This is the forty-seventh issue of my free newsletter. Your feedback is most welcome!
EARTH & US: Earth Day, 2006
Did you know?
- that the Southeast US puts out more polluting emissions than all of Canada? A typical home in the Southeast uses electricity requiring 6 tons of coal to produce, each year. 33 million people in the Southeast live in bad air areas.
- that 60% of US electricity comes from coal, much of which is obtained by destroying mountain tops and devastating Appalachian villages with floods and pollution?
- that the US, with 4.5% of the world's population, is responsible for 20% of CO2?
- that food production decreases with temperature increases (due to pests and plant diseases), despite the fact that CO2 raises yield?
- that asthma increased 63% from 1982-1995, while asthma in children increased 87% in that time?
- that African Americans suffer asthma rates 3 times higher than whites?
- that most trees being logged in the Southeast go for single-use products such as toilet paper, kleenex, paper towels, paper and newsprint?
- that an airplane consumes about 40% more fuel per passenger than a car?
- that the average bite of food consumed in the US travels 1200 miles to your plate?
Many people know these things, yet feel powerless to change their lifestyles; or, they are in denial, which is the first stage of Kubler-Ross' model of grief. Yet there are hopeful signs of progress!
Here are some solutions...
- Several states are adopting Renewable Portfolio Standards. These are guarantees or pledges to derive a certain percentage of electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar; RPSs can stimulate investment. Maine has pledged to derive 30% of its electricity from renewables by 2008.
- Farmers can rent land to utilities for windmill siting and receive as much as $30,000 per year per farmer. This can allow an unprofitable farm to become profitable!
- No-till or less-till farming decreases erosion (and stream sedimentation) by up to 90%, decreases runoff of nutrients and pesticides by 90%, and could store 200 million metric Tons of CO2 per year. It also helps build the soil by encouraging nematodes, earthworms, and other soil organisms.
- Green building: in San Francisco and Seattle, all new city buildings will be LEED certified (Leadership in Environment & Energy Design). Though initial costs are higher, LEED standards save $49-$67 per square foot in energy costs. Worker productivity and health have been proven to increase in green buildings.
- Green roofs, which vastly decrease storm runoff and provide much needed habitat for pollinating insects and birds, have been installed at such businesses as the Gap, Ducks Unlimited, and Ford's huge River Rouge plant. Green roofs insulate, decreasing energy needs. Rooftops can even be used for grazing chickens or growing crops.
- With over half the world's population living in cities, urban agriculture is key. A greenhouse or even a hoop-house with plastic can extend the growing season. Hydroponics can be used on rooftops. Community gardens improve quality of life, bring people together, and produce food which would otherwise have to be trucked in.
- The second highest cost of living for a poor family, after housing, is transportation. Good public transportation helps the poor, the elderly, and youth, and decreases air pollution. Diesel buses can be run on biodiesel or blends, helping clear the air of particulates. Park 'n ride lots on the outskirts of cities with frequent bus service to downtown can help to bring in non-traditional users.
- LED lights use 90% less energy than incandescents. Replacing all “exit” sign illumination with LEDs in the US would eliminate the need for 5 nuclear power plants. Traffic signals are an area for big municipal savings.
- Simply turning off computers at the end of the school day saved $40,000 per year for one school system.
- Changing your incandescents to compact fluorescents saves 75% of the electricity previously required. Changing your five most frequently used lights will save you $60 per year, and prevent 662 pounds of coal from being burned.
- A solar hot water system for a family of four will pay for itself in typically 4 to 5 years, with the incentives available now. The annual savings will be $224 or more, saving 3,200 pounds of coal per year (if it was electrically heated).
- If you replace your old refrigerator with an Energy Star model, it will be 60% more efficient, and save you around $30 per year; you'll save $54 by upgrading your washing machine to an Energy Star. By upgrading both, you'll save 942 pounds of coal per year.
Happy Earth Day! Even if you just change a few bulbs to compact fluorescents and grow a few vegetables in pots on your porch, you are part of the solution!
Feel free to forward this message widely.
Cathy Holt
"My religion is kindness." -Dalai Lama
www.thekindnesscampaign.org
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