Changing Your Thermostat Video

Installing a new thermostat that can be programmed to turn the A/C or heat off when you leave for work and back on when you come home could save you some serious dough.

I found this Sierra Club video on Youtube where a slightly irratating guide takes you through the process of installing your own thermostat. Its worth a look.

Renewable Energy Tax Credit Expiring

When I criticised Barack Obama's support of "Clean Coal" in West Virginia (read HERE), many attacked me by saying, "We have all this coal, what are we supposed to do?" To which I said, "Ignore it."

I argued that although coal currently makes up 50% of our energy mix, we could dramatically lower that level by investing in renewable energy sources rather than coal band-aids. I backed up my argument with THIS report from the Department of Energy that shows 20% of our nation's energy could come from wind power if we simply utilize currently existing technologies and make the right investments.

Now is the perfect time for Congress to show its commitment to expanding our renewable energy infrastructure by extending the Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit. At the end of the year, the tax credit will expire. Until Congress makes clear its intention to renew the credit, several planned wind energy projects are in limbo.

Wind energy not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, environmental degradation from coal mining and the release of toxins into the air, it also employs 76,000 Americans. Call your Member of Congress now and ask if they are supporting the tax credit. If they aren't, ask why. 202 225-3121

John McCain's Eco-Friendly Shop

The League of Conservation Votes gave John McCain the worst possible score for his 2007 voting record on the environment.

Why? Because he simply failed to vote on ANY positive environmental bills in the Senate that year. He just didn't vote. Its difficult to know a candidate's position on things without a voting record. Maybe thats why he did it!

This fact is remarkable in light of the McCain campaign's push in recent weeks to frame him as an environmentalist. In spite of his campaign's refusal to go carbon neutral by purchasing carbon credits from the free-market, McCain says he supports a free-market cap-and-trade pollution reduction program. He has also said he will invest in new energy technologies and use "common sense" to restore America's conservation commitment.

I'll give McCain the benefit of the doubt on his environmental proposals before I have the opportunity to read them in depth. Its not like Obama is wowing me with his commitment to "clean coal." What is fascinating about McCain's big environmentalist campaign, though, is that he has opened an eco-friendly category of products in his campaign shop.

If you click HERE, you will be taken to the "Go Green" section of the John McCain campaign store where there are products like t-shirts, hats, notebooks, coffee mugs, baby clothes and shopping bags made from organic cotton, organic based inks and more. He has even created a new campaign logo with the recycle symbol stamped above his name (leaving him open to jokes about "recycling Bush's policies").

Take a second to check out the goods. I have blogged in the past about the benefit of having candidates of both parties competing for the environmentalist label (read it HERE). Thats why I'm kind of excited about this new development from McCain. You can sign a petition urging the McCain campaign to go carbon neutral by going HERE.

300th Post

This is our 300th Post!

After over 1.5 years & tens of thousands of visitors, we have reached this exciting milestone.

Thanks for all of the committed visitors who come back day after day. Thanks to all those sites who have linked to our stories. And a big thanks to the environmental blogs who help us bring interesting content to our readers.

As the 2008 political campaigns heat up and we are invited to more exciting events, look here for the scoop on whats green and eco-friendly this summer.

Thanks again!

Green DC: Capitol Hemp

This post is part of a weekly feature where we will focus on events and issues, related to the environment, happening in our own back yard of Washington, DC. Come back next Wednesday for another post.

I live North of Dupont, East of Kalorama Circle, South of Woodley Park and West of Adams-Morgan. Thankfully, this puts me within walking distance of a Yes! Organic Market, several farmers markets and a handful "green" shops.

If you live in this area, you are probably aware of a new store that just opened up called Capitol Hemp. It is located at 1802 Adams Mill Road, right between the Starbucks and the new Wachovia bank. Having a locally owned, environmentally friendly store on a strip full of corporate banks and shops is a breath of fresh air.

Capitol Hemp's location in a downstairs store, below a hair dresser, belies the enormity of their mission. This new shop is embracing everything hemp with astounding attention to detail. Even the display shelves are made of renewable hemp board. The objective of Capitol Hemp is to educate the public about the benefits of hemp-made products while providing a huge array of hemp-made supplies from clothing to non-dairy milk.

If you thought hemp was illegal in America, you're wrong. Hemp is not the same as marajuana. Hemp is a multi-talented plant that can be used as a substitute for a whole array of products. It is natural and renewable. Unfortunately, hemp farming is not permitted in the United States because of the negative stigma attached to marajuana. Therefore, companies making hemp products in America import their hemp from overseas. Wouldn't it be greener if we could just grow this stuff here rather than wasting fuel shipping it from China?

Anyways, take a few minutes to check out Capitol Hemp's website and try to stop by when you're in the neighborhood.

Must Read: CO2 Highest Level in 650,000 Years

"Current levels of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere are higher now than at any time in the past 650,000 years."

Read the story HERE

Grilling Green

Spring is fully upon us and in one month it will be summer time. That means its time to get back to the great American tradition of weekend grilling. I've already smelled that enticing aroma of sizzling barbecues around my neighborhood.

If you're looking to turn your backyard BBQ into a green occasion, follow the tips below for Treehugger.com

1. Choose locations accessible to public transport. Encourage all those who come to take transit, carpool, ride their bikes or walk to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestions.

2. Smoke contributes to smog. Avoid charcoal and wood grills in favour of propane to reduce air pollution. Avoid lighter fluid which releases Volatile Organic Compounds VOCs which are hazardous to health.

3. Use reusable dishes rather than plastics or styrofoam and washable napkins rather than paper.. If you must use disposables, use compostable plates, cups and utensils.

4. Shop greener to reduce waste especially of packaging. Avoid single serving products. Buy in bulk and larger containers. For drinks buy recyclable containers rather than juice boxes which are not recyclable in SF.

5. After the barbecue, recycle the recyclables and put the compostable items including paper in the green bin.

6. It is suggested that leftover food should be sent home with people in reusable containers or given to the food bank if larger quantities are leftover.

Save the Polar Bear

The WE Campaign has successfully recruited 100,000 signatures for their petition to the Department of the Interior asking that Polar Bears be listed as endangered species.

Right now the Secretary of the Interior is considering the proposal to list the species and the WE Campaign is using this last 24 hours for a final push to get more signatures so they can deliver the petition to the Secretary with as many signatures as possible.

I'm skeptical about this proposed listing because of its inclusion of global climate change as one of the threats to Polar Bear survival. We need to fight global warming, but the structure and substance of the Endangered Species Act isn't properly suited for that purpose.

Regardless, Polar Bear numbers are dwindling and so are the numbers of their prey. Its important the government use its full regulatory force to protect them.

Sign the WE Campaign petition HERE, today!

Study: Wind Energy Could Equal Nuclear

A report published by the Energy Department and energy industry members claims that in the not so distant future, America could generate wind energy equivalent to our current nuclear energy supply. In fact, the report says that 20% of our nation's energy could be generated by windmills by 2030.

The best news to come out of the report is that this growth is achievable without major new technological breakthroughs. I know this doesn't sound like good news, but given the political and scientific difficulties incumbent in reforming our energy infrastructure, anything easy is good.

The report does caution that it would be costly, in terms of money and land, to expand our wind turbine energy production from the current level of 16,000 to 300,000 megawatts. But once the equipment is in place, turbines could generate electricity for less than half a cent per kilowatt hour.

This is the direction our federal funding should be taking. Funding fossil fuel sources of energy like coal is investing in last century's solutions.

To read more, click HERE.

Senator Obama: Just Say NO to Coal

If you were bothered by that last post (read it HERE) about Obama's support in West Virginia for "clean coal," you can sign a petition urging him to end that support HERE.

Obama Supports Clean Coal in West Virginia

The 2005 Energy Bill was written behind closed doors by Dick Cheney and his oil & coal industry buddies. It did very little, if anything, to generate a net gain for the environment or for renewable energy technology. It did expand funding for coal and ethanol, both of which contribute to global warming and destruction of the environment.

Of the three existing mainstream candidates for President, only Obama supported the 2005 Energy Bill. Many claim that it would have been career suicide for him to oppose the bill because of his representation in the Senate of Illinois, a state with a lot of corn (ethanol) and a lot of coal.

Now that he is running for President, it is possible for Obama to distance himself from his support of corn based fuels and coal. Instead, he is pushing "clean coal" as an environmentally safe alternative energy source. Don't be fooled, clean coal is a misleading marketing ploy and Obama knows it.

Obama's main argument for his candidacy is that he is going to change Washington and to bring a new breed of politics to the White House. He says he will tell people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear. Yet, in West Virginia he is airing an ad that advances "clean coal" because it is a state where coal is economically important, and thereby politically popular. How disappointing.

What is clean coal? Essentially, clean coal is altered coal that burns in such a way that it is possible to capture the CO2 released and to hold that CO2 in a special chamber. First, this technology is often marketed as a currently viable solution to global warming. Carbon capturing does not exist now and will not exist for at least two decades. Second, even if the technology existed, we would be capturing CO2 in chambers that would need to be stored indefinitely, just like nuclear waste. We would be passing our energy mistakes onto our grandchildren. Third, extracting coal from the earth requires blowing the tops off of mountains and destroying entire ecosystems in the process.

I believed that Obama was being supportive of Illinois when he voted for the 2005 Energy Bill. Now that he is including "clean coal" as an important part of his presidential platform, I realize that his loyalties to the coal industry run deeper than originally presented. We have spent the last 8 years watching our environment be destroyed by an administration owned by the coal and oil industries. Isn't it heartbreaking to see we can expect the same from Obama?

Here is Obama's campaign advertisement promoting "clean coal" in West Virginia...

Must Read: Wyoming City's Pollution Worse Than Denver's

A story on MSNBC today documents a Wyoming city's struggle to manage pollution and high ozone levels that rival those of big cities.

Check it out HERE

Apple a Failure on Climate Change Plan

An organization called Climate Counts released a report this week that ranked corporations by their commitment to confronting global climate change and mitigating their greenhouse gas contributions.

Of all the industries studied by Climate Counts, the Information Technology and Electronics industry showed the strongest efforts in slowing climate change. The top performing companies in the industry were IBM and Canon. The average score on the rankings list was 56, those two companies earned a 77 and 74, respectively.

Unfortunately, the worst performing company on the rankings list was Apple. Despite recent claims by Apple CEO Steve Jobs and the company's growing attention to their environmental impact, their overall score was a measly 11. According to Climate Counts, the reason for the low score was incomplete reporting by Apple and the failure by Apple to set goals for itself or its partners to reduce contributions to global warming.

If you want to learn more about Climate Counts and the results of their research go HERE.

Google Maps Hates Plastic Bags Too

Plastic bags are mischievous little creatures. They are manufactured using petroleum. They are more expensive to recycle than to create. They clog drainage systems, choke sea life and cause unsightly tangled plastic webs in tree limbs.

Add a new annoyance to the list of problems caused by plastic bags; Google Maps interference.

Googlesightseeing.com has found a Google Maps Street View section of Fairbanks, Alaska where a plastic bag blew up off the street and covered the lens of the camera mounted on top of the Google Maps car that is used to photograph street views for the website.

There apparently is some debate over whether the bag actually landed on the camera's lens accidentally or if it was placed there to sabotage the camera's ability to capture that portion of the city. Regardless, the bag remained on the lens for several blocks.

If you want to check out the little jerk causing havoc with Google Maps, go type in "College Road and Old Steese Highway, Fairbanks, Alaska." Click on the street view and there it is!

If you want to avoid contributing to our nation's plastic bag problems, bring your own cloth bags to the store. Keep a few in the car, at the office and on you. We will end the plastic bag mischief once and for all!

Carbon Neutral Candidates

Earlier I published a post addressing Obama and McCain's failure to make their campaigns carbon neutral. You can read that post HERE or sign the petition urging them to do so HERE.

Some readers might complain that it is expensive and difficult to make a campaign carbon neutral. Its true that it can be tough, but its not impossible, especially with the cash that Obama has been raking in. If Hillary and Edwards can make the pledge, so can McCain and Obama.

In fact, some other candidates are pledging to make their campaigns carbon neutral this election. Take a look at the list I compiled through a Google search. Its surprisingly short. If you know of any additional candidates that didn't make the list, feel free to post their name in the comments section.

New York City Council -

Eric Gioia - Queens

US House of Representatives -

Ohio - Jane Mitakides, 3rd Congressional District
Colorado - Jared Polis, 2nd Congressional District
Colorado, Will Shafroth, 2nd Congressional District
Pennsylvania - Kathy Dahlkemper, 3rd Congressional District

Green DC: Energy Costs Up Across the Region

This post is part of a weekly feature where we will focus on events and issues, related to the environment, happening in our own back yard of Washington, DC. Come back next Wednesday for another post.

I don't drive a car in DC. This is probably best for everybody in the area considering my driving record in Florida was lackluster. Its good for me because I can afford a nicer place and I avoid rising gas prices.

Unfortunately, all of us non-drivers are beginning to feel the squeeze from higher gas prices even though we don't use the pump.

Prices for products and services are shooting up in response to corporate energy costs rising. In the middle of an economic downturn, the increasing cost of gasoline has led several area employers to begin laying off employees or to freeze hiring.

The Washington Post reported a few days ago that "In Montgomery, requests for food stamps increased 17 percent in the first three months of the year; Loudoun County experienced a 27 percent increase during the same period. Applications are up 21 percent in Prince George's County, 12 percent in Prince William County and 6 percent in the District."
Between July and March, Fairfax County food stamp requests increased by 17%. Applications for food stamps and Medicaid in Arlington County are 25% higher than last year's requests.

Now its time for the utility companies to turn that screw just a little tighter. In June, Pepco will increase its rates by 15% for DC customers. This is the second increase by Pepco in just 5 months. They claim it is necessary to cover increasing energy costs.

Dominion Virginia Power is taking steps to increase its rates as well. They have submitted a request for an 18% rate increase, due to affect customers this summer. This would be the largest increase for Dominion since the 1970's. Their explanation for the increase is due to the rising cost of coal and other energy sources.

There are ways for District citizens to keep their utility bill from sky rocketing. Stores like Greater Goods on U Street and Eco-Green Living on Church Street sell a variety of products that will help reduce your energy consumption. The obvious fluorescent light bulbs are available, but there are so many additional cheap options available.

For instance, THIS window film will help keep the outside heat out of your place by insulating your windows to keep A/C costs down. If you have central air conditioning, install one of THESE thermostats so you can set the A/C to turn off when you're at work and to come back on when you get home. If you have a window A/C unit, use a timer like THIS to do the same thing. Plug all of your home electronics into a surge protector with an off switch. Just switch the equipment off when you're not using it so phantom energy won't be wasted by equipment in the "stand-by" mode. Make sure you are taking shorter showers so you can use and heat less water.

Apparently, Metro ridership is up 7% already this year partly due to rising gas prices. Public transportation is always a great option. If you've never mapped out the public transportation route for your home, check HERE to see if there are Metro buses or trains available to you.

The reality is that energy prices are just going to go up. So many factors are working against us that it would be impossible to keep a lid on these increases. Fortunately, we can lower our individual usage, which will decrease demand, which might stabilize prices in the long term. It will also save us some cash.

Its McCain vs. Obama, but Neither is Carbon Neutral

A few months ago, I published a post where I assumed Obama had won the Democratic nomination and I was going to begin focusing on his environmental record versus McCain's. Of course, looking back, I was prematurely ending Hillary's campaign.

With last night's election results in North Carolina and Indiana, it looks increasingly like the Democratic primary has actually reached its end. I'm not going to make the same mistake by counting Hillary out, but I will follow conventional wisdom and begin considering Obama and McCain our general election candidates.

This reality gives me the opportunity to point something out about our Republican and Democratic nominees you may not know, neither is running a carbon neutral campaign.

Not long ago, the Washington Times ran a story (you can read it HERE) addressing the carbon neutrality of the different presidential candidates. Of all the candidates on the trail at that time, McCain and Obama were the only ones neglecting to seriously offset their campaigns' greenhouse gas contributions.

This made me pretty upset.

Both McCain and Obama support carbon trading markets to cap and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by polluters. These markets allow participants to buy and sell a restricted set of carbon credits, with much of the funding from their sale going to development of more environmentally friendly technologies.

Apparently what is good for the goose isn't good for the gander, because neither candidate opted to participate in a similar market where they could offset the pollution from their campaigns and contribute to the development of renewable energy sources and greenhouse gas mitigation.

Hillary Clinton and John Edwards did participate in these programs. In Hillary's case, tens of thousands were spent to maintain her 2007 Earth Day promise to keep her campaign carbon neutral. This, in spite of the fact that her campaign was often flat broke.

Why is it important for Obama and McCain to run carbon neutral campaigns? First, they should participate in a program they support. Second, they should take responsibility for the environmental damage their campaigns cause. Third, they should prove their commitment to innovative environmental solutions now rather than after November.

Environmental solutions in America come when both parties are competing to be the leader on the issue. I blogged about this trend HERE. If both candidates largely ignore the issue of energy conservation and environmental policy reform, progress will come very slowly. By urging Obama and McCain to go carbon neutral, we begin a contest between the candidates to prove their green credentials. We can start a dialog between them now that will continue throughout the rest of the campaign on who has the better campaign and who has the most innovative solutions.

Please take the opportunity to sign THIS petition urging Senator Obama and Senator McCain to make their campaigns carbon neutral. Already, many people have participated in the petition from across America and even other nations. Many people have left messages explaining why this issue is important to them.

Take a second and SIGN THE PETITION. It will be sent to the campaigns and will let them know that their action on this issue will not go unnoticed.

Petition powered by ThePetitionSite.com

Pets Suffer From Chemical Exposure

The Environmental Working Group released the results of a study last week which showed that the family cat or dog absorbs a dangerous level of toxic chemicals from household cleaners. Showing up in the blood or urine of their test subjects were plasticizers, stain-resisting chemicals, flame retardants, lead and mercury.

In some cases, our furry companions can absorb 20 times the amount of toxins we do. Many of these chemicals or elements are known to cause cancer and can affect important organs like the thyroid.

This may come as a shock to animal lovers, but it should serve as a lesson to parents as well. Young children who spend a lot of time on the floor, and who often put their hands in their mouths, are being exposed to these dangers in the same way our pets are.

If you want to read more about the study, click HERE.

If you want to find recipes for natural, home-made cleaning products that don't contain toxins, click HERE, HERE and HERE.

DC E-Recycling Event Too Successful

As I told you in THIS post, the DC government hosted an electronics recycling event last Saturday. Apparently many of the city's citizens had a lot of electronics equipment and hazardous waste to dump because the event caused intense traffic jams and hour long lines.

The government expected about 1,800 people to drop-off junk. Between 3,000 and 4,000 people showed up. In fact, two hours before the event was to begin, 300 cars were already waiting in the parking lot.

Obviously green thinking is beginning to take hold in the District and more than semi-annual electronics recycling events are necessary. In Montgomery County, Maryland, citizens can recycle hazardous waste 7 days a week at the Shady Grove recycling center. Fairfax has a drop-off site that is open Thursday through Sunday.

To help those who were unable to drop-off their waste on Saturday due to the long lines, the District is planning to open the Benning Road trash transfer station in NE next weekend. Also, there are plans to make the Benning Road and Fort Totten trash sites available for drop-off on alternating weekends.

To everyone who showed up to recycle their electronics and toxic materials, I say congratulations. Its definitely a good sign that so many want to do the right thing. If you weren't able to recycle your stuff, try the Benning Road site next weekend. Whatever you do, don't pollute our water even more with lead and toxic chemicals.

More Baby Bottle Fears

A story published in the Washington Post on April 26th confirmed what I had posted in THIS entry a few weeks ago, that bisphenol A (BPA) may be more of a threat to our health than the government will admit.

BPA is a chemical used to manufacture several plastic products ranging from baby bottles to eyeglasses. For years, several studies have shown that the chemical can have a variety of negative health impacts like breast cancer, prostate cancer, reproductive health problems and behavior disorders on laboratory rats.

From 1997 - 2005, 116 studies were conducted to uncover possible health issues associated with BPA. Many of these studies specifically focused on the impact even a small amount of BPA exposure could cause. Of these 116 studies conducted by objective government scientists, 90% showed a negative health effect associated with exposure to BPA.

The question posed in the Washington Post story is this: If 90% of government studies show a link between health disorders and exposure to BPA, why does the FDA approve of BPA's inclusion in consumer products like baby bottles?"

The answer is that the FDA doesn't rely on objective government studies for its regulatory decision-making. Instead, it relies on the industry's studies. The same industry that gains monetarily by continuing to include BPA in its products is providing research results for the FDA.
This odd relationship between a federal regulatory agency, and the industries it is required to regulate, is not unusual. According to David Michaels a former regulator in the Clinton administration, this type of relationship is the same used by the tobacco industry to slow regulation of its products.

"If you fight the science, you're able to postpone regulation and victim compensation, as well. As in this case, eventually the science becomes overwhelming. But if you can get five or 10 years of avoiding pollution control or production of chemicals, you've greatly increased your product."

Of course the industry and the FDA see the situation differently. The industry defends its studies and says they uphold the highest standards when investigating their products. The FDA says its the responsibility of the industry to prove the products are safe and that the agency provides instructions on the way these studies are carried out.

What is interesting, however, is that of all the industry-funded studies released, none show any connection between BPA and negative health effects. In addition, these industries have hired very powerful lobbying/PR/law firms to manage any fallout associated with their unusual relationships with the FDA. The Weinberg Group is a firm that has its own scientists and lawyers and has represented corporations who produce Agent Orange, tobacco a