Green Options » Amanda Peterka http://greenoptions.com/author/amanda/ Post archive of Amanda Peterka Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:01:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en http://greenoptions.com/author/amanda/ http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/053f786cf6274ab2f736d8966c0dbc74?s=65&d=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D32 Green Options » Amanda Peterka It’s World Environment Day. What are you doing to save the planet? http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/06/05/its-world-environment-day-what-are-you-doing-to-save-the-planet/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/06/05/its-world-environment-day-what-are-you-doing-to-save-the-planet/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:01:07 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/06/05/its-world-environment-day-what-are-you-doing-to-save-the-planet/ Even though there are some of us who like to celebrate the environment every day, Friday is the official United Nations day to don your green gear and plant a few trees. “World Environment Day,” as it’s known, has been celebrated every June 5th since 1972, when it was first established by the UN as a way to promote environmental awareness. Every year a different country plays host of the party; this year is Mexico.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/06/05/its-world-environment-day-what-are-you-doing-to-save-the-planet/feed/ Obama’s Auto Emissions Plan Dependent on Hesitant U.S. Consumers http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/20/obamas-auto-emissions-plan-dependent-on-hesitant-us-consumers/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/20/obamas-auto-emissions-plan-dependent-on-hesitant-us-consumers/#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 17:04:01 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/20/obamas-auto-emissions-plan-dependent-on-hesitant-us-consumers/ President Barack Obama’s new fuel emissions standards are a step in the right direction, most people seem to agree. The carbon emissions saved under the plan could equal a 30-percent reduction in auto emissions in the United States, say estimates. The plan, which requires automakers to improve fuel-efficiency by the year 2016, is one that 10 automakers have signed onto - even Ford, which reportedly got cold feet at the last moment.

For American car buyers, though, the landmark agreement will mean an average $1,300 increase in the price of a new car by 2016. And to a car-buying public that hasn’t yet latched onto the idea of a hybrid vehicle, that price increase might be a tough one to swallow.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/20/obamas-auto-emissions-plan-dependent-on-hesitant-us-consumers/feed/ White House Memo Not So Smokin’ After All http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/18/white-house-memo-not-so-smokin-after-all/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/18/white-house-memo-not-so-smokin-after-all/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 20:56:09 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/18/white-house-memo-not-so-smokin-after-all/ After all the hoopla last week over a White House memo calling the EPA’s findings on global warming baseless and inaccurate, it turns out the smoking-gun memo isn’t as smoking as Sen. John Barrasso, its champion, claimed it was.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/18/white-house-memo-not-so-smokin-after-all/feed/ Recycling Ships the Wrong Way: The Booming Shipbreaking Industry http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/recycling-ships-the-wrong-way-the-booming-shipbreaking-industry/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/recycling-ships-the-wrong-way-the-booming-shipbreaking-industry/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 20:02:15 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/recycling-ships-the-wrong-way-the-booming-shipbreaking-industry/ Ever wondered what happens to ships after they are taken off the seas? Colossal ships that seem to defy the laws of physics by floating on water contain a lot - A LOT - of potentially bad environmental materials if dealt with in the wrong way. But unfortunately it’s in just that way that a lot of ships are scrapped when they have sailed their last seas.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/recycling-ships-the-wrong-way-the-booming-shipbreaking-industry/feed/ Glenn Beck Talks Smoking-Gun Memos and the EPA with Sen. John Barrasso http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/glenn-beck-talks-smoking-gun-memos-and-the-epa-with-sen-john-barrasso/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/glenn-beck-talks-smoking-gun-memos-and-the-epa-with-sen-john-barrasso/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 17:50:49 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/glenn-beck-talks-smoking-gun-memos-and-the-epa-with-sen-john-barrasso/ Conservative host Glenn Beck (who recently argued on his show that the government shouldn’t handle more than nine problems at a time because a person can only juggle nine objects at a time) interviewed Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) about the recent memo concerning EPA’s supposed global warming fallacies:

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post. ]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/glenn-beck-talks-smoking-gun-memos-and-the-epa-with-sen-john-barrasso/feed/ First Lawsuit Over Ocean Acidification: EPA Ignoring the Problem, Green Group Says http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/first-lawsuit-over-ocean-acidification-epa-ignoring-the-problem-green-group-says/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/first-lawsuit-over-ocean-acidification-epa-ignoring-the-problem-green-group-says/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 17:28:48 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/first-lawsuit-over-ocean-acidification-epa-ignoring-the-problem-green-group-says/ A lawsuit filed Thursday against EPA marks the first legal action to deal with ocean acidification, reports the Environment News Service. The suit is brought on by the Center for Biological Diversity and blames the EPA for negligence in recognizing the impact of acidification in Washington’s waters.

It’s also important because it deals with the naming of carbon dioxide as a pollutant - something currently being contested by a “smoking gun” White House memo. The lawsuit has been brought up under the Clean Water Act, which regulates pollutants in water. From how I see it, this means that if EPA is found to be in the wrong under the Clean Water Act here, then CO2 will have been legally deemed a pollutant.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/15/first-lawsuit-over-ocean-acidification-epa-ignoring-the-problem-green-group-says/feed/ Health Care Facilities to Get Green Evaluations http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/14/health-care-facilities-to-get-green-evaluations/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/14/health-care-facilities-to-get-green-evaluations/#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 16:44:10 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/14/health-care-facilities-to-get-green-evaluations/ In the middle of 2009, the U.S. Green Building Council is rolling out a new rating system specific for evaluating health care. Named the LEED HC, the system will take into account the limitations in health care buildings and the relationship between staff members and patients in a way that the normal LEED system is incapable of doing. Certification requirements, as a result, will be less stringent than normal LEED requirements.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/14/health-care-facilities-to-get-green-evaluations/feed/ Global Warming is Natural…Yeah, Yeah, We’ve Heard it Before http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/04/global-warming-is-naturalyeah-yeah-weve-heard-it-before/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/04/global-warming-is-naturalyeah-yeah-weve-heard-it-before/#comments Mon, 04 May 2009 14:33:11 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/04/global-warming-is-naturalyeah-yeah-weve-heard-it-before/

Republican Minority Leader John BoehnerThe other week I posted a video of House Minority Leader John Boehner claiming that carbon dioxide is no big deal. The statement was in response to a question from George Stephanopoulos about the Republican solution to global warming.

His answer, word-for-word, follows:

“The idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen, that it’s harmful to our environment, is almost comical. Every time we exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide. Every cow in the world, you know, when they do what they do, you’ve got more carbon dioxide.”

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/04/global-warming-is-naturalyeah-yeah-weve-heard-it-before/feed/ Obama Rocks Gallup Environmental Poll http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/23/obama-rocks-gallup-environmental-poll/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/23/obama-rocks-gallup-environmental-poll/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:21:46 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/23/obama-rocks-gallup-environmental-poll/ President Barack Obama scored a big one in a Gallup Poll conducted in the middle of March. According to the results, which were released yesterday, 79 percent of Americans think that he will do a good job in handling environmental issues, compared to the 51 percent that George W. Bush received eight years ago at the start of his presidency.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/23/obama-rocks-gallup-environmental-poll/feed/ GOP Leader: Carbon Emissions? What Carbon Emissions? http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/20/gop-leader-carbon-emissions-what-carbon-emissions/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/20/gop-leader-carbon-emissions-what-carbon-emissions/#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:19:21 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/20/gop-leader-carbon-emissions-what-carbon-emissions/ After much wind from the GOP leader, George Stephanopoulos asks House Minority Leader John Boehner what the Republican plan is to deal with carbon emissions. Boehner responds that all the fuss over carbon dioxide is “almost comical” and turns to cows to avoid coming up with a solid answer.

This interview was conducted on April 19 on “This Week.”

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post. ]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/20/gop-leader-carbon-emissions-what-carbon-emissions/feed/ Are Somali Pirates Just Trying to Protect the Environment? http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/13/are-somalian-pirates-just-trying-to-protect-the-environment/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/13/are-somalian-pirates-just-trying-to-protect-the-environment/#comments Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:14:38 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/13/are-somalian-pirates-just-trying-to-protect-the-environment/ The Huffington Post ran an interesting feature today, just one day after Capt. Richard Phillips was rescued from that hostage situation in Somalian waters. The feature is an essay written by a Somalian-Canadian singer/activist and explains why Somalians don’t condemn, and sometimes even encourage, their pirates. The argument has been tossed around the Internet a bit, but I haven’t seen it much in mainstream media, and especially not now that we’ve just recovered one of our very own from a dangerous situation.

The argument runs: Many Somali pirates are just trying to keep Somalia’s waters clean.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/13/are-somalian-pirates-just-trying-to-protect-the-environment/feed/ What’s the Green Pope Been Up To? http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/12/whats-the-green-pope-been-up-to/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/12/whats-the-green-pope-been-up-to/#comments Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:10:58 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/12/whats-the-green-pope-been-up-to/ In honor of Easter, it’s time to check out what everybody’s favorite green Pope has been up to since my last post on the installation of solar panels in The Vatican City. It seems there hasn’t been anything big happening, but the comments about the environment in Pope Benedict XVI’s speeches and smaller environmental projects suggests that the environment is still part of the Pope’s spiritual mission.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/12/whats-the-green-pope-been-up-to/feed/ White House Playground Covered With Harmful Mulch, Says Environmental Group http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/07/obamas-blanket-kids-playground-with-harmful-mulch-says-environmental-group/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/07/obamas-blanket-kids-playground-with-harmful-mulch-says-environmental-group/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:43:20 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/07/obamas-blanket-kids-playground-with-harmful-mulch-says-environmental-group/ The Obamas may have planted a fresh and healthy garden on the White House lawn, but their playground for the kids is anything but healthy, according to an environmental-health group.

Environment and Human Health contends that the used-tire mulch covering the playground causes skin and eye irritation and destroys mucus membranes, reports the Seattle Times. The group cites a review done by Sinai Hospital in New York in March that reported that playgrounds made from used tired tend to get very hot and can cause kids to get skin infections and inhale toxins and carcinogens.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/07/obamas-blanket-kids-playground-with-harmful-mulch-says-environmental-group/feed/ Recession Is Good For Climate Change, Say Experts http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/30/recession-is-good-for-climate-change-say-experts/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/30/recession-is-good-for-climate-change-say-experts/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:09:13 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/30/recession-is-good-for-climate-change-say-experts/ In 2007, the United States clocked in at 7.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. This year, though, the Energy Department predicts we might be end the year at 6.98 billion tons.

Are efforts to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide actually working, or is there something else going on here? The answer, according to an economist at Harvard, is the latter: The recession will cause a drop in carbon emissions simply because there won’t be as many industries, homes and vehicles spewing the greenhouse gas into the air.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/30/recession-is-good-for-climate-change-say-experts/feed/ Hawaii’s Superferry Deemed Unconstitutional, Put Out of Business http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/19/hawaiis-superferry-deemed-unconstitutional-put-out-of-business/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/19/hawaiis-superferry-deemed-unconstitutional-put-out-of-business/#comments Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:33:20 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/19/hawaiis-superferry-deemed-unconstitutional-put-out-of-business/ The behemoth of transportation in Hawaii, the Superferry, is shutting its doors as of this week after the Supreme Court ruled that an act giving it permission to run without the proper environmental regulations was unconstitutional.

The ferry, a monster that could hold 866 people and 282 cars and that uses more fuel than a large plane, was kept running for a year even though it never had the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that’s required by the state of Hawaii.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/19/hawaiis-superferry-deemed-unconstitutional-put-out-of-business/feed/ Oil Spill Wipes Sunshine from Coast of Australia http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/13/oil-spill-wipes-sunshine-from-coast-of-australia/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/13/oil-spill-wipes-sunshine-from-coast-of-australia/#comments Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:55:04 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/13/oil-spill-wipes-sunshine-from-coast-of-australia/ Australia has been getting a beating the past few months. Aside from the fires that ravaged the country in the south and flooding in the north that cut off towns for weeks, authorities just announced on Friday that some of the Sunshine Coast’s most diverse and popular natural areas are in a state of disaster. A ship registered in Hong Kong and belonging to the British firm Swire Shipping, the Pacific Adventurer, is the cause: On Wednesday it lost 31 shipping containers and suffered a leak from a tank that can hold 100,000 gallons of fuel.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/13/oil-spill-wipes-sunshine-from-coast-of-australia/feed/ Federal Government On Track to Cap Greenhouse Emissions? http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/10/federal-government-on-track-to-cap-greenhouse-emissions/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/10/federal-government-on-track-to-cap-greenhouse-emissions/#comments Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:39:54 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/10/federal-government-on-track-to-cap-greenhouse-emissions/ Today the Environmental Protection Agency announced what may be the start of the road to a federal cap on greenhouse emissions: a greenhouse emissions registry that would require 13,000 facilities to report their emissions. The facilities - ones that produce 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions or more a year - include oil refineries, cement plants and motor vehicle manufacturers. If all goes well, EPA should have statistics by the year 2010, which could then provide the information needed to establish a federal cap on emissions.

It’s a measure that has been in the air for awhile now - George W. Bush originally drafted something of the sort. But the draft was rejected by the Office of Management and Budget. This new measure was originally written into a 2007 spending bill by Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), reports the Washington Post.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/10/federal-government-on-track-to-cap-greenhouse-emissions/feed/ Fox News Cautions Against Obama Green Jobs Plan http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/01/fox-news-cautions-against-obama-green-jobs-plan/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/01/fox-news-cautions-against-obama-green-jobs-plan/#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:56:46 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/01/fox-news-cautions-against-obama-green-jobs-plan/ Fox News, the champion of conservative politics, is at it again, this time railing President Barack Obama’s plan to create five million green jobs over the next 10 years. The argument is as follows: The European Union and California are at the forefront of creating green jobs, but each continues to see budget and job crises. And the European Union isn’t any closer to meeting its Kyoto target. Looking at these two places, why should we expect that Obama’s green jobs plan should be any more successful, especially in this time of recession?

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/03/01/fox-news-cautions-against-obama-green-jobs-plan/feed/ Stimulus Includes Solar Incentive, But Will it Be Enough for Struggling Solar Companies? http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/22/stimulus-includes-solar-incentive-but-will-it-be-enough-for-struggling-solar-companies/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/22/stimulus-includes-solar-incentive-but-will-it-be-enough-for-struggling-solar-companies/#comments Mon, 23 Feb 2009 04:46:08 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/22/stimulus-includes-solar-incentive-but-will-it-be-enough-for-struggling-solar-companies/ Anyone who was impeded before by the cost of adding solar panels to their homes can now rest a little easier: The economic stimulus plan includes a federal tax credit worth 30 percent of the cost of a new solar system for a house. The cost, of course, is still high, but hey, more people will probably buy into it, won’t they?

But what if there are no more solar companies left? Publicly-traded green technology companies, like those that research and manufacture those costly panels, are being hit hard in the stock market and some are facing bankruptcy; it may take more than homeowner incentive to lift them up again. Because while homeowners may buy the systems now at the new prices, the question is: Will they buy enough to keep the companies afloat?

I took a look at a few of the public solar companies to see which, if any, have survived the recent stock market crash. The news doesn’t look too good.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/22/stimulus-includes-solar-incentive-but-will-it-be-enough-for-struggling-solar-companies/feed/ Renewable Fuels Association Blasts University of Minnesota Study on Corn Ethanol http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/14/renewable-fuels-association-blasts-university-of-minnesota-study-on-corn-ethanol/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/14/renewable-fuels-association-blasts-university-of-minnesota-study-on-corn-ethanol/#comments Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:25:56 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/14/renewable-fuels-association-blasts-university-of-minnesota-study-on-corn-ethanol/ Last week, the University of Minnesota published a study that found corn ethanol to be just as bad for the environment as gasoline. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean we should careen to a stop along the corn ethanol highway and turn completely down the paths of cellulosic ethanol and other forms of alternative fuels, according to the Renewable Fuels Association.

RFA, the national trade association for the ethanol industry, published its own analysis of the U of M report, refuting its findings and claiming that it was based on “baseless” assumptions.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/02/14/renewable-fuels-association-blasts-university-of-minnesota-study-on-corn-ethanol/feed/