Don't Despair / What One Person Can Do

If one is conscientious, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the staggering amount of bad news concerning global warming and environmental breakdown. Recent news reports and some TV shows have capitalized on this, helping bring out these helpless and hopeless emotions.

It would be easy, and tempting, to just give up and say it's too overwhelming, what can I do when many governments are not participating or encouraging conservation and renewable energy, what can one person do? How can one person's actions make any difference at all?

Indeed, there is much to be worried about, and many less-conscientious people seem to be deliberately casting doubt and ridicule on worthy causes. Recently, a bumper sticker seen brought out road rage potential in me; it said: "I LOVE Global Warming!!"

Again, you do not personally have to believe in global warming or climate change; that's not the point of this blog.

The point is that Americans use way too much energy and natural resources for our proportional population. We are somewhere around 5 - 9 % of the world's population, but we consume a huge 25% of the world's resources. That's way too much if the rest of the world population is going to enjoy a decent standard of living.

Surely we can reduce our individual consumption, if only slightly, and still enjoy a great lifestyle.

If everyone reading this blog does something right now to reduce their energy drag, the country and the world will be better off for it.

It could be as simple as changing one standard light bulb to compact florescent or LED, or recycling things you previously did not, or installing a little water saving device, or driving less or idling less.

We took another look at what our trash company recycles and were pleased to see there are more things they'll take, such as cardboard including cereal boxes and other similar items. We were able to reduce the trash going to the landfill by about 1/3, and increased our recycling amount by 1/3. What if even 10% of the population did that?

Ever notice how much cotton is stuffed into medical bottles like aspirin, vitamins and cold remedies? This may be too quirky for you, but I am using that cotton for face toner and as alcohol wipes for wounds. Now I don't buy cotton balls anymore.... Use your imagination and ingenuity; we Americans are famous for it.

You don't have to change everything; you can just change a few things. Have you noticed how many appliances and other electronic devices tell you the time of day?!!! Gack, they're everywhere! We have a microwave that tells us the time, and the range below it tells us the time, and when I turn around in the kitchen the radio tells the time. The coffeemaker would tell the time but we unplug it after using it, so that's one less. Then we have to make sure they all indicate that same time.... Do we really have to be reminded of our own mortality in every room of the house, even at night? And all the red, green and blue "eyes" of electronic devices..........one hardly needs a night light to navigate throughout the house with all of them......some of them can be unplugged without harming the device; others should stay on....a very minor difference but it can add up, and bring you more peace.

One of my favorite "green" fantasies is to visualize the electric company's output dipping just slightly..........that enough of us do a few small things that, when combined, really does create a visible dip in energy used. That's when the IREA's & other backward energy companies will take notice.

We have to be our own leaders in this. While government pols are making very slow and incremental changes, we can push change from the bottom; the grassroots level. At the point enough of us do enough small things, there will be a visible difference and the pols will take notice and realize their continued employment will depend on making more significant changes, including providing green tax incentives for their constituents. Don't believe it? Just look at what Australia has done.......their incumbent Prime Minister was voted out, and a greener PM elected, and he has signed the Kyoto protocols! That's a very big change, started by ordinary humans like you and me. (Now the US is the only major industrialized nation to have refused to sign the Kyoto protocol.)

So, please don't despair. Make your little changes and feel better about things. One person CAN change the world. For example, Gandhi created huge changes, starting very simply. So did Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and many others.

Become your own hero.

More websites for Holidays / Made in USA !!

Here are a few more websites that you may wish to check out for this season's gifts, or into the next year. Some are toys only; others have a broader line of products.

These are all "Made in USA" products and although some of them may not be completely "green", you will be reducing your carbon footprint because the products will not have circled halfway around the globe prior to your receiving them.

Enjoy!!

http://toysmadeinamerica.com
http://usmadetoys.com
http://shopforamerica.com
http://madeinusa.org

More Gifting Green Ideas

For practical green giving, you can go to the website listed below. This is takes you to the Governor's Energy Office (Colorado); and for those readers who do not live in Colorado, don't let that deter you. Check out what is here, and then you can probably find something similar for your state. Either way, these are ideas that transcend borders!

www.colorado.gov/energy/resources/green-gifts.asp

Have fun shopping!!!

~ Annie

Green Gifts Part One: 10 Green Toys to Give

Alot of parents and other gift-givers are in a quandary about how to buy safe toys for kids, when so many contaminated toys have made it to stores in the U.S.

Although many of the toxic toys have been taken off the shelf, buyers need to be especially careful this year. There is absolutely no guarantee that the toys in the stores right now are truly safe; it is possible they have just not been discovered as being unsafe.

Coop America (are you a member yet? It's a great subscription: green news, fair trade, discounts, etc - ) www.coopamerica.org has a list of 10 Green (and safe) toys to give.

Please click on this website: www.coopamerica.org/programs/shopunshop/10GreenToys.cfm

GI's go GREEN, save lives in Iraq !

A 5 year old think tank for military innovation has added a positive green twist to the lives of GI's in Iraq. Previously, the Rapid Equipping Force had come up with several ideas to save soldiers' lives, such as robots to search caves in Afghanistan, an acoustic sniper finder and a laser pointer to flag down cars at night.

Instead of a new gadget, this time, Joe Amadee III, of contractor Synovision Solutions, proposed a green solution. How could a an environmentally friendly solution help save lives?

He and an Oklahoma roofing contractor sprayed foam onto soldier's tents at the desert base east of Baghdad.

The huge, heat-absorbing tent barracks were turned into rigid shells of 2-inch insulation. The solution improves soldier's lives in two ways: 1. The soldiers are subject to less extreme temperatures while they are in the tents, and 2. Because the insulation reduced the need to heat the tents, they are going out on fewer trips in their conveys to obtain the fuel. As most people know, many of the deaths and injuries are received while out on convoys.

The more fuel a base uses, the more convoys that have to venture out to obtain fuel. Dan Nolan of Rapid Equipping Force says the price of insulation, which works out to about $30,000 a tent, is worth it. Preliminary data show that insulation tents can cut a base's fuel use by 40 percent, he said.

So the soldiers are more comfortable, and they are safer, plus there is an approximate 40% reduction in fuel use!

Gleaned from Denver Post 11/29/07; by The Los Angeles Times

Note to I.R.E.A.: Get R.E.A.L. !!!

The I.R.E.A. (Intermountain Rural Electric Association) is the 11th largest electric co-op in the United States.

The I.R.E.A. needs to get R.E.A.L. (Renewables Enhance All Life; annie's term).

One would think, with this size of co-op, it would express a fairly progressive philosophy regarding future energy needs. That is, one would think IREA would be looking at all possible and positive means to meet the exploding population in this area, as well as taking climate change and depleting resources into serious consideration. For example, Xcel energy has broken ground on a new solar plant, and has worked to educate consumers regarding conservation and the need for renewable energy. There are hundreds of other examples.

That is what one would expect of a good "corporate citizen".

And we're not talking just about Al Gore here. The vast majority of business, government and other entities have finally come around to the fact that global warming (or climate change) is real, and is an escalating threat, not just to polar bears, but to all life on earth. Groups as divergent as Ford Motor Company (Denver Post 4/24/07), school districts, and churches (Genesis Church in Castle Rock, CO Denver Post 6/29/07) have expressed concern and their resolve to decrease their impact on the earth's resources. Most people that I have spoken with have expressed concerns about the environment. Many people have taken their own initiative to do everything they can to reduce their personal impact.

Yet the IREA seems to be moving in the opposite direction! This was so hard for me to understand that I sat through two different presentations by IREA officials before I could grasp the depths to which they would go to push their antiquated agenda. "Press on, regardless!" seems to be their philosophy regarding additional coal plants (Comanche 3 in Pueblo, CO), and it is my belief, amongst many others, that they are truly backpedalling into the 20th Century as fast as they can. (Additionally, I attended 4 other presentations: 3 by highly respected scientists, and one by Al Gore. These 4 presentations were very convincing on climate change.)

To this aim, the IREA has paid more than $100,000 to obtain opinions and "scientific facts" that support their philosophy. Many of their sources have been debunked. I know I didn't OK any of my monies to be spent this way; did you? They also seem to take bits and pieces of facts and rearrange them to agree with their head-in-the-sand attitude. At a recent meeting, I got Stan Lewandowski Jr, the General Manager, to admit that they plan to spend even more in an attempt to defeat Colorado Governor Ritter's study recommendation on the environment. I also asked him why the IREA was not focusing on conservation as an important factor in reducing consumption, and his response would have been laughable if it was not so sad. I asked about renewables, and he said, "Well, people can do that if they want...." (this quote to my best recollection); this seemed to imply that the IREA sure wasn't about to encourage it.

Part of the IREA's campaign seems to be not only to characterize climate change as "hysteria" (IREA Watts & Volts most recent insert in their bill), but also to deliberately foster a climate of fear. It seems to me they want to make everyone, especially older or less-advantaged persons, so afraid of climate change that they will vote against their own best interests. (Can't guarantee dependable energy at a decent price in the future, I guess.)This reminds me of the old adage of what FEAR can mean: False Evidence Appearing Real.

Yet if one pays attention to the news, there is evidence every day that exciting growth is taking place in the renewable energy business. As renewables grow and meet the demand, these businesses will flourish. So will jobs.

There is a volunteer group that anyone can join: www.IREAvoices.org This is a small but growing group of IREA members who feel the IREA is not headed in the right direction and needs to be more accountable and transparent to their members. There is no cost to join, and I encourage everyone to do so. Let's join the volunteers, and together we can all help the I.R.E.A. get R.E.A.L.

Thank you!

14 Gas Saving Tips

14 Gas Saving Tips

1. Buy gas early in the morning. (afternoon sun heats gas, causing it to expand, and you pay for more than you actually receive. Also, it adds to air pollution.)
2. Never top off your tank. Natural expansion will make excess fuel spill out.
3. After filling tank, lift the handle and count to 5 so the remaining gas you’ve already paid for trickles in.
4. Tighten the gas cap. Gas can evaporate from your tank.
5. Keep your tires fully inflated. (you lose 2% fuel inefficiency for each pound of pressure you are low)
6. Tighten the gas cap. Gas can evaporate from your tank.
7 Make sure your wheels are aligned. Otherwise, your engine & fuel work harder, not to mention your tires and suspension.
8. Get regular tune-ups and car maintenance checks.
9. Combine errands into one trip whenever possible.
10. Make sure you’re ready to go before starting the engine. Fasten your seat belt and take care of anything else you need to do. Idling for 2 minutes uses enough gas to drive ONE MILE !!! Parents, are you idling your car while waiting to pick up or drop off your students at school?
11. Try to rid yourself of the habit of “warming up the car” before you get into it. You are getting ZERO MPG, polluting the air, and most vehicles perform well without the warm-up.
12. Remove any unnecessary weight inside, and any unnecessary encumbrances on the outside. (Remove storage bins, bike and ski racks if not using them; your car will glide more smoothly through the air and thus you will get better mileage. Inside: are you hauling around things you don’t need to?) Added weight/air disturbance contributes to reduced MPG; think what happens when you stick your hand out the window while driving down the highway.
13. Close your windows; you will get less air drag. Hard to do on a nice day, though!
14. Avoid gunning the gas when the light turns green, racing to the next light, and screeching to a stop at the last second, unless you’re qualifying for the Indy 500. Yeah, you won the race to the next red light but your car has gulped a lot more gas, and you have just been hard on the brakes. Try to time your approach to the lights, but be aware of the traffic around (and behind) you.
15. Slow Down. Driving 55 mph instead of 65 mph can get your 3 more mpg.


/anniesecotips/mas/9/21/07/various sources

Make a Big Difference in the Bathroom !

The use of new wood to create paper products uses a tremendous amount of electricity, water, let alone the trees themselves. Most of us know that. Here is a simple way to make a big difference. Seventh Generation makes alot of green products. One of them is bathroom tissue. At the regular supermarket, it costs a fair amount more than the standard tissue. But you can purchase 1000 sheets of 100% recycled paper for 99 cents at Vitamin Cottage stores. (Price could be subject to change.) This is a really good price. You can purchase either one-play or two-ply. Before you say "ewww", be assured of the following: this 100% recycled paper is hypo-allergenic and whitened without chlorine bleach. If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 1000 sheet virgin paper bathroom tissue with 100% recycled ones, we could save: * 469,000 trees *1.2 million cubic feet of landfill space, equal to 1700 full garbage trucks * 159 million gallons of water, which is a year's supply for 1300 families of four. Now, isn't that worth it? (Annie receives no compensation or other benefit from this blog.)

Buy 100% Recycled Copy Paper

We all know that it's best to use recycled paper for our copy needs at home, school and office. Until recently, purchasing recycled paper was a little difficult for Coloradans.

You can now purchase 100% Recycled Paper from Staples and Office Max. Probably from Office Depot, also. Previously, you could pick up partially recycled paper (around 30%).

The price is reasonable, too.

100% recycled copy paper uses 100% fewer trees, 43% less energy used, 36% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and 49% less water used!

What's not to like?

Water Facts from the EPA

Drinking Water Facts and Figures:

* 66% of the human body is water; 75% of the human brain is water. (Ever wonder why you get a headache when you've exerting yourself in hot weather?)

* 75% of a chicken, 80% of a pineapple, and 95% of a tomato is water.

* A person must consume 2.5 quarts of water per day from all sources (drinking, eating) to maintain health.

* Water regulates the earth's temperature. It also reguates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells, cushions joints, protects organs, and removes wastes.

* It is possible for people today to drink water that was part of the dinosaur era.

USAGE

* Industries as well as people need water. It takes on average, 39,090 gallons of H2O to manufacture a new car and it's 4 tires. 62,600 gallons of water are needed to produce one ton of steel; 1,500 gallons to process one barrel of beer; and 9.3 gallons to process one can of fruit or vegetables.

* On average, 50-70% of household water is used outdoors (water lawns, washing cars, etc)

* The average American uses over 100 gallons of water per day; the average residence uses over 100,000 gallons during a year.

* Americans drink more than 1 Billion glasses of tap water per day. (MAS note: this needs updating; not sure what the stats are on our bottled water usage are.)

INFRASTRUCTURE

* The average cost for water supplied to a home in the U.S. is about $2.00 for 1,000 gallons, which equals about 5 gallons for 1 penny.

* It costs over $3.5 billion to operate water systems throughout the U.S. each year.

MINIMIZE PRODUCTION OF WASTE

* Learn who your water supplier is, where the water comes from, whether shortages have occured in your community.

* Repair leaking faucets and toilets. (MAS note: Many water suppliers can provide you leak testers and other items, such as low-flow faucets, for free)

* Take short showers. (MAS note: you can reduce the water that goes down the drain by installing low-flow showerheads, or installing a simple water cutoff to use when you are soaping up.)

* Turn off water while brushing your teeth. (MAS note: Capture the water you are warming up, too. Use it to wash your toothpaste spit down the drain.)

* Turn off the hose while washing your car.

* Be careful and prudent with your water use outside. (MAS note: use soaker hoses or drip systems; water in early morning or early evening to reduce evaporation. Also, your hoses may need new gaskets; the little rubber things you find inside the hose. If they are old, they'll leak.)

* MAS note: In the winter, protect your water line by blanketing the outside faucets; this can help prevent a rupture.

For more information: call Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or visit the safewater web site at www.epa.gov/safewater.

Source: EPA Handout "Water Facts," 2004.

Back to School !! For Parents, Students and Teachers

Soon the kids will be back at school. As every parent knows, you have to work your way through a sometimes bewildering list of items to purchase for your child to bring to school. Teachers and administrators also have to load up on supplies. Here are some ideas to help you reduce the drag on the environment when you do this. Please provide any other ideas you may have.

Per the EPA handout:

"Students, educators, and school administrators can all play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

1. Reduce/reuse and recycle: Try to purchase less. Does your child need all 10 of those nifty sparkly notebooks? Try to purchase supplies made with recycled content.

2. Do you have items left over from the prior school year? If your returning student can use them, please do so. If not, consider donating them to the school, as there will be children who have less than yours does.

3. All schools have limited budgets. You can help your schools reduce their energy consumption, which will reduce their overall costs. Turn off computers, lights, and other devices that use energy when no one is in the classroom (make sure OK with teacher; teacher could ask a volunteer to do this). Turning off just one 60-watt incandescent bulb that would otherwise burn 8 hours a day can save about 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide over the lifetime of the bulb.

4. Learn about climate change science, impacts, and solutions. Explore the many resources available to learn about climate change. Investigate what other schools and organizations are doing to educate their audiences on climate change. EPA's Climate Change Web site provides educational resources on the "What You Can D At School" page.

5. Calculate your school's carbon footprint. Use EPA's Climate Change Emission Calculator Kit (Climate CHECK for high schools) or EPA's Global Warming Wheel Card Kit (for middle schools) to investigate the link between everyday actions at your school, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change. These interactive tools help students learn about climate change and how to address it.

6. Ask your school administrators if your school has earned the Energy Star. The least efficient schools use 3 times more energy than the best energy performers. By partnering with ENERGY STAR for K-12 program, school districts can serve as environental leaders in their community, become energy efficient, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save 30% or more on energy bills.

7. Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycle school or classroom paper, newspapers, beverage containers, electronic equipment, and batteries. Using these "Eco-3 R's" helps conserve energy, minimize pollution, and reduce greenhouse gases. You can practice the "Eco-3 R's" by using two-sided printing and copying, buying supplies made with recycled content, and recycling used electronics and printer cartridges.

EPA's Climate CHECK Tool: www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/downloads/ClimateCHECK_1.0 zip

EPA's Global Warming Wheel Card Kit: www.epa.gov/climatechange/downloads/ActivityKit.pdf

Energy Star for K-12 School districts:
www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=k12_schools.bus_schoolsk12

EPA's Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Website: www.epa.gov/msw/reduce.htm

EPA's Climate Change: What You Can Do at School Web site: www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/school.html

EPA's Climate Change Kid's Web site: www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/

Have Fun, Stay Cool, Save Water and Energy This Summer

Here we are in the middle of summer, and the Denver area has seen alot of heat and dust and dryness. Perhaps you have noticed that there seem to be alot of "hazy" days. Medical experts have noticed an increase in asthma, too. Here are some simple tips to help keep you cool and yet avoid sucking too much energy.

$ Close drapes/blinds/windows against sunlight. Open up the windows on the non-sunny side. You will help keep the house cool without air conditioning.

$ Buy some insulating window film and install it. Some can be installed with just water and a squeegy. Cost is reasonable.

$ Use fans when you can: ceiling fans move the air and this tricks the mind into thinking it's cooler. Portable fans are helpful when you are stuck in a specific area and just need a little bit.

$ Water outdoors sparingly, using soaker hoses or a drip method. You get extra bonus points if you are using a recycled hose! These 2 methods minimize water lost to evaporation. Water in the early morning or early evening. (Watering at midnight not recommended; you can develop fungus on your plants and grass.)

$ Use mulch around planted areas that lose alot of moisture. This helps keep the weeds down, too.

$ Use alternative transportation, when you can. Carpool, bus, lite rail, bicycle, scooter, motorcycle. You will be putting less CO2 into the air.

$ Drive during "off" hours, when you can. You will get to your destination with less gas consumed, and less junk added to the air. And less stress!

$ On especially hot, dry days, try to purchase your fuel in the early morning or evening. This helps cut down on the ozone.

$ Try to avoid unnecessary idling of your engine: drive-throughs, waiting to pick someone up, etc. If you are in a big traffic jam and it is safe to turn off your engine, do so. You will save gas and also contribute less to the ozone layer. Which brave business will have the nerve to be the first to suggest we turn off our motors while we wait?

$ Can you cut down your use of power mowers? This is a tough one, I know. Recent studies have shown the one power mower puts out alot more CO2 than a passenger car! Some stores sell push mowers. Anyone remember them?

$ Try to manually weed your garden, if you can. This is also tough, especially if you have alot of land to care for. But even doing a little bit of manual weeding is helping the environment because you are not using chemicals to kill the offending plants, nor are you using gas weed-eaters. Take advantage of the weather, when possible: last night it rained heavily, so pulling weeds today was really easy!

$ When getting into a hot car, open up the doors for a couple of minutes before you jump in & turn up the air conditioner to "Ice Age". The hot air molecules are swirling around in your car, looking for an escape, and you can provide it when you open up the doors. It just takes a couple of seconds, and then you can hop in to a cooler car, and turn on the air conditioning if needed.

$ Make Sun Tea. Drag out that old glass container that holds about 2 gallons, fill it up with cool water from the tap, and place your favorite tea bags (about 6 - 7) into the water, then put it in a nice hot & sunny location. You'll have "solar" tea in no time, and it's cheap! I love Good Earth tea, which is kind of spicy, and does not need sugar.

$ Try to avoid using those ubiquitous plastic water bottles if you can. There is not much opportunity for recycling them, and they are really adding to the landfills. Several of the large companies bottling the special water are known to be depleting the already-shallow water tables of various third world countries, thus making their situation more desperate. And the water is not all that special, in many instances. (Yes, we've been fooled again!)

$ And if you have to use your sprinklers, run through them like a little kid. Instant cool down!

Thanks, and enjoy your summer!

Earthworks Expo This Weekend in Denver!

Earthworks Expo will be at the Denver Merchandise Mart this weekend; July 27 - 29.

If you have been wanting to know more about energy conservation, energy conversion, reducing, recycling, reusing or any other enviro-related topic, this is the event for you!

Hours: Friday, July 27: 11 am - 8 pm
Saturday 28: 9:30 am - 8 pm
Sat eve Gala Reception: 7:30 - 10 pm
Sunday 29: 9:30 am - 6 pm

You can check to see the large number of Exhibitors at this link: www.earthworks2007.com/exhibitors.html

This is for the whole family! They will have workshops for kids, an EarthWorks Store, a Kids' Garden, a Farmers Market, and more!

The ticket prices are reasonable. But if you are interested in volunteering, please contact Nicole Irvine: nicole@earthworks-expo.com You have to commit to and work 6 hours, and you get a Tshirt, free entry, and other assorted goodies.

MAS

For Mother's Day ~ Green Ideas She'll Love !

Here are a couple of ideas to give Mom a Green Mother's Day. After all, Mothers are all about Nature, aren't they?

The following are not true endorsements, but ideas and websites you may want to check into.

1. Don't let Mom get stuck on the highway again! (Or, locked out of her car.) The Better World Club is a green alternative to the AAA Auto Club which heavily supports the highway lobby. I just joined this club; have not used their services yet. Heard it advertised on EcoTalk radio program on 760 AM.
2. Give some of Mother Nature to Mom: See The Nature Conservancy site. You can buy a gift subscription to The Nature Conservancy, send organic flowers, or simply have an E-card sent to her.
3. Donate to UNICEF in her name: Help a Mother immunize a child: $15 can provide enough vaccine to immunize 20 children against polio. Unicefusa.org
4. Find green gifts at this website for Co-op America. there are alot of options here; clothing, posters & stationary, fair trade coffee, gifts for the home, etc. (I have belonged to Co-Op America for several years.) lists.coopamerica.org
5. The Green Guide has alot of green gifts and ideas: the greenguide.com. (I have belonged to this group for a few years also)
6. Low on dollar$, but high on energy? Do some landscaping work for Mom, such as pruning, weeding, ferilizing, putting in soaker hoses or drip irrigation, planting a tree or shrub that she will watch grow and remember forever.
7. Take her to an animal sanctuary such as the one in Keenesburg, the Rocky Mountain (Arsenal) Wildlife Center which now has bison and some babies, a picnic and walk at Castlewood Canyon or a nearby open space.
8. Give her a "Green Beginnings" gift basket you assemble with items she may have been curious about but has not tried: compact fluorescent bulbs, natural cleaning supplies, herbs to grow, water saver
8. Perhaps best of all: Spend some time with her, re-living joyful moments and showing her how much you appreciate and love her!

As you may have noticed, there are alot of things happening concerning the environment, energy, global warming, etc. Here are some news items I picked up recently:

Re: Ethanol to Fuel Vehicles: Ethanol will use 50% more corn this year, eating
into the food industry's share of the crop, according to the Agriculture Dept.
Annie's note: while the use of ethanol to fuel vehicles may seem like a good idea,
you can see where it can also create problems for the food industry. Ethanol is
not the only answer...Source: Denver post 3/02/07.

Navy To Ignore California Rule On Sonar Training: The U.S. Navy says it won't
comply w/ sonar training restrictions that aim to protect marine mammals off the
California coast, arguing that the commission that imposed the rules does not
have the jurisdiction to do so. "The Navy does not take lightly our
responsibility to the environment and marine life," said a Vice Admiral &
commander of the U.S. 3rd Fleet in San Diego. The rules cannot be applied beyond the
scope of state waters; 3 nautical miles from shore. Some ecologically sensitive
areas may be affected. Source: Denver Post mid Feb '07.

Canada Cuts Quota of Harp Seals to Be Killed: Canada announced Thursday that
hunters can kill 270,000 harp seals this spring, despite environmentalists'
protests that thousands of pups too young to swim have fallen through the ice
thinned by global warming. The International Fund for Animal Welfare and the
Humane Society of the U.S., both of which have long led international campaigns
to end the centuries-old hunt, immediately condemned the new hunting quotas.
Source: Denver Post 3/30/07. Annie's note: This hunt is happening right now.
Today I heard a report on NPR that thousands of the young seals have drowned due
to thin ice. If you wish to get involved in trying to persuade the Canadian
government to decrease their quota, you can go to the Humane Society of the
United States' website. The harp seal pups are those beautiful white seals you see frequently in photos, and they are absolutely defenseless.

PUC Asked To Probe Xcel Plan for $1Billion "Clean-Coal" Plant: A pair of
environmental activists asked state regulators Wednesday to investigate Xcel
Energy's plans for a $1 billion "clean coal" power plant in Colorado. The
complaint asks the Colorado Public Utility Commission to ensure that Xcel
complies with a state law requiring disclosure about the power plant's cost,
feasibility and impact on ratepayers, and whether it can be built without
competitive bidding. (Annie's note: Shades of Halliburton in Iraq!) The complainants, Leslie
Glustrom of Boulder and Nancy La Placa of Denver...also have opposed Xcel's $1.3
billion Comanche 3 generator...under construction in Pueblo. Source: Denver
Post 3/22/07.

More Energy Efficient Buildings: A bill that would require all state buildings
to be more energy efficient passed a House committee. Measures could include
new fluorescent bulbs, insulation and wall board made from recycled products, nontoxic paints and toilets that use less water. The House Transportation Cmmittee passed the bill unanimously. It already has passed the Senate. Source: Denver Post 3/30/07.

Airline Introduces Voluntary Greenhouse Fees: Scandinavian airline group SAS AB
introduced a voluntary greenhouse charge on Wednesday for passengers who want to
offset the carbon dioxide emissions generated by their flights. The plan, which
follows a similar initiative by British Airways in 2005, lets SAS passengers
give money to environmental projects that have helped reduce the release of
greenhouse gases....A passenger flying between Stockholm and Continental Europe
would have to pay an average of 4.50 euros ($6) to such a project to offset the
approximate 300 kilos (600 pounds)of carbon dioxide released by their air
travel. Annie's note: What about that huge AirBus? Gack! Source: MSNBC.com
Travel news 3/14/07.

Kansas Getting Plant To Make Ethanol from Residues of Grass: Cellulosic ethanol is cleaner than fuel made from corn.... And the $300 million plant will help
Kansas' economy....The state is one of six getting a cutting-edge technology
that will make ethanol out of grass and crop residue typically left in the
field. Other facilities will go to Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho and California.
...The Union of Concerned Scientists stated the environmental impact of some of
these feedstocks is much lower. Source: Denver Post 3/26/07.

Roxborough Grows Into New School: ....Douglas Count, Colorado is getting a new
elementary school. No 46 is scheduled for mid-year opening January 2008...The
classroom wing is two stories because of site space; it's a small site....There
is a certain amount of construction and cost efficiencies in building two
stories. The design has sustainable design features: natural day lighting in
classrooms and circulation corridors. Also the footprint of the building is not
as large so there is less foundation work and excavation. Landscaping includes
natural elements to reduce the amount of lawn and sod. "That natural turf won't have to be
irrigated."...also, a fairly large number of deciduous trees that will drop
leaves in winter to allow sunlight in, and provide shade in summer....also,
heating and air conditioning equipment will be in a crawl space and will provide
long term savings in maintenance. Finally, Elementary School No. 46 faces south
to take advantage of winter sunshine in half the classrooms and constant light in the other sides facing north. Source: Douglas County News Press 3/16/07.

Danish Firm To Build Weld Plant: Danish wind-turbine company Vestas Wind
Systems said Tuesday it will build a $60 million manufacturing plant in western
Weld County. The Windsor facility will manufacture blades for wind turbines and
eventually employ 420 works, most hired locally. Wages will range from $30,000 a
year for production workers to more than $60,000 for managers. Construction is
scheduled to start this Spring...initial hires at the plant will be sent to
Denmark for several months of training. Upon their return, they'll supervise other
production workers....the town's access to rail services and a skilled workforce
are reasons for choosing Windsor. The company has installed more than 31,500
wind turbines in more tha 60 countries and employs about 12,000 people
worldwide. Source: Denver Post 3/21/07. Annie's note: Training in Denmark? Sign
me up! Seriously, though, to me this means that some of the more traditional
workers will indeed have a place in the new energy economy.

And finally: Something to keep the fires of desire burning:- the desire to
change the status quo: $4.5 Million An Hour in '06 for Exxon Mobil: Oil giant
Exxon Mobil topped its own record for the biggest annual profit by a U.S.
company last year, with earnings that amounted to $4.5 million an hour for the
world's largest publicly traded oil company. It reported the record net income
- $39.6 billion - despite a 4 percent drop in earnings in the final three months
of 2006, as prices for oil and natural gas fell from extraordinary levels earlier in the
year....Exxon Mobil and its predecessor companies have been producing natural
gas in western Colorado's Piceance Basin for 50 years. The company announced
recently that it will expand the 300,000-acre Piceance operations with more
wells, pipeline and a central processing plant....Source: Denver Post; not sure
of the date. Annie's note: I still am fired up over how cavalier Exxon was about
that huge oil spill from the Exxon Valdez...
.
Talk to you later!
Annie

Energy Activism and Things to Do This Week 2007

Things you can do this week to make a difference:

~ Turn out all unnecessary lights at home or at work

~ Switch to one or two compact fluorescent bulbs.

~ If in Colorado, encourage your state legislators to support House Bill 1281, which is the cornerstone of the renewable-energy agenda of Governor Bill Ritter. It would increase the renewable-energy standard for investor-owned utilities to 20 percent and set the first renewable-energy standard for rural electric cooperatives. This bill passed in the Senate.

~ Tuesday, March 20 is Climate Crisis Action Day = Cool the Planet, Save the Arctic. See www.AlaskaWild.org/ACTION

~ Have your lawn aerated. It is inexpensive, but allows air, nutrients and water to soak deeper into your lawn, which in turn makes the roots grow deeper. As a result, your lawn is more healthy and requires less frequent watering.

~ Explore www.nextgenerationearth.org, a fantastic website that provides lots of information on global warming, carbon emissions, and also shows you how to show your support for making progressive changes in our energy use. The Global Roundtable on Climate change and others have a consensus statement that could be used by everyone.

~ Sign the petition supporting The Plan for Colorado's New Energy Future at www.EnvironmentColorado.org

~World Water Day is March 22. According to an environmental talk show water expert, 47 million gallons of oil are used just to provide water bottles for Americans for one year. Most of the bottled water is just modified ground water and the water bottle companies are sucking the water tables dry. 1.1 Billion people around the world don't get adequate water. Surely there are ways we can ensure our own clean water supply without depriving others. And think about the additional problem of all those empty plastic bottles, most of which are not recyclable.

~Encourage our local, state and federal legislators to push for and create incentives for using compact fluorescent bulbs or LED bulbs instead of the energy-wasting incandescent bulbs. After all, Australia and Russia are strongly promoting this, and even Wal-Mart has begun promoting this way of saving energy. Let's not get left behind!

~ Encourage our local, state and federal legislators to push for wind-power farms where appropriate. Even 3rd world countries are going this: Cuba opened an experimental wind farm on the Isla de la Juventud, using French technology and they are already working on another one. Let's not get left behind. Source: Denver Post 2/26/07.

~ Ask your mayor to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. 162 countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol to address global warming, and the Bush Administration still has it's head in the sand, denying any global warming. Some U.S. Mayors are rising to the occasion and to date, 402 mayors representing some 58.9 million Americans have signed the mayors agreement. Please ask yours to do so as well.

~ Contact your legislators regarding the U.S. Navy's decision to continue using sonar training off the coast of California, including in marine sanctuaries. Source: Denver Post mid-Feb '07.

PRACTICE THE NEW "3 R'S " : ******* REDUCE ****** REUSE ****** RECYCLE ******

The Party's Over, Turn Out the Lights

This blog is for people to exchange ideas on how to conserve energy and decrease our enormous drag on non-renewable resources. The general idea is for us to learn, communicate and implement some simple changes. We will also talk about more sophisticated methods. Whether you believe in global warming or not, most Americans have to admit that we are using a tremendous amount of energy. We have been having a party; gorging ourselves on the earth's resources, and "partying" like there is no tomorrow. But tomorrow is approaching at a faster and faster rate, and we need to help ensure a a decent, livable world that we can leave to people in the future. We need to find ways to reduce our consumption. The time is NOW! We can't wait for our government to mandate alternative energy and to reduce our consumption; we need to start showing them by starting from a grass-roots level. For example, TURN OUT THE LIGHTS !! We can do this at home and at work. If you are not using the lights in a room, turn them out. This is especially important if you are using incandescent bulbs, because they use so much energy. If you haven't started using compact flourescent bulbs, buy and install one or two. You will notice on the label that these bulbs use alot less energy. At work, if you are the last one to leave, turn out the lights! You will be amazed at how empowering these simple acts can be. Thanks