” Williams added.

Last September the representatives of four Pacific island nations (Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau) called on developed countries to take specific action on climate change. Kiribati’s President Anote Tong said his country had to create a “long-term merit-based relocation strategy,” because there is the real the possibility that all 100,000 people in Kiribati might have to be relocated.

“This strategy involves the upskilling of our people to make them competitive and marketable at international labour markets,” Tong said.

President Litokwa Tomeing of the Marshall Islands, said, “ If wars have been waged to protect the rights of people to live in freedom, and to safeguard their security, why will they not be waged to protect our right to survive from the onslaught of climate change?”

President Emanuel Mori of Micronesia said, “Already, many islands have experienced inundations of their taro patches and other food crops by saltwater, resulting in decreasing production and crop destruction.”

Vice President Elias Camsek Chin of Palau characterized climate change as a security issue “which has gone unaddressed.” “In the meantime, we cannot wait,” Chin said.

UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon criticized the two-degree target as “not sufficient.” “Much more needs to be done if governments are to seal the deal on a new climate agreement in December in Copenhagen.”

“The countries represented at L'Aquila are responsible for more than 80 per cent of global emissions, and that is why they bear special responsibility for finding a solution to the political impasse,” Ban said. “If they fail to act this year, they will have squandered a unique historical opportunity that may not come again.”

Related posts:

U.S. Expects Less From China

The Wasted Opportunity

Developed Countries Need To Do More

World Leaders Meet For Talks In Bonn

Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Decreased Last Year

2009-07-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the environment, any good news is welcomed. Thankfully, there is a bit of good news these days when it comes to sulfur dioxide emissions (SOx). During the first half of 2008, SOx emissions from U.S. power plants dropped c24 percent, according to Genscape, who attributes the reduction to the electricity industry preparing for stricter regulations next year. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions decreased five percent in May and eleven percent in June, mainly because of the recession.

"The industry is clearly going through a dress rehearsal for the implementation of the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) in 2010, and judging by allowance prices as well as the fundamental data, it is a stellar performance," Genscape said. “Most of the decline in sulfur emissions is not due to the recession or even to the switch from high-sulfur coal to lower sulfur grades and to gas. It makes sense to start cutting emissions early if the equipment is in place… The challenge for producers is to maintain discipline even as the economy recovers.”

Industrial emissions elevate levels of sulfur dioxide, which are then absorbed into plants and soils, captured below and within clouds, and then cause acid rain. According to Greg Lawrence, a water scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, acid rain and climate change are “closely associated.” Lawrence believes acid rain need to be studied with climate change.

“Even low concentrations of sulfur dioxide can harm plants and trees and reduce crop productivity. Higher levels, and especially the acidic deposits from acid rain, will adversely affect both land and water ecosystems,” according to Australia’s National Pollutant Inventory.

Senate Democrats Push for a Climate Change Bill

2009-07-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

On June 25, the House passed the American Climate and Energy Security (ACES) Act by a 219 to 212 vote. ACES calls for a 17 percent cut in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2020 from 2005 levels, and an 83 percent reduction by 2050. Yesterday, Senate Democrats in Senate began to push a Senate the climate change bill.

The House bill (ACES) calls for a 17 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2020 from 2005 levels, and an 83 percent reduction by 2050. It would create a cap-and-trade program which would require U.S. industries to purchase emissions permits.

Some environmental groups criticized ACES. Greenpeace called it a piece of legislation “already in need of improvement when first released as a discussion draft in March and has become severely worse.” Phil Radford, Greenpeace USA Executive Director, issued the following statement about the House bill:

“Despite the best efforts of Chairman Waxman, this bill has been seriously undermined by the lobbying of industries more concerned with profits than the plight of our planet. While science clearly tells us that only dramatic action can prevent global warming and its catastrophic impacts, this bill has fallen prey to political infighting and industry pressure. We cannot support this bill in its current state. We call on President Obama and leaders in Congress to get back to work and produce a bill, based on science, which presents a clear road map for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transforms our economy with clean, renewable energy technology, generates new green jobs and shows real leadership internationally.”

Friends of the Earth (FOE) criticized ACES because it would eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency’s current authority to reduce GHG emissions under the Clean Air Act. FOE called the cap-and-trade system ACES would create “flawed,” and stated that it would “undermine investment in technology development.”

FOE also criticized ACES for lacking “significant penalties for corporations that violate it,” unlike the Clean Air Act. If the cap-and-trade system experiences problems, “the EPA will not be allowed to step into the breach.”

David Hamilton of the Sierra Club questioned the effectiveness of ACES cap-and-trade system, but hoped that environmental groups would be successful in pushing for a better Senate bill. "Do, at some point, we try to bank what the politics allows?" Hamilton said. "Our judgment in this case is that we're going to keep trying with the bill" in the Senate.

Frank O’Donnell of the Clean Air Watch said “We’re saying it sure as heck ought to get better in the Senate, or it’s going to be a sorry day.”

Democratic House members who voted for the bill expressed their objections to it. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH) said, in a statement, ACES “might make the problem worse.” He listed aspects of the bill he thinks are problematic:

Overall targets are too weak.
The offsets undercut the emission reductions.
It delays significant emissions reductions.
EPA’s authority to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the short- to medium-term is rescinded.
Nuclear power is given a lifeline instead of phasing it out.
Dirty Coal is given a lifeline instead of phasing it out.
The $60 billion allocated for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is triple the amount of money for basic research and development in the bill.
Carbon markets can and will be manipulated using the same Wall Street sleights of hand that brought us the financial crisis.
It is regressive. Free allocations doled out with the intent of blunting the effects on those of modest means will pale in comparison to the allocations that go to polluters and special interests.
The Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) is not an improvement. The 15% RES standard would be achieved even if we failed to act.
Dirty energy options qualify as “renewable.”
It undermines our bargaining position in international negotiations in Copenhagen and beyond.
International assistance is much less than demanded by developing countries.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.) issued a statement saying he couldn't support the bill as written because “it is too weak to greatly spur new technologies and green jobs.”

What is a Lifestyle Media Company?

2009-07-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

A new approach to consumers is needed, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) where consumers are helped to “maximize their limited time and attention to create a rich, personalized, and social media environment.” PWC calls the approach lifestyle media.

PWC published a report about lifestyle media in 2006. The report listed two components which a company needs to achieve the goal of lifestyle media: new content distribution models that put consumers in control, and scalable data about what consumers are watching, doing, and creating. Companies that take the lifestyle media approach “will become viable consumer gateways,” according to the report.

Examples of lifestyle media companies

A few months ago I searched for aluminum reusable water bottles, and discovered the company, Gaiam. Calling itself a “lifestyle media company,” Gaiam sells more than just aluminum water bottle, but fitness wear and equipment, DVDs, books, bedding, and home décor. Its media titles are sold in Target, Whole Foods Market and Best Buy

Founded in 1988, the Boulder, Colorado based company took its name from a fusion of the word Gaia (which means mother earth) and I am. Seven years ago it coined the term Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS). The acronym, LOHAS is now commonly used by everything from Business Week to environmental websites.

Gaiam’s business model has three “concentric circles” which include content (information), offerings (products), and channels (communicate with customers). Its code of ethics is the following:

Say what we mean and stand for what is right.
Be honest and trustworthy in all of our activities, relationships and communications.
Foster an atmosphere in which fair employment practices extend to every member of the Gaiam community.
To ensure that we treat one another with dignity and respect, appreciating the diversity and uniqueness of all of our members.
Strive to create a safe and supportive workplace, promote healthy lifestyles, foster and encourage personal development, and protect the environment and all living things.
Through leadership at all levels, sustain a culture where ethical conduct is recognized, valued and exemplified by all employees.
Understand and obey the applicable laws and regulations governing our business conduct in all of the jurisdictions in which we operate.

Gaiam also maintains a blog on its website, called Stream of Consciousness. The blog contains articles about mind-body fitness, health and wellness, green living, and personal growth.

Scripps Networks launched HGTV in 1994, and currently has other televisions networks, including Food, DIY, Fine Living, and Great American Country (GAC). The company also publishes books and magazines, and maintains websites.

Scripps Networks has the following core values:

Diversity
Clarity in communication
Integrity
Compassion/support
Work/life balance
Openness
Humor

Obama Gives Thumbs Up to Clean Energy

2009-07-01T03:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, President Obama talked about creating a "clean energy economy," and touted the American Climate and Energy Security (ACES) Act, passed lastFriday by the House. ACES will create a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by auctioning offsets.

Watch the following video of Obama's press conference:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

What Can Renters and Homeowners Do to be More Energy Efficient?

2009-06-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

A senior consultant, Kendra Tupper, with the Rocky Mountain Institute conducted an online chat at Greenopolis.org today. When asked about energy efficiency, Tupper, an expert on the subject, listed simple things both renters and homeowners can do. Here are Tupper’s recommendations:

For renters

Tenant Fit Out: When you are first fitting out a space, the renter or tenant can choose materials and finishes which are environmentally friendly and have low embodied energy.
Lighting: One of the biggest electricity consumers in office spaces is lighting - this is something the tenants can often retrofit themselves. Look for third generation T8, efficient electronic ballasts, and occupancy sensors and daylight controls (where applicable).
Submetering: Request that your space be submetered (this is most successful if negotiated during the fit out). Even if the tenant has to pay for this, you can often recoup the cost if your able to negotiate utlity billing based on submetering, rather than building wide metering. With this scenario, you realize the cost paybacks of your retrofits.
Cooperate with landlord: Offer to share the up front cost (and utility savings) with your landlord. Lease renogiations are a good time to address collaborative projects, and you can structure the lease to align incentives to make efficiency upgrades.

For homeowners

Programmable thermostats
Energy efficient window shades - thermal or insulated window coverings can add up to R6 to your windows
Seal ductwork with mastic tape to prevent leakage
Weatherstripping, window caulking, and foam barriers behind electric outlet plates to prevent infiltration
Clean refrigerator coils - these should be cleaned twice a year as dust build up prevents the condenser from operating
Shade the condensing unit of your AC unit - this maintains a low temp for the condensing unit and it will run more efficiently
Insulate hot water tank and pipes
Lower the temperature on your DHW tank to reduce heat loss - it shouldn't be set higher than 110F
Plant deciduous trees on the west and south side of the house to block solar heat gain
Turn off power strips when plug loads are not being used

U.S. Expects Less from China

2009-06-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

Last week a U.S. delegation meet in Beijing with Chinese officials to talk about the next climate change treaty. Dr. Jonathan Pershing, head of the U.S. delegation, said that developed countries “would take additional action in line with their historical responsibility and capacity,” than developing countries.

“Our intention is to get an agreement we can bring home and have ratified, and we’re pretty optimistic about that,” Pershing said. “US engagement has changed the dynamic of the conversation here. That’s the kind of shift the world community has been waiting for.”

Todd Stern said that China is not expected to “take a national cap at this stage.” The U.S is instead expecting China to continue its efforts to increase energy efficiency and develop renewable energy, “so that China’s emissions can grow slower and start to come down eventually.”

“We understand China's paramount need to grow and develop for its people,” Stern said. “Our demand is that the development, with the available technologies, is based on low-carbon growth.”

Daniel Dudek, chief economist with the Environmental Defense Fund, said, “People, I think, are really trying to understand the negotiating territory and what is in the art of the possible between the two nations," Dudek told China Daily. He added that the U.S. may eventually expect more from China.

The Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqianq told Stern during their meeting, “China has noticed the change of the U.S. government on climate change as well as the positive measures it has taken.”

Stern spoke on June 3 at the Center for American Progress. During the speech he made it clear that reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will not be possible “if we don’t find a way forward with China.”

Stern made it clear that developing countries, including China, will “do not need to take the same actions that developed countries are taking, but they do need to take significant national actions that… are ambitious enough to be broadly consistent with the lessons of science.”

Watch the video of Stern's speech:

Watch This Video and Pass It On

2009-06-17T15:00:00.001-07:00

The environmental group, 350.org is asking everyone to take part in actions on October 24 to raise awareness about climate change. Watch the short video by 350.org, and then pass it on:

The Wasted Opportunity

2009-06-16T00:52:00.000-07:00

In 1977 a physicist named Amory Lovins published an essay in Foreign Affairs titled, Energy Strategy: The Rood Not Taken. According to Lovins, there were two paths the U.S. could take in regards to energy. The first path would be a continuance of burning fossil fuels. Lovins wrote, "The commitment to a long-term coal economy many times the scale of today's makes the doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration early in the next century virtually unavoidable, with the prospect then or soon thereafter of substantial and perhaps irreversible changes in global climate."

It is now 2009 and last year carbon dioxide concentrations were 386 parts per minute (ppm). Both NASA scientist, James Hansen and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) use 450 ppm as the "no return point," when it will be impossible to reverse climate change. The U.S. wasted three decades when it could have been developing renewable energy, and implementing energy efficiency measures. During those decades, fossil fuels continued to be the only source of energy and vehicle fuel.

Now we are at a crucial point where reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a necessity if we want to avoid "irreversible changes to the global climate." In December, world leaders will meet in Copenhagen, Denamark to hammer out a new climate change protocol. Let's hope the world will not waste the opportunity to truly combat climate change.

Introducing Hybrid American Chestnut Trees Could Reduce Carbon

2009-06-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

Introducing a hybrid of the American chestnut tree would accomplish two things: bring back the almost extinct species, and reduce carbon emissions, according to a Purdue University study. American chestnuts grow faster and larger than other hardwood trees, allowing them to capture more carbon.

Douglass Jacobs, author of the study and a associate professor of forestry and natural resources, said, “The American chestnut is an incredibly fast-growing tree. Generally the faster a tree grows, the more carbon it is able to sequester. And when these trees are harvested and processed, the carbon can be stored in the hardwood products for decades, maybe longer.”

Chestnuts almost disappeared 50 years ago because of a fungus. The new hybrid is 94 percent American chestnut combined with a more blight-resistant Chinese chestnut. “We're really quite close to having a blight-resistant hybrid that can be reintroduced into eastern forests,” Jacobs said. “But because American chestnut has been absent from our forests for so long now, we really don't know much about the species at all.

Why the World Needs Less Deforestation

2009-06-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

During the climate talks in Bonn, Germany on June 9, activists issued a consensus statement about halting deforestation and industrial logging. The statement called for the "“effective adoption and implementation...of the Rights to Free Prior and Informed Consent of Indigenous Peoples and local forest dependent communities.”

The statement also called for the following:

Monoculture tree plantations should not be established and managed, “including genetically modified tree plantations, and the practice of industrial logging from these policies.”
The Copenhagen protocol should include “measures to reduce consumption of forest products, especially in the Industrialized North.”
Developed countries must make “immediate and drastic cuts in their domestic greenhouse gas emissions.” The statement called for a 45 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2020, and a 95 percent reduction by 2050.
Developed countries must provide “sufficient financial and technological support to enable developing countries to halt the destruction of forests and other ecosystems.”
The Copenhagen protocol should exclude “any form of carbon offsetting, including CDM afforestation/reforestation and REDD offset projects.

”The Nature Conservancy released a report titled Don’t Forget the Second ‘D’ about the impact of forest degredation. According to the report, GHG emissions from forest degredation are at least 30 percent of all emissions from the forest sector.

The report listed strategies for reducing GHG emissions from forest degredation:

Reduced impact logging—Techniques such as directional felling and cutting of vines from trees…studies indicate that RIL methods may reduce carbon emissions per unit of wood extracted by 30 to 50 percent
Forest certification—Certification from groups like Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) help reduce carbon emissions
Integrated Fire Management (IFM)—Evaluates and balances the risks of fire with the “beneficial or necessary ecological”

A report by Global Witness looked at the impact of deforestation on the environment. Old growth primary forests continue to "grow and sequester carbon from the atmosphere," the report stated, and are not carbon neutral. It can takes centuries for replanted forests to regain their previous carbon levels.

"My major concern is that until we talk about these demand issues in a meaningful way, we aren't talking about a real solution," Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) Forest Campaigns Director Andrea Johnson said.

See other articles about deforestations:

UNEP Calls for Ecosystems Management

Environmental Legislators Call for a Green Fund

2009-06-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

Environmental legislators meeting in Rome Friday and Saturday for the Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) meeting called for the creation of an international green fund in the Copenhagen protocol. The fund would provide developing countries with financial and technical help to reduce GHG emissions. Thirteen countries are represented at the GLOBE meeting, including the G8 (the U.S., Canada, Britain, German, France, Italy, Japan, and Russia), and the five developing countries with the largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa).

Stephen Byers, president of GLOBE and member of British parliament, said the fund is needed given the “substantial financial resources to be used” in developing countries to reduce emissions. Byers said developed countries need to acknowledge “the large scale of financial transfers required (by) developing countries” to reduce emissions. “We're talking of important amounts of money here.”

Stefania Prestigiacomo, Italian minister for the environment, said that there is an “urgent need to share technology with low carbon content with developing countries, to satisfy these countries' legitimate demand for energy and economic growth without aggravating the environmental equilibrium of the planet.”

José Luis Espinoza Piña, member of the Mexican senate and chair of the commission for the environment and natural resources at his country's congress, said the green fund must be “a bold financial scheme supported by multilateralism, efficiency, and equity. (Its) performance (should) be regulated by contributions from all countries...and constructed around the idea of shared but differentiated responsibilities.”

See previous post Developed Countries Need to Do More

Developed Countries Needs To Do More

2009-06-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

"The Copenhagen package must be comprehensive and balanced, where mitigation and adaptation is supported by finance and technology transfer to developing countries," said Shyam Saran, India's chief negotiator at the climate change talks in Bonn. "So anything that strays from this is of concern to us."

Saran said that reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions needs to be "accompanied by clear detailing of equitable burden sharing." He added, "You cannot just do the arithmetic and say developing countries must play their part. Science cannot trump equity."

Must developed countries are "nowhere near meeting their targets." India chief negotiator accused developed countries of "trying to muddy the waters." He cited Japan's effort to shift the baseline for GHG emissions reductions from 1990 to the current date. "All these are efforts to get away from the legal document and to gloss over the fact that they are not meeting their legal targets."

According to a February article in the Guardian, developing countries have received less than 10 percent of the funds developed countries promised them to help them mitigate climate change. The past seven years, developed countries promised almost $18 billion, but actually gave less than $0.9 billion.

"It's a scandal. The amount the developed countries have provided is peanuts. It is poisoning the UN negotiations. What [the rich countries] offer to the poorest is derisory, the equivalent of one banker's bonus. It's an insult to people who are already experiencing increasingextreme events," said Bernarditas Muller of the Phillippines, the chief negotiator for the G77 and China group of developing countries.

UNEP Report Calls for Ecosystems Management

2009-06-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

In order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, ecosystems such as forests need to be managed better, according to a report released Friday by the U.N. Environment Program. Restoring peatlands and better agricultural practices can also help reduce carbon emissions. As the report puts it, "Managing ecosystems for carbon can not only reduce carbon emissions; it can also actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere."

Investing in ecosystem management is more cost effective than investing in carbon capture and sequestration. In addition to being more cost effective, ecosystem management also improves water supplies.

"We need to move toward a comprehensive policy framework for addressing ecosystems," said co-author Barney Dickson.

"Tens of billions of dollars are being earmarked for carbon capture and storage at power stations with the CO2 to be buried underground or under the sea," said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director. "But perhaps the international community is overlooking a tried and tested method that has been working for millennia, the biosphere. By some estimates the Earth's living systems might be capable of sequestering more than 50 gigatones (Gt) of carbon over the coming decades with the right market signals."

Obama Believes U.S. Can Be Enviornmental Leader

2009-06-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

During the press conference in Dresden on Friday, President Obama expressed optimism about the U.S. becoming a leader on climate change. "I’m actually more optimistic than I was about America being able to take leadership on this issue, joining Europe, which over the last several years has been ahead of us on this issue."

Obama mentioned the climate change legislation in Congress. “We are seeing progress in Congress around energy legislation that would set up for the first time in the United States a cap and trade system. That process is moving forward in ways that I think if you had asked political experts two or three months ago would have seemed impossible.”

In six months world leaders will meet in Copenhagen with the goal of creating a new climate change treaty. Obama pointed out that "the world is going to need targets that it can meet." He added, "It can’t be general, vague approaches. We’re going to have to make some tough decisions and take concrete actions if we are going to deal with a potentially cataclysmic disaster."

Obama made it clear that industrialized countries will have to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “Unless the United States and Europe, with our large carbon footprints, per capita carbon footprints, are willing to take some decisive steps, it’s going to be very difficult for us to persuade countries that on a per capita basis at least are still much less wealthy, like China or India, to take the steps that they’re going to need to take.”

“So we are very committed to working together and hopeful that we can arrive in Copenhagen having displayed that commitment in concrete ways."

World Environment Day

2009-06-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

Today is World Environment Day. Watch the following video to remind yourself why fighting climate change is so important.

World Leaders Meet for Talks in Bonn

2009-06-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

A 12-day conference for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) began on Monday in Bonn, Germany. In December world leaders will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to negotiate a new climate change treaty.

Yvo De Boer, the U.N.'s leading climate change official, spoke optimistically about a new climate change treaty. "The political moment is right to reach an agreement. There is no doubt in my mind that the Copenhagen climate conference in December is going to lead to a result."

Success in Copenhagen depends on four "political essentials," according to De Boer. The four essentials are:

Clarity on how much industrialised countries would reduce their emissions up to 2020
Clarity on what developing countries would do to limit the growth of their emissions
Stable finance from industrialised nations for the developing world to mitigate climate change and adapt
A governance regime

June marks the deadlines for developed countries to propose greenhouse gas (GHG) emission targets. China and Russia are the only two developed countries that have not yet submitted a proposal. However, a new document was posted on the website of China's National Development and Reform Commission. The document stated that developed countries should reduce GHG emissions 40 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels, and contribute 0.5 to one percent of their GDP to help developing countries cope with climate change.

Experts believe that a successful climate change treaty depends on the U.S. and China cooperating with each other. "This trip is one piece of what is going to be an extended interaction with the Chinese at all levels," Todd Stern, top climate negotiator for the U.S., said. "So yes, the vision that we have is of a clean energy and climate partnership bilaterally with the Chinese."

Watch the following Video from the Bonn climate change talks:

Calling All Californians: Reduce Your City's Plastic Bags

2009-05-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

Watch this short, quirky video about plastic bag use in California.

Technorati Profile

How Safe is Tattoo Ink?

2009-05-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

Since the early 1990s, tattoos have been very popular. By 2003, 36 percent of Americans aged 25 to 29 had at least one tattoo.

A few years ago the environmental news site The Daily Green published an article about the safety of tattoo ink. The article characterized what I call the 'tattoo craze' as an "inked up world." How many people who are part of the "inked up world" think about the safety of tattoo ink, let alone do research on it?

The first thing someone should know who is considering getting "inked up" is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate tattoo ink for two reasons: 1. tattoo inks are considered trade secrets, and 2. the inks are not sold directly to consumers. The official stance of the FDA concerned regulating tattoo ink is:

Because of other public health priorities and a previous lack of evidence of safety concerns, FDA has not traditionally regulated tattoo inks or the pigments used in them.

According to article by Treehugger, heavy metals are used in the pigments that make up tattoo ink to give it permanent color. Tattoo ink may include lead, arsenic, antimony, beryllium, chromium, cobalt, and nickel. The article stated that the amounts of the metals in tatto ink "may be substantial."

The European Commission (EC) issued a report concerning the health risks of tattooing which noted that almost 40 percent of the organic colorants used in tattoos in Europe are not approved for use on the skin. Almost 20 percent of the colorants looked at in the report contained a carcinogenic aromatic amine. The study also found that many of the chemicals in tattoo ink are also used in pen and printer inks, and automobile paints.

A 2005 report by researchers at Northern Arizona University said that heavy metals such as copper and nickel are found in tattoo ink. The researchers studied 17 tattoo inks from five manufacturers. The researchers believe that tattoo ink needs to be studied.

Although the FDA does not regulate tattoo ink, it does provide the following tips on its website:

FDA has not approved any tattoo inks for injection into the skin, and many ink pigments used are industrial strength colors suitable for printers’ ink or automobile paint.

The bottom line concerning tattoos is that they may not be safe. Even having them removed could cause more harm as the laser process used in removing tattoos causes the metal in the ink to leach into the body. My recommendation is to forgo getting a tattoo. The old adage is true: better to be safe than sorry.

EPA to Reconsider Hazardous Waste Ruling

2009-05-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a public meeting on June 30 about its October 2008 proposed ruling on hazardous waste. The proposed ruling would remove “unnecessary regulatory controls” in order to encourage recycling. The Sierra Club opposed the ruling and filed a judicial petition. The American Petroleum Institute also filed a judicial petition.

The ruling changed the definition of solid waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). If adopted, there would be an estimated three million pounds of hazardous waste a year that would not be regulated if it is reused or reclaimed.

Sierra Club believes the following would also happen if the proposed ruling was enacted:

Create economic incentives for “midnight dumping”
Create a new generation of waste sites
Undermine Superfund’s principle of polluter liability, and leave taxpayers with the cleanup bill

Hazardous waste includes common household items such as batteries, electronics, paints and solvents, and pharmaceuticals.

Reduce Your Energy Use in Honor of Earth Day

2009-04-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

The U.S. uses more energy than any other country, and is the second largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions. The average American produces about 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year. In honor of Earth Day, I have listed cheap and easy things you can do to reduce your energy use and carbon emissions.

1. Install a programmable thermostat. Lowering your thermostat just two degrees in the winter saves 420 pounds of carbon a year. Every degree you lower your thermostat reduces energy use by four percent.

2. Insulate your house, including the attic, and HVAC ducts. Seal large air leaks in your house. Seal large air leaks in your home. Insulating your walls and ceilings saves 20-30 percent of home heating bills and reduces carbon emission by 140 to 2,100 pounds a year. Plugging air leaks through caulking and weather stripping saves 1,100 pounds of carbon emissions a year.

3. Insulate your water heater, which saves 1,100 pounds of carbon a year for an electric water heater, and 220 pounds for a gas heater.

4. Install efficient waterheads. Low-flow shower heads save 300 pounds of carbon a year.

River of War, River of Life: The Fate of the Nile

2009-03-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Watch the short documentary, River of War, River of Life: The Fate of the Nile below

Why the International World Water Day is Focusing on Transboundary Waters

2009-03-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

The International World Water Day occurs every year on March 22 in order to focus attention on the importance of freshwater. In 1992, the UN Conference and Development (UNCED) recommended creating an international day to celebrate freshwater. In 1993 the first International World Water Day was created. The theme this year is Shared Water, Shared Opportunities, with the focus on transboundary waters.

There are 263 transboundary lake and river basins that cover half of the Earth’s land surface, and 60 percent of them supply global freshwater. About 40 percent of the world’s population lives in river and lake basins that extend across two or more countries, and 90 percent lives in countries that share basins. Two million people depend on the groundwater that comes from about 300 transboundary aquifer systems.

Climate change increases the risk of inland flash floods, coastal floods, and droughts. As a result, climate change will put pressure on transboundary water resources. According to the UN whitepaper, Transboundary Water: Sharing Benefits, Sharing Responsibilities, “The necessity to adapt to climate change, however, will also offer new opportunities for cooperation in developing adaptation strategies.”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) believes that climate change will have a “complex set of impacts” on the world’s water resources. A study on transboundary water resources and climate change by the Henry L. Stimson Center points out that melting mountain glaciers will disrupt upstream sources, “upsetting the timing and quantity of downstream flows.” This will cause “chronic pressures” for countries that share river resources because there will be less freshwater available, plus flooding or drought. “Both types of threats can impair food production, endanger public health, stress established settlement patterns, and jeopardize livelihoods and social well-being.”

Joint bodies with enforcement capacity are needed to ensure that countries who share water resources cooperate together in dealing with the impact of climate change. Of the 263 river basins in the world, 158 do not have a cooperative management framework, according to the UN whitepaper. The whitepaper suggests three things the joint bodies would need to do: coordinate and advise, develop and implement policy, and settle disputes. The joint bodies would need to establish “institutional and administrative structures.”

The Most Effective Way to Reduce Emissions

2009-03-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

The recently released report, Consensus Recommendations for Future Federal Climate Legislation in 2009 published by various environmental and business organizations, states that energy efficiency is the must effective way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Energy efficiency improvements, as experience in many states indicates, cost an average three center per lifetime kilowatt-hour saved compared to seven to thirteen cents per kilowatt-hour for conventional energy.

The power sector generates the largest amount of GHG emissions in the U.S., 37 percent. Carbon emissions from the power sector are greater than GHG emissions of all other countries but China. A report titled Carbon Caps and Efficiency Resources by Richard Cowart calls energy efficiency the "low-cost equivalent of a carbon scrubber for the electric power sector" and the key resource to create a "low-carbon power sector."

Polices are needed to "realize the full potential of energy efficiency" according to a report, A Call for Action by the U.S. Climate Action Partner. The report recommends climate legislation to create federal and state policies that "align financial and regulatory incentives with utilities' business interests." The report also recommends that stronger energy efficiency codes and standards, plus incentives and tax reform measures by enacted.

Why Samso is the Greenest Island

2009-03-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

In 1997, the Danish Energy Agency sponsored a contest in Denmark to choose an off-shore island with the best plan to run 100 percent on renewable energy in a ten-year period. The 40 square-mile island of Samso, population 4,000, was chosen. The islanders raised 80 percent of the money to fund the venture from local investors, and relied on the government for laws and regulations.

Today the islanders use wind turbines for energy, and for heat they burn straw which creates very hot water that is then pumped underground to homes. The island's total energy needs are met 100 percent from renewables. Samso is estimated to have reduced its emissions for carbon dioxide by 142 percent, sulfur dioxide by 71 percent, and nitrous oxide by 41 percent. The island transfers its extra kilowatt hours of wind energy to the country's main power grid.

The islanders have experienced an overall improvement in their quality of life as a result of the project. Studies show that the cost of heating is 20 percent cheaper than buying heating oil. The renewable energy projects created new markets which in turn created new jobs.

Transportation is still largely fossil-fuel based. However, the islanders are involved in two different projects to address the problem: using canola oil as biofuel for tractors and ferry boats, and developing a hydrogen plant to power other vehicles on the island.

Green Hotels Have Competitive Advantage

2009-03-06T18:07:00.000-08:00

The U.S. 2009 Lodging Report, published by Ernst & Young, LLP calls green hotels a global "niche trend" within the hotel industry whose growth is fueled by several factors: governments with requirements to build greener, investors, and hotel companies.

The report stated that as as consumers demand hotels become greener, and energy efficiency "becomes the norm," hotels that are able to successfully "integrate environmentally friendly practices across all their business activities" will have the "potential to achieve an even greater competitive advantage.”

Hotels who put “an emphasis on green principles in activities related to both development and operations” will be better able to market their brands, according to Michael Fishbin, national director of Hospitality Services for Ernst & Young.

At present there are not standards for green hotels, but the U.S. Green Building Council and American Hotel and Lodging Association are scheduled to release a certification process for hotel projects late this year.

Obama Signs the Stimulus Bill

2009-02-19T02:17:00.000-08:00

Two days ago, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, a $787 billion economic stimulus package. The good news is that $79 billion will be spent on environmentally-friendly measures.

How the $79 billion will be spent

Renewable energy

$14 billion in tax incentives for renewable energy facilities
$6 billion for the Innovative Energy Loan Guarantee Program
$1.6 billion in tax incentives for manufacturers of advanced energy
$1.4 billion for energy-related state and local bonds
$268 million to expand tax incentives for residential renewable energy properties
$54 million in tax incentives for alternative fuel pumps

Mass transportation

$9.3 billion for rail transportation
$8.4 billion for public transportation
$1.5 billion in competitive grants for state and local public transportation projects

Energy efficiency

$6.3 billion for cities, counties and states to increase energy efficiency
$5 billion to weatherize over one million homes of low-income families
$4 billion to modernize public housing units
$4.2 billion to make military bases more energy efficient
$2 billion in tax credits for residential energy efficiency improvements
$510 million to modernize 4,200 Native American housing units
$300 million in rebates for energy-efficient appliances
$250 million to make government-subsidized apartments energy efficient

Environmental clean-up

$6 billion to clean up sites formerly used by the Defense Department
$1.2 billion for EPA clean up programs, including Superfund

Alternative vehicles

$2 billion in tax credits to encourage buying alternative vehicles
$300 million to replace federal vehicles with hybrids and electric cars
$2 billion for advanced car battery research

Research

$2.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy research
$2 billion for research at the Department of Energy

For more information about the stimulus package:

Update on the Stimulus

Senators to Debate Stimulus Bill

House Passes Stimulus Package

Update on the Stimulus

2009-02-09T20:47:00.001-08:00

The Senate passed its version of the stimulus package today. Sixty-one voted in favor, with 36 opposed. Three Republicans voted in favor: Senators Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter. The Senate's stimulus bill totaled $827 billion. The House bill totaled $820 billion.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called for a final vote on the combined senate and house bill tomorrow at 9 pm PST/12pm ET.

Obama held first prime time press conference

Tonight President Obama held his first prime time press conference with the financial crisis as his main topic. He pushed the stimulus package, and declared that "only government" can break the "visicious cycle" of job losses which lead people to spend less money, causing more job losses.

The most important feature of the stimulus package, Obama said, is the "fact that it will save or create up to 4 million jobs, because that's what America needs most right now." Over 90 percent of the jobs created by the stimulus package, according to Obama, "will be in the private sector."The Two

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Breakdown of environmentally-friendly stimulus spending

The Senate and House version both contain funds for mass transportation, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy transmission.

Renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy transmission received $53.8 billion ($48.9 billion in the House version), with $14.4 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. The House version is $18.5 billion, with $6.2 billion of it for weatherization and $7.9 billion for energy grants to states.

Renewable energy systems and electric transmission projects would receive $10 billion in federal loan guarantees. The House version only provides $8 billion. Federal power marketing administrations would receive $6.5 billion to build new electricity transmission systems under both the Senate and House versions. Smart grid technology received $4.6 billion from both the Senate and House.

Renewable energy projects that are large scale would receive $11 billion in both the Senate and House versions. Companies that manufacture equipment for renewable energy would receive a tax credit of equal to 30 percent of their investment.

The Senate bill provides $10.7 billion to make federal buildings and vehicle fleets energy efficient. The House version provides $8.7 billion.

The Department of Defense would receive $3.4 billion to make its buildings energy efficient, but in the House version would receive $4.5 billion.

Enviromental remediation would receive $7.8 billion in the Senate version, and $6.4 billion in the House version.

Manufacturers of advanced battery systems would receive $2 billion in loan guarantees in the Senate version.

The Senate bill provides $46 billion in funds for transportation projects:

$27 billion for highway and bridge construction and repair
$11.5 billion for mass transit and rail projects
$4.6 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers
$5 billion for public housing improvements
$6.4 billion for clean and drinking water projects

Watch the Verbal Slug Fest Between Senators

2009-02-07T20:12:00.000-08:00

Watch the verbal slug fest between Senators Lindsey Graham (R) and Barbara Boxer (D). Graham complained about the sheer size of the sitmulus package, some of which will go towards environmentally friendly projects.

Obama's Weekly Address

2009-02-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

Watch President Obama's weekly address:

Senators to Debate Stimulus Bill Monday

2009-02-07T18:40:00.000-08:00

The Senate spent about three hours Saturday debating the economic stimulus package. Monday they will continue the debate, and a vote as soon as Tuesday might come. The stimulus is trimmed to $780 billion, according to CNN.

Unfortunately, energy efficiency will receive less, with a $3.5 billion cut from $7 billion to make federal buildings more energy efficient. The Environmental Protection Agency Superfund will receive $600 million instead of $800 million. Funds for a federal fleet of hybrid vehicles were cut in half from $600 million. Energy loan guarentees totaling $1 billion were cut completely, as was $1.2 billion for retrofitting Project Eight housing.

During President Obama's weekly address he said, "The scale and scope of the plan is right." He reminded the American people that using a "losing formula that offers only tax cuts as the answer for all our problems" will not work. The stimulus package, according to Obama, will save or created three million jobs.

Democratic Senators defended the stimulus package. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (NJ) said, "An investment today means an opportunity for tomorrow. It improves the functioning of our society. The economic recovery act will do those things today so that in years ahead we can educate our kids, keep them healthy."

The Democratic Whip, Sen. Dick Durbin (IL) said, "We're going to work this out. It's a large bill and we have a limited amount of time...We have to do something quickly, boldly."

Republican Senators have continued to complain about the size of the stimulus, reminding the American people of the federal deficit. Sen. Jim Risch called the stimulus a "giant fraud on the American people."

During a Senate debate earlier in the week, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham waved the bill around, saying, "look at this bill." Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer (CA) called waving the bill around "theatrical," and asked Graham if he did that "when George Bush was president and he sent down a bill twice as big as that?"

Spending massive amounts on infrastructure and other projects to stimulate the economy goes back to British John Maynard Keynes, a famous economist whose theories somewhat influenced former President Franklin D. Roosevelt's economic policies. However, in 1934 Keynes visited Roosevelt and spoke to him about spending more. According to a New York Times article last month, Roosevelt was "either unimpressed or uncomprehending." As a result it took the massive spending on World War II to revive the American economy.

A Harvard economic professor told the New York Times he hopes "Obama is going to do better" than Roosevelt did. New York University professor, Richard Sylla said there is a lesson to be learned from Roosevelt, namely that "the government has to do much more than it has doen so far."

Stimulus Might Be Passed This Weekend

2009-02-06T23:37:00.000-08:00

The Senate Democrats reached an agreement with a handful of their Republican collegues Friday night about the economic stimulus package. There might be a vote on Saturday or even Sunday. The stimulus is expected to be $827 billion.

The funds for renewables from the stimulus package are needed for the renewable energy sector. Banks are not lending to solar and wind projects, which has slowed down demand. The factories that build wind and solar parts announced layoffs recently. Trade groups are projecting a 30 to 50 percent decline in installing new equipment.

''I thought if there was any industry that was bulletproof, it was that industry,'' said Rich Mattern, the mayor of West Fargo, North Dakota, where DMI Industries of Fargo operated a wind turbine towers plant.

''It's absolutely frozen,'' said Craig Mataczynski, president of Renewable Energy Systems Americas, a wind developer.

The wind and solar energy sectors will not have to wait very long to receive funds. The Energy Department said it will speed up stimulus spending on renewable energy, with the half marked for it, $35-40 billion, spent in a year. The Energy Department will begin extending loan guarentees within six month after the stimulusis is signed into law.

"The secretary is committed to streamlining the process and eliminating unnecessary paperwork so that we can make these important investments that create jobs as quickly as possible," said Energy Department spokesman Dan Leistikow.

Fresno, CA Area Rapidly Becoming a Solar Belt

2009-02-03T02:00:00.000-08:00

Gap Inc.’s distribution center in Fresno, CA is now powered by solar energy. Smack dab in the middle of California, with an abundance of sunshine, Gap installed 4,500 solar panels on five acres capable of producing 1.9 million kilowatt hours every year, enough to power about 350 homes. It took six months and cost $7 million to build the solar system.

Designed by Richmond, CA based SunPower Corp., the solar panels use a tracking system that automatically tilts the panel so they capture the most sun. According to SunPower, their solar cells and panels generate up to 50 percent more power than other solar technologies.

Renewable Ventures, a subsidiary of Municipal Mortgage & Equity, LLC, own the system. According to the company, “It's an arrangement that's becoming increasingly popular as companies want the economic advantages of solar power without having to pay for building a system.”

"Fresno is a perfect location for these types of projects," said Mark McLanahan, senior vice president, corporate development for Renewable Ventures. "You have plenty of sun, lots of land and air-quality issues. It makes a lot of sense."

Last spring the Fresno Yosemite International Airport flicked the switch on its 4.2 megawatt solar system, the largest kind of any airport in the nation. It will provide 40 percent of the airport’s electricity.

California State University, Fresno, popularly known as Fresno State, finished construction on its 1.2 megawatt solar-powered parking garage late last year. The parking garage has over 3,000 photovoltaic (PV) panels which generate 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, supplying 20 percent of the university’s power. It is expected to save Fresno State more than $13 million in energy costs over 30 years.

Last summer the Kings River Conservation District (KRCD) and San Francisco-based Cleantech America LLC announced plans to build an 80-megawatt solar plant in west Fresno County. The solar plant will be 640 acres, and once built, will be the nation’s largest solar plant. The solar plant will not be completed until 2011. However, the first phase could start producing energy in 2009.

Cleantech also announced plans to build a 5-megawatt solar plant in the Fresno County town of Mendota. The plant will be built on 40 acres, and completed in 2009.

The San Joaquin Valley is considered to be the agricultural center of the world. Several large-scale farms installed solar systems. The P-R Farms in Clovis, east of Fresno, installed a 1.13 megawatt system to the roof of its packinghouse in 2005. The California electricity company Pacific Gas & Electric (P.G.&E) paid for half of the solar project’s cost. Although the project cost owner Pat Ricchiuti $3.2 million, in ten years it will “reach full payback.”

Joe Coelho, owner of Terra Linda Farms in southwestern Fresno County, installed a 60,000 kilowatt solar power system on the roof of his onion packing shed. The system will provide about nine-tenths of the packing shed’s electricity, and during the months when the shed is not used it will put electricity in the power grid. P.G.&E will pay for the electricity.

OK Produce, the Fresno County dairy producer, became one of the first businesses in the area to go solar when it installed 2,100 solar panels covering 35,000 square feet in 2002. The solar panels generate enough electricity to power 230 homes.

Other San Joaquin Valley counties follow suit

In Tulare County, which lies south of Fresno, Peninsula Packaging Co. constructed a 10 acre PV solar farm that generates 1.1 megawatts of electricity. The company received a $3.4 million check from Southern California Gas Co. “as a cash incentive” for installing the solar farm.

Further south of Peninsula, the Kohl’s department store in Visalia contains over 2,000 PV panels on its roof which supply 40 percent of the store’s electricity needs. The store in Visalia is one the first Kohl’s stores with PV panels.

According to Paramount Farms in Kern County (the southern end of the Valley), it is the world's largest vertically integrated supplier of pistachios and almonds. It also owns a 1.1 megawatt solar energy plant which generates enough electricity to power about 300 homes.

Understanding Plastic Recycling Numbers

2009-02-01T02:00:00.000-08:00

Are you confused by the numbers on the bottom of plastic containers? Do you think that the triangle on the bottom of a container means it is recyclable regardless of the number inside of it? Do not feel badly. I once thought the same thing. However, only numbers one and two are accepted as recyclable by the majority of garbage companies. As a writer for Earth911.org states, “PET and HDPE are the most common forms of plastic, so they are the easiest to find recycling locations for.”

The resin identification coding system was introduced in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. According to the website AmericanChemistry.com, the system was created to “meet recyclers' needs while providing manufacturers a consistent, uniform system that could apply nationwide.”

What does each number mean? As Julie Andrews sings in a movie, “Let’s start at the very beginning.” Number 1 has the letters PET next to it and stands for polyethylene terephthalate. PET is a type of polyester material that “came into prominence in the 1950s as a textile material”“Manufacturers want recycled PET and buy it.” because its “strength, temperature tolerance and wear-resistance made it an ideal replacement for, or addition to natural fibers such as silk, cotton and wool."

Number 2 (HDPE) stands for high-density polyethylene, and is used for “bottles, cutting boards, dipping baskets, dippers, trays, and containers.” Most recyclable companies accept HDPE. It is the “high density version of PE plastic.”

Number 3 (PVC) stands for polyvinyl chloride, which is found in a wide variety of products, including packaging, credit cards, and pipes. It is also used in window frames, flooring, and wallpaper. According to Greenpeace, “the production of PVC creates and releases one of the most toxic chemicals – dioxin,” and can “leak harmful additives during use and disposal.” It is difficult to recycle, so most PVC products wind up in landfills. As one website states, “PVC pipe is everywhere.”

Number 4 stands for (LDPE) low-density polyethylene; “a type of polyethylene (plastic) that is used for moulding, film, pipe conduit, wire and cable.” It is recyclable but “many places do not accept it due to the fact that it cost too much to transport because it is so light.”

Number 5 stands for (PP) polypropylene, which is a “PP is a by-product of oil refining processes.” Although it is possible to recycle PP, very little does in fact end up in recycling plants. The reason is that it is difficult for recycling plants to separate it from other plastic products, and “in many places it is only economically viable to recycle a few select types.”

Number 6 (PS) stands for polystyrene, which is used to make foam products. PS is made from styrene which is “known to indiscriminately attack tissue and the nervous system” and is absorbed through the skin, lungs and intestines. Although possible to recycle PS, most cities do not recycle PS products. It takes about 900 years for PS products to break down in landfills.

Number 7 stands for other. The American Chemistry Council describes it as indicating “that a package is made with a resin other than the six listed above, or is made of more than one resin and is used in a multi-layer combination.”

Fair and Organic Soaps

2009-01-31T23:01:00.000-08:00

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps are run by the fifth generation of a soap-making family. Every product is fair trade certified and organic. The bottles that contain the soaps are made from 100 percent post-consumer-recycled plastic. The company's fair trade policy "provides for about 2,500 farmers and farm-worker families, totaling around 10,000 persons."

"The soaps are all natural, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly," Michael Bronner, Director General of Sales, said.

During an interview with Coop America, David Bronner, the CEO, said that the company "donates significant amounts of our profits to various worthwhile causes and charities," the employees " receive generous compensation and benefits, including no-duductible PPO health care and fully-funded profit-sharing." Executive compensation is "capped at 5 to 1 of the lowest warehouse position."

The U.S. needs many more companies to follow in Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps steps.

Hydropowered Ski Resort

2009-01-31T18:43:00.000-08:00

Any business that invests in environmentally-friendly measures like renewable energy, composting, and recycling should be commended. The Whistler Backcomb, a ski resort, is located in British Columbia, and is the future site of the 2010 Olympic and Para-Olympic games, is one such business that deserves accolades. In September construction began on the Fitzsimmons Creek Hydro Project which will generate 33.5 gigawatt hours of hydroelectricity every year, enough to power the ski resort's 38 lifts and 17 restaurants.

"This project marks a new chapter in Whistler Blackcomb's history book and will become the bedrock of our enactment on climate change," says Arthur DeJong, Whistler Blackcomb's Mountain Planning and Environmental Resource Manager.

" We can now firmly step forward in producing a renewable energy project that makes sense, and to help us move ever-closer to our goal of achieving a net zero footprint within our operating area," DeJong added.

The ski resort is environmentally-friendly in other ways, including reducing the amount of waste it sends to a landfill. Between 2001 and 2005, it reduced the waste sent to a landfill by 29 percent. The resort recycles over 25 different types of materials, including over 800,000 beverage containers a year. In 2006 it composted 100 tons of organic materials, and expanded its composting program to include paper towels in all of the ski resort's bathroom.

Whistler Backcomb reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) it emits by 617,000 kilograms a year through a staff carpooling program. It further reduced its GHG emissions by switching 11,000 light bulbs to energy-efficient models, and installing a 1.0 megawatt river turbine to power light and heat in the lift hut and all of its restrooms.

House Passes Stimulus Package

2009-01-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

The House voted for an $819 billion economic recovery package, or the American Recovery and Investment Act. Not one Republican voted for the package, and all but 11 Democrats voted for it. The package contains plenty of money for renewable energy and energy efficiency. Both are desperately needed to fight climate change. Over three million jobs will be created over the next two years as a result of the package. Considering the amount of jobs lost since last fall, that is good news.

Speaking about the package, Obama said, "I hope that we can continue to strengthen this plan before it gets to my desk. But what we can't do is drag our feet or allow the same partisan differences to get in our way.

"We must move swiftly and boldly to put Americans back to work, and that is exactly what this plan begins to do," he said.

Who are the eleven Democrats who voted against the package? Here is my "Democrat Hall of Shame" for the month:

Allen Boyd (FL)

Bobby Bright (AL)

Jim Cooper (TN)

Brad Ellsworth (ID)

Parker Griffith (Al)

Paul Kanjorski (PA)

Frank Kratovil (MD)

Walt Minnick (ID)

Collin Peterson (MN)

Heath Shuler (NC)

Gene Taylor (MS)

NASA Scientist Warns Obama Has Four Years to Stop Climate Change

2009-01-27T16:11:00.000-08:00

Twenty years NASA scientist James Hansen warned Congress about the negative effects of climate change. Last year he warned that in order to stop climate change, carbon dioxide levels need to be 350 parts per minute (ppm). Currently carbon levels are 380 ppm. In 1960 they were at 315 ppm. A few weeks ago, Hansen warned that President Obama only has four years to help stop climate change.

"We cannot afford to put off change any longer," said Hansen. "We have to get on a new path within this new administration. We have only four years left for Obama to set an example to the rest of the world. America must take the lead."

Hansen believes the idea of cap-and-trade schemes "must be scrapped." He pointed out that the U.S. "did not sign Kyoto, yet its emissions are not that different from the countries that did sign it. It's just greenwash."

Concerning future climate talks, Hansen said, "I would rather the forthcoming Copenhagen climate talks fail than we agree to a bad deal," Hansen said.

Hansen favors a "carbon tax" imposed on oil and gas companies. He also is apposed to coal because it is "responsible for as much atmospheric carbon dioxide as other fossil fuels combined and it still has far greater reserves." He believes "we must stop using it."

For further reading:

Obama Starts Reversing Bush Environment Policy
The Stimulus Package and the Environment
Too Much for Roads, Not Enough for Public Transit
Obama's Weekly Address

Gina-Marie Cheeseman

Will a Cap-and-Trade System Reduce Emissions?

2009-01-26T23:03:00.000-08:00

During President Obama's campaign he pledged support for a cap-and-trade system, which places a limit, or 'cap,' on how much a company can emit greenhouse gas emissions. A company must purchase a permit for every ton of carbon dioxide it emits. For some companies it will be cheaper to emit less than its permit allows so it can sell the extra permits to other companies.

After the election, Obama said, "We will start with a federal cap-and-trade system. We'll establish strong annual targets that set us on a course to reduce emissions to their 1990 levels by 2020, and reduce them a further 80 percent by 2050."

Obama's targets are in line with a Union of Concerned Scientist (UCS) analysis which sets the desired limits at 15-20 percent below 2000 levels by 2020, and 80 percent below by 2050.

UCS believes that a "well designed cap-and-trade program would put a price on carbon emissions that reflects the cost of global warming."

The Los Angeles’ Regional Clean Air Incentives Market (RECLAIM), the first emissions trading program, began in 1993 to reduce levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide. Today the Los Angeles air basin is still the worst in the nation.

The 2006 Dag Hammarskjöld Centre report mentions that the Los Angeles “industry successfully lobbied local government to replace existing and proposed air quality regulations with a trading program.” The SCAQMD allocated pollution allowances to the 370 worst polluters, “including oil refineries, power plants, aerospace companies, asphalt batch plants, chemical plants and cement plants.” Los Angeles still has the worst air basin in the country.

The report also criticized the Acid Rain program, created in 1995 by the U.S. federal government to reduce sulfur dioxide levels, and pointed out that the the Congress “went out of their way to reassure polluters and utility investors that they ‘should expect that allowances will partake of durable economic value and that commercial and other relevant law will apply to allowances and function to protect their value.’”

The EPA “expressed its ‘intention to treat emissions allowances as if they were absolute property rights, except in exigent circumstances.’” According to the report sulphur levels in the U.S. increased by four percent in 2003 “as a result of the program’s banking mechanisms.”

The EU Trading Scheme

Created in 2005, the European Union's (EU) Emission Trading Scheme is the largest "multi-country, multi-sector Greenhouse Gas emission trading scheme world-wide,” according to the EU’s website. The scheme “gives energy-intensive industries an allocation for emissions,” according to SmartPlanet.com. “Efficient companies can trade their excess emissions to companies that emit more than their fair share.”

There are critics of the trading scheme. “Just over a month ago, Europe was united in pushing other developed countries to commit to reductions of 25-40 per cent in emissions by 2020. Yet today it has only committed to a 20 per cent reduction,” said Steven Hale, director of Green Alliance in Britain, last year.

British environmentalist and author George Monbiot is also critical of EU’s trading scheme. “This system, which has been running since the beginning of 2005, began by handing out carbon dioxide emissions permits, free of charge to big European companies. By and large, those who produced the most carbon emissions were given the most permits: the polluter was paid,” he wrote in his book Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning. He further pointed out in Heat that the scheme “seized something which should belong to all of us—the right, within the system, to produce a certain amount of carbon dioxide—and given it to the corporation.”

What a well-designed program should look like

Clearly not all cap-and-trade programs are effective. The UCS lists what a "well-designed" program should look like:

Stringently capping emissions, with firm near-term goals.
Include as many sectors as possible.
Include all major heat-trapping gas emissions.
Auction allowances rather than give them away to polluters.
Use auction revenues for the public good.
Exclude loopholes that undermine the integrity of the system.
Include strict criteria for cost-containment mechanisms such as offsets and borrowing.
Link with similar programs.

Obama Starts Reversing Bush Enviroment Policy

2009-01-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

Monday morning, President Obama spoke about the importance of building a "new energy economy," reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the executive orders he was about to sign. He reminded Americans of the "longterm threat of climate change," and the dangers of being dependent on "foreign oil."

The two executive orders Obama signed concerning the environment are a good start in reversing former President Bush's environmental policies.

One of the executive orders forces the automotive industry to produce more fuel efficient cars. The new standards for 2011 cars increase fuel efficiency to at least 35 miles per gallon.

"Our goal is not to further burden an already struggling industry," he said. "It is to help

America

's automakers prepare for the future. This commitment must extend beyond the short-term assistance for businesses and workers. We must help them thrive by building the cars of tomorrow, and galvanizing a dynamic and viable industry for decades to come."

The other executive order directs the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider California's request to set its own vehicle emissions standards. California contains the two worst air basins in the country: Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley.

"I'm directing the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately review the denial of the California waiver request and determine the best way forward," Obama said. "This helps us create incentives to develop new energy that will make us less dependent on oil."

Too Much for Roads, Not Enough For Public Transit

2009-01-26T00:16:00.000-08:00

The $825 billion economic stimulus package President Barack Obama is working out with the Congress has one major flaw: it includes too many funds for new roads and not enough for public transportation. Consider this: $32 billion is provided for new roads and only $10 billion for public transportation.

Karen Wayland, legislative director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, points out that Congress should use the stimulus package to the U.S. away from "highways and toward railways and mass transit." “The transportation component of the stimulus package underfunds mass transit in deference to highways and bridges.”

“It is particularly disappointing to see that, unlike highway funds, public transportation and passenger rail funds have been cut below the levels suggested by the House Transportation Committee, limiting job creation in these areas,” said Brent Blackwelder, Friends of the Earth president. “Public transportation investments create 19 percent more jobs per dollar spent than investments in new highways.”

“There’s a lot of new asphalt-laying [in the bill],” head of the Safe Climate Campaign, Daniel Becker said, “and that will undercut a lot of the green efforts.” Marchant Wentworth, Union of Concerned Scientists legislative representative, supports the overall stimulus package, pointing out that last year the Energy Department’s budget for renewable energy was only $4.1 billion.

“This is a massive, massive increase in [green] spending.” However, Wentworth also pointed out that $10 billion for public transportation is not enough. “You could triple that and still have needs out there for relieving congestion.”

Gina-Marie Cheeseman

Obama's Weekly Address

2009-01-24T22:23:00.000-08:00

In President Obama's weekly video address he discussed the $825 billion American Recovery and Investment Plan, commonly referred to as the stimulus package, which he hopes to sign into law next month. One aspect of the stimulus package Obama mentioned is creating a clean energy economy by investing in renewable energy, laying down a new electrical grid, and retrofitting a million homes.

"We don't just throw money at our problems, we invest in what works," Obama assured Americans.

Watch the address:

Gina-Marie Cheeseman
Freelance writer, journalist, editor

The Stimulus Package and the Environment

2009-01-24T21:13:00.000-08:00

President Barack Obama and the House are working out an $825 billion economic stimulus package. The good news for environmentalists is that renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electricity transmission are included. During his first weekly address, Obama said the stimulus will do more than just "boost employment...It's one that will invest in our most important priorities -- like energy and education and...a new infrastructure -- that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century."

Break-down of spending on the environment

$50 billion for renewable energy projects
$37.4 billion to Energy Department, most must be spent in 100 days (mostly R&D)
$32 billion for a new smart electrical grid (digital) which would reduce waste
$20 billion in tax cuts for renewable energy projects
$16 billion for repairing and retrofitting public houses in order to make them more energy efficient
$10 billion public transportation…but $32 billion for building new roads
$6 billion for weatherizing modest income houses
$2 billion in loan guarantees for makers of advanced vehicle batteries and battery systems

Gina-Marie Cheeseman
Freelance writer, journalist, editor

For further reading:

Green Gina

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

Is Monsanto Unstoppable?

Biofuel Powered Rocket Reaches Speed of Sound

Polish Health Clinic Becomes Energy Efficient

Small Island Nations Want Deeper Emissions Reductions

Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Decreased Last Year

Senate Democrats Push for a Climate Change Bill

What is a Lifestyle Media Company?

Obama Gives Thumbs Up to Clean Energy

What Can Renters and Homeowners Do to be More Energy Efficient?

U.S. Expects Less from China

Watch This Video and Pass It On

The Wasted Opportunity

Introducing Hybrid American Chestnut Trees Could Reduce Carbon

Why the World Needs Less Deforestation

Environmental Legislators Call for a Green Fund

Developed Countries Needs To Do More

UNEP Report Calls for Ecosystems Management

Obama Believes U.S. Can Be Enviornmental Leader

World Environment Day

World Leaders Meet for Talks in Bonn

Calling All Californians: Reduce Your City's Plastic Bags

How Safe is Tattoo Ink?

EPA to Reconsider Hazardous Waste Ruling

Reduce Your Energy Use in Honor of Earth Day

River of War, River of Life: The Fate of the Nile

Why the International World Water Day is Focusing on Transboundary Waters

The Most Effective Way to Reduce Emissions

Why Samso is the Greenest Island

Green Hotels Have Competitive Advantage

Obama Signs the Stimulus Bill

Update on the Stimulus

Watch the Verbal Slug Fest Between Senators

Obama's Weekly Address

Senators to Debate Stimulus Bill Monday

Stimulus Might Be Passed This Weekend

The Senate Democrats reached an agreement with a handful of their Republican collegues Friday night about the economic stimulus package. There might be a vote on Saturday or even Sunday. The stimulus is expected to be $827 billion.

''I thought if there was any industry that was bulletproof, it was that industry,'' said Rich Mattern, the mayor of West Fargo, North Dakota, where DMI Industries of Fargo operated a wind turbine towers plant.

''It's absolutely frozen,'' said Craig Mataczynski, president of Renewable Energy Systems Americas, a wind developer.

"The secretary is committed to streamlining the process and eliminating unnecessary paperwork so that we can make these important investments that create jobs as quickly as possible," said Energy Department spokesman Dan Leistikow.

Fresno, CA Area Rapidly Becoming a Solar Belt

Understanding Plastic Recycling Numbers

Fair and Organic Soaps

Hydropowered Ski Resort

House Passes Stimulus Package

NASA Scientist Warns Obama Has Four Years to Stop Climate Change

Will a Cap-and-Trade System Reduce Emissions?

Obama Starts Reversing Bush Enviroment Policy

Too Much for Roads, Not Enough For Public Transit

Obama's Weekly Address

The Stimulus Package and the Environment

Investing in Our Future: Support for a Clean Energy Economy