Greenlight | OnEarth Magazine, from NRDC

What's Happening: USDA Organic Called Out, and more

Ben Jervey — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:15:58 -0500

TOP STORY

Purity of Federal 'Organic' Label Is Questioned

"The government's turnaround, from prohibition to permission, came after a USDA program manager was lobbied by the formula makers and overruled her staff. That decision and others by a handful of USDA employees, along with an advisory board's approval of a growing list of non-organic ingredients, have helped numerous companies win a coveted green-and-white "USDA Organic" seal on an array of products.

Grated organic cheese, for example, contains wood starch to prevent clumping. Organic beer can be made from non-organic hops. Organic mock duck contains a synthetic ingredient that gives it an authentic, stringy texture.

Relaxation of the federal standards, and an explosion of consumer demand, have helped push the organics market into a $23 billion-a-year business, the fastest growing segment of the food industry." [Washington Post]

No Room For Tigers, and People

Charles Annenberg Weingarten — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:05:08 -0500

On a trip to Ranthambore National Park in northern India, I was able to speak with Belinda Wright, longtime conservationist and champion of tigers in India.

One thing she said really stuck with me - that there "doesn't seem to be much space in modern India for tigers." By that, she meant that humans looking to develop more land are encroaching on the Bengal tiger's natural habitat, ironically endangering their own fresh water sources.

Hear more about the crucial situation of the Bengal tiger in India in this documentary short from explore.org.

NYC Looks Forward With the Help of a New Generation of Urban Planners

Kris French — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:50:45 -0500

"You are important in the world of stewardship, whether it's stewarding a park or stewardship in a neighborhood." Vin Cipolla, President of the Municipal Arts Society of New York (MAS), spoke with encouragement when he addressed high school students at a recent award ceremony for the CITI Youth Program. With more than two million people in New York City under the age of 20, it's never too early to have a voice in shaping an urban vision for the city's future.

CITI Youth stands for Community Information Technology Initiative, a MAS project that takes high school students into the heart of urban planning, with maps as their guides. After learning how digital maps can be used as an important tool in community decision-making, students are placed as Map Technicians in paid internships with their community boards. Teenagers from the Bronx to the Lower East Side are finding that not only can they attend meetings and speak out about neighborhood development, but that they can also spread their enthusiasm about technology such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to older board members. The sense of pride this interaction brings to the students was expressed by one named Dimitri, who talked about how empowering it was to feel that he was helping elected officials make better decisions and actually making a difference.

The CITI Youth initiative gives the next generation a chance to shape their urban environment and motivates them to care about the quality of the streets, parks, and buildings they inherit. Kids who are involved in the place-making process stand a better chance of growing up with a strong sense of community and commitment to their neighborhoods.

Learn more about CITI Youth and other MAS efforts to promote smart urban design, planning, and preservation. Or get started making your own NYC neighborhood map with NYCityMap, the same mapping tool used by CITI Youth's map technicians, compliments of the NY Department of Information Technology and Telecommunication (DOITT).

Smarter urban planning decisions can be made with GIS digital maps, which are used by CITI Youth students (pictured above) to help community board members better gauge impacts from development on neighborhoods. Maps can display many layers that provide information about the urban environment, such as how close schools are to public transportation, or where you can go to find fresh food and a nearby park to enjoy lunch outside. Parks, wifi hotspots, and green markets throughout lower Manhattan are shown in the map above, generated from NYCityMap, a public mapping tool provided by the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunication (DOITT).

What's Happening: Farms in Subdivisions, Navy vs. the Florida Coast, and more

Ben Jervey — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:49:53 -0500

AUDIO

Is Drilling To Blame For Texas Quakes?

"Cleburne happens to sit on a huge, recently discovered natural gas deposit called Barnett Shale. There's been a lot of drilling, and some people wonder if that has triggered the earthquakes. Here, a four-story drilling rig can pop up in as little as a couple of days. In the past eight years, 2,000 gas wells have been drilled here...Natural gas recovery in the Barnett Shale involves drilling down several thousand feet and then drilling sideways thousands of feet more. Liquid is then pumped down the wells at very high pressures, which fractures the strata releasing the pockets of natural gas. Could this be causing little quakes?" [Morning Edition - NPR]

A Goofy Way to Design Our Cities

Jay Walljasper — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:56:30 -0500

Once upon a time, streets once belonged to everyone. They were a “commons” where people walked, biked, boarded streetcars, stopped for a conversations. It’s where kids played and dogs napped.

But that all changed during the second half of the 20th Century. Streets became the exclusive property of automobiles, and everybody else had better get out of the way, or else!

An old Disney cartoon, starring Goofy, shows how this Tragedy of the Street came to pass:

Power On!

Jaime Bedrin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:47:56 -0500

I’ve got a new kid. And with babies come lots of toys that require batteries: swings, mobiles, white noise machines, breast pumps, vibrating seats, bouncy seats to keep at grandma’s house. You get the picture. I’ve got an assortment of batteries in sizes that would rival a lingerie store.

Trouble is, used batteries = waste. In fact the EPA says Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry-cell batteries every year. Part of the problem is that batteries contain heavy metals that can be harmful to the environment when improperly discarded.

I could try rechargeable batteries, but I haven’t loved them in the past. When I’m in the field reporting a radio story, I need a reliable energy source. And I don’t always have a way to recharge batteries on the go. So I decided to find a way to recycle my Duracells and Energizers.

Turns out, the building where I teach at Columbia University’s School of Journalism has a bin for batteries. It’s located just outside of the student center, next to other recycling bins and a trash can. But I’m not sure many students know about it. (I’ve also learned that you can recycle batteries at Whole Foods.)

I was at the school the other day and I deposited several batteries into the receptacle. But I was unhappy to see that some people used the bin for their trash. Sometimes I wonder if people are lazy or if they are simply unaware of recycling options.

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. I’m a big believer in the whole ‘if you build it, they will come,’ mantra. I assumed that students – especially journalism students -- would gravitate toward green trends and recycle. But I was wrong. Journalists do a lot of preaching about protecting Mother Earth, but we’re also wasteful. Ultimately I wonder what it’s going to take to get everyone to pitch in?

What's Happening: Solar West, Poisoned Patriots, and more

Ben Jervey — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:54:00 -0500

OPINION

Michael Gerson: Cap and Traitors - 8 Republicans Stand Tall on Climate Change [Washington Post]
Thomas Freidman: Just Do It [New York Times]
Editorial: Climate in the Senate [New York Times]

Pushing Produce into Urban Food Deserts

Wendy Gordon — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:56:06 -0500

There is a new fruit stand on the corner near my home. I think it’s terrific, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t belong there. The cart appeared on the day the New York Times announced a new citywide effort to encourage street vendors to bring fresh vegetables and fruit to low-income neighborhoods that have been called “food deserts” because of the predominance of fast-food outlets offering high-fat, high-sugar fare and the dearth of healthful culinary fare. I fortunately live in a neighborhood with several grocery stores offering an abundance of fresh, healthy whole foods, all within a few blocks of my home. There are fast-food outlets within walking distance, too, but they are farther away than the healthy food places.

The city, according to reports, has approved 1,000 new mobile food carts for neighborhoods in the five boroughs that have long been isolated from traditional supermarkets, grocery stores and farmers’ markets offering fresh produce at reasonable prices. Research shows that residents of communities well-served by supermarkets are more likely to maintain a healthy weight and avoid the health problems associated with obesity and diabetes. That’s why New York City’s Food Policy Task Force—created in 2006 by the Mayor’s office and the City Council—has focused on making nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lowfat products more readily available in communities around the city. The efforts in NYC include the expansion of the Greenmarket program and the creation of the Healthy Bodegas and Green Cart programs. It also encourages policies designed to attract and retain supermarkets in underserved communities.

I think this is great, and hopefully the cart on my corner will soon get reassigned so that it can join in the fight against one of the nation’s most serious health problems. For advice on how to get nutritious, affordable food into the underserved neighborhoods in your city, check out the Food Trust.

"The End of the Line" for Fish?

Ted Lamm — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:57:11 -0500

Rupert Murray's new documentary "The End of the Line," based on the book of the same name by British journalist Charles Clover, presents a timely and shocking (but maybe not too surprising) look at the devastating overfishing of our oceans that has occurred over the last century. Through interviews with leading ocean scientists, local fishermen and concerned journalists from Asia to Africa to Alaska, the film explains how the majority of the world's edible fish will go extinct by 2048 if we do not change the way we fish.

Evidently, the world's fish stocks have been steadily declining for the last 20 years, even as more and more boats are sent out each year. Nowhere is this more evident than in the North Atlantic, where cod once filled the waters off Newfoundland. Today, a moratorium placed on cod fishermen there in the early 90s has not yet been lifted-overfishing was so rampant that the fish were brought to the brink of extinction, and even without human interference they have had an extremely hard time repopulating over almost two decades. And pretty much any big ocean fish you can think of is either in a similar situation or well on its way.

The film details how practices such as "bottom trawling" and long-line fishing catch and kill countless numbers of undesired fish and sea plants, which are simply thrown back into the ocean while the few desired fish are kept for consumption. These methods are something akin to fishing with dynamite, and the violence with which they disrupt the natural habitats of millions of aquatic organisms is astounding.

The business of fishing, which is seen through the eyes of a small-time fisherman in Senegal, a former tuna hunter turned conservationist from the Mediterranean, and many others, is exposed as fantastically wasteful and destructive, and with rare exception driven by nothing but profit. And given that the industry's source is vast, distant from its consumers, and essentially invisible, this kind of makes sense. Except that if the industry keeps doing what it's doing, it will pretty soon no longer have any fish to catch.

The problem is, of course, not just limited to the big fish. The incredible value of bluefin tuna, for instance, makes its near extinction among the most noteworthy. But equally damaging is the effect that this depletion has on the other sea creatures that live with the big fish we hunt. Increases in diseased lobster in Maine, rays in Maryland, and jellyfish everywhere can be attributed to the reduction in populations of larger fish that prey on them. Ecosystem disruption, even more invisible to the human eye than fish stock depletion, may present an even greater threat in the long run.

America actually seems to be leading the way somewhat on enacting some of the protective measures, such as strict catch quotas and the creation of ocean preserves, that can combat this problem. Fishermen seem to be catching on to the fact that if they don't work within reasonable restrictions, they will all be out of work in the next 40 years. But, according to the film, only .6% of the ocean is currently protected, and the sort of fishing quotas that rule many of our coasts are either not in place in much of the rest of the world, or simply ignored. And we live in a country that both embraces food fads such as the recent fascination with omega-3 fatty acids, and has some serious restraint problems. So really, it seems that reversing this devastation is going to be quite difficult.

There are, however, many efforts being made to help consumers make smart decisions when they buy fish. Mark Bittman has written extensively on the subject, and some stores like Whole Foods are beginning to stock more sustainable fish. Many restaurants are being more careful about their fish sources, and often will inform diners where fish come from on the menu (or, in the case of Nobu, that it is endangered). Even though a change in personal behavior will take a long time to translate into the end of large-fleet overfishing, it is still the easiest and surest step we can take in helping to preserve our oceans. Everything from eating less fish, to eating sustainably caught fish, to eating smaller fish can help minimize the damage and start our oceans on the path to recovery.

What's Happening: Shrinking Gulf Coast, Illegally Harvesting Rain, and more

Ben Jervey — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:01:44 -0500

OPINION

Betraying the Planet

Paul Krugman: "212 representatives voted no [to the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill]. A handful of these no votes came from representatives who considered the bill too weak, but most rejected the bill because they rejected the whole notion that we have to do something about greenhouse gases. And as I watched the deniers make their arguments, I couldn’t help thinking that I was watching a form of treason — treason against the planet." [New York Times]

Glass Half-Full - ACES Passes House Test

Mark Butkus — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:14:11 -0500

Hailed as a historic vote that will establish the US as a player in upcoming international climate talks the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) narrowly passed through the House of Representatives last night by a vote of 219-212.

The vote followed party lines with only eight republicans voting in favor and 44 democrats voting against. Curiously enough, the bill would not have passed without the support of the eight republicans.

Also known as the Waxman-Markey Bill, the first major environmental bill of the Obama administration will introduce as its centerpiece a soft cap and trade program for greenhouse gas emissions. The voluntary cap and trade program will supercede those programs that have been developed by individual states from 2012-2017.

The contentious cap and trade program is the first of its kind since a similar system was enacted in 1990 in an effort to reduce sulfur emissions that cause acid rain.

Get more from the source...

What's Happening: Winning ACES, Coal's Human Toll, and more

Ben Jervey — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:13:14 -0500

TOP STORY

In Close Vote, House Passes Climate Bill

"The House narrowly passed an ambitious climate bill [Friday] that would establish national limits on greenhouse gases, create a complex trading system for emission permits and provide incentives to alter how individuals and corporations use energy. The bill passed 219 to 212 after a furious lobbying push by the White House and party leaders won over farm-state Democrats who had complained that it was too costly, and liberals who wondered if it was too watered down to work. Even after that effort, 44 Democrats voted against the legislation." [Washington Post]

"How did your rep vote on the House climate and energy bill?" [Grist]
"One hurdle down for climate bill, 60 more to go" [Grist]

AUDIO

Calculating Coal's Toll

"Coal supporters like to point to the jobs and economic activity that coal mining brings to communities. But a new study argues the human costs of coal mining in Appalachia far outweighs its benefits." [Living on Earth - NPR]

Fighting India's Indifference

Charles Annenberg Weingarten — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:51:28 -0500

In Part I of a two-part series, I speak with environmental lawyer M.C. Mehta about India's problems: acid rain causing the Taj Mahal to turn yellow, cities choked with congestion and car exhaust, and the slow death of the Ganges River from pollution.

Continue watching the interview on explore.org - M.C. Mehta 2.

What's Happening: Waxman-Market Up for a Close Vote, Cash for Trees, and more

Ben Jervey — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:49:04 -0500

TOP STORY

Close Win Predicted For Cap-and-Trade Bill

"The House could vote today on a measure to cap U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with Democratic leaders predicting a tight victory for a behemoth bill that has grown more complex with each compromise. The heart of the bill, which now runs to 1,201 pages, is a plan to reduce emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. To do that, it would create a cap-and-trade system, in which polluters would be required to accrue buyable, sellable credits for all the greenhouse gases they produce...Yesterday, Democratic leaders said they had gathered enough votes to win passage of the bill, which could be voted on today or tomorrow." [Washington Post]

"Waxman-Markey Vote Watch," A tally of likely vote. [Grist]
"Limits on Emissions Have Wide Public Support" [Washington Post]

Cap and trade what?

Wendy Gordon — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:20:29 -0500

When the conversation turns to cap and trade, is your first thought: “Oh, that will never work, it’s too complicated?” It’s true, it can be harder to get one’s arms around than a gas tax or even a carbon tax– who doesn’t get taxes, right? – but cap and trade is a familiar, and an effective, means by which to reduce pollution among regulators and industry.

In the 1990s, the U.S. acid rain cap and trade program achieved 100 percent compliance in reducing sulfur dioxide emissions. In fact, power plants took advantage of the allowance banking provision to reduce SO2 emissions 22 percent (7.3 million tons) below mandated levels for the first phase of the program. And on the global warming front, cap and trade is up and running in 10 states in the northeast and mid-Atlantic, which have pledged to work together to reduce climate altering pollution from regional power plants by 10 percent by 2018.

While driving down pollution, cap and trade will also generate a lot of money for investing in energy efficient programs and clean energy. These investments, in turn, will help to create over 2 million new American jobs in just 2 years.

Cap and Trade is a central feature of the American Clean Energy and Security Act which the House may vote on this week. Please take a minute to tell your representative “vote YES for ACES.” Click here for a fast and easy way to send your message. Thanks.

What's Happening: ACES Vote Tomorrow, Cancer in the Air, and more

Ben Jervey — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:57:48 -0500

TOP STORY

House Aims for Friday Vote on Climate Bill

"Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives hope to debate and pass a climate change bill on Friday, although negotiations were continuing with farm-state lawmakers who have concerns, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday. "It is quite possible and maybe even probable that we will go to the energy bill on Friday and complete the energy bill on late Friday," Hoyer told reporters. He was referring to the legislation that would cut carbon dioxide emissions associated with global warming by 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050, from 2005 levels, as well as provide new incentives for producing alternative fuels." [Reuters]

"Obama Urges Passage of Climate Bill" [New York Times]
"Deal Sends Global Warming Bill To House Floor" [Associated Press]

Can Large Wind Farms Tweak Weather Downwind?

"Researchers are looking at another potential “unintended consequence” — the likelihood that collectively, groups of large wind farms in one region could alter weather patterns downwind of the turbines in another region. So far, evidence suggests that large collections of wind farms could have small but measurable effects on atmospheric circulation patterns, cloudiness, and temperatures over substantial distances." [Christian Science Monitor]

Evolution Faster When It's Warmer

"Researchers have found that, among pairs of mammals of the same species, the DNA of those living in warmer climates changes at a faster rate. These mutations - where one letter of the DNA code is substituted for another - are a first step in evolution...These results support the idea that high tropical biodiversity is caused by faster rates of evolution in warmer climates." [BBC]

What's Happening: Gulf Dead Zone, Birth Defects in Chinese Coal Towns, and more

Ben Jervey — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:59:08 -0500

Cleveland Celebrates a River Reborn

Wendy Gordon — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:51:46 -0500

Rivers in industrial cities, laden with raw sewage and oil-soaked debris, used to catch fire a lot in the early part of the 20th century, and nobody would give them much mind. But when the Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969, attitudes had changed, and “the Mistake by the Lake” sparked environmental reforms across the country. Within a year, the Environmental Protection Agency would be established and the first Earth Day would be held. Today, 40 years later, Cleveland is celebrating the Cuyahoga’s rebirth, now home to more than 60 species of fish as well as beavers, blue herons and bald eagles.

And most credit an active citizenry up and down the watershed who for 40 years have worked hard to improve the river. A year before the fire, Cleveland residents voted to tax themselves an additional $100 million for river restoration. Local governments removed dams, which trapped pollution and impeded fish migration. In 1974, President Gerald R. Ford created the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, which became a national park in 2000. The park saved miles of the river from suburban development.

Since then, local industries and the Northwest Ohio Regional Sewer District have spent $3.5 billion to reduce sewage and industrial waste pollution. The sewer district built miles of subway-tunnel-size tubes beneath the city. The tubes hold excess rainwater until it can be processed by treatment plants, reducing the number of times that plants become overwhelmed and spew sewage into the river. In the next 30 years, Cleveland-area residents will spend about $5 billion more on the wastewater system.

There is still work to be done, but river specialists agree, so much has been accomplished and the way forward is clear. With essential funding, further habitat restoration work can be done. To learn more about how cities are dealing with their stormwater runoff, click here.

What's Happening: Cuyahoga Remembered, Greenwashing's Reach, and more

Ben Jervey — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:42:50 -0500

Jack Johnson Teaches Environmental Stewardship... with Songs

Charles Annenberg Weingarten — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:59:48 -0500

While visiting the North Shore of Oahu, I dropped in on Sunset Elementary School to learn about their unique environmental program. As I walked through the gardens, I saw a young gentleman playing the guitar with a bunch of kids. A lover of music, I walked over with my golden retriever, Lucky, and joined the group.

I thought the gentleman was the music teacher. What a great class, I thought to myself. Well, I ended up sitting through five music "classes." I later learned that the young gentleman was Jack Johnson - the famous musician - who happened to be visiting the school on the same day.

Afterwards, Jack told me about the work of his own foundation, the Kokua Hawai'i Foundation. It was a day of true learning. I hope you enjoy it as much as Lucky and I did.

What's Happening: Alaskan Polar Bears in Trouble, Urban Rooftop Farming, and more

Ben Jervey — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:28:25 -0500

Is Florida's "Turtle Tunnel" Really a Waste?

Wally Smith — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:17:44 -0500

In a highly publicized report released this week, Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has highlighted a number of projects being funded under Congress's stimulus bill in an attempt to pose a "second opinion" on economic recovery. Specifically, Senator Coburn outlines 100 projects funded by the bill that he deems examples of wasteful government spending and that are "likely to fail."

At number five on Senator Coburn's list is the Lake Jackson Ecopassage, an extensive construction project along U.S. Highway 27 near Tallahassee, Florida. The ecopassage has been in the works for nearly a decade, designed to mitigate turtle mortality along a portion of Highway 27 - a stretch of blacktop that has exhibited an incredibly high level of mortality for nearly 60 wildlife species (including turtles) in the past due to vehicle traffic.

The premise behind the ecopassage is simple: a wall is built along the roadway to "funnel" turtles into a set of three culverts passing underneath the roadway (and thus away from passing motorists). But the logistics and cost are not that simple; roadbuilding is an incredibly expensive undertaking, and the cost of materials, traffic diversion, and manpower has brought the ecopassage price tag to around $6 million, $3.4 million of which has been allotted under the stimulus bill. Senator Coburn and others immediately used the project as one of its primary targets of government spending. Tuesday evening, Sean Hannity called it "unbelievable." Coburn, using a photo of a degraded concrete culvert plastered with graffiti for empahsis, asked whimsically, "Why did the turtle cross the road? To get to the other side of the stimulus money."

As a fellow herpetologist in the South, it's immediately obvious where my biases lie. Road mortality is a major threat to many animals, but especially so for slow-moving turtles, basking snakes and migrating amphibians. Many such species are already imperiled and/or threatened due to human impacts, and any steps we can take to lessen those impacts obviously have value.

But as a taxpayer, I can also see the criticism elicited by Coburn and others on the opposing side of this argument - at least on the surface. $3.4 million certainly is a lot of money, and without a back story, spending that amount for turtles can seem a bit absurd. After all, with the country in the grips of a recession and everyone having to cut back, we should be as frugal as possible. Simply throwing millions at a tunnel championed by "local community activists" certainly goes against this thinking, right?

The answer isn't as simple as it seems.

The Lake Jackson "turtle tunnel" example highlights what is perhaps a larger misunderstanding by the public of just how wildlife conservation projects are funded. Such projects make easy scapegoats for critics of government spending, but they are not funded overnight. The Lake Jackson project, for example, has taken nearly a decade to come to fruition and has required the unanimous support of local government leaders, as well as endorsement by the state Department of Transportation. According to the project's website, the number of supporters of the project combined with those in supporting organizations totals over 13 million people. Any conservationist knows just how hard swaying this kind of public opinion can be, not to mention the hours of meticulous work put into writing grants that, more times than not, will go unfunded. In the case of the ecopassage, the need for funds (and public support) has existed long before any stimulus money was ever conceived.

Despite the arguments over cost, projects such as the Lake Jackson Ecopassage have value, not just for wildlife but for the safety of passing motorists, the Lake Jackson ecosystem, and society as a whole. Those behind the ecopassage should be commended for their success in growing a grassroots cause into a tangible conservation project that enjoys the support of most of the community. Such a project is rare, and actually seeing it through to completion is much rarer. Careful scrutiny and contructive criticism of any expensive project should be welcomed by conservationists, as it will likely only provide benefits in the long term. But distilling a project such as this one down into an oversimplified, unneeded debacle simply doesn't work.

What's Happening: Senate Energy Bill, Montana Asbestos Case, and more

Ben Jervey — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:51:52 -0500

TOP STORY

Expansive Energy Bill Advances In Congress

"A Senate energy bill was voted out of committee yesterday, but not before losing the support of two Democrats and a dozen leading environmental organizations...It is rife with controversy over new offshore drilling plans near Florida, the sharing of federal offshore oil and gas royalties, and a mandate for renewable energy that alternative-energy executives and environmentalists say is too weak." [Washington Post]

Enviros cringe as Senate committee approves energy bill [Grist]

North Shore Community Land Trust: Protecting our Oceans, One Coast at a Time

Charles Annenberg Weingarten — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:31:00 -0500

In addition to being home to some of the most fascinating people on the planet, Hawai'i has majestic mountains, pristine coastline, and incredible ocean habitats.

On a visit to the North Shore, I found an organization that is working hard to preserve all of this natural beauty: the North Shore Community Land Trust.

We talked to Director Blake McElheny, who reminded us on the importance of protecting Hawai'i's coastline.

"Land protection is so important to ocean quality," he said. "Residents and visitors are drawn to the North Shore for the water, but that water is directly impacted by the land," he added.

Mahalo, Hawai'i!

What's Happening: White House Climate Call, and more

Ben Jervey — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:24:44 -0500

TOP STORY

U.S. Study Projects How 'Unequivocal Warming' Will Change Americans' Lives

"Climate change is already reshaping the United States, according to a new federal report that predicts global warming could have serious consequences for how Americans live and work. Hotter temperatures, an increase in heavy downpours, and rising sea levels are among the effects of "unequivocal" warming, concludes the report by the U.S. Global Change Research Program." [ClimateWire - New York Times]

"New US Climate Report Dire, But Offers Hope" [Associated Press]
"New Report Stresses Immediacy of Global Warming" [Hearst]
"Report on Warming Offers New Details" [Washington Post]
"From Bad to Worse" [TIME]
"Global Warming Affecting Every Corner of the US, Report Says" [Christian Science Monitor]
"Government Study Warns of Climate Change Effects" [New York Times]
"White House: Climate Change Happening Now" [NPR]

Climate and Labor Disputes Unsettle the U.S. Conference of Mayors Gathering

Paul McRandle — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:51:17 -0500

This year’s gathering of the U.S. Conference of Mayors got to a rocky start this weekend in Providence, Rhode Island, where firemen across the state struck in support of the city's firefighters’ union in their contract disputes with Mayor David Cicilline. Joe Biden, San Francisco’s Mayor Newsom and other scheduled speakers steered clear of the conference to avoid crossing the picket line. Conference president Mayor Nickels of Seattle had vowed he wouldn’t cross picket lines and whether he did or did not by entering the conference building was unclear—he says he didn’t, the president of the union says he did.

But while the strike seethed on, the conference raised other contentious issues, including a subtle but real change in its position on climate change that embarrassed Mayor Nickels and those who have worked to keep U.S. cities ahead of the federal government on greenhouse gas reduction policies. In a resolution calling for the involvement of U.S. cities in the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference this December in Copenhagen, Lionel Rivera, the mayor of Colorado Springs, inserted an amendment that the U.S. delegation also seek caps from China, India, Brazil, Russia and nations in the E.U. among other industrialized and developing countries. Rivera, who opposes cap and trade, argued that under the proposed American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act his community will face an immediate ten percent rise in energy prices, money that he claimed would go to cities like Seattle that use hydropower. By the same logic, his amendment assumes other nations will benefit from U.S. losses created by the carbon market. Visibly annoyed, Mayor Nickels pointed out that the conference has already come out in favor of cap and trade. Miguel Pulido, Mayor of Santa Ana, CA (and an eloquent supporter of clean energy), noted that we should be leading by example not lecturing developing countries before we’ve even agreed to real limits on carbon.

Another disputed resolution called for a study of how cities should be appropriately compensated for the bottling of municipal tap water, “a non-essential use of an essential and shared public resource.” Don Robart, mayor of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, warned against attacking an industry that provided jobs while a recession is on. But Kevin Foy, mayor of Chapel Hill, NC, countered that it appeared hypocritical to impose water restrictions on residents while allowing bottlers to ship water out of state. In 2008, the conference banned bottled water from city meetings and offices.

Throughout the conference sessions, questions arose of how to secure funds from the stimulus package as well as ACES—and when it would be appropriate to do so. With ACES offering $4.5 billion for the smart grid, $5 billion for weatherization programs, $6.3 billion for energy efficiency programs and $2 billion for advanced battery manufacturing, the opportunities for city and states to create green jobs are plentiful. Overhead LED street lighting, one of the technologies on display, was widely embraced for the steep reductions in municipal electricity costs it offers. And the general sense that we cities must act quickly to reduce greenhouse gases is only boosted by the release of a U.S. government report confirming the need for clean energy.

What's Happening: Climate Migration, Wind-Powered NYC, Direct Current, and more

Ben Jervey — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:02:03 -0500

AUDIO

Wind Sweeps Down The Plains; Is It Bringing Jobs?

"Quentin Johnson of Oklahoma was faced recently with an agonizing decision, which he stewed over for a week: Sure money today in an industry he knows — oil? Or bet on his future prospects with an industry he's hoping will have more longevity — wind?" [Morning Edition - NPR]

Making the Case for Mountain Protection

Wally Smith — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:32:25 -0500

Almost anyone keeping current with hot-topic environmental news these days has become familiar the environmental history of the Appalachians: man finds mountains; man logs and mines mountains. Some mountains, in the end, are preserved to recover to the state that we see them in today. But we also know that even with the federal protection of wilderness areas and national forests, the mountains are not immune from environmental threats. Mountaintop removal, for example, is poised to become (if it is not already) one of the leading environmental topics of our generation.

In the mountains of north Georgia's White County, however, there are no coal mines. There are no mountains being lopped off for mining, no fill being dumped in pristine valley heads. Instead, environmental threats at this southernmost end of the Appalachian Mountain chain come on slowly - much unlike the drastic measures taking place farther to the north.

White County lies at the transition between the Appalachians and the South's Piedmont region, home to the sprawling megalopolis of Charlotte, Atlanta, and Birmingham that geographers and economists have deemed "Charlantingham." Specifically, the county is a scant 70 miles north of the Atlanta suburbs, a region which has seen some of the fastest growth in the country over the past decade and now represents a spreading mass of largely unregulated growth. Once-rural farmland and undeveloped forest tracts are rapidly becoming high-density strip malls, residential developments, and office complexes, with little sign of slowing.

(A hiker's view into the rural landscape in question in Georgia's Blue Ridge.)

In 2004, the residents of White County wanted to change that. Taking advantage of existing language in Georgia's environmental planning criteria, the county passed a mountain protection act, effectively regulating growth on steep-sided, environmentally sensitive mountain terrain. Under the act, development is affected in areas above 1700 feet in elevation and/or 25% slope. Land clearing is limited in these areas, along with strict regulations on sewage disposal, light pollution, and the size of development. In the extreme case that a large amount of land is cleared, landowners are even required to present a detailed reforestation plan to remediate environmental effects (see a map of affected areas here).

White County's mountain protection act was largely hailed as a step in the right direction, and several nearby counties quickly followed suit. In 2007, Jackson County, a quickly-growing area straddling the Blue Ridge in nearby North Carolina, issued a moratorium on subdivision development in order to develop guidelines for sustainable future growth. Even more recently, multiple counties and local governments in the southern Appalachians have passed resolutions to curb excessive road construction.

As with any case involving sprawl, growth itself is not the issue plaguing the southern Appalachians, which are home to one of the most biologically diverse regions on the planet. Instead, it's the nature of this growth that poses the biggest threats to the region. The growth phenomenon of the last 20 years in the South has largely taken place without regulation or, until recently, even comprehensive plans for guiding affected local governments. Although such plans are now in place in many areas, several of these cities and counties in the Piedmont are already fully engulfed in sprawl and are being forced to search for unique solutions to extreme gridlock, overpopulation, and inadequate infrastructure that may be coming much too late.

The expanding front of this growth is just reaching the mountains, however, and watching how the region responds will likely serve as a valuable precedent for future issues revolving around sprawl and sustainable growth. Any form of government regulation, of course, ultimately brings with it debates over political and social philosophy, but the cost of those debates will undoubtedly be more than worth the costs of allowing unregulated growth to persist in one of the nation's most environmentally sensitive areas. The time is now to open ourselves to discussion, if not for the betterment of entire communities, for the betterment of the environment alone.

What's Happening: Slowing Winds, White Rooftops, and more

Ben Jervey — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:30:33 -0500

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Ben Jervey — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:48:52 -0500

Green Jobs Sector 'Poised for Explosive Growth'

"Green-collar workers -- who include everyone from energy-efficiency consultants to wastewater plant operators -- constitute a tiny but fast-growing segment of the U.S. economy, according to a study published today by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The "clean-energy economy" grew 9.1 percent between 1998 and 2007 to 777,000 jobs" [Greenwire- New York Times]

IN MEMORIAM

Luke Cole, Court Advocate for Minorities, Dies at 46

"Luke Cole, an early leader of the environmental justice movement, which holds that many minority neighborhoods have become toxic dumping grounds because their residents are poor and powerless, died Saturday in Uganda...As executive director of the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, an organization based in San Francisco that he founded in 1989 with Ralph Abascal, Mr. Cole played a key role in several significant environmental law cases." [New York Times]

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