Coal; iPod

Lay off the Bottled Water

The following excerpts come from the National Geographic's Green Guide. The bottom line: water bottles are are terrible for the environment. Carry a reusable water bottle, or drink tap water. Plastic water bottles take over 1,000 years to disintegrate, and over 86% of bottles are not recycled.

Personal Health

Americans spend more than $10,000 a minute for something that is readily available for free: water. Why do we shell out from 240 to over 10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water than we do for tap water? Perhaps we've given in to the marketing and advertising hype that bottled water comes from pristine springs and lakes. Or maybe because of the taste or the perception that bottled water is better regulated, safer or purer than tap water.

However, according to government and industry estimates, about one fourth of bottled water is bottled tap water (sometimes, but not always, with additional treatment).

Environmental

Usually water is bottled in plastic packaging. Plastics are made of petroleum, a non-renewable resource that requires new fossil reserves to be extracted all the time. By choosing to drink tap water, we can conserve this valuable resource and reduce our dependence on oil. The plastic manufacturing process is also associated with toxic byproducts, such as styrene and benzene, which are released in the air and cause not only pollution, but respiratory problems and may cause cancers as well.

Most bottles will be incinerated or will end up in our already overcrowded landfills. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that about 1.5 million tons of plastic are used worldwide to make water bottles and according to the Environmental Protection Agency, plastics are the fourth largest category of municipal solid waste.

Obtaining water from an underground pipe is more energy efficient and uses far fewer natural resources than bottled water because of the transportation of bottles in trucks across the country or by ships around the globe.

Choose water in glass bottles over watter in plastic bottles.

Water Filtering Systems

At 30 to 50 cents per gallon, filtering your tap water is not only more cost effective, but it also gives you control over what chemicals or substances are removed from the water you drink. Compare this to 89 cents to more than $2 per gallon for bottled water delivery to your home and the cost and environmental benefits of an at-home water filtration system become apparent. Additionally, filtered water keeps the plastic used for bottled water out of our landfills.

"A Real Man on the Moon Plan"

Bill Richardson just released this video on his energy plan. Read the previous entry about Gov. Richardson as well.

50% decrease in all US oil demand in 10 years.

Yeah, Bill. That's what I'm talking about! Finally someone speaking the truth.

Consider Bill Richardson

If you have not given Bill Richardson your attention yet, now is the time to give him a look. Jay Leno introduced him on the Tonight Show recently,

He spent 14 years in Congress, was the US Ambassador to the UN, served as the US Secretary of Energy, has negotiated with the harshest dictators around the world, is the current Governor of New Mexico and a four–time Nobel Peace Prize nominee... please welcome Democratic candidate for President, Gov. Bill Richardson!

WOW! By most metrics, he is the most qualified of all the presidential candidates. Take a look at this popular video.

Energy
Energy is one of the most important issues facing our country, and it will only get more dire of the next 4-8 years. While I am enamored with Obama, Richardson is not only more qualified, his energy policies are better.

No one in the presidential race can compete with Richardson's experience as the former Secretary of Energy. In New Mexico, he has lead the state to become "the Clean Energy State" and recently signed a law "requiring state utilities to quadruple their use of renewable energy." While Bush refuses to sign the Kyoto Treaty, N. Mexico is "on track to exceed Kyoto in the coming years."

While Richardson's record is strong, I am even more inspired by his vision for our energy future. He says, "Our goal should be bold—to reduce oil imports by 40% AND replace one quarter of liquid fuels with bio-fuels by 2025, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2050."

He calls for "a national renewable portfolio standard of 30% by 2020 that will rise to 50% by 2040."

By comparison, Obama calls for "all transportation fuels sold in the U.S. [to] contain 5 percent less carbon by 2015 and 10 percent less carbon by 2020. Obama is aware of our dangerous dependence on oil, but his goals are far from "bold."

The Governor knows the energy companies and understand that they must be part of the solution. He proposes establishing "a North American Energy Council—both to assure that we are efficiently developing and transporting energy in the North American market and to leverage our combined market power."

When addressing Oil and Gas executives, he states

Government’s role – indeed its obligation-- is to provide a clear vision, strategic investment in technology development, incentives to move forward – and most importantly, legal and regulatory certainty.

You are responsible for managing incredible risk and high-dollar portfolios – you have every right to know the federal “rules of the road” as you make key investments in our energy future.

Government investment in new technologies can serve as a sparkplug for energy “invention” but it is the role of the investment community to transform those inventions to marketplace “innovations” -- and the role of the business community to move innovations from the business plan stage to true technology diffusion.

Only when government and industry work together as partners can we successfully link together all these pieces of the energy innovation chain -- pushing the nation beyond the tired divisions of “good jobs OR the environment” and moving to “even better jobs AND a clean environment.

Other bold energy comments by Richardson:

1. Our ability to drain the swamps of terrorism depends in part on our political will to change how we produce, distribute and consume energy.
2. A significant portion of the $450 billion petrodollars we export each year is most certainly funneled to fund our Jihadist enemies
3. We should not lose sight of the following: Forty-five percent of the world’s proved gas reserves are in just two countries – Russia and Iran.

Diplomacy
As humbly as possible Richardson explains his diplomacy experience. "I was often asked [by President Clinton] to negotiate directly with tough characters like Fidel Castro, North Korean generals, Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan, and Saddam Hussein. Those face-to-face talks often meant the difference between the wrongful imprisonment of American servicemen and citizens–and freedom." Oh, add to this his experience as US Ambassador to the UN. He knows how to talk with friends and enemies.

No other candidate has anywhere close to Richardson's experience. "In recognition of his efforts around the world, Bill has been nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize. Each nomination has focused on his international peace mediation, hostage rescue and his commitment to justice." His recent negotiations with North Korea have rekindled the stalled nuclear non-proliferation talks with that regime.

Governor Richardson may not have the hype that Obama and Clinton do, but he is a proven energy expert, diplomat, and executive. Take the time to consider Bill Richardson for President. www.RichardsonForPresident.com

Global Climate Change Summit 2007

You may have heard about the Global Climate Change Summit where local government leaders from over 30 large cities worldwide are meeting to discuss climate change. The summit is sponsored by C40 Cities and the Clinton Foundation among others.

This morning, I jumped to the sight after hearing about it on NPR and wondering if Charlotte representatives were attending. They aren't.

Los Angeles, U.S.– Renewable Energy Credits
I did find a list of exciting initiatives in the attending cities that can easily be replicated in the U.S. The first is the renewable energy option LA offers consumers on their electric bills. Citizens can pay an additional 20% per kilowatt to use electricity generated from renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. For a bill of $58, this would mean a $3.30 additional charge–a small fee with historic implications. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) gives each participant 2 compact florescent light bulbs (CFL). Using just 2 CFLs
saves approximately $1.39 a month in energy usage. That leaves the net cost of using green power at $1.91. $1.91 a month for using renewable energy! Every city in the US should offer this green option.

Woking, United Kingdom – De-Regulated Energy Generation
For a post fossil fuels world, we should de-centralize energy generation so that U.S. energy is created by tens of thousands of small energy generating stations rather than large power plants. Solar pannels on top of my house would constitute one such energy generating station. In the second case study, Woking, UK has created 18 small-scale renewable energy "plants," which create 524.42 kWp of photovoltaic capacity. These sites have reduced CO2 emissions by 82% and energy consumption by 52%. Moreover, Woking have saved 5.4 million pounds (English money) up to 2005. This project foreshadows a revolutionary change in energy distribution and offers a model other cities can mimic now.

Melbourne, Australia
There are many more case studies on the site, but I have to mention the solar energy project in Melbourne. The roof of Queen Victoria Market supports the largest urban solar installation in the Southern Hemisphere. With more than 1,300 photovoltaic panels, which will last for at least 30 years, the QVM will save 369 tons of greenhouse gas a year. That is equivalent to energy usage of 46 houses or 82 cars a year. While this is a small dent, I think solar energy is the real future of renewable energy.

To start, there is unlimited solar energy. The main problems with solar are our ability to capture and store the energy with sufficient efficiency and to sell panels at an affordable price. In the early days of cars, on one would have thought 45 mpg was possible. Over time, technology improved. Solar energy is not a single source solution, but putting research money and government subsidies into solar energy, just as we have put hundreds of billions of dollars in to the car industry and wars to secure oil, will drastically increase our ability to use solar energy.

Consumers take out loans for cars and spend thousands of dollars a year for gas and maintenance. Electric cars require no gas and very little maintenance (because they have few moving parts), so we can all transfer that savings into home solar panels or paying more or green tags or Renewable Energy Credits on our electric bills. Remember that your electric car can be "fueled" by energy from solar panels. Technology alone will not save us from our dependence on fossil fuels, but a Manhattan Project or Man on the Moon initiative for Green Energy is long overdue.

I hope you will take a couple of minutes to click through the Global Climate Change Summit website. It will connect you with the current green movement and give you a glimpse into your renewable future.

Gore to testify before Congress

On March 21, Al Gore "will testify before Congress on the immediate action that needs to be taken to end the climate crisis."

Learn more about this event at his website. You can also sign a petition to show your support of his global warming campaign. Please take a second to sign the petition.

If you have not seen An Inconvenient Truth, rent it or buy it.

The Miraculous Honeybee – In Crisis

"One third of everything that reaches the American table owes a debt to the honey bee," according to The Honeybee Project.

Bees are much more than honey makers: They pollinate. I recently learned of the Honeybee Project and will quote from its website for the rest of this article.

Few people are aware of the vast importance of the honeybee to our everyday lives. While most think of honey, it is estimated that thirty-three percent of everything that reaches the American table owes a debt to the honeybee. Over 90 fruits and vegetables including apples, melons, nut crops, cherries, berries, avocados plus alfalfa and clover seed for cattle feed are dependent upon honeybee pollination. The economic importance in North Carolina alone is $80 million and the national economic impact closer to $15 billion.

Honeybees in Crisis

During the past twenty years, populations have declined worldwide with U.S. populations declining by approximately fifty percent. Imported and pesticide-resistant pests, shrinking habitat, and diseases have devastated the honeybee despite the best efforts of beekeepers. Farmers that have traditionally relied on both wild and domestic honeybees to pollinate orchards and fields are now dependent on the managed hives of beekeepers to successfully pollinate their crops.

Collony Collapse Syndrome
Moreover, researches, beekeepers, and farmers are currently in shock by the unexplained disappearance of millions of bees colonies. "We have seen a lot of things happen in 40 years, but this is the epitome of it all," Dave Hackenberg, of Lewisburg-based Hackenberg Apiaries says. Apparently, this disorder affects the immune system of bees and kills practically the whole colony.

Normally beekeepers would find dead bees on the ground around, as worker bees carry their dead companions outside the hive. But with CCD, no bees are to be found. They just disappear. Another confounding aspect of of CCD is that the affected colonies are not over taken by other colonies. Normally larger colonies takeover dying colonies.




More on CCD
Podcast from Penn State


Quick Links
Interesting Honeybee Facts
B-Eye
Enter the Hive

Make a Difference
Please support honeybees by making a donation to The Honeybee Project. Your support will increase awareness of honeybees in children. Debra Roberts, the founder, is a good friend and an all around amazing being in this world.

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Renewable Energy Bill currently in NC Legislature

North Carolinians will be interested in the Renewable Portfolio Standard, which the NC General Assembly and Senate are considering. If passed, this bill will reduce NC energy consumption by 10% and require 10% of NC’s energy come from renewable sources by 2010.

Charting North Carolina’s Clean Energy Future (pdf) outlines a number of very easy steps the NC senate and legislature can make our state into “the southeastern leader in promoting energy conservation, efficiency and the use of renewable technologies.”

Environment NC is pushing for a nationwide standard requiring 20% of the nation’s electricity to come from clean sources by 2020.

If you are not in the habit of communicating with your representatives, please take a few minutes to encourage them to support the RPS bill (House Bill 77 and Senate Bill 3). Email your representative, today. Yes, your email in support of this bill will be read and noted.

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Why Vegetarianism?

Last night I watched The Power of Myth on VHS. Bill Moyer’s interview of Joseph Campbell about storytelling gave me new insight into my reasons for living as a vegetarian.

Living as a Vegetarian
I for over ten years, I have identified with this simple maxim: Since I do not need to kill animals to live, then I should not kill them. I lived as a vegan for most of those years, and have only begun eating eggs in the past two years. This change came after kidney failure as I adjusted some basic habit to give myself more rest and more vitality. I now recognize there are benefits to eating animal proteins.

By living as a vegetarian, I raise awareness about food issues, and do not support the agro-business juggernauts, which defile nature to make a profit. At restaurants or in social situations, I am neither militant nor condescending towards meat eaters (or the host), but I stick to my principles. Sometimes people ask my why I am vegetarian, and this opens the door for a civil but direct conversation about the concomitant damage of eating meat. People make up their own minds about their diet, but at least know that making a few different choices can have profound impact.

In primary cultures, killing and eating an animal is a sacred event––not the mundane consumption of a commodity. I can understand sacrificing a cow for the village to eat on a special occasion. It provides the community with the sustenance necessary to remain healthy. But treating cattle as products for profit and a means to feeding Americans’ self-righteous appetite for meat at every meal is indefensible. Having a cow or goat on the farm to make milk products is far different than raising the animals in stalls, cutting their horns, and pumping them with hormones to increase milk production. The slaughter process is even more sickening. The animals are killed in fear––often not quickly––and with no respect. Fear produces adrenaline, and I do not want to eat fear.

Joseph Campbell
In the video last night, Campbell said that hunters undergo rituals to alleviate their guilt for killing the animal. Through ritual the hunters or communities ask forgiveness to show respect for the animal’s spirit. Through ritual, they also may entertain or appease the animal’s community to fulfill a requirement for it to come back and allow itself to be hunted again.

While I have long felt buying industrial meat at the grocery store disrespects animals, I now realize I have been missing a ritual to address my guilt. I avoid guilt by not eating the animal. But if I were stranded or in a different environment (one without an abundance of food and alternative protein choices) I would hunt to eat. As my culture did not provide me rituals for hunting, I would create my own ceremony to thank the animal and honor the animal as a sacred gift. Prayers before dinner are not adequate. They typically thank God for the food rather than address the animal. As Campbel says, ancient civilizations (such as the ones that created the cave paintings) honored the animals because they had something humans needed. Eating meat just doesn’t feel right to me without some sort of ritual at the time of death.

Ritual vs. Slaughter
Ritual is what distinguished the hunt from a slaughter. For me, the best-case scenario is to hunt or fish for a small group’s protein needs, and to perform rituals to recognize the killing of another life form. Eating meat twice a week is sufficient for health and encourages respect for the natural world. In this regard, I identify with hunters who kill overpopulated deer and freeze the meat or give it as gifts. I hope these types of hunters make use of the non-edible parts of the animal. At the same time, it is cowardly to kill for enjoyment. Equally despicable are the hunters who feed deer at designated locations and times only to hunker down in a shelter with a high-powered rifle and wait until feeding time.

Responsible Meat-eating
Every American can eat less meat and support local farmers over agro-businesses. Most Americans can eat organic food and buy fowl, beef, or pork from humane farmers who make an honest living while treating animals with respect.

Do not be fooled by free-range labels at the store. Most free-range farms meet minimum requirements for that label (which are pathetically low). Call the farm and ask the farmer where he gets his chicks from, if he feeds them organic food, and how much room the animals have to roam.

Join a local CSA, buy organic food from local farms or health food stores, and start a small garden. What would happen if 150 million out of America’s 300 million people grew half of their produce, ate meat three times a week, and drank soymilk? A revolution, that’s what. People would reconnect with their food sources. We would use land more ecologically. And agro-business would have less influence in Washington. If representatives represented small farmers rather than agricultural industry, we just might expose the lie that ethanol is the savior to our energy problems.

By eating more responsibly, Americans would have healthier, happier people, and freer citizens.

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