With Obama, is it the 1970's Again?

Barack Obama Ba-rocked the Iowa caucuses last Thursday and judging by today's polls coming out of New Hampshire, he is in a very good position to win the "first in the nation" primary.

Obama's theme is that he is the candidate best equipped to unite the country behind a non-partisan set of ideals. Hopefully, one ideal in that set is the creation of innovative solutions to our modern environmental challenges so we can have a healthier planet, create new jobs, and lead the world in green technology development.

There have been times in the history of this country when politicians did unite behind the goal of protecting our environment. In fact, the modern environmental movement, and the laws we rely on to protect our environment, were born from a shared interest by the political parties to legislate solutions to America's pollution challenges in the early 1970's.

It is difficult to pin down exactly what singular event caused politicians to finally realize something had to be done about the condition of our environment. Some believe that the Cuyahoga River fire was the symbolic beginning of the environmental movement.

In 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was so polluted and filled with oil that when a passing train threw a small spark into the river's water, a large fire ignited and burned for 30 minutes. This was the 10th major fire in the river. Not long after that highly publicized event, the country's first Earth Day was held on April 22nd, 1970. The first Earth Day was marked by massive rallies and marches.

Reading the writing on the wall, many politicians (including Richard Nixon) began campaigning on a platform of conservation and environmental protection. The strategy for both parties was to peel moderate voters away from their rivals by emphasizing the environmental issues. In 1970, President Nixon signed the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), which required federal agencies to submit thorough assessments on environmental impact prior to any new federally approved development.

Quickly after passing NEPA, the United States Congress amended the clean air laws to create the Clean Air Act. The Clean Water Act, Consumer Product Safety Act, the Environmental Pesticide Control Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Superfund legislation to clean up hazardous waste sites, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act all followed. Although Nixon was President during the passage of several of these important environmental laws, he didn't receive much recognition at the time for his work. He muddied his environmental record by supporting subsidies and less regulations for pollution creating industries like the oil and automotive industries.

As the years have passed, environmental laws have not adapted to new challenges facing our planet. Many environmental groups and environmental attorneys have tried to squeeze modern issues like global warming into existing environmental laws through law suits in an attempt to bring these laws into the 21st century.This is a bad strategy because these older laws are simply not equipped to properly regulate such diffuse threats to our environment.

The best strategy is to convene a meeting of the best scientists and environmental experts to design a new set of environmental laws that comprehensively confront the greatest challenges to our planet and its inhabitants. We've learned a lot about the successes and failures of statutes like the Endangered Species Act and we can put that knowledge to work in new legislation.

Like in the 1970's the public is very concerned about the state of our environment and has united behind the idea of finding solutions to stop the destruction of our planet. Like the 1970's a bipartisan group of politicians, including Obama, Clinton, McCain, Huckabee, Schwarzenegger, etc., are campaigning on platforms of protecting the environment. And like the 1970's there are environmental catastrophes all around us that are sounding the alarm about the need for immediate attention.

If Barack Obama is the only candidate who truly can organize the country and its leaders to make important changes, I hope he is elected. I'm not sure our planet can wait much longer.

Solar Power Is Fastest Grower

The Earth Policy Institute of Washington, DC has released a study that finds that production of photovoltaic cells for solar panels has doubled every two years.

This means that solar power is the world's fastest growing energy source. In 2007, solar energy panels generated 3,800 megawatts of energy worldwide. Thats a 50% increase over 2006.

This growth is not isolated to the United States. Many nations around the world are adopting solar energy for use in residential and nonresidential settings. The experts at the Earth Policy Institute expect that by 2010, solar power will be priced at the same rate as coal.

I read recently about solar panels produced in the U.S. that are printed on aluminum foil which reduced the price of manufacturing these new panels to almost the same cost of obtaining coal for energy. You can read that story HERE.

If you are interested in installing solar panels on your home click HERE.

Energy Resolution

I took some time off from Green Piece Blog to enjoy the holidays, but now I'm back.

I am a New Year's Resolution kind of person. I like the opportunity for a fresh start and re-focusing.

One of the things I resolve to do every year is to reduce my impact on the environment. The great thing about making this type of resolution is that it means I'm going to save more and more money on my utility bills every year.

If you follow this blog closely, you'll know that last year I changed my recycling habits by taking the garbage can out and replacing it with a recycling can, forcing myself to think about recycling first. I replaced all the bulbs in my home with fluorescents and used less heating/A.C. I started replacing the filter in my A.C. more regularly and discovered public transportation. All of these things have made a huge impact on my utility bill and have greatly decreased my carbon footprint.

As I move into 2008, I've started thinking about new ways that I can make a difference. I hope you incorporate some of these new things into your life as well.

First, I am going to plug a surge protector into the outlet in my wall that is controlled by a light switch. All of my stereo, TV, DVD/VCR, and video game equipment will be plugged into that surge protector so that when I'm not using any of this equipment, I can easily switch off the power and reduce the "Phantom Energy" burners. If you don't have a light switch in your home that controls a wall outlet, you can learn about a remote controlled surge protector HERE.

Second, I am going to switch to green energy from my local utility company. We use Pepco here which means I can move to wind or green energy for my energy needs rather than using coal or oil as energy sources. The city contracts out their renewable energy sources and buys the equivalent amount of power I use from these different sources. Its a slight cost increase, but I'm buffering that increase by doing things in my home so I'll be using less electricity.

Third, I am going to begin volunteering in my community to help clean-up dirty rivers, streams, and open spaces so that more birds and wildlife will inhabit the area. You can also do your part by avoiding fertilizers with chemicals and un-natural nutrients that poison water sources, picking up your dog's waste, eliminating un-natural pesticides and planting native trees or plants.

Fourth, I'm going to try to buy local, organic food at farmer's markets. Its about making the trip from farm to table shorter so less gasoline is required for transportation. Its also about using less pesticides, fertilizers, etc. that are bad for our oceans, rivers, and drinking water. Finally, its about keeping money in the local economy.

These are four relatively simple things I'm doing immediately to try to change the impact I am having on the earth. If you have more ideas suggest them below. As always, I'll let you know as I find new ways to make this a healthier planet.

Quick Green Links

Ok, so I'm getting a little lazy right around the holidays. Sue me!

At least I'm taking a break from blogging about all the ways Christmas decorations can kill your children. Here is a blog entry with some good links...

• Vampires Suck - Your electronics are betraying you right now. As you sit at work, earning money, your stereo, TV, and Wii are back at your place burning a hole in your wallet. GoodMagazine.com has an awesome graphic to explain just how much money your electronics on stand-by mode will cost you. Maybe you should have asked for a SmartStrip for Christmas.

• Ocean Power is all the Wave - California has just signed a deal that will allow for buoys to be placed in the ocean and generate electricity. The project will produce 2 megawatts of electricity that will offset 245 tons of carbon dioxide per year and could be expanded to 100 megawatts if successful. Read more HERE.

• Cheapest Source of Power Yet - Skeptics beware, solar power has finally become less expensive than coal. There goes West Virginia's entire economy. The New York Times is reporting on a start-up company, whose investors include Google's founders, that is manufacturing voltaic cells on aluminum at incredibly low prices. They have taken orders through the next 18 months. Read the story HERE.

• Dead Zone Expanding - The Dead Zone is an area of the Gulf of Mexico where fertilizers from farms along the Mississippi River are causing oxygen to be completely depleted from the water, killing every type of life that once existed in this zone. The new reliance on corn for ethanol means more farms using more fertilizers which is making the Dead Zone bigger. This has to stop, by all indications, Ethanol isn't even cleaner than gasoline! We need an all renewable electricity economy people. Read about it HERE.

• Greek River Turns Purple from Pollution - The people of a Greek city along the Asopos River have been experiencing high rates of cancer for years without knowing what the cause might be. Although highly populated towns up the river were warned, people in Oinofyta weren't told that the purple water in the river was the result of factories dumping waste like Chromium-6, the Erin Brockovich chemical, into the water body. This particular river was once so beautiful, it was mentioned in ancient Greek mythology. Read about it HERE.

• What to do with Leftover Christmas Cards - You will have dozens of cards laying around after the holidays. Besides simply throwing them in the recycling bin, what else can you use them for? Get some ideas HERE, HERE, and HERE.

• Painted Your House, Got Extra Paint - A lot of people paint their homes just prior to the holidays so it looks all spruced up for their guests. Inevitably, paint will be leftover. If you have too many slightly filled cans to keep around the house, how do you get rid of the excess in an environmentally responsible way? Find out HERE. Of course you should be using organic paint in the future, which you can read about HERE.

There is your green fix for the day. It may not be a proper blog post, but its better than nothing!

Green Gifts for Christmas

You might have some greenies on your shopping list this year. They can be kind of hard to shop for.

If you've already helped them become carbon neutral with a TerraPass, you've bought them fluorescent light bulbs and cloth shopping bags, and you've ordered them a great green book, what more can you do to satisfy their organic desires?

How about a kit that will save them $460 in energy bills and 7,442 pounds of carbon per year? Earth Aid Enterprises has put together a great array of gift packs for environmentally conscious folks on your shopping list.

At Earth Aid Enterprises' website, you can design a kit of products that conserve resources and cut utility costs at the same time. Among some of the products you can choose from are: programmable thermostats, tire pressure gauges, weather sensors, faucet & shower head aerators, dryer balls, smart strips, and more.

I really think it would be cool to get a big package of all these different products to fulfill that new year's resolution of becoming greener in the new year. Go get your favorite treehugger one now!

Subway Takes the Challenge

I have blogged in the past about eating fast food and staying green at the same time. It may seem tough, but by parking your car rather than waiting in the drive-thru lane, taking only those supplies (i.e. napkins, bags, lids, containers, etc.) that you truly need, and staying away from Styrofoam, you can really reduce your impact while you eat fast.

Now Subway is making it a little easier to stay green when you eat in a hurry. First, Subway has moved storage locations closer to its restaurants to reduce fuel consumption by 1.6 million gallons annually. Second, Subway has announced that it will start buying cutlery that is made from polypropylene rather than polystyrene. The change in materials for Subway's annual order of 400,000 forks & knives will result in 2,800 barrels of oil saved/year and 1,200 metric tons less carbon dioxide in the air. Third, Subway's cups will also change to polypropylene which will mean 515,000 less pounds of resin used each year.

In addition, Subway is experimenting with green restaurants via a Kissimmee, Florida location that utilizes a multitude of green technology. LED lighting, low-flow water fixtures, light sensors in bathrooms, passive cooling, and variably controlled ovens should help the restaurant lower its electricity usage considerably while improving overhead costs in the long run.

Gore Finally Gets It

To keep Green Piece Blog relevant, I read stories and information on the environment all over the internet constantly. Anybody who has followed discussions of global warming on the web like I have has probably discovered that a lot of global warming skeptics aim their targets right at former Vice-President Al Gore. It is as if Gore himself created the concept of global warming and unless he lives a completely carbon-free life, he cannot be trusted on this issue.

Frankly, I think anybody can agree that it is impressive that Gore has been so committed to publicizing something he believes is a real threat. Too bad none of the politicians currently holding office are as steadfast in their defense of the environment.

However, Al Gore has given many of his critics a major opening for attacks on him. It has often been said that Gore's lifestyle doesn't necessarily reflect his passion for reducing carbon emissions. Anyone who watched "An Inconvenient Truth" probably noticed that Gore never traveled around in hybrid vehicles and flew very often. Gore's mansion in Tennessee has been a noted electricity hog with utility bills reaching over $1,200.

Gore's response to attacks on his lifestyle has always been that deniers were more interested in going after the messenger rather than the message. This argument is valid, but out of touch with reality. Many look to Gore to set an example for how individual responsibility can be the most effective way to curb global warming. It may be the strategy of deniers to point the finger at the messenger, but Gore should use this as an opportunity to educate people about things he has done to reduce his impact.

Finally, Gore gets it. Solar panels, rain collection devices, geothermal heaters and florescent light bulbs have all been added to Gore's beautiful Nashville home. In the face of a record heat wave last summer, the home actually cut utility costs by 11% when other Nashville homes were earning 20-30% higher-than-usual utility bills. This is especially impressive because Gore's home is more than 80 years old. The Green Building Coalition awards prizes to buildings that integrate energy efficient technologies. The top prize is Platinum, Gore's home won Gold. It is the only home in Tennessee to win that distinction.

Honestly, I don't think Al Gore needs a mansion in the first place. One of the best ways to lower your impact on the earth is to live in an urban center, not the 'burbs, and to live in a home that truly meets your needs. I am glad, however, that if he insists on living in such a large home, he is taking steps to make it as green as possible so he can set an example for others. As an aside, Gore also invests a great deal of money in the development of renewable energy sources.

For more go HERE

Polar Cities and You

When readers request a specific blog post, I try to be responsive. For instance, when Ron Paul supporters wanted to see more information about his environmental beliefs, I obliged. On several occasions I have received comments from one reader requesting a blog entry on "Polar Cities." So this one is for him.

Polar Cities are the brainchild of Dr. James Lovelock, a scientist and author. One of his largest accomplishments was the creation of the Electron Capture Detector, a device that brought about our knowledge of CFC's and their impact on the Earth's atmosphere. Dr. Lovelock has long supported the idea that the earth is less a giant floating piece of space dust and more a super-organism that is made up of its living and non-living parts. This "Gaia hypothesis" is the basis of Dr. Lovelock's view of our atmosphere and its impact on the earth's sustainability.

All of these viewpoints inform Dr. Lovelock's fear that billions of people will die as a result of unsustainable global temperature increases from carbon emissions into the Earth's atmosphere. This brings us to the concept of Polar Cities. Dr. Lovelock has suggested that those people who do survive the temperature increases will be the ones who flock to the arctic regions of the planet and establish communities there.

To many, this concept begins to border on science fiction. The very idea of a snowy cluster of people from different nations attempting to survive in a currently uninhabitable part of the planet will probably put conservative global-warming-doubters in a tizzy. Obviously, this is an idea that is looking many centuries down the road and doesn't take into account the possibility that humans develop a system for slowing and reversing the effects of global warming.

Regardless, its an interesting hypothesis to consider. If you're curious what a Polar City might look like, Dan Bloom has created a series of illustrations that paint a completely internalized world of tunnels, tubes, and cubes. You can check them out HERE.

Now I have to get back to life in my "Bi-Polar City" of Washington, DC.

Ron Paul's Environmental Issues

Months ago, I ran into some trouble with Ron Paul supporters when I failed to represent his views on the environment in a 2008 Republican Candidates Environmental Platform blog entry.

Due to the overwhelming response I received from Paul's loyal backers, I did some research and created THIS post on his environmental voting record. I chose to blog about his voting record because, at the time, Dr. Paul had nothing on his own website about his views on environmental policy. Later, I found a great Q&A with Ron Paul that you can read HERE.

Now that some time has passed and Ron Paul has become a major media star, I return to address his environmental views once again. Incidentally, Paul is seriously looking at winning the Nevada Republican primary.

On Congressman Paul's website, he has created a new environmental area in the "Issues" pages. I thought this information might round out the facts I have presented in the past. The site says this...

The federal government has proven itself untrustworthy with environmental policy by facilitating polluters, subsidizing logging in the National Forests, and instituting one-size-fits-all approaches that too often discriminate against those they are intended to help.

The key to sound environmental policy is respect for private property rights. The strict enforcement of property rights corrects environmental wrongs while increasing the cost of polluting.

In a free market, no one is allowed to pollute his neighbor's land, air, or water. If your property is being damaged, you have every right to sue the polluter, and government should protect that right. After paying damages, the polluter's production and sale costs rise, making it unprofitable to continue doing business the same way. Currently, preemptive regulations and pay-to-pollute schemes favor those wealthy enough to perform the regulatory tap dance, while those who own the polluted land rarely receive a quick or just resolution to their problems.

In Congress, I have followed a constitutional approach to environmental action:

• I consistently vote against using tax dollars to subsidize logging in National Forests.
• I am a co-sponsor of legislation designed to encourage the development of alternative and sustainable energy. H.R. 550 extends the investment tax credit to solar energy property and qualified fuel cell property, and H.R. 1772 provides tax credits for the installation of wind energy property.
• Taxpayers for Common Sense named me a "Treasury Guardian" for my work against environmentally-harmful government spending and corporate welfare.
• I am a member of the Congressional Green Scissors Coalition, a bipartisan caucus devoted to ending taxpayer subsidies of projects that harm the environment for the benefit of special interests.

Individuals, businesses, localities, and states must be free to negotiate environmental standards. Those who depend on the land for their health and livelihood have the greatest incentive to be responsible stewards.

Better Battery Technology

I have a dream. In my dream the United States exclusively relies on renewable sources of electricity. A mixture of solar, wind, and ocean current electricity will sufficiently supply every person with the energy they need. In addition to this exclusive source of renewable energy, my dream paints a portrait of transportation that is powered by electricity from these renewable sources. Cars that plug in to their garages at night, high-speed trains with electric lines attached, and airplanes containing large non-explosive batteries in place of gas tanks.

All of this is totally possible. If this country could muster up the courage to break the stronghold that the coal, oil, and nuclear industries have on our energy policy, we could easily begin building a renewable infrastructure that would ultimately save money, create more jobs, and make America the leader in energy innovation.

While we wait for our leaders to become courageous, the battery industry is developing more and more technologically advanced batteries for use in electric cars. Today, Toshiba announced a new battery that can be charged to 90% capacity in less than 5 minutes. That means an electric car could be charged in the time it takes to run into the store for milk. The battery is currently being tested in construction machines like fork lifts, but they could see mainstream placement in automobiles by 2010.

These batteries could charge about 5,000 times before losing their ability to take an electric current. They are safer than lithium batteries, so they will not explode or overheat. Plus, they can withstand temperatures as cold as -22 degrees.

My dream isn't as wild as you might think. Read more HERE

Bleach and the Environment

I have blogged in the past about the harmful effects of bleach in your home. Today, however, I read a very well written piece about exactly how bleach affects your body and the environment on Grist.org.

Grist says...When considering chlorine bleach for other household uses, remember that bleach is dangerous to your lungs and mucus membranes. The production of bleach results in production of dioxins. As you use the bleach, it may produce trihalomethanes, linked to cancer, and adsorbable organic halides, which are harmful to marine organisms.

The truth is, you can get your home just as clean by using vinegar, baking soda, or soap. Everywhere we look we see new house cleaning products that promise to kill all the bacteria in your home. You don't want to create a completely germ free environment for your family, though, because its better to develop a strong immune system that will fight germs in places that haven't been cleaned so deeply.

Christmas Lights Shed Lead

Ah Christmas, a time to gather the family together, drink hot chocolate and decorate your beautiful tree. Many of my fondest holiday memories include helping dad staple-gun Christmas lights to the outside of our home, "One goes out, they all go out!"

Unfortunately, you might want to shy away from including children and the elderly in these activities in the future. CNN has uncovered a disappointing fact about Christmas lights, they contain a potentially lethal level of lead. This isn't the first time I've told you about lead hiding in our holiday decorations. See the Fake Tree vs. Real Tree discussion HERE. What is so insidious about this new discovery is that it means you can't buy unleaded fake trees or lights.

Like in fake Christmas trees, manufacturers use lead to stabilize the PVC chemical they use to build Christmas lights. The scientific analysis done by CNN was completed at Quantex Laboratories and uncovered lead levels on the lights that even surprised Dr. Leo Trasande of New York's Sinai School of Medicine.

"There is no level at which lead exposure is safe," Dr. Trasande said. "Even at one microgram/deciliter -- the lowest level in a person's blood stream that we can detect -- that level has been associated with cognitive impairment in children."

Often, children will help put up the Christmas tree and will then put their hands in their mouths, instantly carrying lead to their bloodstream and organs. Of the four brands tested, Wal-Mart's showed the highest concentration of surface lead.

Unfortunately, the level of lead on these lights is totally legal because the US government, through the Consumer Product Safety Commission, has not created rules that forbid such lead concentrations. If you want your kids to help with the decorations this year (and why wouldn't you?) make sure they only hang ornaments, wear gloves, and wash their hands.

For the full CNN story go HERE.