EPA announces that Greenhouse Gases - Danger to Public Health

A report came out of Bloomberg today that got me thinking....

By Catherine Dodge

April 17 (Bloomberg) -- The Environmental Protection Agency said greenhouse gases pose a danger to the public, opening the way for new U.S. regulation of cars, power plants and factories.

The proposed finding, announced by the agency today, marks the first formal action by the federal government toward restricting carbon-dioxide emissions that climate scientists say contribute to global warming.

The decision may spur regulation of General Motors Corp. and other automakers and utilities such as American Electric Power Co., as well as manufacturers led by chemical and steel makers. It also pressures Congress to back legislation on emissions, rather than letting the EPA set all the rules, said David Bookbinder, chief climate counsel of the Sierra Club.

Hey EPA, way to keep on top of new threats to public health.

I am sure glad this problem has not been around for many years. (grin)

EPA Sued for Bee Colony Collapse Cover-Up

Over the past two years, beekeepers have reported an alarming and potentially catastrophic loss of bees from their hives ranging anywhere from 30-90 percent. This "Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD) isn't just a problem for beekeepers and farmers, but for consumers as well, since bee pollination is essential for crop production. The USDA claims that one out of every three mouthfuls of food is dependant on bee pollination. Experts have been researching CCD and have linked the die-off to a number of likely culprits.

One of the likely killers is a new pesticide, clothianidin, approved by the EPA in 2003. Germany and France have banned this type of pesticide to protect their bee population. In the U.S., clothianidin was approved after Bayer CropScience, the chemical's maker, submitted required
studies to the EPA regarding the chemical's impact on bees and the environment. Now the EPA is suspiciously and illegally refusing to release these public documents. To expose this cover-up and hopefully to save the bees, last week the Natural Resources Defense Council filed
a lawsuit against the agency.


Source: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): EPA Buzz Kill

A practical guide for cutting carbon from your diet

Cookbook author and food writer Mark Bittman offers up some practical advice on reducing your meat consumption, which, you may recall, is probably the most effective way to cut the carbon footprint of your diet.

Fans of Bittman may have noticed a tidy
compatibility between Bittman’s food writing and Michael Pollan’s more
polemical work on food and eating. Pollan in some sense is laying the
intellectual groundwork and penning the manifesto. Bittman is providing
the operating manual.

But this makes it all sound a bit joyless. I like Bittman because
his recipes are simple and tend to work. They also favor improvisation,
with every dish spawning variants depending on taste or season.
Although Bittman, like Pollan, is no vegetarian, his cooking style is
generally “veg-friendly.”

This is, apparently, no accident. Bittman gave a TED talk earlier
this year that distills a lot of Pollan’s points into a highly
watchable 20-minute video (see below). Now he follows up with an
article in the Times on ways for meat eaters who aren’t interesting in
abandoning flesh altogether to at least manage their intake a bit more thoughtfully.

The tips aren’t all that surprising. Just solid good sense. Buy less
meat. Stop making protein the center of the plate. Learn some new
recipes. Etc. (And check out the reader advice.) I’ve been on a similar regimen since making a New Year’s resolution to reduce the meat in my diet. So far, so good.

One tip that I might add: prepare more of your own food. This advice
is sort of implicit in Bittman’s column. He generally offers cooking
advice, so it’s fair to assume that most of his readers either cook or
aspire to. I’m not sure how true this is of Americans generally,
though, so the biggest behavioral adjustment for many of us might be
simply figuring out how the stove works.

Birmingham City tries a Four-Day-Week

2,400 city employees in Birmingham, AL will be working
four-day weeks this summer. The city believes this may save employees
up to $1 million in gas expenses alone, or about five million pounds of
CO2.

The motivation of the change was cited as fuel costs for both the
city and its workers, but the move also highlights how we can reduce
emissions and save money at the same time. In addition to the fuel
savings consider the savings in keeping the office locked down: no air
conditioning, no computers, lights, or elevators, all of which add up
to more energy savings for the city. And the effect on employees is
huge:

“People are more excited about having a four-day
week than they have been in the past about receiving a cost-of-living
raise,” said Deborah Vance, Langford’s chief of staff. “It’s savings
for the city, but it’s also actual savings realized by the employees.”

No wonder other cities are following the trend.

Perhaps the most refreshing thing is that you won’t find this
analysis on any academic studies of how to reduce carbon. Perhaps its
just a bit too radical, even if Birmingham is behind the innovation
instead of Berkeley? Hey, this is American Dream! You work hard and
prosper. You don’t want anybody telling you you can only work hard four
days of the week. But when reality of high energy prices sets in its
hard to argue with the rationale of these cities:

• 20% less commuting (and carbon)
• Significantly less
  energy use (the extra hours in the morning and evening will be worked
  at cooler times, so the A/C won’t need to crank so hard).
• More people starting earlier in the day (and finishing later) reduces road congestion at peak times, improving mileage.
• Perhaps
  everybody would use their extra day to get out in the sunshine and
  exercise and reduce obesity levels, thereby reducing health care costs
  in the city (or maybe this would increase emissions?

And can there be benefits to the business too? Some personal observations:

• People do less work on Fridays anyway.
• I’d be a happier employee (and therefore more productive) if I only worked four days a week.
• You’d save money in energy bills.
• Your Carbon Balanced Business offset wouldn’t cost as much.

Is anyone currently working a four day week, or thinking about it
and care to share their experiences? Do TerraPass members think a four
day work week is a reasonable “silver bullet” solution for climate
change?

Source: TerraPass

Many Shades of Green

GfK Roper Consulting, a division of GfK Custom Research North America ( www.gfkamerica.com ), today released its
2007 GfK Roper Green Gauge(R) study, finding the vast majority (87%) of consumers agreeing they are seriously concerned about the environment. In fact, most Americans are looking to the federal government to strengthen their enforcement of green regulations and (73%), while they say having a balance between economic growth and environmental protection is the goal, the environment should come first when a conflict arises (52%).

The top five environmental issues weighing heaviest on America's minds are water pollution and rainforest destruction (56%), diminishing fresh water supply (55%), fuel and energy shortages (54%) and man-made outdoor air pollution (53%). Asked who should take the lead in addressing these and other environmental issues, half of consumers (50%) rank the federal government first and 62% believe current legislation does not do enough to positively impact the environment.

Many Shades of Green
Segmenting consumers based on their green attitudes and actions, the study identified five key groups:

True Blue Greens: Environmental leaders and activists most likely to walk the green talk representing almost one third (30%) of the population. Nearly half (48%) turn to environmental groups as their main source of green information.

Green Back Greens: Do not have time to be completely green and not likely to give up comfort and convenience for the environment, but willing to buy green products. They represent 10% of the population. Nearly half (49%) get information on green issues from newspapers.

Sprouts: Environmental "fence sitters" who buy green only if it meets their needs representing just over one quarter (26%) of the population. One third cite newspapers as their main source of green information.

Grousers: Generally uninvolved and disinterested in green issues; believe individual behavior cannot improve environment. 15% of the population. Newspapers again serve as their major information source on green issues.

Apathetics: Not concerned enough about the environment to take action and believe environmental indifference is the mainstream. This group represents just 18% of the population. TV programs are their main source of environmental information.

Wins for the environment

I've heard news about two important courtroom battles.

First, a federal court has temporarily blocked the Shell oil company from drilling exploratory wells this summer off the coast of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Just last month people were rushing to court to stop the drilling before it could start -- and prevent any chance of an oil spill blanketing the shore of the Arctic Refuge and turning it into a long-term toxic waste site.

By putting Shell's operation on hold until the full case can be heard, the court has granted an eleventh-hour reprieve to polar bears and other wildlife, and shown its concern about the impacts of drilling. The full hearing next week is in federal court.

Now the second -- and equally dramatic -- victory: with the U.S. Navy about to train with dangerous, mid-frequency sonar during nearly a dozen upcoming exercises off the southern California coast, a federal judge has stepped in and blocked the use of the sonar!

The Navy needs to put common-sense measures in place to protect whales and other marine mammals from a lethal technology that has caused whale strandings and deaths around the world.

The court's injunction is "preliminary," which means that this fight is far from over. Nevertheless, it is a stunning setback for the Navy, and it supports our contention that whales should not have to die for military practice.

These twin victories are very important steps forward in our campaign to thwart the Bush administration's ongoing assault on America's wildlife and wild places.

I want to thank you, on my own behalf and on behalf of all the attorneys and staffers who are working so tirelessly on these cases.

What a great day for the environment!

Project7ten

One of only a few LEED Platinum Certified homes in the country, project7ten was built as green as possible to serve as an educational model that creates a forum for smart discussion about environmental awareness.

"I just put solar panels on my house in London. You wouldn’t think there was enough sunshine would you? But there is enough sunshine to provide my house with electricity. I sell electricity back to the national grid that I get for free from my roof. Now shouldn’t everybody be doing that?"

- Ian McKellen
Real Time with Bill Maher

It was this acknowledgment by actor and activist Ian McKellen coupled with the viewing of the film An Inconvenient Truth that spearheaded Tom Schey into action. Schey quickly began conceiving different ways in which he could broadly educate society about reaching environmentally conscious choices in their everyday lives, while leaving an indelible mark and message on our planet. As a West Side Los Angeles participant in the real estate business, Schey decided that he would start there, and thus, project7ten was born.
project7ten with the majority of proceeds being donated to Healthy Child Healthy World (HCHW), an organization dedicated to educating the public about environmental toxins that affect children’s health—along with HCHW will lead the effort to making the insides of our homes healthier to all who live there.
According to Schey, "I realized long ago when architecturally significant homes are built they will most certainly outlast [our] time on earth. They become permanent structures attached to the piece of earth they sit on."
Therefore, opting out of creating a green footprint or using sustainable and recycled alternatives can no longer be a choice in the face of global warming. This realization planted the seeds for project7ten’s first venture, the building of a completely environmentally conscious home, designed to achieve a Platinum designation from The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, (LEED) Green Building Rating System, in Venice, California.
Along with Schey and his partner, environmentalist Kelly Meyer, the plans for project7ten have been put into place. project7ten (710 Milwood Avenue) will be the first conventional constructed platinum leed home in CA; designed to achieve a Platinum designation from LEED
The project is also a part of the Architecture and Design Museum’s Enlightened Development, which opened on March 29th, 2007 a show which aims to inform the public of important environmental ventures, and cutting edge efforts in this vain.
The completed home will emit no harmful gases into the atmosphere; solar panels incorporated in the cutting edge design of the house will produce its own energy, rarely—if ever—rely on the public utility system; will be built with numerous recycled materials, including insulation, concrete, counter tops, Forest Stewardship Council certified lumber, reuse rain water to irrigate landscaping, recycle grey water, etc.; will be surrounded by trees to provide shade in the summer and sunlight during the winter. The Ford Escape Hybrid, the official automobile of project7ten, will be sold with the house and the owners will get a free one year lease. As well as be outfitted with GE’s Energy Star qualified appliance and Kohler fixtures.
With the help of Melinda Gray —a highly credentialed and widely published architect in both design and environmental awareness in all of her projects— project7ten will be outfitted with cutting edge architectural design. The finished home will be an example of exquisite, modern design exemplifying that being green can also entail looking great, while not compromising the environment and/or atmosphere.
project7ten will be a great teaching tool to change the current mindset of home builders and home buyers alike. By building an earth friendly integrated sustainable structure, project7ten will provide a fun-friendly, easy to understand cutting edge message: A Home, its inhabitants, and its relationship to the piece of ground it sits on, are one entity, interrelated.
The home will be an example that engaging in environmentally conscious habits does not have to be expensive, difficult, or have a boring look and feel to it. project7ten will present an opportunity for the public to walk through, feel, touch and be educated on the possibilities that can be achieved today, not at some time in the future. Through project7ten, the public will be inspired to make changes in their own lives and communities. Come along for the ride (and innovative commitment) that is project7ten.
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The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

The Bald Eagle is no longer Endangered

National Bird Has Recovered in the Lower 48: On June 28, the Department of the Interior removed the bald eagle from the list of threatened and endangered species. There are now 9,789 breeding pairs of bald eagles in the lower 48 states, a dramatic increase from the low point of 417 breeding pairs in 1963.

A Department of Interior press release notes that "The bald eagle first gained federal protection in 1940, under what later became the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act," but "the eagle population fell into steep decline in later decades, due primarily to widespread use of the pesticide DDT after World War II. DDT accumulated in eagles and caused them to lay eggs with weakened shells, decimating the eagle population across the nation."

The bald eagle received additional protection in 1967 under the predecessor to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). When the ESA was enacted in 1973, the eagle was one of the first animals it protected. That, combined with the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to ban the general use of DDT in 1972, led to the eagles' recovery.

Going forward, the eagles will continue to be protected by two federal laws prohibiting "taking" -- killing, selling or otherwise harming eagles, their nests or eggs.

Google is going Carbon-Neutral, too

Just a couple of months after Yahoo! announced plans to go carbon neutral, Google is laying down it's cards as well. Google has a bit of a head start, though, as they've just switched on their multi-megawatt solar installation and so automatically have less carbon to offset.

On their own, carbon offsets are not capable of creating the kinds of fundamental changes to our energy infrastructure that will be necessary to stabilize global greenhouse gas emissions to safe levels, but we believe that offsets can offer real, measurable, and additional emissions reductions that allow us to take full responsibility for our footprint today.

Strikingly similar to the language from Yahoo's announcement really. Google will obviously focus on decreasing emissions through efficiency and renewable energy first. And then they will fund projects that decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

One project Google will fund, for example, is a methane capture facility at Mexican and Brazilian farms. As Methane is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2, it's an easy target for global warming offsets. Google has set it's neutrality date for early 2008.

source: Reuters

Mountain Climbers Should Know Better

Ken Noguchi is a mountaineer who is slowly cleaning up Mount Everest. [Way To Go, Ken!] During his five trips up the mountain, he has recovered an estimated 9,000 pounds (4100 kg) of rubbish. He recently completed another trip, where he brought a further 500 pounds (227 kg) down. Some estimates place the amount of rubbish on Everest at 50 tonnes.
At this rate, it will take a while.

You'd think that mountain climbers, nature folk by definition, would have better sense than to leave all that trash in their wake.
What happened to ... Take only pictures, Leave only tracks ??

source: The Guardian