Mountain-Top Mining to Start Again

On Friday the 13th, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, decided to allow destructive mountaintop-removal coal mining to proceed without considering the environmental impacts. The court ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can issue permits for mountaintop-removal mining without environmental review.

So, mining by dynamite and destruction returns to the Appalachian Mountains. Are we ready for the next environmental disaster as described in Energy at Any Price : Clean Coal?



Unfortunately, the Bush administration repealed a rule that had created buffers around streams where mountaintop-removal waste could not be dumped. Now, coal companies will now be able to flush mining waste wherever they want without violating the Clean Water Act.

Want more information about the dangers of coal? Take a look at these posts:

Truth in advertising : Clean Coal

Restore and Strengthen Stream Barriers

I do not have one action for you to take. The news is too recent. As soon as I can plan a strategy or connect up with others that have one, I will be back to report.

Tags: mountaintop mining, dirty coal, no protection for rivers

Reducing Your Gasoline Budget

It does not look like gas prices are going down again, even though the price of a barrel of oil has dropped. I do not know why, but I would think it has to do with the oil and gas companies' bottom line. There are things you may do to save money on your gasoline budget.

Things you can do to help your gasoline budget:

• Go shopping and run chores on one day of the week, planning your route in advance.
• Buy local. Support your farmers' market. You will be eating fresher and helping decrease the amount of energy it takes to grow and transport your food.
• Carpool. Bring a book to the game practice and stay there while your child practices. Or take a walk to the library.
• Use public transportation. Ride a bike. Use a scooter instead of a car.
  
• Visit GasBuddy.com to find the cheapest gas in your area. If you can save five cents on a gallon of gas and you have a 25-gallon tank, you have saved $1.25. If you save this amount weekly, you will save $65 a year. If you drive a gas-guzzler, you just paid for a getaway weekend!
• Use Discover and other credit cards that reward you with rebates on your purchases.
• At Sam's Clubs, the gas is usually 3-5 cents cheaper than anywhere else in town.
  
• Get off the highway to buy gas. I saved sixteen cents a gallon last year by waiting and buying gas in a small town.
  
• Drive smart. Acceleration eats gasoline. Turn off your car at the bank drive through, railroad crossings and long traffic lights. Do not sit anywhere with your car idling unless you have small children in the car.
  
• Take all excess weight out of your car and trunk.
  
• Wind resistance can increase fuel costs. If you are driving down the highway, use your air-conditioner and keep your windows shut. However, in stop and go traffic, cut the A/C off and open your windows.
  
• Keep your car in tune, the tires inflated, and the oil clean. Change filters (oil, gas, air) when suggested by your mechanic or owner's manual.

Tags: save gas money, reduce fuel costs, increase fuel efficiency

Green, green, it's green they say . . .

. . . the Economic Stimulus Plan

$80 billion for clean energy, public transportation and green infrastructure, the largest such investment in our nation's history.

1.6 million new green jobs, including 135,000 green jobs created by a $4.5 billion investment in greening federal buildings.

A reduction of 68 million tons of our carbon footprint as a nation, which is equivalent to a city the size of Chicago, IL going completely carbon-free.

Cut from the bill was a $50 billion loan guarantee for the coal and nuclear industries.

Tip of the Hat: Luke Metzer of Environment Texas

Tags: green stimulus bill, clean energy, green jobs, reduce carbon

Global Warming : Dead Zones Ahead

Using the Danish Center for Earth System Science (DCESS), Earth scientists Gary Shaffer, Steffen Malskær Olsen and Jens Olaf Pepke Pedersen modeled the next 100,000 years of Earth history if global warming continues unabated.

They used two models that measure the levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere as an indicator of rising temperature. One model found that CO2 levels could rise to 549 parts per million (ppm) by 2100, which would be a 50 percent increase from CO2 levels today. The other model found that CO2 levels could rise to 1,168 ppm, which would be three times the levels of CO2 today.

The rise in temperature depends on 1) when we reach the peak in carbon emissions, 2) how quickly the CO2 levels fall, and 3) whether global warming starts a chain of events in nature that increases and prolongs the warming, ocean heating and oxygen depletion.

Extreme events of ocean oxygen depletion leading to anoxia (dead zones) are thought to be prime candidates for explaining some of the large extinction events in Earth history including the largest such event at the end of the Permian 250 million years ago.

From Long-term ocean oxygen depletion in response to carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels : Abstract : Nature Geoscience:

Decreased oxygen solubility from surface-layer warming accounts for most of the enhanced oxygen depletion in the upper 500 m of the ocean. Possible weakening of ocean overturning and convection lead to further oxygen depletion, also in the deep ocean. We conclude that substantial reductions in fossil-fuel use over the next few generations are needed if extensive ocean oxygen depletion for thousands of years is to be avoided.

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CO2 is just one global warming gas; there are others, like methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and water vapor.

We can do nothing to change the warming gases released by volcanoes, wildfires, permafrost, decomposition, or as part of the water cycle.

We can, however, reduce warming gases released from fossil fuel production and use, animal husbandry, rice cultivation, biomass burning and waste management.

Plant trees, grow organic food, eat less meat, drive fuel efficient or electric vehicles, use recycled materials, buy alternative energy, reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and do not buy products that are harvested in a nonsustainable way.

If you would like more information on oxygen depletion leading to dead zones, please read this post: Expanding Dead Zone in Gulf of Mexico.

Tags: global warming, carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, extinction events, dead zones

Shop With Environmental Consciousness

One of my favorite quotations is "You must be the change you want to see in the world." What did Mahatma Gandhi mean? How can we BE the change?

What I think Gandhi meant is that we must make conscious ethical choices in our every day lives. The conscious choices are different for each generation. During the time of Gandhi, peaceful resistance was the choice for his people. Today, we must live, advocate and buy with environmental consciousness.

One of the ways that we may shop with environmental consciousness is to read the product label before we buy; shop locally or online; patronize businesses that use organic ingredients; look for companies that demonstrate their environmental consciousness by using green energy. In the case of bath and body products, seek out companies that have a commitment to both animal rights and consumer safety.

Best Bath Store meets all the criteria for shopping with environmental consciousness. I really love the natural soap bars, with luscious scents such as vanilla, honey milk and lavender. These soap bars are handmade with organic extracts, essential oils, and natural botanicals. You may even try these products before you buy, by ordering up to five free samples! You pay only shipping costs. I just ordered these samples: Lemon-Lime Body Bar, Vanilla Bean Body Bar, Intensive Under Eye Treatment, Acne Facial Bar and Detox Bath Salts.

So, be the change you wish to see in the world and smell wonderful while doing so. Some choices are easy to make!

Tags: environmental consciousness, green energy, animal rights, consumer safety, natural soaps

Seven Steps Toward Energy Independence

The House and Senate passed two different versions of the stimulus bill. The bills in both the House and Senate provide for billions of dollars for wind power, solar energy and energy efficiency. Now, these two bills must be reconciled into one bill for the President's signature.

The Environmental Defense Fund has listed the seven provisions that should be included in the final bill, if this truly is to be a green energy bill to jump start our economy and decrease our dependence on foreign energy.

Please TAKE ACTION by sending an email to your members of Congress asking them to support these seven green steps.

From the House bill:

1) Help heavy industry turn waste heat into electricity. The House bill provides $500 million to encourage energy-intensive factories such as steel, cement and chemical plants to convert their waste heat to electric power.

2) Rebates to encourage consumers to buy Energy Star products. The House bill devotes $300 million to state programs that help people buy energy-saving home appliances. Many of these products are made in the U.S., so the program will create American manufacturing jobs.

3) Connecting people to their jobs. Expanding transit (subways, light rail, trains, and buses), along with building bike paths and sidewalks, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and creates jobs. The House bill provides $12 billion in transit funding, including $2.5 billion in funding for new projects; $2 billion to modernize existing subways, light rail, and similar facilities; and funding to help bicyclists and pedestrians.

4) Expert help for American manufacturing. The House bill provides $30 million for a smart program (Manufacturing Extension Partnership) that can help American manufacturers develop clean-energy and energy efficiency products -- and become more energy-efficient in the process.

From the Senate bill:

5) Intercity rail and multimodal transportation projects. The Senate bill provides $2 billion for high-speed rail and $1.1 billion for intercity rail, including Amtrak. Its $5.5 billion competitive grant program could fund roads, rail, transit or port projects. Of course, it would be best if the funds are allocated to boost U.S. energy independence.

6) Making Defense Department facilities more energy-efficient. The Senate bill provides $3.2 billion to renovate Defense Department facilities -- and make them much more energy-efficient. Much of the necessary products (heating and air conditioning equipment, windows, insulation) is made in the U.S., so the Senate version will create jobs not just for workers who do on-site installation but for American factory workers as well.

7) The Senate bill would allocate 40% of formula highway funding to local governments. This would put transportation dollars to work on urgent local needs as determined by local governing bodies.

Please TAKE ACTION to support these seven steps to a green stimulus bill.

Tags: energy bill, energy efficiency, transportation, energy star, green stimulus

Save the Polar Bears!

What Can You Do?

Add your name to the petition at PolarBear.org.

Adopt a Polar Bear from National Wildlife Federation.

The next time someone says, "Global warming is not real," direct them to the Union of Concerned Scientists website page, Global Warming Impacts.

Offset your carbon footprint.

Keep your car maintained, tires inflated properly, consolidate your errands, use public transit.

If you have a diesel engine, research biodiesel suppliers in your area.

When it is time to purchase a new car, please look for a vehicle that runs on alternative fuels or electricity.

Tags: polar bear, global warming, carbon footprint, biodiesel, alternative fuels

NWF free e-cards for Valentine's Day

Do you have a special someone, friend or family member who is an animal lover? Send them a Valentine's e-card from the National Wildlife Federation website. NWF has many e-cards from which to choose. Some e-cards are funny, some romantic and some suitable for children.



Sending an e-card is free and it will save natural resources. You may choose a card, complete it and schedule it to arrive by email on the day you wish.

It is a great service for those of us that have memory lapses... and you might interest someone in the environment!

Tags: nwf, free e-card, animal lover, valentines day, funny e-cards, romantic e-cards, child e-cards

Permafrost meltdown means more methane

Climate scientists fear that warming Arctic temperatures are melting the permafrost and causing frozen vegetation in peat bogs and other areas to decay, releasing methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Environment - National Wildlife Magazine

Reaching up from the thawing ocean floor and continental shelves are methane chimneys that contain concentrations of methane 100x times higher than background levels. The Siberian Shelf covers more than 580,000 square miles. If this permafrost layer thaws, it will release 12x the amount of methane currently in the atmosphere.

Methane release off Siberian coast prompts concern over runaway climate change | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Yesterday, for the first time, we documented a field where the release was so intense that the methane did not have time to dissolve into the seawater but was rising as methane bubbles to the sea surface. These 'methane chimneys' were documented on echo sounder and with seismic [instrument].

Some good news is that the The Catlin Arctic Survey will soon start on their epic journey to measure the thickness and density of the permanent North Pole ice that floats in the Arctic Ocean. Read more about the survey here: Measuring Sea Ice on the Arctic Ocean.

Tags: methane release, carbon dioxide, global warming, thawing permafrost

Trying to Achieve Zero-Waste Stream

Garbage Day

Tomorrow is garbage pickup day at our home. My husband Michael gathered all the trash in the house; from the 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, den, living room and kitchen. We live outside the city and have trash pickup once a week, so we have this huge garbage transporter on wheels.

When Michael came back inside from wheeling the garbage to the end of the driveway, he had a funny look on his face. I asked him what was wrong. He turned to me and said, "All we had was one kitchen-sized trash bag." I did not understand, so he restated, "We only used one bag's worth of trash this week." Then he broke into a big smile and said, "We are recycling almost every thing we use!"

Recycling Works

Now that he can see the real impact of the recycling we do, he is vested in it. It has taken a few years, but now we can see that we will be able to do away with garbage collection completely. That will be a savings of over $20 per month.



Recycle, reuse, repurpose, pass it on
- recycle all cardboard
- recycle all paper, newspaper, wrapping paper, medication/makeup inserts
- recycle all aluminum
- recycle all metal (lids of jars, the cutout when you open a tin can, and things the kids find)
- recycle all glass
- recycle all 1-3 plastics & try not to buy them
- recycle Styrofoam and cornstarch pellets that are used for packing


- do not purchase items with more waste than product
- choose glass over plastic
- do not purchase 4+ plastics
- keep cloth bags in all cars for shopping
- if a plastic page is brought home, it is used as a trash can liner in the bathrooms
- save padded envelopes and bubbled mailers to use again
- rehab items and buy used instead of buying new
- compost all yard waste and kitchen waste
- if you have trees trimmed or removed, have them chipped and use the chips as mulch
- use newspaper as mulch and weed killer (find out how at MotherEarthNews)

Tags: recycle, reuse, zero waste, garbage