On March 1, the city of Oakland, Calif., passed an Energy and Climate Action Plan whose goals make it one of the leading cities for greenhouse gas reduction goals. By 2020, if those goals are met, Oakland's greenhouse gas emissions will be 36 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. By 2050, they will be 85 percent below 2005 levels. It took two years of advocacy by the Oakland Climate Action Coalition to get the city council to take this action. Focused on reducing both pollution and poverty, OCAC has united a slew of organizations and thousands of the city's residents to put together a program to reduce green house gas emissions, increase the capacity of communities to adapt to the effects of climate change and build "a robust sustainable economy with good green job opportunities."
One of the unique projects to emerge from these efforts contains a familiar name among its supporters. Working together with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Baker Center co-founder Van Jones's Rebuild the Dream initiative, Solar Mosaic is helping the city of Oakland, Calif., build a clean energy economy, one solar tile at a time. Maria Galluci at SolveClimate News writes:
(Photo: Ella Baker Center for Human Rights)
By selling 5,000 tiles at $100 each to locals, the city is aiming to piece together entire rooftop solar arrays at seven budget-strapped schools, youth centers and houses of worship. A team of Oaklanders will be trained and hired to install the panels by as early as July.
The city's efforts are part of a pilot program called Solar Mosaic, a web-based marketplace for community solar initiatives that launched on April 15.
Using the "crowdfunding" model, residents can help generate energy savings and scale back greenhouse gas emissions without having to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for a solar installation at home.
They'll also help create jobs for a budding green-collar workforce in a city with the state's highest crime rates and where 17.5 percent of people live below the poverty line, compared to 13 percent nationally.
"There is this huge gap between the population that wants to go solar and the people that actually have," Billy Parish, president of Solar Mosaic, told SolveClimate News.
"We saw an opportunity to connect those dots."
Parish said he and fellow co-founder Daniel Rosen first conceived of the mosaic concept while working to develop renewable energy projects with Native American tribes in the U.S. Southwest and Great Plains regions. …
If Oakland can do it, how can the residents of any city say it's too difficult?
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Green Diary Rescue appears every Saturday afternoon. Inclusion of a particular diary does not necessarily indicate my agreement with it.
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DWG alerted us to an Assault on our national parks by mining operations: "Thanks to outdated laws and a political process corrupted by corporate interests, our nation's most spectacular gifts of nature at risk. The Pew Environmental Group outlines "Ten Treasures at Stake" in a report that examines mining claims surrounding ten iconic parks. … This graph shows the rapid escalation of claims on the edges of the Grand Canyon until the Department of Interior called for a temporary moratorium to consider options to protect the park.
And, on the same subject, credstone explained why she is finished with Petitions and Letter Writing, It's Time to Take a Stand: "I live in the beautiful state of Utah, home to red rock wilderness, sprawling quiet deserts, towering , snow-covered granite mountains and abundant opportunities to enjoy the outdoors; Yet I look out my windows every day at one of the largest environmental catastrophes ever created by man, the Kennecott Rio Tinto copper strip mining operation. Their strip mine has turned mile after mile of a beautiful mountain range in my hometown inside out. I have lived with that mine in my daily view since I was 5 years old. It is so big, it is visible from space. I breathe pieces of that mountain into my asthma stressed lungs every day."
Green Essays & Green Philosophy
Elisa reviewed a book and expressed her frustration about the way eco-information is presented in Review: Raising Elijah: "I watch shows like NBC's The Biggest Loser and devour lots of health and parenting articles, yet except for this one in Newsweek, I have never seen so much as a mention of how toxic synthetic chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) may be contributing to our obesity epidemic. Anything having to do with the environment is often packaged as obscure information in books like Raising Elijah. Which is another problem with environmental books: I question if people other than scientists or those who already care about the environment are reading them. Considering that our children are now exposed to more than 200 industrial chemicals, most of which didn't exist two generations ago and are not even tested prior to their release, it is important that parents receive this information."
In the Eco-Justice series, boatsie looked at The Malia-Sasha Horizon & the Cosmological Commons: "I sure wasn't expecting to hear about how the daughters of the President of the United States might offer a novel solution for incentivising the climate justice movement last month when I attended a talk on "The New Universe and the Human Future: How a Shared Cosmology Could Transform the World." But I have to say I was awed and inspired beyond expectation by the presentation in the planetarium of San Francisco's Academy of Science. The presenters, Nancy Ellen Abrams and Joel R. Primack, who co-authored the book of the same name, shared a concept of cosmology which catapulted my nuanced worldview into a light-bending projection through baryonic matter!"
Optimistic and Pessimistic Temperature Scenarios
veritas curat explored population growth in Collective Suicidal Insanity: "[A] straight measure of population does not capture the true impacts of population. Overpopulation is relative. When consumption is factored into the equation the United States is the most overpopulated nation on the planet. It's not, as many might have it, simply a problem of huddled (non-white) masses in countries far, far away. The problem is us."
Michael Brune delved into Our Responsibility to the Earth: "Alternative energy and energy efficiency are real, viable solutions, which is why Big Oil and its proxies hate them. Do you think they'd be kicking and screaming to stop progress if they didn't see a threat to their bottom line? And they're right to be worried, because most Americans know those solutions make sense. That's one of the things that's exciting about the Tennessee Valley Authority agreement that the EPA negotiated with the help of the Sierra Club."
Shuksan Tahoma writes a "simple joyous ode to being alive" in It is springtime, the sun is shining, the plants are growing, the birds are mating: "Hummingbirds, of at least the rufous species, have an wonderful mating flight pattern wherein they climb vertically to about 40 feet and then plunge into a diving arc, culminating in a joyous little burst of song as they end the dive, before repeating the process again and again."
people power granny explained why we need a A Clean Environment: "We don't like to live in a home that resembles a junk yard. We certainly don't want our earth to be one either."
Green Policy, Green Activism & Politicians
In a discussion of PowerShift's work, long-time activist and author Bill McKibben informed us that the US Chamber, Biggest Front Group for Fossil Fuel Industry, Has No Idea What's About to Hit Them: "The environmental movement is getting smarter by the minute, and this morning in Washington DC it passes a major test. Thousands and thousands of people—many of them youth gathered for Powershift, the giant climate organizing symposium that has sprawled across the city's convention center—are rallying in Lafayette Park. … Mostly, though, the protesters will turn the other direction, and target a building that may project as much power as the Oval Office. It's the headquarters of the US Chamber of Commerce, which boasts that it's the nation's biggest lobby. Indeed it is—it outspent the next five combined. And the biggest political player, outspending the Republican and Democratic National Committees. If Washington is polluted by money, the biggest smokestack comes out the top of the US Chamber."
A Siegel linked us to an important speech at the PowerShift conference in Bill McKibben: "Listen Up! There is no one else ...". In case you missed McKibben's speech at the PowerShift meet last Sunday, it's worth your time now:
He also presented activists with an important question—
Would you risk arrest to disrupt Climate Disruption?: "In the face of climate disruption's current havoc and mounting risks, is writing your Senator enough? Putting a bumper sticker on your car? Buying organic clothing and food? On a larger scale, is the "ethical, moral, and correct path"challenged answered with efforts to develop business approaches to reduce pollution or government policies that will foster energy efficiency?"
mightymouse let us in on another important speech at the conference in "Stuck on Stupid in DC": Van Jones to Power Shift (now with video): "This speech by Van Jones at the Power Shift conference in DC this weekend is worth attention: While they’re stuck on stupid in DC, your generation is rising."
LaughingPlanet was understandably pissed off when the local paper of record ignored PowerShift, as he wrote in DC heats up: Youth steamed about global warming; WaPo yawns: "A scan of WaPo returns zero stories about the demonstration in their town, even on the local news page. Methinks had even 1/4 as many Tea Partiers been out there you would have a large front page story about them. Once again, we see clear evidence of who the Corporate Media cares about, and about whom they give zero shits."
Sagittarius Dolly showed us what the paper missed in Footage of The Powershift Tax Day Rally That The Washington Post Ignored: Link.
Iowa Farm Activist sought to do some debunking in Pretending about Farm Subsidies: Myths at Daily Kos: "For now I want to get you right to the point where I rebut what most progressive Democrats believe about the farm bill (because they don’t know the real history of Democratic farm bill policy, and end up advocating for Republican policies and programs). My point is that most comments about farm subsidies really have no validity to them at all. They’re about all based upon widespread gross misunderstandings "
gmoke took note of a revival in Clamshell Alliance Call to Action: " Nearly 35 years ago, the Clamshell Alliance organized to oppose the Seabrook NH nuclear power plant. In the wake of Fukushima, these old(er) campaigners are ready to start campaigning again."
ALifeLessFrightening wrote another installment in the Living Simply series: "Speaking of vacation, our little trip is a frugal and simple adventure (hmmm...I smell a real diary brewing). It's National Park Week, so we're packing up and heading out camping. No electricity, no water hook-up—just a $20 per night primitive tent site. During our trip we'll be taking advantage of the fact that there is no admission fee to any of the national parks this week and heading out to the mountains of western Virginia and Shenandoah National Park."
Agriculture, Gardening & Food
PSWaterspirit told us how to Work Smarter Not Harder: Gardening and Composting for a Busy Life: "The beauty of these techniques is they do in fact save a lot of time and labor making it easier and leaving me time to do other things including enjoying life. It has also made my garden very productive and my food bill much smaller. Here in the northwest, where it doesn't get terribly cold, I produce about 80% of my vegetables year round in the sunny south facing side yard of my city lot."
In the latest installment of Macca's Meatless Monday, beach babe in fl praised Mother Earth Day: "Fast forward forty-one years to today and the challenges have increased. We are now dealing with a limited time frame to solve the most crucial environmental challenge in our planet's history, that of Climate Change. I am feeling a bit optimistic because the power is shifting to our next generation and the enthusiasm is evident."
Patric Juillet wrote another Tales from the Larder: Charcuterie: "According to my trusty Larousse encyclopedia, the etymology of charcuterie is from "chair cuit", which roughly translated, becomes "cooked flesh". Since refrigeration and freezing is relatively modern, the need to preserve meat to be stored for later use was invented, like all good things, out of necessity. Whilst fish was salted and marinated, meat was cured, smoked, dried, brined, hung in darkness and subjected to many shapes and form, from the majestic salami to the humble sausage; the rustic pâté cooked with lard to the exquisitely delightful andouille; the wondrous rillettes to the delicately perfumed Jambon de Bayonne. And much, much more. If I had the time (and the inclination) I would write a whole book about cold cuts and their origins: this is the abbreviated version, the Shakespeare of Saussisson, as it were, in three small acts."
NourishingthePlanet explained why Agriculture is the Unlikely Earth Day Hero: "Agriculture is a source of food and income for the world’s poor and a primary engine for economic growth. It also offers untapped potential for mitigating climate change and protecting biodiversity, and for lifting millions of people out of poverty. This Earth Day, Nourishing the Planet offers 15 solutions to guide farmers, scientists, politicians, agribusinesses and aid agencies as they commit to promoting a healthier environment and a more food-secure future."
Frankenoid wrote another installment of Saturday Morning Garden Blogging Vol. 7.9.
Animals
Up early again for the Dawn Chorus, lineatus went Down to the Mines: "For nearly twenty years now, my friend and I have been making an annual pilgrimage to a back road southeast of the Bay Area. We've watched changes take place over the years, with development nibbling away at the edges and the aftermaths of the fires that blaze through occasionally. We've seen drought years and wet years, early springs and late springs. Through it all, the place has a certain timeless quality and an 'old California' feel that keeps bringing us back. That, and all the great birds."
Great Horned Owl on the nest with two young.
ban nock said The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is the best of any: "It's hard to pin down the origin of the North American Model to any particular time or person. I'd think it was sometime in the early 1930s when Universities began to have departments of Game Management and Aldo Leopold wrote his seminal book of the same name (later changed to Wildlife Management). That was the time when the concepts and most especially the funding via the huge amount of revenue generated via the Pittman Robertson act coalesced into the ideas now broadly defined as the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation."
brasch took note of the end of long-standing practice in Scratches on the Blackboard of Animal Cruelty: "Release the pigeons and watch juveniles disguised in the bodies of adults shoot these non-threatening birds. Most of the birds will be shot five to ten feet from the traps; many, dazed and confused, are shot while standing on the ground or on the tops of cages. Each shooter will have the opportunity to shoot at 25 birds, five birds each in five separate rounds."
Climate Change
The Bohemian Dilettante took on cross-borderClimate Initiative Cooperation...Or Rather, Lack Thereof: "The “Solid South’s representatives can always be depended on in matters such as this! It really is just like trying to shove an elephant. On the map are- 'The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord (Midwestern Accord), and the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). Five Canadian provinces are also active participants and five Mexican states.' Our collective and collaborative objective should be to maneuver ourselves to subsist in manners that protect the Earth in all its grandeur and beauty and all its flora and fauna."
Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse explained a serious but little-known problem in Nukes Shut Down With Heat Wave: "Inland nuclear plants use water from rivers or lakes to cool the reactors, and then return the water to the source. However, if the water is returned to the river at these hotter temperatures, it would harm the ecosystem and fish. Thus, the government requires permits to regulate these discharges. Two climate change impacts can increase the frequency of the unreliability of these plants by increasing the temperature of receiving waters: Water shortages that lower the level of rivers or lakes, and; even when there are not low water levels, heat waves."
DWG looked at how international financing contributes to biggest problem of our era in Melting Patagonian glaciers signal rapid climate change: "Thanks in no small part to the village idiots at the World Bank, Chile adopted privatization as the key principle governing water access and availability. Like every instance of regulating scarce natural resources via the "free market,"this experiment has been a failure for the society while benefiting agribusiness and mining industries. The businesses that control much of the areas water resources are further degrading those resources by poor land management, excess consumption, and pollution. Add climate change to the mix, rapidly shrinking the freshwater storage in glaciers, treating water as a commodity will mean increasing cost and decreasing availability for many in the population. It remains to be seen whether the new fetish of dams will improve or exacerbate water problems."
And also looked at the Terrible climate messaging from a Google communications specialist: "So it seems to fair to say Google is rolling the stone of Sisyphus. Unfortunately, one of its new Science Communication Fellows has decided to shoot Sisyphus in the foot. His name is Matthew Nisbet, a communications professor at American University. Nisbet just published a report entitled, "Climate Shift: Clear Vision for the Next Decade of Public Debate."The report makes two demonstrably false claims: (a) environmental groups outspent fossil fuels corporations in the debate over climate change, and (b) the media has been "fair and balanced"in covering climate change. You can probably add a third to that list as it also implies that Al Gore is responsible for the partisan divide over climate change."
beach babe in fl suggested we Get the middle man out of the way, for now: "Looks like we don't have any window of time available to take the long road to transition to a cleaner, greener outcome. We have to take action now. When I say we I do mean you and me, all of us together. We can't wait for some entity, government or otherwise to legislate that we live a low carbon life. We have to do it now. I propose that for now we stop spinning our wheels and we eliminate the idea that the government will solve the Climate Change problem in a comprehensive way in the near term."
RLMiller is convinced that The Supreme Court won't fix the climate.: "Today, the Supreme Court held oral arguments in the only environmental case this term, American Electric Power Co. vs. Connecticut. Suffice to say that the Justices sounded downright skeptical of the judicial system's ability to affect climate change. The Obama administration sided with the Midwest polluter defendants, not the (mostly) Northeastern state plaintiffs. Court-watchers expect the decision, to be handed down in June, to bar private nuisance claims."
FishOutofWater had the awful details of eSci: Fires, Tornadoes & Drought, Climate Collapse Slams the Southern States: "Somehow the homeowners survived by hiding in the safest spot in the house, but the barn was destroyed and the horses were picked up by the tornado and scattered. The owners of the farm could hear the horses crying but they couldn't find them as afternoon turned to night. The official reports on severe weather and climate change never mention the suffering of the animals. They don't tell about the horses with broken legs wailing in pain in the night after an unprecedented tornado outbreak. They say: 'A FATALITY OCCURRED ALONG POPLAR SPRING CHURCH ROAD IN A MOBILE HOME.' It could have been someone I canvassed when I campaigned for President Obama. I don't know."
Transportation
In the latest installment of Sunday Train, Sunday Train BruceMcF explined how HSR, Express and Locals Can Be Done Right: "One final point here. Many HSR corridors around the world have had their first services brought into operation before the entire first stage corridor is in operation. This allows the system to start building patronage before the full corridor is completed, which can substantially boost the operating revenues in the early years once the full corridor is completed. It also means getting earlier benefit for the capital investment, which can only improve the benefit/cost of the project."
vets74 raised some eyebrows and hopes in $50 Imports One Year's Fuel for an Electric Car: "Today, the economics of importing UO2 fuel are down to less than $50-a-year to drive a car 12,000 miles. Compare this $50 to 600 gallons of gas. At $2/gallon to import (= $85/barrel) and 20 mpg that is $1,200-a-year-at-import. Make it $2,400-a-year at the retail pump for your passenger car."
Energy
ericlewis0 had good news from the Atlantic Coast about a long-delayed project in 1st U.S. Offshore Wind Farm Fully GREEN-Lighted: "I'm not sure how this slipped under the radar, but on Tuesday, the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound cleared its final hurdle — the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) approved a Construction and Operations Plan (COP) submitted by Cape Wind Associates back in October of 2010. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar traveled to Boston to make the announcement."
Mary Anne Hitt had good news from the Midwest in Chicagoans Push for Clean Energy: "Today residents of Chicago watched as the city council delayed a vote on their health. In a committee hearing on the proposed Clean Power Ordinance, the city aldermen delayed a vote on the measure that calls for the two coal-fired power plants within city limits (the Fisk and Crawford plants owned by Midwest Generation) to reduce their pollution by 90%."
Detroit Mark had good news from all around in 'Green Energy' Coming to the Big Box: "Grape Solar and Costco have teamed up to make buying a solar kit to install on your home, making "going green"as chic as flashing the fastest, gadget laden automobile up and down your block. There's the $18k 5060 Watter that would power a county fair. The nine thousand dollar economy kit that's more likely what a little bungalow like mine would need. Or the 880 Watt expandable kit that's really more of a tricked-out Muscle Generator."
DWG had some good news in Good news: Solar photovoltaic systems boost home values in California: "In one of the first comprehensive studies, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DoE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that PV systems substantially add to home sale prices in California. The study ("An Analysis of the Effects of Residential Photovoltaic Energy Systems on Home Sales Prices in California" pdf) examined home sale prices from 2000 through mid-2009 and found that consumers recovered approximately the full cost of installation."
Athenian wrote about what might be good news in Averting catastrophe: the ways and means coming together: "Joule Unlimited promises to produce diesel and ethanol directly from sunlight and (extremely) surplus CO2 at $30 a barrel. Artificial leaves, algae, cellulosic biofuels and the like have promise but if JU can even half meet their expectations, then we're getting somewhere."
jamess explained When Too Much Wind Power is NOT a Good Thing?: "Perhaps there really IS — too much of a good thing — when it comes to Free, Renewable Energy — especially when Investing in the necessary Infrastructure Improvements — is cast as 'Wasteful Spending,' by far too many short-sighted people, who can't see beyond their own Bank Accounts ...
"
LaFeminista bemoaned that in Baffin Bay: Drilling for oil begins in June: "Drilling in one of the last pristine areas of the world to start soon …Accidents will happen, imagine if an event similar to last years gulf spill occurred north of the Arctic circle? Just say to be awkward it occurred in October, then pretty much nothing could be done until the following July.....8 months..... and then would there be time to drill a relief well before the next ice season? "
Ellinorianne was burned up about ExxonMobil - Billions in Subsidies, Profits and Not one Dime in Taxes Paid: "You know what, it gets to me that we bear the burden of external costs regarding the dirty fossil fuels that companies like Exxon-Mobil profit from so gratuitously. It's not a small amount of profit and it's at the cost of not just taxpayer subsidies, but at the cost of our health and the environment. Today The House Committee on Natural Resources released something quite brilliant to prove the point that many of us here are painfully aware of, the middle class is bearing the brunt of the tax burden and the costs are not just in dollars, but with our very health and welfare."
A Siegel evaluated good and bad choices in On an anniversary ...: "When it comes to marking anniversaries, champagne for two is sometimes the appropriate path but there are many anniversaries that are more appropriately marked by serious (and loud) crowds. Today is such an anniversary, where we should be working together to remind people of what occurred and what is still occurring on what merits note as a dark day in humanity's fossil-foolish addictions."
Consumer Watchdog asked Is There a 'Gashole' in Your Tank: "We find out why there's no supply and demand in any real sense driving the price of gas today. Oil prices are spiked upward by speculation in futures markets, not by physical shortage on the market. Gasoline is driven upward not just by oil prices, but by refining companies' restrictions on their output, and overall supplies. Then the price of gasoline pushes up oil prices some more. We're all at the mercy of greed, not supply and demand."
bobswern was not happy with the administration's energy approach, as he explained in Reuters: Obama Blames Speculators For Gas Price Spikes. His Solution: Increase U.S. Production.: "Here's my solution to spiking gas prices: Show Tim Geithner the door, and let the CFTC properly regulate the commodities markets."
nb41 warned about probable deaths in Nukes - "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime": "Of course, it is not very often that questions such as the punishment for misbehavior or "accidents"- who gets it and what form should it take - about nukes are posed. And a lot of effort has gone into making things that way (keeping the public "fat, happy and quiet"), and it is not until a "wake up event"happens that such uncomfortable thinking is ever allowed in public discussion."
Dartagnan announced the "Massive"Fracking Blowout spill in PA.: "As of 1:50 pm., the spill was still out of control, spilling "thousands and thousands"of likely contaminated water over fields and into at least one stream, per the reports, prompting the evacuation of seven families, thus far."
Eclectablog just shook his head over how a Fracking millionaire had claimed "No such thing as clean coal"2 weeks before his natural gas disaster: "Last week, I wrote about a millionaire natural gas tycoon named Aubrey McClendon and his ties to Michigan. I also wrote about the man-made disaster his company Chesapeake Oil has created in Pennsylvania when one of their natural gas wells blew up and spewed thousands of gallons of chemical soup into the surrounding land an into a creek that leads into the Susquehanna River and out into Chesapeake Bay. Funny thing is, less than two weeks before his fracking oil well blew up, McClendon was interviewed and said there has been no 'lasting environmental damage' from fracking and "there is no such thing as clean coal'."
LaFeminista had no sympathy for Fracking The Planet: "We will do anything to keep the myth alive that fossil fuels are the future, the current fossil fuel multinationals are dinosaurs and it is to be hoped that we all do not go the same way as these terrible lizards."
intrados contrasted the effects of a renewable source of energy and fracking for natural gas in Solar vs. Shale: "The latest in the information graphic series by the Land Art Generator Initiative is a study of how much surface area would be required to replace all of the BTUs of energy that can possibly be extracted from the Marcellus shale formation in the United States. The drilling activity has been very controversial due to the large amount of water consumed and the detrimental effects on the environment, most notably water aquifers and watersheds, created from the horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) methods that are required to make Marcellus shale gas extraction a viable prospect."
click for larger image
I pointed to a Leaked Congressional Report: Even 'Fracking' Companies Can't Identify All the Chemicals They Use: "[A]n EPA report on how fracking may be tainting drinking water "has been made more difficult by companies’ unwillingness to publicly disclose which chemicals and in what concentrations they are used. While the industry plans to start a public database of the chemicals, disclosure is voluntary and does not include the identity of those considered. Given the nature of voluntary reporting, there is no way to tell whether companies already skirting regulations will accurately report information about what chemicals they are using and in what amounts."
Mary Anne Hitt wondered why the U.S. Gives South Africa Coal for Earth Day: "As Earth Day approaches we write to express our shock and disappointment at the Export Import Bank's (Ex-Im Bank) continued support for one of the most destructive and polluting sources of energy on earth - coal. The agency's continued support for whatever colossal coal fired power projects happen to come its way demonstrates that it is incapable of utilizing its resources in a way that moves the world towards a 21st century economy, creates new clean energy jobs, or benefits the planet.
The BP Gulf Gusher
DWG took note of business as usual in At 9:49 PM a year ago: "The Oil Spill Commission was a complete waste of time and money. There were no lessons learned beyond how to avoid accountability. As of last week, ten new deep water permits had been issued for the Gulf of Mexico."
ravagerofworlds2 was furious because US Taxpayers are subsidizing BP Oil Spill Cleanup: "[Y]ou and me will be subsidizing the cleanup cost, and the fund to help gulf coast residents, by a whopping 35 percent. You know how? Because of how our corporate laws were written, which enables a corporation to write off 35% of losses for their tax bill."
Leftwing Noise Machine went Cato on us in Delenda Est British Petro!: "The counternarrative fell right into the Democrats’ lap. Obama should have set sail on the Gulf in the Presidential Dingy with a bullhorn roaring 'This is what happens when you deregulate industry, like the GOP wants. Deregulation is the problem; Government is the solution.'"
SemDem excoriated his governor in $30M Buys Off Rick Scott: FL ONLY Gulf State to Pull Out of BP Lawsuit!: "Today, April 20th, 2011, is the deadline to join a federal lawsuit. The Republican governors of Alabama, Mississipi, and Louisiana not only joined the lawsuit but some even ran public service announcements actively encouraging their citizens to join the lawsuit. Florida prepped as well...under Charlie Crist. A 'dream team' of Florida's best attorneys were assembled along with an oil spill recovery taskforce. Then came the Florida-pocalypse with our criminal, idiot, teabag governor. He summarily dismissed the attorneys, dissolved the taskforce, and just announced that we have no need for a lawsuit. He said he trusts BP."
jimstaro had some good news in Agreement to Fund Gulf Coast Restoration Projects: "NRDA Trustees Announce $1 Billion Agreement to Fund Early Gulf Coast Restoration Projects."
Stuart H Smith pointed out that it's not over yet in A Year Into the Nightmare: Three of the Most Urgent Issues Facing the Gulf Coast: "1. Seafood Safety; 2. Dolphin Deaths; 3. Human Health Effects."
BP Is Messing With the Wrong Woman wrote David Swanson: "BP may have chosen the right country to hit with the worst oil disaster in world history. If there's any population that will take seeing its land and water destroyed for corporate profit lying down, it's got to be us. We're split between gratitude and indifference: should we thank BP or just stay out of its way? "
I wrote couple of diaries on BP, too, A year after the Gulf of Mexico gusher, business as usual makes headway: "Like the wealthy seeking tax cuts, no matter how much you do for the oil companies, no matter how much you cooperate with their demands, it's never enough. The doctrine of divine right of kings has nothing on these guys. If only you'd make all those regulations voluntary and stop actually reading those permit applications, everything would be hunky-dory. Just ask Rep. Darrell Issa, who claims that the Obama administration has assaulted communities in the Gulf with its drilling policies." And The toll of the BP gusher: "Jason Anderson, 35
Aaron Dale Burkeen, 37
Donald Clark, 49
Stephen Curtis, 39
Roy Wyatt Kemp, 27
Karl Kleppinger, 38
Gordon Jones, 28
Blair Manuel, 56
Dewey Revette, 48
Shane Roshto, 22
Adam Weise, 24."
The Natural World & The Great Outdoors
musing85 explored Zion National Park: "Zion National Park was the first national park located in Utah. Located adjacent to the town of Springdale, Utah, the park contains 229 square miles (590 square kilometers) of protected land. The main feature of the park is Zion Canyon, a 15-mile canyon that is up to half a mile deep in spots, cut by the North Fork of the Virgin River."
craigkg told us the Things to Know Before You Come to Everglades National Park: "Authorized in 1934 and formally established in 1947, Everglades National Park is the first national park created for the protection of wildlife rather than protection of scenic landscapes or historic cultural sites. Of the parks in the lower 48, only Death Valley and Yellowstone are larger, but the area protected by the park represents perhaps one quarter of the original wetlands expanse that became known as the Everglades. "
Alligator in Shark Valley |
And in the Park Avenue series, gave as a Friday Photo Diary & Open Thread
:
There were several entries in The Daily Bucket series:
enhydra lutris wrote the Spider Hatch Edition: "(The Daily Bucket is a place to catch your casual observations of the natural world and turn them into a valuable resource. Whether it's the first flowers of spring or that odd bug in your basement, don't be afraid to toss your thoughts into the bucket.) Yesterday, we had several hatches of garden spiders here in Castro Valley, CA."
bwren wrote the early bird edition: "Seattle. 4:30am. Still dark. Robins begin to call. A little later they're joined by the chickadees. A starling tries out all manner of voices and the crows respond."
And the mimic edition: "I've been paying close attention to the local starlings recently. They're fine mimics, especially the one who joins the pre-dawn chorus outside our bedroom window. This morning he started out with a couple of rounds of Killdeer, 'kideeee, kideeeee, kideeee..', then moved on to the liquid 'glugalee' of a Red-winged Blackbird."
And the Restoration Spring Edition: "The first Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra formosa) bloomed last week. When my daughter was little she called these "cinnamon hearts"for their fragrance. They grace the floor of the wetland only briefly, then melt quietly back into the duff until the next spring."
And the bwren - first egg edition: "First eggshell of the year in the forest, from a Steller's Jay. It was still sticky with albumen."
Exterior of egg fragment.
CitizenScientist wrote the Brief Respite from the Rain Edition: "So we got swamped with 3.5-inches of rain here in southeastern PA yesterday and, miraculously, the sun is out today, with some pretty stiff breezes."
Mark Sumner wrote the True Confessions Edition: "That folks is a bamboo shoot, and I don't mean a nice native bamboo like river cane. I mean giant, Asian, timber bamboo. And I did it with knowledge (well, ignorance) aforethought. Seven years ago, I grew three different kinds of bamboo from seed, and gave out the little seedlings as gifts. This was not too long after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and I thought having a few mini-versions of those tree-sized bamboos from the film would be fun. So I grew some Japanese Timber Bamboo Phyllostachys bambusoides, Black Bamboo Phyllostachys nigra, and Giant Vivax Phyllostachys vivax. They were all teeny that first year, and at the end of the summer, when the pitiful little things were drooping in their indoor prison I... I... I planted them in my backyard."
17 April 2011
And about Cyclone Season: "About the only ones happy with the current weather seem to be the frogs, who are still croaking like crazy, and the little white-spotted Western Slimy Salamanders. These guys seem particularly plentiful this year (they moved in early to the new greenhouse and are always looking up at me in amphibian shock every time I move a pot). I also suspect they're responsible for the salamander eggs I found in the creek below the house, though there are several other candidates."
Oceans, Wetlands & Water
claude discussed local water allocations in drought times in SMHRBv5.38: Rationing the Acequia: "To nobody's surprise, after just a couple of weeks, we have begun the water shortage protocol ('the rotation') because there is not enough flow in the Pecos to adequately fill both our acequia ('Teco') and the one that serves the east side of the River ('Hormigoso') at the same time. How this manifests is we get the water for four days and they then get it for ten days, as there are more extensive fields on the east side of the river. Adjudication of this protocol is administered by old Sevriano, the Watermaster for the whole valley, and he is accepted as 'neutral' in the ongoing tension between the two sides of the River."
BOHICA let us know about a demonstration in Portland, Ore., in PDX URGENT!!! SAVE OUR DRINKING WATER RALLY: "It's perfect, as only nature could have designed. For more than 100 years the storied Bull Run watershed has provided Portland with cold, clear, pure drinking water through a marvel of natural and original engineering. Old-growth forests catch and filter 130 inches of rainwater annually in the Bull Run and then deliver that water by gravity to nearly 900,000 residents in the metro area. We couldn't design it any better. But federal regulators and engineers at the Portland Water Bureau think they're smarter than Mother Nature and our brilliant forbears. Portland is about to spend a half-billion dollars and sharply raise water rates to build structures in the Bull Run system that have no ostensible purpose other than to comply with a federal drinking water standard that Portland already meets."
In You thought the BP Oil Spill was bad?, beach babe in fl explained about an ongoing problem: [T]here is something that is affecting the Oceans that is even more serious and affects the future of life on Earth as we know it and that is Ocean Acidification."
LokiMom introduced her A New Blog on Water Issues: "The purpose of this blog is to have a place where people can come to read about issues related to oceans, rivers, seas, and lakes. … 'Mar' is Italian for 'sea'.
'a' is Italian for 'to'
'Bahari' is Swahili for 'sea.' So, there you have it. The Mar-A-Bahari Water Blog will cover global water issues from Sea to Sea."
Another water problem was on DWG's mind in The forecast for Earth Day 2050: Thirsty: "A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looked at the connection between climate change, population growth, and water shortages in urban areas by 2050 (Urban growth, climate change, and freshwater availability). … Drought secondary to climate change is forecast to impact the human population in two ways. First, drought in rural areas will likely drastically reduce food production and limit our ability to feed 9 billion mouths by 2050. Second, with more humans concentrated in urban areas, drought will impact our ability to provide minimum water requirements by 2050. This is the issue that Robert McDonald and colleagues examined in the PNAS report.
Round-ups, Wrap-ups, Live Blogs & Summaries
Gulf Watchers #504 by Lorinda Pike: Chronic Re-oiling and Residue Balls - BP Catastrophe.
Gulf Watchers #505 by shanesnana: A Year Later, More Questions than Answers - BP Catastrophe.
Gulf Watchers #506 by peraspera: Deepwater Horizon anniversary - 30k FOIA docs - BP Catastrophe.
Gulf Watchers #507 by Lorinda Pike: Ready, Set... Sue! - BP Catastrophe.
BlackSheep1: Gulf Watchers Block Party: Burning Edition.
possum: Science Tidbits: "Despite controls and inspections a recent study found widespread contamination of US meat and poultry."
AmericanProgressAction: CAP Action Newsletter: Protect the Earth, Don't Let Climate Zombies in Congress Destroy It: "Happy Earth Day everybody—and a not-so-happy one-year anniversary of the BP oil spill. To commemorate these events our partner, CAP, has rolled out a series of stories providing updates on the state of our Earth. Also in this issue, reports on growing student debt and the GOP’s renewed fight against marriage equality. Read on to learn more and then pass the info on to your friends through our ready-to-post tweets and Facebook posts."
State & Local Governments
Eclectablog discussed The connection between Michigan's EFM power grab, Rep. Fred Upton and Big Oil/Gas: "Based on some tips from folks who have contacted me about my blogging the Big Government TakeoverTM of Benton Harbor by Rick Snyder's Emergency Financial Manager Joseph Harris, I've been doing some digging into the development known as Harbor Shores. I have found an amazingly tangled web that involves a number of very powerful, very wealthy men."
In Rep. Upton pitches softball questions to big donor at House hearing, Heather TaylorMiesle NRDC Action Fund found some connections, too: "It's never surprising to see members of Congress toss softball questions to witnesses they've summoned to Washington to make political points. But even some jaded eyebrows in Washington were raised last week when Rep. Fred Upton tossed a bunch of softball questions to the chairman of a DTE Energy, a company that is one of his largest political donors. It gets worse: In the month before the hearing, Upton received $12,000 from DTE Energy's staff and PAC. Contributors included DTE Energy's Chairman/CEO, President, Executive Vice President, Senior Vice President and Attorney. In fact, DTE donated more than $19,000 to Rep. Upton during 2009-2010 and was his 5th largest contributor."
And she followed up with Special interest contributions to Rep. Upton dwarf those from his constituents: "Since assuming the chairmanship of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Upton's actions — such as promoting policies that hurt Michigan families or pandering to a big donor at a House hearing on air pollution — illustrate that he is prioritizing special interests' profits over the well-being of his own constituents. In looking over the contributions he has received so far this year, I couldn't help wondering whether the overwhelming contributions from special interests were affecting his judgment: Of the $350,000 he's received so far this year, roughly 80% came from PACs (only two of which are from Michigan).
In fact, less than 10% of his contributions come directly from his constituents."
Et Cetera
JohnKWilson took on the $40-million-a-year man in Limbaugh's Lies about Earth Day: "Rush Limbaugh loves to smear environmentalists at every turn. I devote a chapter in my book, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Rush Limbaugh's Assault on Reason, to Limbaugh's lies about the environmental movement. But today, on Earth Day, Limbaugh took his deceit to a new extreme by claiming that Earth Day was founded by a murderer."
MrMichaelMT had some ideas on how Teach the Children Well--an Earth Day Lesson: "But we can't stop trying. I'd like to suggest a small effort today--after you clean the beach or recycle the strewn plastic bottles on your street. This year (and for the past 38) the National Science Teacher's Association and Children's Book Council have selected some really outstanding books for young people. Most have environmental themes. Over the fold, I'm going to list a few that especially hit my heart."
theChild reminded us of SL-1 - The Original Nuclear Disaster, in Idaho: "the SL-1 was intended to prototype a generator facility sufficient to electricitrify an army garrison. instead, over the new-years holiday restart 1961, it catastrophically exploded and instantly killed two of the three onsite personal … the third to die later (perhaps more from his injuries and not necessarily radiation overdose, but small difference)."
citisven liked the fact that USPS Has Released a Go Green Stamp (An Ode to the Letter): "While the word 'green' has become a bit of a cliché in recent years and suffered a lot of abuse at the hands of clever marketing slogans cashing in on our collective desire to be more environmentally conscious, these messages are really spot on. The first thing I always look at when someone is going 'green' is whether they're trying to sell me stuff. Sure, there are things we need, and the lower the environmental footprint the better, but too often the stuff that comes with the big eco sticker attached isn't really needed in the first place. In this case, out of 16 tips, the only thing it's telling me to buy is local produce. Not bad."
jimstaro discussed Earth Day 2011: "The Climate Change deniers are just using this to once again lock the brakes on human societies ability to continue advancing, but now, unlike some thirty plus years ago, it's the obvious one big part of the need for us to continue what had been started back then and the only false argument they can use. There was another recent report a few days ago that you should view if you missed it, it aired on PBS NOVA: Power Surge. In this it points to one simple act by a succeeding U.S. President in removing solar panels from the roof of the White House installed by the previous President. That act signaled the end of what had been a growing movement, much as the dissolving of the air traffic controllers union of another important issue, towards cleaner energy thus a cleaner planet for many who were as visionary as that preceding President."
As did A Siegel in A day like any other ...: "Today is Earth Day. The 41st Earth Day. And, I'm feeling old, thinking back to that first Earth Day back in 1970. Composted then. Ditto today. Turned lights off when not required back then. Ditto today. Contacted politicians advocating the benefits of a clean energy future in 1970. Ditto today.Those dittos aren't isolated to one day per year, less than 0.3% of the past 40 years, but are actually evolving life habits. While far (FAR) from a sustainable role model, living at a sustainable level, the past 40 years have been a voyage of embedding smarter habits into life, seeking to be better today than yesterday. And, I will strive to be better today than yesterday ... which makes Earth Day a day like any other."
Fukushima Nukes
boatsie: Fukushima: Restoration Roadmap Released Rov #50.
boatsie: Fukushima ROV #51: TEPCO Releasing More Info & Radiation.
boatsie: Fearless Robots Rove Through Radioative Fukushima: Rov 52.
gmoke: Citizens' Radiation Monitoring Networks: "RDTN.org: Radiation Detection Hardware Network in Japan: RDTN.org is a website whose purpose is to provide an aggregate feed of nuclear radiation data from governmental, non-governmental and citizen-scientist sources. That data will be made available to everyone, including scientists and nuclear experts who can provide context for lay people. In the weeks following launch, it has become evident that there is a need for additional radiation reporting from the ground in Japan. This Kickstarter project will help us purchase up to 600 Geiger Counter devices that will be deployed to Japan. (The project minimum will fund 100 devices)."
vets74: Fukushima controlled. October crisis end planned: "'You aren’t generating any new fission products and it’s going to get easier and easier to bring the reactors under control,' said David Fletcher, an adjunct professor of chemical and bio-molecular engineering at the University of Sydney. 'It’s quite possible to do it in that sort of time. Seems like some better news than what we’ve been hearing for a while.' Once temperatures fall below boiling, the crisis is over. Clean up is another matter, of course, but there was no major release of aerial radiation. Best engineers in the world. Nobody dying of radiation. Good results considering FNPP got hit with a huge tsunami. . MTBF or come on down for the inevitable, entertaining screeches by Big Coal and Big Oil shills"
kbman: Fukushima Status Update - TEPCO's plan: "A number of things have happened recently. he severity of the accident was raised to a 7 on the INES scale, the same level as Chernobyl. This was based on the levels of radioactive iodine released over the past month and ongoing releases to the environment. To date estimates of the total release of radioactive materials at Fukushima are 10% of those at Chernobyl. That amount will continue to increase for the next several months as efforts continue to contain leaks and cool the reactors and fuel pools. Provided that there are no major setbacks the ongoing rate of release should remain far lower than those of mid to late March, and should continue to decrease over time."
LeftOfYou: More Risk at Fukushima: The Human Factor: "Control of the damaged and leaking nuclear reactors at Fukushima lies in the hands of workers who are dangerously overworked, underfed, overstressed and increasingly unhealthy. At the beginning of the 21st Century, a Japanese corporation is treating nuclear power plant workers like Triangle shirtwaist girls at the beginning of the 20th, with similar dooms at risk. According to Japan Times, TEPCO's mistreated employees, who carry responsibility for preventing further fuel meltdowns and explosions while searching desperately for a solution to the ongoing release of radioactivity into the environment, live and work without adequate provision for rest, nutrition, privacy, health, family, stress and other basic human needs."
The Anomaly: The Next Fukushima: It Could Happen Here: "The level 7 nuclear crisis which hit Japan has reverberated across the globe.
More than one-third of Germany's nuclear plants have been shut down. Residents in the U.S. have also been questioning the safety of local nukes. At a public meeting in Watertown, Connecticut, concerns were expressed over the vulnerabilities."
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