I’ve been a fan of taking public transportation for many years (I’ve also lived in places where public transportation is safe and clean), but these days my commuter train is so packed with people it’s hard to find a seat sometimes. A year ago I was often one of five people in a train car which holds fifty. A recent article in Business Week seems to have come across the same phenomenon. Suddenly It’s Cool to Take the Bus takes a look at how people are changing their commuting habits and liking it. It seems like in Boston people are also making the change in the article Gas Prices Pushing Boston Drivers Out Of Cars, Into Public Transportation.
It’s been 38 years since Earth Day was designated. The Reuters article U.S. Earth Day Goes Political and Corporate gives an overview of how public and private enterprise came together to celebrate. The EPA has set up a page on their Website to raise awareness and Greenpeace has launched a website called Stop Green Wash with the goal to expose companies purporting to be environmentally friendly.
I read an interesting local story covered by the New York Times today. A Sunnyvale couple was sued by their neighbor because the redwood trees they had planted some years ago were now covering up some of their neighbor's solar panels. The couple who planted the trees, Carolynn Bissett and Richard Treanor, were convicted of violating a law, based on the complaint of their neighbor, Mark Vargas, and were ordered to make sure that no more than 10 percent of the solar panels are shaded. The 1978 state law protects homeowners’ investment in rooftop solar panels. Trees that impede solar panels’ access to the sun can be deemed a nuisance and their owners fined up to $1,000 a day. The Solar Shade Act was a curiosity until late last year, when a dispute over the eight redwoods(a k a Tree No. 1, Tree No. 2, Tree No. 3, etc.) ended up in Santa Clara County criminal court. Read more about it.
It looks like even the historical Italian automaker Ferrari is jumping on the “green” bandwagon. At the North American Auto Show in Detroit in January Ferrari unveiled its new F430 Biofuel inspired by the Prius to use 15% less gasoline. Most people who drive Ferraris can certainly afford the high gas prices but now they have the benefit of saving gas as well as showing their friends they are environmentally savvy. The article entitled Ferrari’s Cleaner Machine can be read in the April issue of Bloomberg Markets.
No, we're not talking about sasquatch. The New Yorker February 25 article of the same name by Michael Specter highlights carbon emissions, and society's growing sensitivity toward one's 'carbon footprint'. No longer an obscure concept, an excessive carbon footprint may soon become, the author suggests, the corporate equivalent of wearing a scarlet letter. While awareness is still gathering steam, consumers someday may monitor a product's carbon footprint with the same zeal with which they watch trans-fats and carbohydrates today. Included in the piece is a spotlight on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), where members ignore pork bellies and gold -- and instead buy and sell the 'right to pollute'.
Well, the sun is not coming out in Palo Alto today, and rain is on the way. The title of my blog has to do with an article in The New York Times about Silicon Valley becoming a world leader in cheap and ubiquitous solar panels for the masses. The author suggests some of the valley’s best brains are captivated by the challenge of prodcing low cost solar panels and they hope to put the development of solar technologies onto a faster track.
The Environment News Service reports that the Carbon Disclosure Project, a collaboration of 385 institutional investors with assets of $57 trillion ( that's with a t ) under management, has issued a request to the world's largest corporations. Companies are asked to measure and disclose their greenhouse gas emissions, and report on their strategy for dealing with risks and opportunities associated with climate change. The resulting information will be held on the website of the Project, an independent not-for-profit organization based in London. Also available on the website is Bill Clinton's 2007 launch speech, as well as a video message from Rupert Murdoch and a letter from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. As more and more leaders testify, green is the way to go.
Biofuels, such as corn ethanol and soybean diesel, have long been welcomed as the environmental friendly alternatives to gasoline. However, in recent months, more scientists have scrutinized the environmental cost of the production of biofuels and presented contrary findings and controversial viewpoints. The latest two studies, published in the the prestigious journal Science, concluded that "almost all biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of producing these 'green' fuels are taken into account." Read more about the controversy in the story "Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat" in The New York Times.
On this same topic are also two excellent NPR programs: Talk of the Nation's "Environmentalists Debate the Promise of Biofuels" and All Things Considered's "Study: Ethanol Worse for Climate Than Gasoline".
No one escapes cookies, chocolate or any other types of sweets during the holidays. Many of us have gained a pound or two during that time. The January issue of WIRED has an article entitled Nutritional Values where they discuss the fact that most healthy foods such as dairy, fresh produce and meats are arranged along the walls of supermarkets while the aisles are populated with junk foods and other sundry foods high in fat and calories. The article also confirms that buying a piece of fruit can often be many times more expensive than a candy bar.
For those interested in alternative fuel vehicles and the $10 million Automotive X prize the cover article of this issue is The Race to Build the 100-MPG Car.
According to Jeff Lipton, Managing Director of North American CleanTech Investment Banking for Jefferies & Co., clean technologies is experiencing an investment boom as it moves into mainstream business sectors. The overall performance of 'cleantech' IPOs has been positive, with the only the biofuel sector underperforming. Read the complete story -- "Cleaning Up in CleanTech" -- in the Library, Fall 2007 issue of AlwaysON. Also in the issue is the GoingGreen 100 Top Companies list.
In the summer issue of the Valley Life Quarterly, Allison R.G. Van Diggelen takes on myths and misinformation about “going green.” She points out that you don’t have to buy a hybrid to reduce your carbon imprint nor do you have to become a vegetarian to reduce global warming. Understanding the realities of our impact on the world can help each of us make a difference. Erasing my Carbon Footprint by Allison R.G. Van Digglelen is worth reading if you are thinking green.
Find it on the Periodical shelf in the library
The Solar Decathlon took place October 12-20 on the National Mall in Washington. Twenty teams from around the world compete every other year to build houses which only run on solar energy. The idea is to raise awareness for renewable energy, the public is encouraged to come and see the houses. Awards are given in ten different categories including appliances, architecture and market viability.
You can watch the report Building a Better Solar-Powered Home on the event and see the winning team.
Proposals are already being accepted for 2009.
Has the U.S public recovered from the events of the late 70’s and 80’s -- Three Mile Island and Chernobyl -- and the release of The China Syndrome, so that we can now seriously reconsider nuclear power? Global warming is fueling the conversation. Will the benefits outweigh the risk? Even environmentalists are divided on the issue. Read the arguments,pro and con in Briefing: Rethinking Nuclear Power in the October 26th issue of The Week. In print in Jackson Library or online
For years one of the main problems with solar energy has been the cost of producing solar panels. John O’Donnell thinks he’s figured it out and has developed a system which uses a field of mirrors to produce more energy than photovoltaic cells and wind. The article entitled Solar’s Day in the Sun delves deep into the problem of solar energy production and delivery and what needs to happen to make solar energy as profitable as using fossil fuels.
At the same time National Geographic has focused its October issue on Biofuels: Green Dream. Exploring what stress alternative fuels have placed on the environment. Additional discussion about alternative fuels can be heard at npr.org in their program Fuels of the Future: How Far Down the Road?
The most difficult issue of Global Warming is how to evaluate its impact on the planet, however we do know that it will have some sort of impact on people, government, the environment and business. The October issue of the Harvard Business Review has a special section entitled forethought which focuses on Climate Business: Business Climate. In a series of articles the effect of climate change on business is discussed, from stakeholders reaction to a company’s poor environmental performance to how climate change impacts a balance sheet. Current Stanford affiliates can view the main article and additional articles online. Non-Stanford readers can view the TOC online or purchase a copy of the journal from the newsstand.
West Coast Green Conference (San Francisco Civic Center Plaza, September 20-22) will debut the “Lotus House” or mkLotus™ home, a one-bedroom home that is environmentally conscious, designed by the Henry Ford of green homes Michelle Kaufmann and built by XtremeHomes.
“The home of the future is green, intelligent, and entertaining,” said Brent Bilger, CMO of Home Director, who demonstrates the technology such as energy monitoring that is built into the home. The mkLotus home on display also includes a whole home music system that distributes music from multiple sources to speakers around the home and a whole home media server that can distribute pictures and video to multiple TV’s in a home. – Business Wire via Yahoo Finance
See also an analysis of Professional Builder 's 2007 Green Building Survey reveals builders’ opinions about what green is, its marketability and its long-term impact on the industry.
Adam Werbach, founder of the Sierra Club Student coalition and youngest president ever of the Sierra Club, is working as a consultant for ... Wal-Mart. He is attempting to get the big box store to think outside the big box. Others think he has boxed up his own soul and FedExed it to the enemy. Has this Adam been seduced by the serpent? Or is he forging a path toward a new rapprochement between Big Green and Big Biz? The September 2007 issue of Fast Company chronicles Werbach’s journey from Sierra Club Wunderkind to Wal-Mart Wonder.
For many, protecting the environment entails the usual recycling chores and other relatively standard methods of conservation. The routine can sometimes have us feeling the need to make a more meaningful contribution. “If only I could help restore dwindling mangrove forests in Kenya,” one might say, “or monitor butterflies at Mount Fuji in an effort to better understand and preserve their delicate habitat.” Or when next the cans, bottles and (yawn) plastics are toted curbside, you might momentarily imagine radio-tracking rare species of Malaysian bats, boating with Peruvian biologists to collect data on threatened Amazonian populations, or actually measuring the Arctic permafrost and ... sleeping in igloos!
Enter Earthwatch Institute, a U.S.-based international nonprofit environmental organization making eco-expedition dreams like these an “everyman” reality now for 35 years. Operating over 130 expeditions in over 50 countries, Earthwatch is dedicated to providing “exciting opportunities ... to work and explore the critical environmental issues” by joining people with scientists and community to help explore, discover, document and preserve the world’s most amazing environments. Check out their current guide which covers expeditions and provides answers to important trip-related questions. Of course you’ll be slappin’ down a hefty chunk of change and purchasing your own air tickets for the privilege of experiencing this “whole ecosystem” approach to conservation, but member discounts and special student rates are made available.
“See you in the field!"
For years it has not made economic sense to install solar panels, the cost and maintenance was too high compared to energy sold by local utilities. In recent times this has changed and it looks like even more changes are on the way. Photovoltaics, which convert light from the sun into electricity have dropped in cost from $22 in 1980 to between $2-$3 now. The September 3 issue of Forbes magazine in their eGang Solar article entitled Seeking the Light takes a look at where solar energy has been and what progress it has made and what the future might look like.
UrbanLand magazine's July 2007 issue focuses on urban regeneration in the major cities around the globe. A new building boom is shaking up Tokyo, world's largest metropolitan center (2003 population, 35 million), in a way that hasn't been seen since the 1980s, as the city seeks to compete with Singapore, Shanghai and other Asian boomtowns. Berlin is using its new Hauptbahnhof, largest train station in Europe, as a catalyst for other projects in the center of the city. And jolly old London is a sea of cranes amidst an exuberant wave of construction -- perhaps in anticipation of the 2012 Olympics. Other topics in the issue are current water systems being explored by China, an interview with 'green' businessman Paul Hawken, and sustainable cities of the world. Looking for tomorrow's urban planning? This magazine is for you. Read more in the issues in Jackson Library.
Scientists are finding that industrial pollution over China can reach as far as the U.S. West Coast. The U.S. government and NGOs are assisting China to tackle environmental issues. According to Judith Ayres, assistant administrator for international affairs at EPA, China has shown keen interest in learning from U. S. and other countries’ experiences, with the 2008 Olympics providing a strong incentive. However, a U.S. priority will continue to be better enforcement of China’s environmental laws and regulations. EPA’s China counterpart, the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), lacks sufficient regulatory powers. As many essential environmental decisions are made at the provincial or local level, the EPA, with support from the Asian Development Bank, is helping the Chinese agency to establish six regional supervision centers. The centers are expected to improve oversight and serve as platforms for better enforcement at the regional and local levels.
State Department Release
OECD Environmental Performance Review of China (2007)
Looking over the Jackson display shelves, I stumbled today upon an interesting issue of the magazine Urban Land. The June 2007 issue highlights sustainable development in its many guises. A sampling of articles: 'Building Green', a 26-page report on positive energy buildings, "boom" building and sustainable planning; 'Oregon Green', on how Salem, Oregon is raising the bar for sustainable development; 'China's High Tech Parks', on opportunities in Asia for green urbanization; 'The Coming Green Renovation Boom', about the green movement and its implication for trillions of dollars of non-green real estate; 'Q&A with Rick Fedrizzi', as the President / CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council opines where the green building movement stands in 2007; and 'Climate Change and the Built Environment', talking about the growing consensus of Al Gore, Newt Gingrich, Lloyd's of London and others on matters green. The cover aptly shows a bee gathering pollen -- reminding us of our peril if bees and other creatures vanish in our increasingly urbanized world.
I’ve received great feedback on my blogs about global warming, so here I go again. In a poll done by the Bay Area Council over 50% of CEOs in the Bay Area believe that Global Warming would have an adverse effect on the economy and quality of life in the region. Most businesses in the Bay Area support the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32) the goal of which is to reduce gas emissions by 25% by the year 2020. The PEW Center on Climate Change gives a great overview of the California Global Warming Solutions Act.
Coleridge's words seem disturbingly apt today. "The water crisis is now. As major cities battle drought and pollution, they are turning to a handful of Western companies to manage the problem." So says an intriguing article, The Rise of Big Water, in the May 2007 issue of Vanity Fair. Author Charles C. Mann asserts that one out of three persons on earth already lacks reliable access to fresh water. According to the UN, by 2000 governments in 93 nations had begun to privatize drinking water services. Global corporations are busying themselves acquiring water systems everywhere. How shall we meet the challenges of the future? Read about undertakings on a scale hitherto undreamt -- such as China's plan to bring water to half a billion of its people with the largest water project in history, involving three massive 700-mile channels to transport 12,000,000,000,000 gallons a year. Feeling thirsty?
Information on environmental issues such as energy use and carbon emissions for countries around the world is available from Energy Information Administration (EIA)'s Country Environmental Briefs.
For example, China is the second largest emitter of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions after the United States. China's share of world carbon emissions is expected to increase in coming years, reaching 17.8% by 2025. Information under Country Analysis Briefs -- China: Environmental Issues.
Thomas Friedman in the New York Times Sunday Magazine (April 15, 2007) pens a compelling article titled 'The Power of Green', on how the price of oil and amount of freedom tend to move in opposite directions. Soaring oil prices are currently strengthening anti-democratic regimes around the globe. Elected or self-appointed leaders of countries like Iran, Nigeria, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Sudan have just used oil windfalls to ensconce themselves more firmly in power. America's refusal to do anything to curb our oil and gas usage is, according to James Woolsey, former C.I.A. Director, "funding the rope for the hanging of ourselves."
Friedman believes the power of "green" can change the playing field. Less need for oil means less money in the pockets of the mullahs. Friedman believes "green" can mobilize liberals and conservatives, evangelicals and atheists, big business and environmentalists alike behind less oil -- and thus change the landscape from divided 'red' and 'blue' states into a united new Green Nation.
"Think humanity's problems are too big to be tackled by business? Think again." So begins the article 'Go Green. Get Rich" in Business 2.0. The article outlines major problems -- global warming, oil dependency, dirty water, epidemics, among others -- and in each case outlines the Background, the Solution, the Payoff, and The Opportunity. Highlighted are innovators trying to make a difference, such as Peter Pascali, who has developed a plasma torch which filters toxins, or Cubist Pharmaceuticals, which is developing technologies to fight ultraresistant infections, or Kona Blue, whose aquaculture could save declining fish populations. Included in the magazine is a list of books, and Websites -- such as Social Edge and Cleanwatch -- plus 8 technologies for a cleaner future, such as wind power, wave power, solar stations -- even cow power.
The United States does not rank among the most environmentally friendly countries of the world, however the EPA released their yearly list of organizations that purchase electricity generated from clean, renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. This is the first year in which the top spots are taken up by private industry. See a complete list of companies.
Virgin Atlantic has volunteered to have 13 of the planes in its fleet be towed after landing. This will enable the company to save upto 2 tonnes of fule per flight. Simultaneously they will also be reducing carbon emissions. Read more about the logistics from the BBC.
From the Stanford Report, dire news: A new study indicates that unless steps are taken to protect them, all species of wild seafood will disappear within 50 years. Stanford biologists, part of an international team of researchers, conclude in the November 3 issue of Science that the loss of marine biodiversity worldwide is profoundly reducing the ocean's ability to produce seafood, resist diseases, filter pollutants and rebound from stresses such as climate change and over-fishing. Something to think about next time you tuck into your mahi-mahi.
Bruce Nussbaum in BusinessWeek Online showcases Worldchanging: A Users Guide for the 21st Century, from Worldchanging.com. Though he grumbles "Yes, it leans left and it appears to downplay the role of markets as a possible solution (something that is working in Europe and the US). And I don't think it helps to have the first sentence to the intro on business be 'Business doesn't have to be destructive,' " Nussbaum goes on to quote approvingly the following book review from another blog: "Worldchanging is sometimes a bit visionary, but it's not naive. They have a sane optimism about the future that carries through the book, which covers topics as diverse - yet interconnected - as biomimicry, clean energy, water, disaster relief, green design and architecture, transportation, megacities challenges, education, public health, South-South science, social entrepreneurship, microfinance, start-ups, ecological economics, networked politics, transparency, citizen media, climate foresight, etc. It's a fabulous compendium of ideas."
The library has ordered a copy of this book.
Sir Nicholas Stern, former VP of the World Bank and former professor at the London School of Economics, predicts in his report on Economics of Climate Change if action is not taken immediately to stem global warming: floods could displace 100 million people, one out of six people in the world could be affected by water shortages, droughts might be so severe as to cause massive migration, and the extinction of many forms of wildlife could happen. All this could be avoided if 1% of global GDP is spent to curb global warming, and in the end for every £1 invested now £5 or more will be saved in the future. Put out by the UK Treasury, this is the first report written by an economist to enter prominently into the global debate on climate change.
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