Why Lobby Day Reminded Me of the Maitre-D' in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

As much fun as I had at Monday's Lobby Day in Richmond and as impressed as I was to see so many people come out to ask their legislators to protect our environment for our children's future ... the event left me with some nagging concerns.

What bothered me was ... well, don't take my word for it. Let's play a little game and see if you come to the same conclusions I do.

Take a look at this picture:

Now answer these questions (yes, you can look back at the picture, I'm not keeping score):

1. How many non-white people do you see?
2. How many people under the age of 30 do you see?
3. Doesn't my giant head (back left) stick out like a mylar balloon?

I counted two non-white people and about a dozen people under 30. (Most depressing moment of the day - realizing I'm no longer part of that demographic.)

To quote the maitre-d' in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, "I weep for the future."

Why so little diversity? Because minorities have seen the environmentalism as a movement of rich white suburbanites, and frankly, they've been right. If you're a poor city-dweller, you've probably never seen an eagle or a bear that wasn't in a zoo. What do you care about saving wildlife?

There are people and groups, like Van Jones, Dick Gregory, and the African American Environmentalist Association, trying to make the green movement more accessible to people of all backgrounds. But they can't do it alone. Traditional environmental organizations also need to diversify their issues, outreach, and publicity to bring more people into the movement.

There's one issue that's shifting the traditional paradigm over who has the most to lose -- climate change. The wealthy can afford to move away from rising seas. People in New Orleans didn't have a choice. The wealthy can afford to buy solar panels when carbon pricing like the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act makes fossil fuels more expensive. Renters who don't own a roof to put it on, never mind the money to buy a solar panel, won't have a choice (though the Climate Security Act does include $350 billion in transition assistance for low-income families).

It's also possible to draw in the other missing demographic - teenagers and young adults - through the same issue. Global warming has galvanized millions of young people, as the Step It Up rallies have shown.

Many traditional conservation organizations, especially local ones, still haven't caught on. At lobby day, the day's program didn't contain the words "global warming" or "climate." Instead, the top priority was "energy efficiency." While that was carefully coded to avoid scaring off climate change deniers, it also failed to capture the urgency of the issue and the passion of climate activists. Other priorities included preserving citizen environmental commissions and improving land use - important issues, yes, but also considered snoozers for the younger crowd.

Would modernizing the message turn off the well-respected lobbying groups who turn out now like the Virginia Garden Club? It doesn't have to. There's plenty of room between avoiding climate talk and destroying Hummers. Our challenge is to find that moderate ground.

Live from Lobby Day

UPDATE: Full review of my day posted at Raising Kaine.

The Green Miles is live in Richmond today at the General Assembly building! A friend and I are lobbying in conjunction with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

If I could sum up the day so far in a word, it would be: Whew. Was up at 6am, on the road by 7am, getting briefed on lobbying by 9am, and in Sen. George Barker's office by 11am. We said a quick hello to Sen. Chap Peterson's legislative assistant and now we're waiting outside Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple's office. We're asking members to support Chap's Clean Energy Future Act.

There were about 150 people at this morning's lobby planning session, so we're bumping into lots of fellow conservationists as we wander the halls. The other most noticeable group? People wearing bright orange "GUNS Save Lives" stickers. Yes, "guns" gets the caps lock while "lives" is lower case. Definitely shows the priorities.

My Mini Fireplace

On cold nights like this, I appreciate the one incandescent light bulb left in my apartment that I use regularly. It's in the lamp next to my bed. It might as well be a mini-fireplace. You can feel the warmth even a few feet away.

The surface of an incandescent bulb can reach temperatures of 400 to 550 degrees, which is why they're used in situations where contained, local heating is needed, like chick incubators and Easy-Bake Ovens.

That's one reason compact fluorescent light bulbs are so much more efficient. They don't waste nearly as much energy by radiating heat, helping CFLs use less than a quarter of the electricity of an incandescent.

Yet here in the United States, incandescent bulbs still outnumber CFLs on store shelves. Even though CFLs will save many times their higher initial cost through electricity savings, people just grab the bulb that's the cheapest to purchase. There's also a great deal of inertia - people tend to stick with what they know and are reluctant to change.

It's remarkable that states or Congress haven't moved to follow Australia's example to ban incandescent bulbs altogether. It would save consumers money, reduce the burden on our energy grid, and cut our greenhouse gas emissions. What's the downside?

Monday: 2008's Best Chance to Help Virginia's Environment

Putting on my movie announcer voice -- if you only do one thing to help Virginia's environment this year ... make it this one:

Clean Energy Lobby Day

On Monday, January 21, 2008 join us for a environmental lobby day of massive proportions.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network is teaming up with the Virginia Conservation Network and the Garden Club for one unified action to bring a message of clean energy and sustainability to the Virginia General Assembly. CCAN will be fighting for the "CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE ACT," which has been introduced by Senator Chap Petersen.

Clean Energy Lobby Day is a chance to:

+ Speak to your legislator face-to-face. Tell your legislator in person that clean energy is a priority to you.
+ Network with other activists
+ Learn more about the legislative process and how you can help throughout the legislative session.

Details

+ When: January 21st, Martin Luther King Day. Registration starts at 8:30 (alternative registration at 11:45 if you only have afternoon lobby visits)
+ Where: Centenary United Methodist Church , 411 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23219
+ WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT? After your register, you will receive an email with details on how to set up your lobby visits and maximize your impact during session.

Face-to-face contact is far and away the most effective form of lobbying, better than five phone calls or a dozen emails. And lobbying as part of a group can exponentially magnify your power to move legislators. That's why this is will likely be the single most effective thing you can do this year to move the Virginia General Assembly.

The Green Miles will be getting up at the crack of dawn on Monday (still hungover from the Patriots' big win over the Chargers on Sunday) to make the drive down to Richmond. If you live in Arlington/ Alexandria/Falls Church and want to carpool down, email me!

Mercury Dropping, Power Use Rising? A Tip to Cut Your Bill (and Emissions)

Here's a tip to cut down your winter power bill. Set your house to 68 degrees during the day and turn it down when you're going to bed. If you're leaving the house, turn it down to 55 degrees. For every degree you lower your heat, you'll save three percent in energy costs.

Or better yet, as Professor Robert Farr explains, you could install a programmable thermostat:



On top of the energy savings, there's a global warming benefit. By one estimate, every home that monitors its thermostat can cut its household greenhouse gas emissions 300 pounds annually!

The Green Miles Meets The Gray Manatee

I was down in Miami this weekend for the National Wildlife Federation-sponsored Carbon Neutral Sailfish Tournament. We were hanging out on the docks while crews from CNN and CBS interviewed tournament organizers, when a manatee popped up right under our feet ...



I think the "sea cow" comparison isn't fair to cows -- it underestimates just how lethargic the manatees are. I've seen cows hustle when they're spooked, but I can't imaging the manatee rushing for anything. That's one big reason they're so vulnerable to boat motors (note the notch in the manatee's tail).

You can learn more about manatee conservation at the Save the Manatee Club!

Wise Co. Officials Bribed by Dominion? "It Probably Happened If The Company Said So"

The Wise County Board of Supervisors' efforts to endorse the proposed coal-fired power plant turned into a comedy of errors last week. Within the story is an anecdote that tells you all you need to know about how ...

1. Easy and inexpensive it is to buy off local officials
2. It's always been so easy for energy companies to have their way with rural communities
3. No great atrocity can be committed without the help of enablers

Am I overselling it? You tell me:

Some county officials and a handful of supervisors traveled to Richmond earlier this week to speak in favor of the plant during a State Corporation Commission hearing that eventually will determine if Dominion receives a permit to build it.

Dominion officials who met with the Bristol Herald Courier’s editorial board on Friday said the company picked up the tab for 24 supporters who stayed in $99 hotel rooms. Dominion also paid for a meal.

[Board Chairman Bob] Adkins was asked by the Herald Courier before Friday’s meeting if Dominion paid for hotel rooms of county officials who attended the SCC hearing.

"They reserved the rooms for us," he said. "We paid our own way up."

He said the tab "may or may not be picked up by the county administrator," but those who attended paid for their own meals and expenses.

When told Dominion officials said earlier in the day the company paid for a catered meal, Adkins replied, "We had a nice supper."

When told Dominion officials also said they paid for the rooms, Adkins said it probably happened if the company said so.

You can almost picture it as a comedy skit, with the chairman saying, "Whatever Dominion's answer is? That's my answer too. What? You say Dominion changed their answer? Then I change my answer too. And if they change their minds, my mind will then change with them." I just hope the voters of Wise County are paying attention.

Making the Best of an Ungreen Hotel

The Green Miles is in Miami this weekend for the National Wildlife Federation-sponsored Carbon-Neutral Sailfish Tournament. I'm staying at the Royal Palm South Beach. It's a decent hotel, but if it wasn't right on the beach it would be nothing to write home about.

One thing that makes the Royal Palm so ordinary - its lack of green features. They give you a newspaper every day whether you want it or not, but there's no recycling anywhere - it's not even accepted at the front desk. About the only positive I noticed was the compact fluorescent light bulbs.

One little thing I do when I'm staying by myself is to leave the "do not disturb" sign on the doorknob, letting the cleaning staff know that the room doesn't need service. Do I really need new soaps, shampoo, towels, sheets, etc. every single day? I'm fairly confident they can survive more than one use.

Keep an eye on the the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Green Lodging Program. While relatively few hotels have been approved so far, there's a long list of applicants. Once the list expands and there are more choices, it should be a lot easier to find a green hotel.

Mr. W: "I Finally Feel Useful!"

Spotted at the Verizon Center

Went to the Verizon Center for the Wizards-Sonics game on Sunday and spotted this - a recycling bin! I gladly recycled my plastic bottle.

As excited as I was to see it, the bin looked a bit lonely. Not only was it the only recycling bin I saw in the Verizon Center all day, it didn't have a trash bin next to it. Seems like that would increase the chances of people just shoving garbage in.

Unfortunately, I can't find much more information about green initiatives at the Verizon Center, the website facts focus on events and luxury features.

Another Mordecai Sighting

I was walking down Wilson Boulevard in the Virginia Square area Sunday afternoon and made another Cooper's Hawk sighting, the bird that recently scared the hell out of the animals in my backyard. I pulled out my cell phone camera, but unfortunately the hawk was circling very high overhead and the camera quality is lousy, so all I got was this:
From an Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment friend who's a major birder:

This seems to be a good winter for Cooper's Hawks. In your neighborhood, keep an eye out for (endangered) Peregrines. We lived for a year in Randolph towers on the 20th floor and would often see one when we were out on the balcony. I suspect they nest on some high-rise there in Ballston.

Any cool hawk sightings to report?

Now That's Progress: Chap Peterson's Clean Energy Future Act

UPDATE: Details of Chap's plan are now up at Raising Kaine

Monday morning at 10am in Richmond, Chap Peterson will reveal the details of his Clean Energy Future Act:

Senator Chap Petersen to unveil new Clean Energy Plan for Virginia

Environmental, faith, and student allies pledge support for the "Clean Energy Future Act"

RICHMOND, VA - At 10:00am on Monday, Senator-elect Chap Petersen will join allies and advocates to unveil his new initiative, the "Clean Energy Future Act". This bold initiative will re-direct Virginia's energy policies towards a sustainable future, setting long term goals for investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as special incentives for in-state generation and manufacturing.

Despite its extreme vulnerability to global warming, Virginia is currently far behind the curve on efficiency and conservation. The Commonwealth currently ranks last among all 50 states in investment in energy efficiency, and lacks any binding renewable energy standards. The Clean Energy Future Act would shift the direction of Virginia's energy policy to clean renewable energy.

From what I've heard, Chap's plan would represent not only huge environmental progress, but take the first steps towards preparing Virginia's economy for our low carbon future. Renewable energy and green jobs are critical components that will go hand in with Gov. Tim Kaine's energy plan, which would make efficiency a priority for state government. Let's hope it gets a fair hearing in Richmond!

Show Virginia Where Global Warming Starts

I know what you're thinking. "I want to show my concern about global warming, but I don't want to stop dressing like my idol Ashton Kutcher. Why can't I do both?"

Well rest easy. Now you can. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network has opened an online store where you can buy a trucker's hat emblazoned with "Dominion: Global Warming Starts Here."

OK, so you might actually prefer the t-shirt printed on 100% organically-grown cotton. Or the bumper sticker, ready-made for slapping on your Prius. Or the mug, which will advertise that you and your coffee are hotter than they should be.

It's a purchase you can feel good about because not only will you get high-quality merchandise, but a portion of all sales will go to benefit CCAN and its fight to cut our region's greenhouse gas emissions.

Can I have a private conversation with The Green Girlfriend for a minute here? Just skip down to the next paragraph. OK? Thanks. Here goes: Yes, I'm buying a trucker's hat. No, I won't wear it around you. Yes, I promise never to be photographed wearing it. Or tell anyone you're my girlfriend while I'm wearing it. Or admit we ever met while I'm wearing it.

Whether you decide to help usher in the new trend of climate fashion or not, please take action now to tell your legislator to support the Virginia Clean Energy Future Act. The legislation, sponsored by State Sen. Chap Peterson, would create incentives for in-state renewable energy and manufacturing, create a Green Jobs training program, and set a statewide standard of 20% renewable energy and 10% improvement in efficiency!

Seattle's Best Coffee Turns Away Reusables

For the second time in two flights on AirTran from Sarasota, FL to National Airport, my trip took at least an hour longer than it was supposed to. With a longer-than-expected layover at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, I grabbed my reusable mug and set off in search of coffee.

Even The Green Miles knows he’s not going to find organic or fair trade coffee in an airport, so I stopped at Seattle’s Best Coffee, a subsidiary of Starbucks. I held my mug out to the cashier and asked her to fill it with regular.

“I can’t do that,” she said. “It’s store policy. I can only sell you coffee in one of our paper cups.”

Unfortunately, I’m no longer surprised by this answer. I’ve had trouble using my reusable mug at two different Dunkin Donuts locations. I checked with Starbucks, which owns Seattle's Best, and they said it's up to individual franchises to decide whether to accept reusable mugs or not.

Every year, Americans drink more than 100 billion cups of coffee. Of those, 14.4 billion are served in disposable paper cups— enough to wrap the earth 55 times if placed end-to-end. Those paper cups contain a plastic lining made from a petrochemical that would produce enough energy to heat 8,300 homes. The plastic makes them impossible to recycle or compost.

You’d think Starbucks would do better since they’re so often accused of greenwashing. While Starbucks coffee cups are made with 10% post-consumer recycled content, they all end up in the trash - 2.3 billion of them every year.

The Starbucks website hosts an extensive corporate social responsibility policy, but it’s long on study and short on commitments. The chain is working with the US Green Building Council to establish LEED standards for the retail sector … but doesn’t say it’s actually committing to making any its stores meet those standards. While Starbucks purchases the equivalent of 20% of its in-store energy use in renewable power, it’s been incredibly slow to embrace fair trade, organic, or shade-grown coffee (respectively, 6%, 4% and 1% of its total coffee purchases).

Even its recognition of global warming is wishy-washy. “Climate change is believed to be the greatest environmental threat of our generation.” (emphasis mine)

The actual Starbucks chain gives a 10 cent discount for reusable coffee mugs. While that discount was given 17 million times in 2006, that’s less than one percent of the 2.3 billion paper cups Starbucks served that year. And reusable mug use actually dropped from 2005 levels. I’ve said before that a 10 cent discount won’t change people’s behavior, and Starbucks is unfortunately proving me right. That long corporate social responsibility policy says nothing about trying to reverse the trend in falling reusable usage.

Two New Smoke-Free Blogs

As we hope the Virginia House of Delegates makes a New Year's resolution to follow the will of the 65% of Virginians who want a statewide smoking ban, I wanted to give a shout out to two new smoke-free blogs. Check out the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation blog, as well as the Smoke Free Virginia Now blog from Virginians for a Healthy Future!

Quick Tips for a Green New Year's Eve

UPDATE: The Curious Grape tells me they have a few selections of champagne and sparkling wine grown with organic grapes.

Looking to go out for New Year's? Check out the Party with a Purpose at Mexicali Blues in Clarendon. It's sponsored by Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment and Eco-Coach.com to benefit EarthEcho International and CarbonFund.org.

Staying home for New Year's? Pop the cork at midnight on a bottle of organic champagne! Treehugger has reviews of eight different selections of champagne and sparkling wine. I couldn't find any organic champagne at Harris Teeter, but call The Curious Grape or Whole Foods to see what they have to offer.

Even the Times Square celebration is getting greener, switching to LED lights for the New Year's Eve ball. Despite being smaller and only using as much energy as 10 toasters, the new LEDs will be twice as bright as the old bulbs and can create more than 16 million colors.

Higher Temps, Weirder Weather: Welcome to Your New Climate

As the Associated Press reports, 2007 gave us our best taste yet of what climatologists say is coming as our planet warms:

When the calendar turned to 2007, the heat went on and the weather just got weirder. January was the warmest first month on record worldwide — 1.53 degrees above normal. It was the first time since record-keeping began in 1880 that the globe's average temperature has been so far above the norm for any month of the year. [...]

It wasn't just the temperature. There were other oddball weather events. A tornado struck New York City in August, inspiring the tabloid headline: "This ain't Kansas!"

In the Middle East, an equally rare cyclone spun up in June, hitting Oman and Iran. Major U.S. lakes shrank; Atlanta had to worry about its drinking water supply. South Africa got its first significant snowfall in 25 years. And on Reunion Island, 400 miles east of Africa, nearly 155 inches of rain fell in three days — a world record for the most rain in 72 hours.

A separate story paints a detailed and bleak picture of California's climate future.

All this reinforces several key points that seem to get overlooked in the climate change:

1. Global warming is not an abstract future possibility. It's been already been happening for years. We've just chosen to pretend it's not happening or is not our fault.
   
2. Global warming is not just about melting glaciers and threatened polar bears. Changes are affecting all of us. If you're talking with friends about the climate crisis, cite the impacts in your own backyard.
   
3. Global warming does not mean it will never be cold anywhere again. Just because it was cold where you live yesterday doesn't mean the planet isn't warming, and just because OshKosh broke a record for most December snow doesn't mean the planet isn't warming (in fact, warmer air can hold more water vapor so if temperatures rise but remain below freezing, you can get higher snowfall).

For more tips on refuting global warming denial, read Grist's How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic.

Video: CCAN's "Keep Winter Cold" Polar Bear Plunge

Gov. Kaine Reveals Appointments to VA Climate Commission

Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA) announced his picks for the Virginia Commission on Climate Change on Friday. Some good names (Arlington County's Paul Ferguson) and some eyebrow-raising ones (David Heacock of Richmond, President of Dominion Virginia Power).

The commission is charged with, among other things, identifying actions to achieve the 30% cut in projected 2025 greenhouse gas emissions (or about 7% from current levels by Lowell's calculations) targeted by Gov. Kaine's Virginia Energy Plan, of which The Green Miles is not a big fan. I'm also not enamored with the way Gov. Kaine's own press release gets the target wrong, claiming the energy plan aims to "reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2025."

No one's answering the phone in the governor's press office today, so I'm holding back judgment until I can get some questions answered about the commission. Among them:

What if the Commission determines that we need to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30% from projected 2025 levels? Will it be allowed to make stronger recommendations, or are its hands tied?

Why isn't anyone from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network on the panel? Or for that matter, from Appalachian Voices, Sierra Club, Virginia Conservation Network, or Virginia League of Conservation Voters?

Why were the appointments revealed on the Friday before Christmas (typically that's when you release news you're trying to bury?

I'll let you know when I speak to the governor's office.

Meantime, what do you think of the commission's members? Any names jump out at you?

Are We Just Keeping an Eye on the Place Until He Gets Back?

Ever hear of the Creation Care movement? It started last year when a group of Evangelicals began calling on all Christians to push for federal legislation that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions in an effort to stem global warming. Grist's "God and the Environment" series provides a detailed background of the movement and its history. Since then, other faiths have joined the cause. A quick Yahoo search even turns up a Mennonite Creation Care group.

There's been a backlash among some Evangelicals. Some may be true skeptics; others may be so in lockstep with the GOP on social issues that they've decided to embrace its global warming denial as well.

The public reason given for the creation care opposition makes me think it's the latter. Opposition Evangelicals said, "Global warming is not a consensus issue, and our love for the Creator and respect for His creation does not require us to take a position." Yes, since when does organized religion take a stance on anything that everyone doesn't agree on? That would be crazy.

Whatever you celebrate, The Green Miles wishes you a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a Happy Festivus! I just hope your Festivus pole is made out of recycled aluminum.

Genuine or Greenwashing: Water-Saving Hotels

A quick post from Rhode Island's TF Green Airport ...

The Green Girlfriend and I stayed in the Providence Biltmore Hotel this weekend. Cards in the bathroom trumpet the hotel's "Green Program," detailing efforts to change sheets and wash towels only when necessary.

But like every hotel The Green Miles has ever stayed in, there was no recycling available in the hotel. Not in the room. Not anywhere else on the floor. Not even in the lobby.

And all over the room? Incandescent light bulbs. Considering hotels nickel and dime you for internet service, movies and room service, why is the Biltmore passing up the chance to save $3 per bulb per year on light bulbs?

I first saw the sheet/towel card nearly a decade ago. At this point, it's not eco-friendly, it's standard operating procedure. If a hotel can't bring anything more to the table than that by 2007 yet is still trying to get credit for being "green" ... sorry, Biltmore. The Green Miles' verdict? Greenwashing.

I wish I could link you to a site to help you find green hotels, but it doesn't look like there's a great one. Grist's Ask Umbra can give you a good rundown of what to look for in a truly eco-conscious hotel.

Sit! Stay! Save the Planet!

I was in Harris Teeter tonight and saw these:

Newman's Own Organic Dog Treats and Lassie Natural Way Jerky Strips. So which treats endorsed by a washed up actor would your dog prefer?

I shouldn't make fun of them too much. While I don't know how many health benefits there could be in avoiding the buildup of pesticides and other chemicals in a relatively short-lived animal like a dog, there are definitely environmental benefits to be had.

The sheer volume of pet food produced in the U.S. each year is staggering:

In the U.S. about 300 manufacturers produce more than 7 million tons of pet food each year, one of the largest categories of any packaged food. Pet owners can choose from more than 3,000 different pet food products, including the dry, canned, and semi-moist types, as well as snacks such as biscuits, kibbles, and treats. In the 1990s, this $8-billion industry feeds America's 52 million dogs and 63 million cats.

Organic pet food may seem frivolous at first glance. But wouldn't producing that 7 million tons of food organically without chemicals or pesticides help the environment just as much as organic human food?

Arlington County Board Condemns Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant

The Arlington County Board has joined Blacksburg and Charlottesville in passing a resolution opposing plans for a new coal-fired power plant in Wise County. It's a bold stand and one that makes me proud to be an Arlingtonian. As I've said before, this plant is a bad idea on so many levels, both economic and environmental.

And who can you count on to provide unbalanced coverage of such a rational move? Why, the Sun Gazette, of course. I wouldn't even call their write-up an "article". So many facts are left out and so many opinions are left in, it's a lot closer to an editorial than anything resembling journalism. It managed to leave out all this:

• According to the Roanoke Times, the plant will be allowed to release more than 12,500 tons of pollution each year, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, the latter a cause of serious breathing problems for people with respiratory illnesses
• Each year, the plant would emit 5.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas causing global warming
• The plant would keep Virginia addicted to mountaintop-removed coal

The movement against the plant is really picking up steam across the state, with the Bristol Herald Courier becoming the latest newspaper to editorialize against the plant.

Please email the County Board right now to congratulate them for taking a strong stand on such a critical issue!

Coal: The Future is Later

Tuesday: Living in a Disposable World

The Green Girlfriend alerted me to this event at the National Building Museum:

Living in a Disposable World
Recycling the Future

National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW
Tuesday, December 18
6:30 – 8:00 PM
$12 for members, $20 for nonmembers, free for students

A discussion with:
* Julie Bargmann, D.I.R.T. Studio
* Chris Jordan, Artist
* Tim S. Kraft, AIA, LEED AP, PSA-Dewberry Inc.
* Susan S. Szenasy, Metropolis Magazine

About the Series
For the Greener Good is a public series that affirms the National Building Museum’s commitment to environmental sustainability. It calls on experts from diverse backgrounds to investigate links between environmental sustainability and design, public health, energy policy, bioscience, infrastructure, education, and even popular culture. The series features topics ranging from nuclear power to consumerism and urban slums to carbon storage. Participants will discuss ideas, experiences, and potential solutions in a public exchange at the Museum.

You can buy tickets online here!

Ask The Green Miles: Avoiding Recycling Faux Pas

My friend and fellow CRMer Brendan, who recently launched his own blog on the 2008 elections, was recently wracked with recycling interrogatories:

What say you, is it cool to recycle stuff that still has some residual food on it, like a peanut butter jar? I threw some soap and water in it and soaked the bastard for a while, but still had junk along the top.

Containers don't need to be perfectly clean before recycling, a rinse is usually fine and a soak in the case of peanut butter is good. They just need to be clean enough that they won't attract bears or George Costanza.

Peanut butter jars make the cut, but keep in mind the county only accepts narrow-necked plastic #1 or #2 containers like milk jugs, soda bottles, and laundry detergent containers. Yogurt containers, margarine tubs, etc. go in the trash. According to Stonyfield's excellent recyclable packaging explainer page, "Bottles and wide-mouth containers such as yogurt containers have different melting points, thus rendering them undesirable for recycling together. Many communities accept all HDPE plastics to avoid consumer confusion, then they landfill or incinerate all but the bottles."

A couple of days later Brendan had another question:

So on the Arlington site it says drop-off recycling centers accept the following in the way of "mixed paper," among other things:

"paperboard (such as cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, shoe boxes, beverage cartons, gift boxes, and any other single-layered paperboard not coated with wax)"

SO, the question I'm wondering if you may know is, any idea how you can tell if something's covered with wax? It seems like some Trader Joe's OJ i have is, but am not sure, thought I'd see if you'd come across this. Cereal boxes even seem like they could be, but it seems like the OJ carton's a bit waxier...

I think the county website's reference to "beverage cartons" is misleading here. The paper case that a 12-pack of Pepsi comes in is recyclable as mixed paper. A waxed carton of milk or juice is not. Basically, if it's a paper container meant to hold liquid (milk cartons, juice boxes, paper cups, some frozen food packages, etc.) it's not recyclable.

Got a question about the environment, sustainability, or livin' la vida verde? Ask The Green Miles! You can check out the question and answer archive here.

Action Needed: Help Stop the Wise County Coal Power Plant!

The Blacksburg Town Council last night passed a resolution opposing the proposed coal-fired power plant Dominion Virginia Power wants to build in Wise County. Councils in Alexandria, Charlottesville, and Arlington are expected to vote on similar resolutions in the next few days.

But time is running out for you to have your say in the matter. The Virginia State Corporation Commission's (SCC) public comment period expires tomorrow night (Dec. 14) on both the Wise County power plant proposal and Dominion's request to build a huge new transmission line through Virginia. Tell the SCC right now to say no to both!

You can comment on the Wise County plant through the Chesapeake Climate Action Network's website. CCAN provides talking points for you, however you're also welcome to lift from my letter to the SCC:

I'm writing today to comment on case number PUE-2007-00066. I strongly urge you to deny Dominion Virginia Power's request to build a new coal-fired power plant in Wise County on both economic and environmental grounds.

As a Dominion ratepayer, I don't want them investing $1.6 billion in coal at a time when Congress is considering carbon constraint legislation, including one bill sponsored by our very own Sen. John Warner, that would make it much more expensive to burn fossil fuels. If we're locked into coal, my bill is going to go up.

In addition, Virginia is last in the nation in spending on efficiency and conservation. If we were spending wisely, we'd be investing in improving our usage, not expanding our capacity. And when we do need new facilities, we must look to clean, renewable energy.

The environmental impacts of the proposed plant are nothing short of staggering. At a time when scientists say we need to cut global carbon dioxide emissions 80% by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of global warming, this plant would annually spew 5.4 million tons of new carbon dioxide emissions into the air. While Dominion is holding out hope for a future technological breakthrough on capturing and storing carbon, even then the cost of doing so may exceed $100 million each year.

The list of environmental impacts goes on and on. The plant would also emit more than 12,500 annually of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, the latter a cause of serious breathing problems for people with respiratory illnesses. The forest manager for North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest says the plant's 3,300 tons per year in sulfur dioxide emissions would violate the clean air act, which gives special protections to the adjacent 12,000-acre Linville Gorge Wilderness.

The proposed Wise County coal-fired power plant would be an economic and environmental disaster for the state of Virginia. I urge you to do everything in your power to block it.

As for the transmission line, you can submit comment quickly and easily through Virginia's Commitment. Please take the time right now to act on these critical issues!

Recycling Your Christmas Tree

Make plans now to recycle your Christmas tree after the holidays! Arlington County makes it easy for residents of single-family homes. Unfortunately residents of townhouses, apartments, and condos are in for a schlep:

Christmas Tree Collection will be from January 7 - 18, 2008 on your regular refuse day. Since trees will be ground into wood mulch, please remove the tree stand, lights, and decorations. Please do not place the tree in a plastic bag. [...]

Residents that do not have curbside recycling service, such as those living in townhouses, apartments, or condominiums, may also bring their Christmas trees to the Solid Waste Bureau during the Christmas tree collection season. Please call 703-228-6570 to schedule an appointment between 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Solid Waste Bureau is located at the Arlington Trades Center, 4300 S. 29th St. Residents will need to show proof of residence in Arlington, such as a driver's license. Trees may also be dropped off the first Saturday of each month at the Trades Center without an appointment. Please call 703-228-6570 to make an appointment or for additional information.

How Many Countries Does It Take to Equal VA's Emissions?

From the National Environmental Trust's "Taking Responsibility: Why the United States Must Lead the World in Reducing Global Warming Pollution" report:

Virginia, with its population of 7,769,233, emits more greenhouse gases than that of 83 developing countries, with combined populations totaling over half a billion people.

What does that mean for us? Not just rising temperatures, but rising insecurity:

“Even small increments in further warming will make the difference between severe climate change and catastrophic climate change, the difference between 200 million or a billion people displaced from their homes worldwide,” said Joe Bouchard, delegate-elect from Norfolk, and former Commander of the Norfolk Naval Station. “Unfortunately, these displacements are likely to make unstable parts of the world much more unstable, threatening global and national security. Here in Virginia, even a modest rise in sea levels can have a severe impact on all of our coastal military installations.”

You can read the news release here or download the full report here.

Sunday: Gaia - Our Living Earth

Here's an event coming up on Sunday:

Wisdom of the Elders; Gaia – Our Living Earth
Sunday, Dec. 16, 2PM
Potomac Overlook Regional Park, Arlington, VA

Take a break from the hectic holiday season and join us at this annual winter solstice event exploring the wisdom of people, communities and the Earth itself. This year, we explore the Gaia Theory – the scientific idea of Earth as a living system. The program will include a multimedia celebration of life on Earth as well as perspectives from people, past and present, on the metaphor of our living planet.

This program is open to adults and children (10 years old+). Refreshments will be served. Call 703/528-5406 to RSVP and for directions.

Making Your Holidays Low-Stuff and Low-Stress

In pulling together my tips for a green holiday season, I'm trying to keep in mind something that tempers my usual environmental fervor: Between traveling and shopping, the holidays are a pain to begin with. No one wants to be told they have to bend over backwards to be green on top of everything else.

That's why you'll find disagreement among environmentalists on how far to push people over the holidays. Some seek gradual change, others want a complete redefinition of our consumerist Christmas.

The one thing we all agree on is that you should try to give less stuff. Does anyone out there feel the burning desire for more stuff? Too much room in your closets? Not nearly enough junk lying around?

Here's just one example. Lumping sweaters, sweatshirts, and pullovers together, The Green Miles has 34 sweaters. 34! I could wear a different one every day for a month and still not wear them all. 27 of them were gifts. That collection has built up despite donating at least five perfectly good ones to the needy every year. Yet what can I expect to get 8 more of this year?

My family hasn't done very well at finding a happy medium. My dad and his friends have gone to one extreme, forgoing exchanging gifts altogether. I tried to get my mom's side of the family to not get me stuff but instead give me something I would appreciate and enjoy even more -- cookies. It worked for one year (also known as My Favorite Christmas ever) but the next year my mom chastised me for being so bossy about what my relatives could give me and it's been back to sweaters ever since.

It's with those experiences in mind that I'm a little skeptical when websites like Grist advise you to give carbon offsets as gifts. And when it comes to green gifts like the nice green box from GreenSender.com, I wonder if there's much of an audience for that. If the recipients are greenies, wouldn't they already have a reusable grocery bag? And if they're not greenies, might they feel it's a little unfestive and borderline preachy for you to give them a CFL?

So I'll start my green holiday advice with ...

GIFTS
Think about alternatives to giving stuff -- experiences, like a gift certificate to a local restaurant or theater, or consumables, like organic wine. If you know someone wants stuff, think about how to make the gift greener -- clothing made with organic cotton, or adding rechargeable batteries to that gift of a digital camera. Treehugger offers the best, most comprehensive, easiest-to-read green holiday gift guide.

TRAVEL
If you have options on how to get to your destination, you'll have the lowest carbon footprint if you take the train. The next best options would be to take the bus, ride-share or drive. The worst option for the environment is to fly -- even worse than driving alone. Flying not only burns the most fuel, it delivers the emissions directly to higher levels of the atmosphere where they can do more damage.

TREE
Buy a locally-grown tree, cutting it down yourself if you can. It will make even the most metrosexual man or Carrie Bradshaw clone feel like a lumberjack. WashingtonPost.com offers a list of Virginia tree farms. This year I looked into getting a living tree and re-planting it after Christmas, but from what I've read, it's not only a major hassle, the tree doesn't stand much of a chance of survival after re-planting.

LIGHTS
Buy LED lights. They're about the same price as standard lights and will use 80-90% less electricity, saving you the cost of the lights their first year alone. For outdoor lighting, you can get solar-powered LEDs that don't even need to be plugged in.

WRAPPING
Use and reuse gift bags when you can. Look for wrapping paper make from 100% recycled content. You have my admiration and respect if you're one of those people who can carefully unwrap a present and reuse the paper on another gift, but as long as you make sure the used paper gets recycled, you're safely in the green.

HOLIDAY CARDS
Again, try to buy cards made with 100% recycled paper. As you receive cards, be sure the envelopes go into recycling; after the holidays, recycle the cards.

PARTIES
Go local and/or organic whenever you can. Avoid disposables whenever you can. If you know you won't have enough dishware for all your guests, ask a friend or neighbor if you can borrow some for the night.

HANUKKAH
... is almost over, but next year, you could consider organic Matzah.

Top US Climate Negotiator on Lieberman-Warner: "I don't know the details"

We know the Bush administration has fallen behind the rest of America and the world on climate change. How far? The Associated Press has the embarrassing details:

First, newly installed Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd reversed his country's long-standing policy by signing the Kyoto pact Monday, leaving the United States as the only major industrialized country to reject the agreement. Rudd called on the U.S. to follow his lead, and the Australian delegation basked in applause and accolades at the opening of the conference in Bali.

The next blow came from a domestic source: Congress. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed a bill Wednesday to cut U.S. emissions by 70 percent by 2050 from electric power plants, manufacturing and transportation, defying the administration's opposition to mandatory caps. [...]

On Thursday, Watson was adamant the Bush administration would stick to its guns, no matter what Australia or the Senate did.

"In our process, a vote for movement of a bill out of committee does not ensure its ultimate passage," he told reporters. "I don't know the details, but we will not alter our posture here."

That last line had me doing a Scooby Doo-style "Wha-huh?" Dr. Harlan L. Watson doesn't know the details of the Climate Security Act, also known as Lieberman-Warner? The Bush administration's senior climate negotiator doesn't feel the need to keep himself appraised of such things?

Two Critical Votes on Capitol Hill This Week

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today has taken up the Climate Security Act, sponsored by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Sen. John Warner (R-VA). While the mark-up could take days, early indications are it will pass and head to the full Senate for a vote as soon as February. There it will face a filibuster from Republicans. It's uncertain if there will be the 60 votes needed to override that veto, but it should be a good test to see if senators like Lamar Alexander, Lindsay Graham, and Gordon Smith are more loyal to their party or their planet.

Over on the House side, it looks like there's finally movement on the long-stalled energy bill. Somehow, it looks like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will manage to shepherd through legislation with both stronger corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards and a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of 15%. In other words, we can look forward to more fuel-efficient cars in our driveway and cleaner energy powering our homes. As Grist puts it, Nancy Pelosi is kicking ass!

Want to make sure your representative votes for a strong energy bill? Email your representative right now!

Why the Cold Weather Makes It Harder to Blog

It's getting harder to blog as the weather gets colder. Why? Because I can't sit down at my laptop without this happening:
It doesn't matter how many times I try to show her to the couch -- it's cold and gray outside and my lap is a heated mattress. I suppose if she could talk like Get Fuzzy's Bucky, she'd be making the case that it's an energy efficient arrangement.

Why is "Meet the Press" Ignoring Global Warming?

Anyone who's watched Meet the Press this year knows Tim Russert has been so focused on Iraq and Iran, there hasn't been much time left for other issues. Obviously national security comes first, but until I did some digging, I didn't realize just how infrequently global warming has come up.

How rarely? Tim Russert has asked his guests substantive questions about it a total of twice this year - and not once in his interviews with presidential candidates or elected officials.

I first started thinking about it as I watched Russert grill Barack Obama on the really pressing issues of the day - gay marriage, the whereabouts of Obama's state senate day planner, whether he likes Hillary Clinton. Obama mentioned climate change twice in passing, but that was it. It got me curious - has global warming come up in Russert's questioning of any of the other candidates about global warming? Or his questioning of anyone at all?

I went over the Meet the Press transcripts of Russert's interviews with each of the candidates. Here's what I found:

BIDEN
Did Russert bring mention climate change? Russert listed "investment in energy and climate change research" among Biden's goals but never followed up
Did the candidate mention climate change? No
What DID Tim find time to ask about? Gay marriage (again)

CLINTON
Did Russert bring mention climate change? No
Did the candidate mention climate change? No
What DID Tim find time to ask about? Fundraiser Norman Hsu

DODD
Did Russert bring mention climate change? No
Did the candidate mention climate change? No
What DID Tim find time to ask about? Questioned Dodd's "reluctance to hike taxes on hedge fund profits"

EDWARDS
Did Russert bring mention climate change? No
Did the candidate mention climate change? Brought it up three times within lists of problems this country faces; didn't detail solutions
What DID Tim find time to ask about? Edwards' work for a hedge fund (what is it with Tim and hedge funds?)

McCAIN
Did Russert bring mention climate change? No
Did the candidate mention climate change? Mentioned it within his answers to questions about ethanol and fuel efficiency
What DID Tim find time to ask about? Grilled McCain on his age, apparently hoping to force him into a confession that he plans to die before the end of his first term as president

OBAMA
Did Russert bring mention climate change? No
Did the candidate mention climate change? Mentioned it in passing twice
What DID Tim find time to ask about? Obama's purchase of part of lobbyist Tony Rezko's backyard; though no one has alleged wrongdoing, Russert implied it was an example of Rezko being "very helpful" to Obama

RICHARDSON
Did Russert bring mention climate change? No
Did the candidate mention climate change? Richardson framed answer to question about fuel economy in the context of climate change
What DID Tim find time to ask about? Grilled Richardson on controversy about whether, as a young baseball player, Richardson had been drafted or signed as an undrafted free agent

THOMPSON
Did Russert bring mention climate change? No
Did the candidate mention climate change? No
What DID Tim find time to ask about? Thompson adviser's drug conviction more than 25 years ago

Note: Giuliani and Romney have yet to appear

In fact, reviewing every transcript of every episode of "Meet the Press", Russert has only mentioned global warming three times. Even when Sen. John Warner appeared on August 26th, Russert didn't ask him about the America's Climate Security Act legislation (also known as Lieberman-Warner) then in development. Russert first mentioned climate change on his June 3rd show. Despite polls showing two-thirds of Americans support climate action, Russert's question to Bob Shrum implied the issue was politically untouchable:

[I]n your book, Bob Shrum, you have a scene involving Al Gore and consultants and advice. And here it is: “Gore was determined to give a blunt speech on global warming and to do it in Michigan. Just before a rally, Gore told me” “we all were against it. He was right. Gore announced to me that he didn’t care, he was going to say his piece anyway. He ordered me to confer with his chief environmental adviser. When I reached her on the cell phone, she said was Al out of his mind? This was the nuttiest thing she’d ever heard; he’d lose Michigan. She’d rather have a president that did something about global warming than a defeated candidate who’d given some” GD damned “‘noble speech’ about it. When I reported her verdict to a disbelieving candidate, he phoned her, listened for a couple of minutes, and then he did budge. He said to me with resignation, ‘Well, I guess that’s that.’”

That was Al Gore in 2000. His signature issue of global warming, he decided not to give that speech because, politically, he was advised it would hurt him in Michigan. In 2008, what would he do?

MR. SHRUM: Oh, he’d talk about global warming all the time. Look, what really happened in 2000 was he wanted to give that speech very early. And it is true that people kept pushing back against it because the issue wasn’t the same as it is today, and there was a fear that we would lose Michigan. But when he announced, I think, sort of to tell us, send us a message that he was very frustrated by what we’d done, that he was going to give that speech and he was going to give that speech in Michigan. It wasn’t just his environmental adviser. I mean, Chuck Campion, the Boston pol we’d sent in to help save Michigan, called me and said, “I might as well get back on the plane. I did want to win the election. I confess to that.”

MR. RUSSERT: But you think in 2008 it’d be...

MR. SHRUM: The speech would be given early. You’d never even get to...

MR. RUSSERT: In Michigan?

MR. SHRUM: Well, no, he’d be going—actually, that speech could be given today in Michigan.

On his August 5th show, Russert mentioned the issue while framing a broader question, saying, "On global warming, the Democrats plus 39 points. People overwhelmingly believe the Democrats would be better on global warming." However, he never asked a direct question about climate change. Then on September 30th, climate change came up in Russert's interivew with Bill Clinton:

MR. RUSSERT: Global warming. Many of folks in China will say, “You know, United States, you had your chance. You became this great industrial democracy. That’s what we’re going through now, and you want to clamp these standards on us. Don’t do that to us.”

MR. CLINTON: Well, you know, I’ve actually changed my view on this a little bit. Because even though Al Gore and I did help to develop the Kyoto Protocol, and I strongly supported it, I said at the time I thought India and China should be a part of it at a more graduated level. I still think they should do it, and they should do it for themselves. If you look at the air quality in Beijing, you look at the challenge they’re facing with the Olympics coming up. If you look at the horrible health problems afflicting India, where they—in the capital, New Delhi, we had a kid fall into the river south of New Delhi in the last 12 months, and they got him out in time to avoid drowning, but he ingested so much poison stuff that he die, four-year-old child.

So the truth is that, if you develop in the old-fashioned way, there are enormous costs. And while I don’t—I believe that America should go on and adopt a cap and trade system and join with the Europeans and Japanese—because I think it’s a big economic boon to America—I think that if we don’t get the Chinese and the Indians in the system, we can’t stop global warming. And I think what we have to do is to prove to them by our example that they can make money and develop without putting as many greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, without burning as much coal that’s not clean, and doing all the things we did. We have to show them and then work with them to have an economical way for them to be responsible citizens without giving up growth.

Can it be done? I’m convinced it can be done, but I think we’re going to have to demonstrate it. We can’t just tell them, you know, as if they’re in the same position we are, “We’ll jump off this cliff together.” That’s not the way it works. We got to do it for our own benefit, and then show them it’ll benefit them.

So why should you care that Tim Russert isn't talking to his guests about global warming? Because when the host of the number one Sunday morning talk show in America is ignoring an issue, it tends to be reflected in the polls. But not unlike opposition to the Iraq war, support for climate action is building outside the Beltway (just look at the Step It Up rallies). And just like the Iraq War, Washington insiders have been slow to catch on. It's up to us to bring Big Russ along on the issue. Email Meet the Press and let the staff know if they won't talk about global warming, you'll vote with your remote and change your viewing habits!

Cross-posted from Daily Kos

CBS Seeks Enviro Reporter. Brainy, Unhip Al Gore-Types Need Not Apply.

CBS News seeks reporter/host for eco beat.

Required: Funny, irreverent and hip, oozing enthusiasm and creative energy.

Not required: Environmental knowledge.

Apparently they think we'd rather get our environmental news from Jenny McCarthy than from Rachel Carson.

Yes, top green sites like Grist and Treehugger succeed by combining wit and wisdom. But it's the hard news, expert analysis and good advice that keep us coming back. The humor is just the chocolate coating that makes it go down easier. That CBS thinks they can copy the style without the substance is insulting.

Via Business & Media Institute