As you pull up a lawn chair to watch fireworks this Fourth of July, you might wonder if all that smoke and dust generated to celebrate U.S. independence is healthy for the Earth. Could this most cherished of American traditions harm the environment?
Fireworks are explosives, which are not by design eco-friendly. Both backyard and public displays spew out not only dust and smoke but also heavy metals, carbon monoxide and sulfur oxides.
Chemicals used to create certain colors are highly toxic. The barium compounds that produce green are transformed when fireworks explode into water-soluble chemicals that are poisonous and can cause heart and lung problems, according to Dr. Thomas Klapotke, professor of inorganic chemistry at the University of Munich in Germany.
Fireworks clearly come at an environmental cost, says Klapotke, who has been studying the polluting effects of fireworks to create more environmentally friendly pyrotechnics using nitrogen — instead of gunpowder — as a propellant. Using copper compounds to create a barium-free green is also under study. But backyard fireworks a few times a year don’t harm the environment as much as commercial fireworks launched daily at theme parks, Klapotke says.
Today’s fireworks are less toxic than in the past, and research will find even better alternatives, says Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA), the leading fireworks industry trade organization.
For example, the Walt Disney Co. developed “air launch” technology that it uses for nightly fireworks shows at its Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Substituting compressed air for gunpowder significantly reduces smoke and other pollutants.
Many toxic chemicals have been banned from fireworks over the years, Heckman says. Arsenic, for example, was used in “snakes” into the 1990s before being banned in the United States. Because 98 percent of all fireworks are manufactured in China, the APA has created a laboratory there to monitor those destined for the U.S. market. Barium, however, is still on the “allowed chemicals” list, Heckman says.
Although the search for more environmentally friendly fireworks is well under way, it will be at least six to 10 years before these products are available to the general public, Heckman says. “Formulas for making fireworks have existed for hundreds of years,” she says. “When you’re manipulating chemicals, it is important that they not only perform well, but will be safe to use.”
by Marcia Passos Duffy
http://climate.weather.com/articles/julyfireworks2008.html?from=pif_locallinker_undeclared
Filed under: RAISING AWARENESS | Tags: California auto emissions, car emissions, clean air act, emissions standards, EPA standards, greenhouse gas
EPA justifies blocking California waiver
Critics say state must regulate greenhouse gas emissions
In a 48-page document describing the reasoning behind its much-criticized decision, the EPA argues that California doesn’t have the “compelling and extraordinary conditions” required for a waiver under the Clean Air Act, because the rest of the nation also suffers the effects of global warming.
EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, who has faced lawsuits and angry denunciations since making the decision in December, told The Associated Press in a phone interview that legislative history shows California must have a unique problem in order to justify a federal waiver to implement a vehicle emissions law stricter than the federal government’s.
Environmentalists and California officials disagree with Johnson’s interpretation, contending that California has been granted Clean Air Act waivers in the past to deal with problems that are also happening elsewhere, such as diesel pollution.
Critics also contend that California does, in fact, have uniquely worse problems from global warming compared with other states, including wildfire risks, air pollution and water supply shortages.
“Clearly Johnson hasn’t spent much time in California. Doesn’t he know the simple scientific fact that hotter air causes more smog?” said Frank O’Donnell, executive director of Clean Air Watch, a Washington advocacy group.
“This reads like something written up in the board room of General Motors,” O’Donnell said.
California’s standards
The Clean Air Act gives California special authority to regulate vehicle pollution because the state began such regulations before the federal government. But a federal waiver is required, and if California gets one, then other states can adopt California’s standards, too.
California’s tailpipe emissions law would have forced automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and light trucks by 2016.
Twelve other states — Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington — had adopted California’s tailpipe standards and the governors of Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Utah had said they also plan to adopt them. The rules were under consideration elsewhere, too.
In denying the waiver request, Johnson argued that a nationwide approach would be better and said it would be provided by a new law raising fuel economy standards that was signed by President Bush in December. Automakers applauded Johnson’s decision.
California officials argued that California’s law would be stronger and act faster.
Filed under: RAISING AWARENESS | Tags: electric, environmental education, Hinkle Charitable Foundation, SELF, solar power
With the vision of powering a brighter 21st century, the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, brings solar power and modern communications to rural villages in the developing world — for enhancements in health, education, and economic well-being.
The Hinkle Charitable Foundation (HCF), which advocates for environmental and musical education, has issued the Pure Waste Challenge to motivate people to commit to reducing their carbon footprint. For each and every person who reads three short but very informative primers on saving energy and commits to taking action, the Hinkle Charitable Foundation will donate $100 to SELF, up to the first 1000 responders.
Please visit the Hinkle Charitable Foundation website at www.thehcf.org and learn how you can save energy while also helping SELF to bring carbon-free solar power to the developing world.
The Pure Waste Challenge:
Minimal changes producing a great impact.
Filed under: RAISING AWARENESS | Tags: biofuels, corn, emissions, ethanol, fuel, gas, gasoline, greenhouse, land use
Study: Corn ethanol worse than gasoline
Greenhouse emissions much higher if land use factored in, researchers say
updated 4:50 p.m. MT, Thurs., Feb. 7, 2008
The widespread use of ethanol from corn could result in nearly twice the greenhouse gas emissions as the gasoline it would replace because of expected land-use changes, researchers concluded Thursday.
The study challenges the rush to corn-based ethanol as a response to global warming, but says there is a future for ethanol from waste products that do not require uprooting land where carbon is already absorbed by trees and plants.
The researchers said that past studies showing the benefits of ethanol in combating climate change have not taken into account almost certain changes in land use worldwide if ethanol from corn — and in the future from other feedstocks such as switchgrass — become a prized commodity.
“Using good cropland to expand biofuels will probably exacerbate global warming,” concludes the study published in Science magazine.
The researchers said that farmers under economic pressure to produce biofuels will increasingly “plow up more forest or grasslands,” releasing much of the carbon formerly stored in plants and soils through decomposition or fires. Globally, more grasslands and forests will be converted to growing the crops to replace the loss of grains when U.S. farmers convert land to biofuels, the study said.
Ethanol industry responds
The Renewable Fuels Association, which represents ethanol producers, called the researchers’ view of land-use changes “simplistic” and said the study “fails to put the issue in context.”
“Assigning the blame for rainforest deforestation and grassland conversion to agriculture solely on the renewable fuels industry ignores key factors that play a greater role,” said Bob Dinneen, the association’s president.
There has been a rush to developing biofuels, especially ethanol from corn and cellulosic feedstock such as switchgrass and wood chips, as a substitute for gasoline. President Bush signed energy legislation in December that mandates a six-fold increase in ethanol use as a fuel to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022, calling the requirement key to weaning the nation from imported oil.
The new “green” fuel, whether made from corn or other feedstocks, has been widely promoted — both in Congress and by the White House — as a key to combating global warming. Burning it produces less carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas, than the fossil fuels it will replace.
During the recent congressional debate over energy legislation, lawmakers frequently cited estimates that corn-based ethanol produces 20 percent less greenhouse gases in production, transportation and use than gasoline, and that cellulosic ethanol has an even greater benefit of 70 percent less emissions.
The study released Thursday by researchers affiliated with Princeton University and a number of other institutions maintains that these analyses “were one-sided” and counted the carbon benefits of using land for biofuels but not the carbon costs of diverting land from its existing uses.
“The other studies missed a key factor that everyone agrees should have been included, the land use changes that actually are going to increase greenhouse gas emissions,” said Tim Searchinger, a research scholar at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and lead author of the study.
The study said that after taking into account expected worldwide land-use changes, corn-based ethanol, instead of reducing greenhouse gases by 20 percent, will increases it by 93 percent compared to using gasoline over a 30-year period. Biofuels from switchgrass, if they replace croplands and other carbon-absorbing lands, would result in 50 percent more greenhouse gas emissions, the researchers concluded.
Biofuels from waste urged
Not all ethanol would be affected by the land-use changes, the study said.
“We should be focusing on our use of biofuels from waste products” such as garbage, which would not result in changes in agricultural land use, Searchinger said in an interview. “And you have to be careful how much you require. Use the right biofuels, but don’t require too much too fast. Right now we’re making almost exclusively the wrong biofuels.”
The study included co-authors affiliated with Iowa State University, the Woods Hole Research Center and the Agricultural Conservation Economics. It was supported by a grant from NASA’s Terrestrial Ecology Program, and by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Searchinger, in addition to his affiliation with Princeton, is a fellow at the Washington-based German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Filed under: RAISING AWARENESS | Tags: California water supply, domestic water supply, Orange County, tap water, toilet to tap
Orange County has spent almost $500 million dollars on a new water-purification plant to turn wastewater into drinking water. The plant is scheduled to come online this week.
The new plant has a control room that features giant computer screens showing the status of every pipe, water basin and filter in the system.
Returning Water to Nature
“This is an amazing control system,” said Shivaji Deshmukh, program manager for Orange County’s Groundwater Replenishment System. “You can keep track of every valve control point. It’s measuring PH and conductivity, which is a reflection of how much salt is in the water, so we’re keeping track of this constantly.”
But the real action takes place downstairs in a labyrinth of pipes. Engines push the water through the plant’s microfilters. Using high pressure, reverse osmosis, it’s then forced through a thin membrane. Finally, the water is injected with peroxide and blasted with ultraviolet light to remove lingering hormones and dissolved pharmaceuticals.
At the end of every day, 70 million gallons of drinking water — 10 percent of what the county needs — get pumped back underground into the aquifer.
“We return the water to nature. We put the water back into the ground, and we let Mother Nature take over from us,” said Mike Wehner, assistant general manager of the Orange County Water District. He said his product is so pure that the agency has to add lime back into it to keep the water from eroding the cement pipes.
“I think it’s a viable solution everywhere in the world,” he said. “People don’t have any objection to sending astronauts up into space and having them live for weeks at a time recycling their own wastewater. Well, down here on the ground, we can apply the same kind of technologies.”
But some Californians said they do not like the idea of drinking recycled wastewater.
“I’m all for recycled water but don’t use it in our reservoirs or our drinking fountains. Why take the chance?” asks Muriel Watson, a retired San Diego schoolteacher.
Wilson is a member of the “Revolting Grandmas” — a group that is revolted by the plan to replenish reservoirs with treated sewage water.
Some California cities are also looking into the idea, though they are wary of the public’s reaction.
But the distasteful idea of drinking recycled wastewater is only part of the debate. It’s also about energy.
Energy Is a Factor
About one-fifth of California’s energy is used to move water from north to south through the state water project.
Bruce Reznik said new sources of potable water should not demand even more.
“We want to make sure that we’re not trading water security for energy insecurity,” Reznik said.
His group, San Diego Coastkeeper, supports water recycling, and he even likes the term “toilet to tap” because the process uses less energy and emits less carbon than the existing state water project.
“It reduces our energy footprint as long as we don’t use these new water supplies to then sprawl out and have more development,” he said. “If we actually use it to offset our imports, it can be a win for us on energy. Of course, it helps promote water stability and security.”
Filed under: RAISING AWARENESS | Tags: Alaska, Exxon, oil, Prince William Sound, spill, Supreme Court, Valdez
Exxon’s Alaska Oil Spill Case Heads to High Court
On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of heavy crude oil in the icy waters of Alaska’s Prince William Sound. Nineteen years later, Exxon and those affected by the disaster are still arguing over punitive damages, and the case is now before the Supreme Court. It will be heard in February.
Exxon has already paid out nearly $3.5 billion, but was the money wisely spent? Also, how did the spill, the money and the attention change the region?
Nearly two decades after the worst spill in U.S. history, has the Sound recovered?
NPR: All Things Considered, January 22, 2008
To listen to the full story (7 min 36 sec) click here and then select “Listen Now”.
Filed under: RAISING AWARENESS | Tags: air quality, carpet, cat, Green, landfill, LEED, sustainability
This one hit especially close to home for my cat and I. In late 2006, I bought a brand new place, with brand new carpet. A few months later I adopted a 2 year old cat. For months, she had episodes of uncontrollable vomiting and I could not figure out what was causing them. When I took her out on the porch, she started to get better. I had the gas company check my home, she had X-rays and so on. I finally realized that she hadn’t started getting get sick until the time of year when the windows had to be kept shut all day. For awhile I kept windows open during the day (much to the detriment of my electric bill) and vacuumed all the time. I’m happy to report she is fine now. Next time I buy new carpet, I will be sure to consider many of the ideas presented in this article.
What to Consider when Choosing “Green Carpet”
Design elements cannot be overvalued in the hospitality industry. Carpet contributes to the signature impression, adding comfort to small spaces and human scale to imposing interiors. When specifying carpet for hospitality, there are three considerations to ensure sustainable selections—design and purpose; maintenance during useful life; and end-of-life options.
Where do you start and what do you ask? Fortunately the carpet industry has removed the angst from the green certification process. Now a single standard identifies carpets that have a reduced environmental impact. The first multi-attribute American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved Standard—NSF 140-2007, Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard was introduced at Greenbuild 2007 (www.nsf.org/info/carpet). With NSF-140 as a guide to sustainable products and manufacturers, choose design patterns compatible with the surroundings and a carpet backing system appropriate for expected wear.
Other sustainability concerns for carpet selection include Indoor Air Quality impacts; potential contributions to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System; installation or down time during installation; and anticipated useful life. Hospitality Carpet Attributes On the surface, carpet colors and patterns support the property brand. Hospitality carpet is specifically created for different applications—lobbies, corridors, ballrooms, offices, meeting rooms, guestrooms, spas.
Warranties for the selected design should include protection for antimicrobial, edge-raveling, delamination, resiliency, wear, colorfastness, lightfastness, atmospheric contaminants, flooring compatibility and loss of pattern appropriate for the intended use. The backing system provides the foundation on which carpet performance attributes are built. Carpet backing can improve the appearance retention and durability of the product; determine the level of noise reduction; lower the likelihood of accidents and cushion against injury in the event of a fall by providing a non-slip surface; and add insulation to help control temperature and conserve energy. Products manufactured with an integrated cushion backing ensure underfoot comfort and extended appearance retention.
Here are a few questions you may want to ask when selecting your modular carpet:
- Does it contain PVC or other chemistries that may affect Indoor Air Quality?
- How long will the designs be available if replacement tiles are needed?
- What warranties are provided?
- What is the anticipated down time for installation?
- If LEED points are an issue, have we made a thorough comparison?
- What are the end-of-life options with this product?
Maintenance Considerations Modular carpet offers disruption-free maintenance, reducing down time to help the bottom line and guest relations. One of the many advantages of modular carpet is the ability to replace a single tile rather than an entire room. Speedy turnaround is a plus for high traffic areas. Proper maintenance extends the product life and reduces the overall costs of carpet. Choosing the right long-term maintenance process for carpet and textiles can result in healthier interior environments.
However, there is no single across the board solution. A typical detergent-in-hot-water method is effective for areas with heavy grease, animal traffic or similar environments. Detergents used in wet systems create residue that can have a damaging effect on the carpet, causing rapid re-soiling, which leads to poor appearance and a shortened life. Systems using dry-polymer—either as the primary cleaning agent or as a follow-up to hot water for areas with heavy soil—are a better bet for maintaining a consistently good appearance and prolonging the overall lifecycle of textiles and carpet.
They do not contribute to the growth of mold, mildew or other contaminants that can be a factor when using solely wet-based methods and require less water which drives up utility costs and negatively impacts the environment. End-of-Life Options The anticipated useful life of a carpet is generally five to 15 years, depending on the location. Product in administrative areas will change less frequently than in corridors. Disposal in a landfill is no longer an option and may result in fines.
An increasing number of jurisdictions have passed regulatory restrictions that ban products with PVC, which includes some carpet, from local landfills. In response to high levels of construction waste sent to landfills in the past, the carpet industry has been aggressive in providing solutions. Today Milliken and member companies voluntarily support activities to prevent carpet from burdening landfills with end-of-life solutions.
Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is a joint industry-government effort to increase the amount of recycling and reuse of post-consumer carpet and reduce the amount of waste carpet going to landfills (www.carpetrecovery.org). Options include renewal through a closed loop system, reuse through donations and recycling of components into new carpet or other products to avoid landfill. Selection, maintenance and disposal represent the continuing cycle of carpet decisions.
Each aspect has its own considerations. In the carpet industry, we are pleased that carpet’s product life cycle continues to reduce its impact on the environment. Bill Gregory, Director of Sustainable Strategies for the Floor Covering Division of Milliken & Company (www.sustainablecarpet.com), has actively participated in establishing sustainable standards for the carpet industry. He represents carbon negative Milliken with the U.S. Green Building Council, the NEWH Sustainability Committee, and the board of Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), among other green organizations.
From: By Bill Gregory, Green Lodging News
Published December 24, 2007
Filed under: RAISING AWARENESS | Tags: bio-diesel, business, Denver, eco-travel, Portland, Salt Lake City
This is a heads up for folks in the greater metro areas of Denver/Boulder/Fort Collins, Portland/Vancouver and Salt Lake/Park City. The “ReDirect Guide” is a free publication that calls itself a “Sustainable Living Business Directory & Resource Guide.” It is partly a phone book for eco-friendly businesses. It also has sections on education and eco-travel. I liked these because they seem to highlight primarily local issues and destinations. It even has a map of where to find bio-diesel stations. www.redirectguide.com
The enclosed link will take you to Oprah’s website referencing her Friday show, “Going Green 101: What your family Can Do Today!” I happened to catch the 2 am show and thought she did a decent job. Most of what she covers are very practical, easy changes to make. She also sells some items in her online store that she gives away to her audience during the show. Most of these items and more can also be found in the Baby Steps to Green Store if you would like to see a wider range of options. I couldn’t get the video to work, so I’m not sure it’s the whole show, but there are plenty of other links to summaries of the key information on the page.
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200704/tows_past_20070420.jhtml?promocode=HP21
