Thanks Conservation Network

The good folks at the North Carolina Conservation Network have a great blog. Today they spotlighted our blog as well as other environmental blogs in the state. Check it out.

Thanks y'all!

Kudos to Moeser and Pfeiffer

I found out this weekend from UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser's monthly column in the Chapel Hill Herald that he has signed onto the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.

Chancellor Moeser described the program as such:

This month, I signed the American CollegeUniversity Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging to develop a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible. Climate neutrality means reducing campus greenhouse gas emissions to the maximum extent possible, and then offsetting the remaining unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere. Offset options include investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy systems or even rapidly growing tropical forests. Thanks to excellent efforts by staff, faculty and students, we are well on our way to achieving climate neutrality.

I was pleasantly surprised when I went to the website of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education to find that of the 53 schools nationwide that have signed the agreement, two are from North Carolina. Warren Wilson President William Pfeiffer has also signed on.

Thank you to Moeser and Pfeiffer for their leadership- hopefully they will set a standard for college leaders across the state to get on board.

N&O gets it right on Cliffside

The Raleigh News and Observer got it right today, coming out against Cliffside.

We commend them for their stand and urge activists across the state to write letters to the editor expressing their opposition to the proposed expansion. It's going to be tough to get this thing denied but every little thing we do to get the word out helps.

Good things in Greensboro

Last night I traveled to Greensboro to meet with the Cool Cities team of the Piedmont Plateau Group of the Sierra Club.

I was very pleased with the size and passion of the group and particularly pleased with the variety of ages represented.

They have a good plan for really educating their local officials about the good things other communities are doing to help put a dent into global warming. They have been meeting several times a month with a collaborative approach that is allowing everyone to take responsibility for getting things done rather than focusing that responsibility in the hands of one or two people.

I am confident that the good work they are doing will result in Greensboro becoming North Carolina's largest Cool City to date.

Interested in having your community become a Cool City? Contact me at 'tom.jensen" @ 'sierraclub-nc.org.'

Piedmont Biofuels Tour

Thank you to the N&O's Orange Chat for this tip:

If you're in the Triangle (or not!) you should take advantage of the new opportunity to tour Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro.

Tours will be the first Friday of every month from 10 AM- Noon.

Tours are free and preregistration is required.
For more information, e-mail tours@biofuels.coop or call 919-321-8260.
The tours are limited to the first 25 people.

Pisgah Conference Media Coverage

When I was a little kid my extended family used to have a house at Cedar Mountain in Transylvania County. Whenever we could come to visit, the Transylvania Times would have a little item in the paper announcing that Tom and Alec Jensen of Ann Arbor, Michigan, grandchildren of James Woodside, are here visiting for the week.

You have to love that ultra local, personal coverage that is too rare in the media today.

I didn't give the Transylvania Times much of a thought since those early days until this week, when it had an outstanding package on the Pisgah Energy Conference held at Brevard College.

The coverage that made it onto their website is not exhaustive compared to what was in the print version, but you can check it out here.

I've also been remiss in not giving a big commendation to Senator John Snow, who came and spent the entire day at the conference. Many politicians would come, make an appearance, and leave after thirty minutes. We are very appreciative of Senator Snow's commitment- he has certainly shown himself to be worthy of our endorsement!

Indy Legislative Preview

The Independent Weekly has a great preview of the legislative session that started yesterday, entitled the 'Progressive Prescription.'

One of the issues they focused on was the possibility of a renewable portfolio standard being passed during this session, which they say would help ease our 'addiction to oil.'

Sierra Club lobbyist Christa Wagner was quoted within the article.

Congratulation to Indy writers Lisa Sorg, Bob Geary, and Fiona Morgan on a job well done. Their work is definitely worth checking out.

Small Cities can be "Cool" too!

Have you heard the BIG news?

Highlands, a town where just the name, conjures up images of vast mountain ranges and pristine forests has taken a step that further legitimizes that image...they are the smallest municipality in NC and, in fact, the entire Southeast to be named a "Cool City".

Tom took his newly donned wheels and rusty driving skills (see posting from 1/23) on the road to one of the most western reaches of our state, to present Mayor Don Mullen with a "Cool Cities" certificate.

This important discovery-- that Highlands is being "Cool"-- may have not been brought to light had it not been for Sierra Club member in Highlands, Breta Stroud.

Thanks, Breta!

You can read about Highlands becoming a "Cool City" in today's issue of Highlands' Newspaper.
The Cool Cities story is on pg. 11, but I was impressed by the fact that there were several other articles with environmental content such as an opinion article on Global Warming and one on Greenway Funding.

Congratulations Highlands! Keep up the good work!

Press Coverage of Highlands becoming a Cool City

There is an article in the Smoky Mountain News.

Stay tuned for more coverage of Highlands' honor.

Don't you want your home town to become a Cool City? Read here to find out more about the program and feel free to e-mail me at 'tom.jensen' at 'sierraclub-nc.org' for help with doing so.

Congratulations Joe Hackney!

We are pleased to congratulate Joe Hackney on his election as Speaker of the House. He has been a great friend to the Sierra Club over the years. Here's a column I wrote about him in the Chapel Hill Herald two months ago.

More from the Energy Conference...

I thought the most engaging speaker of the day was Margie Meares, of the Clean Air Community Trust in Asheville.

She said that we don't have an energy crisis so much as we have a mindset crisis.

For instance, she thinks people's mindset about driving would be different if all cars had an instantaneous MPG calculator on them.

She thinks people would make different decisions within their homes if their electric meters were inside the house.

She also talked about what some of the broader implications could be if folks made different decisions within their own homes.

She claimed that if everyone in the state used compact fluorescent lights, the amount of energy saved would be enough that we could shut down a nuclear power plant.

She also outlined the environmental and personal benefits of carpooling.

While she devoted a lot of time to the importance of personal responsibility in addressing climate change, she also had some tips for the government.

One innovative idea she touted was the idea of creating a two tiered rate structure for electricity. Up to a certain amount power would be charged at one rate, but above that level it would be charged at a higher rate. It would subject excess energy use to a sort of 'luxury tax,' causing folks to give more careful thought to how much they use.

She also addressed the controversy over the Cliffside expansion. She challenged the Utilities Commission, in fulfilling its charge of providing least cost power sources in North Carolina, to look at health and human costs, not just dollars and cents.

She concluded by saying that as it was on Clean Smokestacks, North Carolina has the opportunity to be a regional leader on the environment. It's up to individual citizens to put the pressure on elected officials to provide that leadership, and it's up to the government to listen to those voices and take action.

Wrapping up the Pisgah Energy Conference

On Saturday, I attended quite possibly the most amazing environmental event I've ever been to. Over 600 people attended the Energy Conference sponsored by the Pisgah Group and held at Brevard College! One of the most heartening things about it was how many young people were there. Definitely gives you some optimism for the future.

The tone of the day's speakers was one of concern for our future, but not hopelessness. We can do something about climate change- we just need to take responsibility in our own lives and put pressure on our governments to do their part as well.

Keynote speaker William Schlesinger of Duke University delivered some sobering facts to kick off the day. By around 2030, North Carolina's climate will become more similar to those currently enjoyed by Jacksonville and Orlando, and Pennsylvania and parts of New England will have weather similar to what we currently experience. The impacts of this climate change will be felt most acutely at night and during the winter.

The latter certainly could explain the erratic weather in North Carolina last week. I do not like driving. In fact, until last week I had not driven on an interstate in over five years. So I was happy on Monday and Tuesday when it was 75 degrees outside. I figured when I drove to Western North Carolina the weather would be clear and calm and I'd at least have that going for me.

Well when I woke up Thursday morning, my car was completely covered with snow! My grandmother, showing no faith in my driving abilities, called and told me not to come. But I did anyway, driving 250 harrowing miles during a winter storm. Of course I lived to tell about it...

Needless to say last week's weather was Exhibit A for Global Warming in North Carolina.

I'll write more about the conference and what we can do on a personal level about climate change soon.

Good job Pisgah!

The Future of Water in North Carolina

The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions is hosting what sounds like a great conference on the 'Future of Water in North Carolina' on March 1st.

From their website:

North Carolina is experiencing rapid growth—in population, water use, and land use change. Signs of stress, such as hotspots of water quality degradation, failing sewer and water systems, and recent droughts, illustrate the challenge of maintaining clean and abundant water for healthy growth and ecosystems. Already many in our state are tackling these challenges, but the question remains whether our water resources will withstand the pressures of today’s type of growth.

Yet there are opportunities to incorporate the protection of water resources into plans for North Carolina’s growth. This one-day conference, sponsored by the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, aims to provide a forum for stakeholders to discuss creative ideas and practical solutions to our state’s water resource challenges. It will convene state and national experts to consider the feasibility and potential of new efforts to ensure clean water for generations to come.

The keynote speaker will be former Arizona Governor and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. For more information click here.

Cool Cities

The signature project I am working on right now for the Sierra Club is 'Cool Cities.' It's a program to get local governments to make a commitment to doing their part to reduce the impacts of global warming. Mayors sign the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and promise to take measures that will reach the goals laid out within it.

This is a great project for local communities to step up to the plate themselves instead of waiting for someone else to figure out how to deal with climate change.

There are currently six 'Cool Cities' in North Carolina- Asheville, Boone, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Highlands. Throughout the southeast we also have Columbia, Greenville and Charleston, South Carolina on board as well as Williamsburg, Richmond and Alexandria, Virginia among many other cities in South Carolina and Virginia. Notable cities in Georgia and Florida include Atlanta, Tallahassee, and Gainesville.

These cities have a mixture of Democratic and Republican Mayors, and have economies focused on things ranging from research to tourism to industry. But what they all have in common is that they see the perils of climate change and want to do their part. Cool Cities is not a liberal or conservative thing. It's a common sense thing.

Right now we have teams working to make Brevard, Canton, Wilmington, Greenville, Hillsborough, Greensboro and Winston-Salem Cool Cities among other places. But there is no place too large or too small. If you want your community to become a Cool City, please contact me at tom.jensen 'at' sierraclub-nc.org so we can work together for a better future.

Green Building in Chapel Hill?

There's been a lot of discussion in Chapel Hill recently about the proposed Greenbridge development, which would have LEED Gold status. The project has been endorsed by the Orange/Chatham Group of the Sierra Club. Last week OCG Conservation Chair Judith Ferster and I both spoke in support of the project at a public hearing of the Chapel Hill Town Council.

I think it's a really exciting project. Are there any green building success stories the Sierra Club should know about in your local community?

More on the Raleigh Tree Ordinance

There was an interesting article in the News and Observer today about the Raleigh tree ordinance. Congratulations to Capital Group Conservation Chair Tim Reed for his great quote in the story, and thanks to the group for its continued vigilance on this important issue.

Reporting from my trip in WNC

I had a wonderful time traveling in Western North Carolina the last few days. On Thursday I drove to Greenville, South Carolina where my grandmother lives. I got up early on Friday to drive to Highlands, NC in Macon County to honor the town and Mayor Don Mullen as a ‘Cool City.’ It was an interesting drive through Upstate South Carolina. In Oconee County, in the far northwestern corner of the state, I had to slow down at one point because a llama was crossing the road! I assume it must have gotten out of its fence because I was not aware that there were wild llamas in the Carolinas.

From there I entered Georgia and drove through it for seven miles before hitting the North Carolina border. It was certainly the first time I had ever entered the state from that direction.

The ceremony in Highlands was outstanding. Mayor Mullen was very friendly and appreciative of the honor, and several media outlets showed up to cover the event. I was particularly happy to meet Breta Stroud, the local activist who brought the US Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement to Mayor Mullen’s attention. She is very energetic and enthusiastic, and is interested in helping to up the level of Sierra Club activity in Highlands and Cashiers. We are looking forward to working with her in the next few months to make that happen.

Then I drove from Highlands to Brevard to meet with Mayor Jimmy Harris. I was joined in this meeting by local environmental activists Len Griffiths, Bill Thomas, Bill Fisk, and Larry Ragsdale. Mayor Harris is an outstanding leader who has shown a commitment to environmentalism in his personal and business lives. For instance, he has put a solar roof on the hardware store he owns in downtown Brevard. He’s also done a good job of protecting natural areas in and around town for future generations to enjoy. With the impacts of human activity threatening the beauty of Western North Carolina on a day to day basis, we need more leaders like Mayor Harris who are doing their part.

The Mayor is interested in having Brevard become a ‘Cool City’ and we will be following up with him in the coming weeks. We are also looking to form a partnership with Brevard College pertaining to the Cool Cities initiative and are excited to see how that will transpire.

I was impressed by the Mayor, and I was also impressed with our local Sierra Club leaders in the Pisgah Group, most of whom I had not met before. We are lucky to have such strong leadership in Transylvania, Henderson, and Jackson Counties. They are very politically savvy and know how to get good things done in their local area.

Raleigh Cliffside wrap up

The final Utilities Commission hearing on Cliffside was held this morning in Raleigh. It was a great success, with dozens of speakers across the spectrum calling for renewables and energy efficiency instead of more coal fired pollution.

The Sierra Club was represented by several outstanding speakers. Former national President Robbie Cox reminded the Commissioners of the recent LaCapra study of Renewable Portfolio Standards showing North Carolina has the ability to generate at least 10% of its energy from renewable sources and energy efficiency measures. He challenged the Commission to chart a 'new energy future' for our state instead of relying on coal, which he described as 'an outdated technology....that is a major contributor to climate change.'

We appreciated Dr. Cox, who in addition to being an accomplished environmentalist and speaker is also one of the best professors I had at UNC, taking the time out of his busy schedule to make these important remarks.

We were also quite appreciative of the contribution made by Chatham Olive, who came all the way up from Charlotte for this early morning meeting. When he was called up to speak, Commissioner Jimmy Ervin asked him to defer comment since he had already spoken in Charlotte last week. We were glad that Chatham's comments among so many other speakers last week were memorable!

He did finally get to speak at the end of the meeting, and he summarized all the commentary the UC has heard over the course of its hearings. He reminded them church leaders, grandparents, business leaders, public officials, and people all across the spectrum have come out to say that North Carolina needs to be a leader, that it needs to do better for its future than just approve another coal fired power plant. His words were well received by the audience.

An additional thanks goes to James Carnahan, one of our members in Carrboro, who came out despite having a busy day planned and informed the Commission that his hometown Board of Aldermen had expressed its unanimous opposition to the plant.

Many thanks to all those who helped plan these hearings and came out and spoke.

Water, Water Everywhere...

...Nor any drop to drink. Remember the line from Coleridge? I was thinking about it last Wednesday when the state's Environmental Management Commission approved a controversial 10 million gallon daily transfer of water from the Catawba and Yadkin rivers to the cities of Concord and Kannapolis.

Water disputes, a common controversy in the West, could increase in prevalence in the Southeast -- a region blessed with water, but also looking for ways to quench an appetite for growth.

This issue isn't settled yet. Read more here.

Another concern before the EMC this week: the Goose Creek water transfer issue. To settle the matter, the EMC had the option to adopt a recent ruling by an administrative law judge. The ALJ's decision was favorable for the environmental community, finding that the state's Division of Water Quality stormwater discharge permits won't adequately protect habitat in Goose Creek, which straddles the Mecklenburg and Union County line. The EMC decision is pending.

Environmental Week in Review

I don't know if this will be a weekly feature, but when there's a lot going on I'll try to provide a review.

Cliffside Hearings

There were hearings in Charlotte on Wednesday and Shelby in Thursday.

In Charlotte the hearing was prefaced by a press conference attended by about 100 people with a variety of talented speakers including National Sierra Club President Lisa Renstrom!

Nearly 300 people attended the hearing itself, so many that the fire marshal had to ask about half of them to leave! Numerous speakers addressed the cost overruns, global warming and health impacts that are endemic with the Cliffside proposal and told the Commission there has to be a better way.

The Sierra Club group in Charlotte organized many of the speakers and folks who turned out in support, and the chapter office in Raleigh helped with message crafting and talking points. A special thanks to Chatham Olive for his outstanding work on the ground there.

Charlotte Observer coverage

There are still two more opportunities to make your voices heard- speak at the hearing on Wednesday in Raleigh or write the Utilities Commission. For more information, please visit our website.

Land for Tomorrow

Sierra Club members spoke strongly in support of preserving North Carolina's beauty at hearings in Greenville, Asheville, and Greensboro over the last week.

Our speakers in Greenville won over the Daily-Reflector!

The Asheville Citizen-Times is on board as well, probably in no small part to the great testimony given by Sierra Club Conservation Chair Bill Fisk!

Catharine Sutherland, our wonderful new chair for the Piedmont Plateau Group, gave this report from the Greensboro hearing:

"Kim Yarbray and I attended the hearing at GTCC in Jamestown last night and were delighted to be surrounded by throngs of primarily like-minded citizens, from farmers to ex-farmers to directors of many local Parks & Rec departments to students to homebuilders (yes, even they can be Green!). the auditorium was standing-room-only by 7:30 pm with a rough guess of 250-300 in attendance. luckily, Kim insisted on arriving as early as possible so we got our pick of seats and also managed to be listed among the first 50 speakers. i spoke as a Sierra Club representative, Kim spoke on behalf of wilderness everywhere! It was truly energizing and inspiring - and a huge Relief - to see so many conservationists under one roof!"

Many thanks to Catharine and Kim for speaking out.

Thank you to all of the members who wrote and spoke out this week on this issue!

Pisgah Group Energy Conference

The Pisgah Group of the North Carolina Sierra Club, which encompasses Henderson, Jackson, and Transylvania Counties is holding a big energy conference next Saturday, January 20th.

It will be held from 9-4 at Brevard College. Speakers will cover a wide array of interesting topics, ranging from the 'Health Effects of Air Pollution' to 'Creating our Energy Future' to 'Practical Solar Energy.'

Group chair Len Griffiths and his team out there has put a lot of time and energy into this and done a really outstanding job. The conference is free, and we hope to see you out there!

For more information, click here.

Middle School Students Get It!

I spent this morning visiting with Ms. Grybosky's class at East Millbrook Middle School in Raleigh.

They were doing a presentation about offshore drilling in North Carolina. I was very impressed by their understanding of the issue and how bad it would be for the coastal quality of life if this was allowed to happen.

They've been doing a great job of contacting elected officials and the media about the issue, and they clearly have Senator Dole's ear, as she also sent a representative to speak to the meeting.

You can view the class website about the issue here.

It speaks well to our future leadership that these young people are so aware of environmental issues!

Land for Tomorrow hearing tonight in Greensboro!

The Sierra Club is a coalition partner with a group called Land for Tomorrow.

Land for Tomorrow, on its website, describes itself as "a statewide partnership of conservationists, farmers, business leaders, local governments, health professionals, and community groups urging the General Assembly to provide $1 billion over five years to protect the state's land, water, and special places before they are irreversibly lost."

We strongly support their efforts for land preservation in North Carolina. There is a public hearing tonight in Greensboro on these issues, and we strongly urge you to attend and speak out in favor of what they are aiming to accomplish. Click here for information on tonight's hearing.

Not in the Greensboro area? You can also submit written commentary by this Friday.

Sierra Club members have been active in speaking out on this issue in hearings already held in Asheville and Greenville. Thank you for your assistance on this important initiative!

Raleigh Tree Ordinance Hearing Tonight

The Raleigh City Council is holding a public hearing on its tree ordinance tonight at 7 PM. It will be held in the City Council chamber, on the second floor of the Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex at 222 W. Hargett St.

The Capital Group of the Sierra Club fought hard for several years to get an ordinance that put stricter limitations on the practice of clear cutting, and helped produce a compromise that does a better job of protecting trees than the previous rules.

After two years, the Council is now reconsidering the ordinance, which city forestry specialist Andy Gilliam says is working.

At the very least, we would like to see the current regulations maintained, if not further strengthened in order to better protect trees.

Read this article in the N&O for more background, and please consider coming out tonight!

Cliffside Hearings this week!

One of the biggest issues we are facing this year in North Carolina is the proposed expansion of Duke Energy's coal fired Cliffside power plant on the border of Rutherford and Cleveland Counties.

This expansion is very short sighted. Coal is both unfriendly to the environmental and more expensive than turning to a combination of energy efficiency and a renewable energy portfolio.

There are three public hearings coming up on this important issue. The Utilities Commission is also taking written commentary. For more information about Cliffside and ways you can take action, please visit this page on our website.

Feel free to contact Tom at tom.jensen@sierraclub-nc.org for talking points and more information.

Highlands becomes a Cool City!

The North Carolina Sierra Club is thrilled to honor Highlands, NC as its newest 'Cool City.' Mayor Don Mullen signed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement last month.

Highlands is working on implementing curbside recycling and changing zoning regulations in order to better protect the environment.

Check out this wonderful article in the Highlands News about the signing of the agreement.

Many thanks in particular to Mayor Mullen for having the vision to sign the agreement and to local Sierra Club member Breta Stroud for bringing it to his attention.

We will be having an event to honor Highlands on Friday, January 19th at 11 AM- more details pending.

Do you want your local community to become a 'Cool City?' Contact Tom at tom.jensen@sierraclub-nc.org to find out how!

Welcome

Welcome to the blog of the North Carolina Sierra Club!

We hope this forum will provide an outlet for folks across the state to become informed about the major environmental issues we are facing. More importantly, we hope it will provide opportunities for folks to take action.

Tom Jensen, our conservation organizer, will be doing most of the posting. In particular he will be keeping you posted on our 'Cool Cities' program. This empowers folks in their communities to get their local governments to take steps to solve global warming.

Feel free to contact us with feedback and tips at any time. Welcome!