Green Options

Global Solar Center just finished a comprehensive, 50-state survey of solar incentives and adoption. Who leads the nation? It is surprising. As they say, it is the states who were “solar laggards” that are now “solar leaders”. But incentives aren’t the only issue.

When Michelle Obama announced plans for a White House kitchen garden, local foodies, gardeners, and health advocates rejoiced: what better way to promote the value of home-grown food than get the first family involved. It turns out that the Obamas aren’t the only executive family growing vegetables on the grounds of the official residence: a number of governors and their spouses have taken up the cause of not just planting vegetables, but also implementing more sustainable landscaping practices at governors’ mansions and even state capitols.

How neat is this? Two kids — brother and sister Dave and Catherine Cook — decided the age-old tradition of school yearbooks was just dumb … and decided to create an alternative that was not only more useful, more entertaining and more interactive for today’s up-and-coming generation, but could also help make the world a better place.

The Pennsylvania-based creators of myYearbook have gone beyond mere social networking to cause-based social networking. Their site’s Causes section encourages teens in the 10-million-member-and-counting network to turn their lunch money into real money for charity.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced yesterday it is working to explore and promote Carbon Sequestration. The process seeks to capture and store carbon dioxide produced from the burning of fossil fuels.

The department is accepting bids for contracts to investigate sites in Pennsylvania as suitable holding cells for the captured CO2. The work would consist primarily of mapping out geologic formations below the earth’s surface to determine the most suitable spots for storing the gases. The bid deadline is Feb. 20.  

Pennsylvania is among the most polluting of US states, ranking third in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated the state produces 1 percent of the world’s total climate change pollutants. The carbon capture and storage plan is an effort to improve the state’s standing and combat climate change.  

The CO2 – a major cause of global warming - would be stored about a half mile underground and come mainly from coal fired and other fossil fueled electrical plants. A risk assessment and cost study are set to begin this spring.

As of January 16, Philadelphia’s metered parking rates went up substantially-in some places, double-and drivers are not surprisingly peeved. Higher parking rates, along with higher fees for violations are intended to decrease downtown congestion and increase Philadelphia Parking Authority revenues.

In theory, the extra money will in turn be used to improve city schools and assuage the city’s financial woes, though many seem skeptical. The PPA has long been viewed publicly as a profligate city agency, corrupted by patronage and wasted resources; in fact, the agency doubled its staff and its revenue over the past five years and only once has their surplus revenue benefited other ailing initiatives. Moreover, while the agency does provide money for the city’s school district, the PPA is a state agency and most of the surplus money will likely head to Harrisburg.

Part 1: Pittsburgh’s Environmental Record–and “The Smoky City’s”
Love of Fireworks

On Saturday, October 4, 2008, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania celebrated its 250th birthday in a climax of a fireworks display, thirty minutes long and launched from 17 different locations around the city, including barges floating on Pittsburgh’s three rivers and off of downtown skyscrapers.

Pittsburgh loves its fireworks.

I’ve noticed that after every Pirates game, whether the outcome is good or bad, there are fireworks.  Steelers games.  Community events.  And now, Pittsburgh’s 250th birthday warrants the biggest blast of them all.  How many folks out there have actually watched fireworks for thirty straight minutes?  Since Pittsburgh’s 250th birthday celebration, I have.  Your neck hurts!

In the official press release about the event from Zambelli Internationale, Pittsburgh set a record of 17 firework launch positions, “the largest in the country.”  The site also describes a formidable array of effort: 40 professional pyrotechnicians and nearly 40,000 fireworks went into Pittsburgh’s big day.

Personally, while I was watching the spectacular displays, after a while I stopped being awed by the visual splendor and noticed my mind wandering to this thought: “what exactly is in those thick black clouds of firework byproduct eclipsing downtown?”

This photo is one of two such billboards I saw driving through central Pennsylvania recently. The other had a similar message but said: “Clean Coal: Now Clean and Green with New Technologies.”  The billboard is sponsored by an organization called Families Organized to Represent the Coal Economy (FORCE). I know I’m curious how FORCE defines “Clean and Green.” Anyone else?

Image credit: Tim Hurst

In a 390-25 vote, the House approved a measure on Tuesday that will increase protection of the Great Lakes region.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said today he would create a $5 billion trust fund to restore and protect the Great Lakes, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The fund would pay for efforts to prevent and control invasive species entering the lakes, clean up polluted sediments and help pay for sewer system repairs throughout the area. The program would also create a Great Lakes coordinator position in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Funding for Obama’s Great Lakes plan would come from reversing some existing tax cuts and incentives for oil companies.

While the greening efforts of U.S. colleges and universities seem to capture the most media attention, elementary schools across the country are no slouches when it comes to eco-action.

Look at what’s happening at some of these schools:

This is a guest post by Claire Fawcett, a former resident of Philadelphia who now works for a non-profit in Oakland, California.

Some envision environmentalists as wealthy, Burkenstock-clad radicals who have no awareness of the “real” issues affecting the average American.  Though this stereotype is inaccurate, it is promoted by environmentally unfriendly politicians to ostracize the green movement. Thus, the majority of the population is left feeling that it doesn’t possess the passion, the time, or the money to participate in preservation.

Luckily for those of us who proclaim ourselves environmentalists, more and more non-profits in Philadelphia are pitching conservation from a different angle to people who may not immediately consider themselves green. The Energy Coordinating Agency, the Partnership CDC, the Enterprise Center, and other community based organizations promote environmental initiatives through proving that conservation isn’t only friendly to the environment but also helps to fight poverty.