Solar Power on Tour

Did you have the opportunity to see the solar power bus tour that stopped in downtown Raleigh? It was pretty exciting! When I stopped by there were a couple dozen people stopping to take pictures or be in a picture and to learn more or record their thoughts about global warming. The next event will be Clean Energy Solutions to Global Warming Rallly: Congress must take action! next Sunday, October 5th from 2-4 pm on the Capital building front lawn.

There are so many innovative ways to address the problems Global Warming is causing and it is exciting to see so many people taking this initiative!

Net Metering in NC - "F"

Did you know you can help solve our energy needs and reduce your power bill by selling electricity back to the grid? Well, in some states you can. But not so much in North Carolina, which received a failing grade for policies discouraging individuals and small business participation in solving our energy needs.

That could be about to change. Next week, the NC Utilities Commission will hold public hearings on the state's so-called “net metering policies” - one in Raleigh, one in Charlotte. For more info, click here.

Charlotte meeting October 2 7:00pm

Mecklenburg County Courthouse [google map link]

Courtroom 6350, 832 4th St

Raleigh meeting September 30 7:00pm

Dobbs Building [google map link]

Commission Hearing Room 2115, 430 N. Salisbury St.

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Please email Mike Spradlin in the Chapter office if you plan to attend. With our friends over at the NC Sustainable Energy Association, we'll provide you with talking points and background info.

A clean and safe environmental for all

I just attended a fantastic conference coordinated by the BrownBlackGreen Alliance. Yes, it is just what it sounds like---an alliance between non-profits that are dedicated to serving minorities in North Carolina—the Latinos, African Americans, and the environmentalists. And what an impressive group of people!?! It includes the NC Conservation Network, Good Work, NC Fair Share, Green Bridge Development, The NC Institute of Minority Economic Development, NC Council of Churches, Interfaith Power and Light, Sustainable Energy Association, Clean Energy Durham, and many, many others.

While there, I had the opportunity to hear from environmental justice activist and founder of Sustainable South Bronx and MacArthur Genius Award recipient, Majora Carter. She really inspired the audience about the importance of a healthy and sustainable environment for all people, regardless of age or race.

Winston-Salem turning green

Last week, Winston-Salem took great strides in becoming Green. The City Council voted yes to a series of Cool City’s next steps: W-S will hold citizen focus groups; hire a sustainability manager; form a climate action committee; develop a green awards program; hold educational events; promote sustainable actions in the community; redefine sustainable land use policies; begin using alternate fuels; stabilize energy use by 2010; and will write an energy reduction plan by 2010. Check-out their newly released greenhouse gas inventory!

Also last week, Winston-Salem held its first city-wide ‘green’ fair. I had the pleasure of attending the first forum, Greening your Business. The speakers were really motivating! Especially intriguing were the presentations from Hanesbrands, Inc. and Proximity Hotel.

Green Jobs Now

The National Day of Action: September 27, 2008. Hosted by the WE campaign, 1Sky, and Green for All.

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Green job fairs in the Triangle Area:

Raleigh, NC
Green Jobs Now- 09/27

Raleigh, NC
Eat GREEN, Work GREEN, Vote GREEN!!- 09/27

Durham, NC
Green Jobs Now!- 09/27

Carrboro , NC
Are You Ready for The Green Economy? Town of Carrboro Green Jobs - 09/27

Growing a Just, Green Economy

Where: Durham, NC
When: September 20, 2008 8:00AM - 4:00PM
Register: http://events.greenjobsnow.com/greenforall/events/show/6042

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This is a conference on September 20th at NC Central University in Durham North Carolina. Featured speakers include Majora Carter, founder and former Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx, and Rev. Dr. William J Barber II, President of North Carolina's NAACP branch.

What's in a Cup?

As someone who's brain does not emerge from zombie-like torpor until that first drop of coffee hits my tongue, I often wonder what's the most eco-friendly way to drink my addiction. I often obsess over how much water goes into the pot; I measure it out, drop by drop, so that little drinking water goes to waste.

In Slate, Jacob Leibenluft published an essay about coffee that gets at the problem a little bit deeper:

If your biggest concern is landfill waste, there's no question that a reusable cup is best. While it's technically possible to recycle a polystyrene cup or a paper cup, your office will be hard-pressed to find a way to do so...

But water use matters, too — especially if you're living in parts of the country, like South Carolina or California [or North Carolina], that have recently faced droughts.

Finally, there's the question of energy use and emissions. Here, the results get a little more complicated. Pound-for-pound, petroleum-based polystyrene is a pretty bad material—it takes twice as much energy to produce a gram of polystyrene as it does to produce the same quantity of ceramic. But you'll need at least 70 times as much energy to produce a ceramic mug as you will to manufacture a polystyrene cup, and probably even more to produce a stainless steel mug.

Greased Lightning

If you're in the Durham area October 9 , check out a car run on vegetable grease at

The Regulator Bookshop 720 Ninth Street Durham NC 27705 919-286-2700 www.regulatorbookshop.com

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Greg Wilson, author Wednesday, October 9 7:00 p.m. Regulator Bookshop

Greg Melville will discuss and sign copies of his new book, Greasy Rider: Two Dudes, a Car Powered by Vegetable Oil, and a Cross-Country Trip in Search of a Greener World. Join Greg and his college buddy Iggy as they travel from Burlington, Vermont to Berkeley, California, stopping at all the green meccas along the way. Melville will be driving his beloved Greasecar to all his readings along the East Coast ­fueling up only on veggie-oil waste­ so The Regulator will be looking for donations!

A Shimmering Oak

Pictured here and in a previous post, the recently unveiled Shimmer Wall at the Raleigh Convention Center works so well as an example of environment-friendly public art. Here's why:

• The wall is decorative but also serves as ventilation for the boilers, cooling towers, exhaust vents, and other mechanical units behind it.
• LED lights cost about 80% less than incandescent bulbs, and will last 30 years, or 50,000 hours.
• The fixture is equipped to deal with hurricane force winds.
  

A few more considerations:

• No public funds were spent on the lights.
• The wall will never show the same image twice.
• Controlled by computer, the LED's are capable of displaying more than one million colors.
  

EMC head steps down

Dr. David Moreau, chair of the Enviromental Management Commission, stepped down on Friday after 16 years. He will serve out what remains of his commitment - through 2011 - as a regular commissioner. 

Governor Easley appointed Commissioner Stephen Smith as his replacement. Easley praised Smith as a friend of the environment. The release characterizes Smith as having shown a willingness to understand the subtleties that pervade environmental issues. 

Mismanaging the Minerals Management Service

In case you missed the story, read about it here and here (Washington Post), here (NYTimes), or listen to it at NPR (audio).

From the Times story:

As Congress prepares to debate expansion of drilling in taxpayer-owned coastal waters, the Interior Department agency that collects oil and gas royalties has been caught up in a wide-ranging ethics scandal — including allegations of financial self-dealing, accepting gifts from energy companies, cocaine use and sexual misconduct.

In three reports delivered to Congress on Wednesday, the department’s inspector general, Earl E. Devaney, found wrongdoing by a dozen current and former employees of the Minerals Management Service, which collects about $10 billion in royalties annually and is one of the government’s largest sources of revenue other than taxes.

“A culture of ethical failure” pervades the agency, Mr. Devaney wrote in a cover memo.

What's surprising about this is that we've heard nothing from the current administration - not an apology, not a vow to clean up departmental wrongdoings.

Raleigh Wide Open

Today, we staff journeyed down to the opening of the LEED-certified Raleigh Convention Center.

Take a look at the Shimmer Wall; at night, the view is pretty phenomenal:

New Action Center

Check out the Sierra Club's sleek new Action Center. You can take action to protect the Endangered Species Act from last minute alterations by the Bush Administration. You can add comments to the appeals process of legislation that would open up the Tongass National Forest (Alaska) to the timber industry. And you can join the growing online activist community, via facebook, flickr, youtube, or myspace, depending on your taste.

Failing Wind

Over at Environment 360, an impressive account of wind's US potential has just gone up. In the article, you'll find information on the hurdles currently facing wind; a history of renewable energy opposition in our federal legislature; and an economic consideration: 120,000 wind and solar jobs, and 19$ billion, will disappear if the renewable energy tax credits are ushered out of existence this year.

In NC, there are a lot of financial incentives to invest in greener technologies. The clean(er, relatively) energy sector stands to become a large piece of our economic pie: solar fields across the state, wind in the mountains and off the coast, etc. One hopes that federal legislators will have the wherewithal to recognize the opportunity to keep a good thing going, eg. the renewable energy tax credits, which should be extended, not used as a political wedge issue in an election year.

Sierra Club (and petitioners) vs. EPA

On August 19, 2008, the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations won a major court decision on the requirements for pollution monitoring under Title V of the Clean Air Act. The decision issued by the DC Circuit Court reversed a Bush administration regulation that tried to strip away the power of states and localities to require rigorous pollution monitoring from coal plants, refineries and similar industrial polluters. The court found that Title V of the Clean Air Act authorizes state and local agencies to supplement EPA permits with more rigorous monitoring requirements than are required by the federal EPA. (Some federal EPA permits require only one pollution test over the entire 50-year life of a facility!).

Read about it at the NYTimes, the Washington Post, and the Public Record. Also, be sure to check out the Sierra Club press release and the DC Circuit Court's opinion.

Ten Species Likely to Become Extinct

At Live Science, a Ten Species Likely to Become Extinct piece has been posted. Regardless of partisanship, of economic ideology, etc., etc., it's impossible to not recognize this for what it is: a tragedy, one directly or indirectly fostered by humans.

You'll notice on the list one species native to NC: the red wolf. There are now approximately 230 individuals that remain - nearly half in captivity. This might be a generous estimation.