Awake the Sleeping Giants

Did you see that the Environmental Protection Agency announced big news this past Monday: new rules for power plants to reduce emissions from power plants by 30% (below 2005 levels) by 2030? This makes a lot of sense because power plants are responsible for 40% of US carbon dioxide emissions. Power plants are also still coal intensive and coal is the largest source of CO2 emissions around the world.

The rules allow states flexibility for how to meet the emission reductions targets though promoting energy efficiency, switching fuels, making existing plants more efficient, or even trading emissions like the Northeastern States Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative already does. States have until June 2016 to come up with their plans, or the EPA will make a plan for them. You can read more of the details in an easy summary here.

The new EPA rules have of course met resistance with conservatives already planning to sue the Federal government so that they can't be implemented or at least run out the clock until they hope to get a Republican President elected in 2016. The Chamber of Commerce and other industry groups are crying foul saying that the rules will be economic disaster. Gina McCarthy, administrator of the EPA assures us that they won't be. Electric rates shouldn't go up any more than what it costs to buy a gallon of milk per month, so really minimal increases in price as power plants try to figure out how to operate in a new, more climate-conscientious world. Environmentalists aren't totally happy because the rule, while a step in the right direction, doesn't do nearly enough to truly address the climate crisis. They are right, but this is an important step.

As President Obama announced the rules, the US Ambassador to Canada, Bruce Heyman, called on Canada to do the same, including emissions from Canada's fastest growing source of emissions: oil sands. Prime Minister Harper brushed off the request, but this could be the start of increasing pressure. (On a related note, did you hear that a major oil sands project in Alberta, Canada was just canceled indefinitely due to a lack of pipelines? Watch out tar sands, our tactics are working!)

THEN, what's really interesting is that the day after President Obama announced the EPA rules, China stepped into the ring:

Reuters reported that at a Beijing conference today, the chairman of China's Advisory Committee on Climate Change, He Jiankun, revealed targets that will be included in their next five-year plan. These included controls on CO2 emissions “by intensity” as well as an “absolute cap.” 

An absolute cap is a pretty impressive sign that they're not messing around; set to come into play from 2016, it’s the first time China will have had one. In an updated article, Michael Grubb, a climate professor at the University College London, said the announcement “marks potentially the most important turning point in the global scene on climate change for a decade.”

There’s no word on what level of emissions this cap will be placed on—and coal emissions will still grow in China until 2030, according to He—but it’s a promisingly decisive step by the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. It’s likely no coincidence that they announced this so soon after Obama’s plans, and Adam Vaughan at the Guardian commented that the timing “appears deliberately chosen to show China will also take a leadership role on climate change.”

AWAKE SLEEPING GIANTS. The US and China are starting to stir and #ActOnClimate, and just may wake up Canada in the process. There's still a lot of work to be done, but this week indicated some positive steps in the right direction.

One last note, the other emissions giant, Australia, has failed to repeal its price on carbon, which means that its emission reduction targets automatically tripled! Very good news! http://m.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/australias-emissions-cut-target-triples-overnight-thanks-to-failure-to-repeal-carbon-tax-20140602-39esv.html?skin=dumb-phone

The Dreaded Stomach Flu and Laundry

On Saturday night Big Bro came down with the stomach flu suddenly around 11:00pm. He woke up screaming and crying, "Mommy, I have terrible spit!" aka: vomit.

Ok, I'm sorry, that's a bit graphic.

Anyhow, it was a busy night of getting up with him every couple hours to successfully empty his stomach into the toilet....(better? not really?)

Even so, there was lots of laundry to be done in the morning. Which got me thinking about laundry and energy and how much I would use to wash sheets and pajamas after an eventful night.

I know many people still swear that the only way to get laundry really clean is to use hot or warm water. But I also know that heating water (often unnecessarily) is responsible for a large portion of an individual household's greenhouse gas emissions. In short, doing your laundry in hot or warm water is unnecessary, raises your energy bill, and increases your personal contribution to climate change.

I have been using detergent designed specifically for cold water. It's not just marketing, it's science! Cold water detergents use different chemicals to get your clothes clean in cold water, thus saving your energy bill, and reducing your personal contribution to global warming.

Yet, many people are reluctant to make the switch even though it will help save money and help civilization in general. "I just can't bring myself to wash underwear in cold water!" as my friend recently told me with a slight grimace on her face.

Ok, I get it.

So far, cold water detergents are still a niche market for people like me who get worked up about energy. There is a lot of information on the web that still says you should wash clothes in hot water to get it clean. Some of them get really absurd saying that you should run an empty hot water cycle with bleach, then another empty cycle to get rid of the bleach and THEN wash your clothes. Every. Time. That is wasteful, crazy talk; a symptom of a germ-phobic nation based in paranoia. Our fear of germs has only bred super germs.

Please believe me that you can really get your laundry clean with cold water detergent. Check out this link from the Alliance to Save Energy. Then, if you're still worried about needing to disinfect your clothes use the disinfecting power of the sun when drying your clothes.

SOTU Haikus

President Obama gave his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. Here are some haikus about his climate and energy points and my thoughts / reactions / wishes.

Climate change is fact

Already feel its effects

Through droughts, super storms.

"All of the above"

Policy Obama likes

But why Mr. O?

Fracking and methane

It's dirty and polluting

Not a good "bridge fuel"

Executive acts

We'll do it for our children

Reduce CO2

Get on Board, Congress

Carbon fee and dividend*

is what we need now

Polluters will pay

Normal people get rewards

Clean, green transition

*http://citizensclimatelobby.org/about-us/faq/

Walking the Talk: My Report Card

Yesterday the Huffington Post posted an article called You Can Help Save The Planet With These 15 (Somewhat) Easy Steps. As a Green who is trying to get better at walking the talk, I thought it would be fun to share with you all how I am doing in each of these categories. I'd love to hear how you are doing in these categories as well.

1. Not Driving A Big Car All By Over The Place By Yourself

I do drive a big car, a Honda Odyssey to be exact. If I could afford an all-electric family car I would, alas I cannot. My kids are almost always with me in the van, and sometimes my husband and dog, or the grandparents are too. I love it when the van completely full, though that can be hard to do. Although the mpg isn't great, it is good for a minivan (18/25 city/highway). I also try to limit my driving trips overall, which is more possible since I am a stay at home mom.
 

2. Not Having Lots Of Kids

I have two kids, that was planned because I was trying to fill my maternal wants AND "Plan It for the Planet." I also don't have energy for more kids even if I thought the planet could handle it.

3. Don't Idle Your Car

This is a serious pet peeve of mine. There have been SO MANY times that I want to walk up to a stranger and tell them to turn off their car as they wait in a parking lot to whatever establishment we are both at. I restrain myself, but it's difficult. Once I did try to gently say something, but it didn't result in the guy turning off his engine. So, no, I personally don't idle. I even turn off my engine at the rare times I'm at a drive-thru or if I'm waiting at a particularly long red light.

4. Don't Eat Lots Of Meat

I was a vegetarian for five years during adolescence, but redeveloped a taste for meat. For a while, after receiving a blood transfusion I developed a serious appetite for red meat. My desire for meat has waned, and I would love to cut back even more. Currently, I sometimes try to stretch a package for a couple meals. I'd love to do more vegetarian meals, I just need to take the time to look up recipes.

5. Don't Vote for Climate Change-Denying And Pro-Oil Representatives 

I definitely don't vote for climate deniers or oil puppets. Fortunately, this is made easier by living in liberal, green, Vermont.

6. Don't Take A Really Long Shower

I'm a stay at home mom. If I shower twice a week I'm doing well. (TMI? Sorry.) Sometimes I do linger in those precious showers a little even though my brain guilts me about how much oil I'm burning to heat the water.

7. Avoid Buying Things From China

This is hard to do, but yes, I try. Good thing is that we rarely go shopping except for food so that helps a lot. I've also embraced hand-me-downs and garage sales for getting kid stuff in particular.
 

8. Stop Wasting Paper

Whenever there is a paperless billing option I do it. We do not subscribe to a printed newspaper. Our biggest source of paper waste by far is from junk mail and companies who do not have a paperless billing/statement option.

9. Avoid Flying Across The Country Multiple Times A Year

This past summer I flew for the first time in 6 years to attend the Climate Leadership Training in Chicago (yes, I see the contradiction in this). 

10. Don't Waste Food

I do my best to make sure my family eats everything we buy, but we do have a backyard composting operation. We don't put food waste in the trash.

11. Quit Eating Out Of Season

This makes sense, but it's hard because in VT there is no fresh fruit and my kids love bananas, clementines, grapes, pears, you name it. I do too. Canned and dried doesn't quite cut it for me. I am looking forward to cracking open a jar of my own canned peaches during our first big snowstorm.

12. Stop Using As Much Electricity And Unplug When Possible

We are conscious about turning off lights and not leaving our Christmas tree lights on unless we are home to enjoy them. Our biggest downfall is probably our tv. If I was more disciplined I would only watch it when specific shows are on, but sometimes we do zone out in front of the tv, or multitask with other devices. We have solar panels for our house which helps. We also live in a region that gets a lot of hydropower which helps. We also have advanced power strips that cut down on phantom electricity demand.

13. Cut Back On Air Conditioner Use

We don't have one, so this isn't an issue. I would love to finish a room in the basement. That's where I hid out on hot summer days while growing up, unless I was in the pool. If we fix the holes in our screened-in porch we could also use that more on hot days as a sleeping porch, or hang out area after the sun goes down.

14. Don't Worsen America's Dog Obsession

We have a dog, but just one. She's here to stay.

15. Seal Up Your House

We did an energy audit this past summer and had insulation and air sealing done. It should cut down on our heating energy use and emissions by about 30%.

Places Ruined: Spills, Fires, Explosions

I follow a lot of environmental news networks so I see a lot of news that doesn't always get much mainstream coverage. I can't help think that if people heard about how frequently there are oil and oil related disasters more frequently they would be more fired up to get off of fossil fuels. Your energy source shouldn't kill you or the world around it. This list doesn't even include the evils of fracking.

How many of these disasters have you heard of? Almost all of them occurred in North America this year:

1. Canada's largest coal wastewater spill (264 million gallons) in Alberta, Canada on Halloween 2013. Downstream municipalities were told not to withdraw drinking water until it was deemed "safe."
2. Nearly 300 pipeline spills in North Dakota went unreported until the story broke in October 2013.     
   
3. Petroleum coke is now fouling Chicago and areas around Midwest refineries. "Petcoke" is a byproduct of tar sands mining. The Koch Brothers have been storing petcoke on Chicago's South Side as it waits export to countries with poor environmental laws that will burn this cheap and dirty form of energy (dirtier than coal!). It is blowing in the wind and fouling the air of middle and working class communities.                                                 
4. Exxon's Pegasus pipeline spill in Mayflower, AK, Mark 2013. At least 12,000 barrels of crude were spilled. This pipeline carries tar sands oil and made homes uninhabitable around the spill and left residents with health problems. 
   
5. A Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd train derailed in March 2013 (one week prior to the Pegagsus pipeline spill) and spilled 30,000 gallons of Canadian tar sands oil.
6. July 2013, a train carrying 7.6 million liters of crude derailed and ignited in Lac-Megantic in Quebec. The town was devasted by the resulting fire and 47 people were killed.
   
7. October 2013, Gainford, Alberta (Canada) Train Derailment. A  Canadian National tanker train transporting 13 cars of oil and gas derailed and caught on fire forcing 100 people from their homes.
8. Also in October 2013, another Canadian National train carrying propane derailed, exploded and caught fire near Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). Firefighters did not even bother to battle the blaze, they just let it burn itself out. No people were injured.
9. Just LAST WEEK (Nov 8) a 90-car train carrying 2.7 million gallons of crude oil derailed and spilled its contents into a wetland near Aliceville, Alabama. The fire is being allowed to burn itself out.                                                    

Though it occurred in 2010, I also want to mention BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which was not contained for 5 months and dumped 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf. There are reports that it may still be leaking. The oil, combined with deadly dispersants that were supposed to help with clean up, left an ecosystem in crisis: fisheries decimated, cancerous shellfish, dead dolphins, tarballs still washing up on beaches that contain high concentrations of bacteria flesh eating. It will take decades for the Gulf to recover.

If you want to see a more comprehensive list of spills that goes back even further in time see this Wikipedia entry. It contains spills since 2012 that I wasn't even aware of.

Is All Wind Power Equal?

Like solar power, wind power generation is a growing industry that hopes to provide clean, renewable energy to replace fossil fuels and fight global warming. So far the conventional wisdom in the wind power world is the larger the wind turbine, the more power you get. This means that windmills are growing increasingly large and tall. See the picture below that was generated by the US Department of Energy to promote a particularly large wind turbine project called the Lincoln Wind Tower in Euclid, Ohio.

The average wind tower is 150 feet. Almost as tall as the leaning tower of Pisa. The Lincoln Wind Tower in Ohio would be 443 feet tall, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty. Click here for some of the tallest wind turbines in the world at heights comparable to the Lincoln Wind Tower.

John Dabiri, a CalTech professor of aeronaturical and bioengineering, has a new idea for wind turbines that was inspired by observing the "pattern of spinning vortices that trail fish as they swim." He proposes making the blades vertical like poles on a carousel, and the towers much shorter. Then, positioning the vertical turbines in specific relation to each other they can generate more power by using air currents generated by other vertical turbines around them, just like the "fish vortices." Dabiri says the wind farms built in this fashion would be cheaper to build, quieter, and easier to maintain since they are only about 30 feet tall. They also don't need to be rotated to face the wind.

Prof Dabiri with Vertical axis wind turbines

However, many vertical turbines are still necessary to generate the power produced by just one large, traditional (aka horizontal) wind turbine. The industry still believes that bigger is better, but these smaller, verticle turbines are intriguing. Perhaps the vertical turbines would be more acceptable in areas where the largest objections to wind power generation are noise and aesthetics, or in remote communities where ease of maintenance is important. The US Military is also very interested in Professor Dabiri's idea because traditional horizontal wind turbines can interfere with helicopter operations and radar signatures.

It's nice to think that communities could have options on what is the right way for them to pursue wind power. Way to go Professor Dabiri!