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In every generation there is a social movement that captivates the minds of the youth and challenges the establishment. A generation ago the battle was for social justice, today the youth fight for the global environment. On college campuses throughout the United States, from the gates of Cornell to the waves of San Francisco, universities have begun to create sustainability committees in an attempt to “Go Green.” These committees were formulated by the growing demand of their students to take a proactive role in greenerizing their institutions. Petitions were drafted and student organizations were created in an attempt to challenge their universities levels of sustainability. Many of them have succeeded. Starting two years ago, presidents from universities in all 50 states and Puerto Rico signed an agreement to redesign their infrastructures and become sustainable centers of learning.
The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, (ACUPCC), provides a framework for participating institutions to neutralize their greenhouse gas emissions. While funding scientific research for sustainability, the universities will incorporate such developments into their curriculum, influencing the next generation of leaders in this country. Due to the strong demand by progressive minded students, presidents like Michael Hogan of the University of Connecticut, saw this as an opportunity for academia to lead the nation and serve as a model for modern America. As a part of the university’s commitment, Hogan instated a sustainability committee that is responsible to develop a sustainable divisional plan. Working with representatives from the administration, transportation, residential life, dinning services, community outreach, health services, and the student body, this committee brings together the entire university to solve a universal problem. This communal effort is being repeated throughout this country from the ivy universities to local community colleges.
As these committees make assessments of their universities, their discoveries and suggestions have begun to be implemented. 27 institutions have implanted some degree of green building requirements. The majority of them have adopted LEED certification standards. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, (LEED) certified buildings are scored on their sustainability, efficiency, materials used, and their environmental impact. The Los Angeles Community College District is implementing one of the largest public sustainable building efforts in the United States, allocating $2.2 billion for their LEEd certified projects. Serving 130,000 people, this program will serve as a model for cities all across the country. With 130 campuses already having sources of renewable energy, 70 more institutions including New York University and Santa Cruz are joining the list. In December of 2007, College of the Atlantic became the first US university to be carbon neutral. The signatory is on track with its 10 year commitment to renewable energy. These redesigned institutions will serve as an example of how we as individuals can have an influence in our communities.
The environmental consciousnesses of students on college campuses across the United States lead to the ACUPCC. With in two years there has been a dramatic investment by institutions. Committees have been formed, assessments made, funding allocated, and construction begun. With only 150 signatories, there is still much progress to be made. The grassroot youth is needed to begin about such changes. For more information on the ACUPCC or for information on how you school can sign the Commitment please visit their sites. After all, the torch has been pasted to a new generation of Americans.
Nearly a half a century ago, following the economic slump of the Post-War era, President Eisenhower created the largest infrastructure plan in American history. Using modern technology, the Federal Highway Act of 1956, connected the major cities of the United States. While creating millions of jobs from architects and engineers, to day labors and surveyors, this program also led to the American obsession and dependence with the automobile. We have a present opportunity, as a Nation, to redesign our infrastructure with the technology that exists today, to connect our cities using fast, clean, and efficient high-speed rails. With the passage of the stimulus bill, the federal government has allocated $8 billion to the development of high-speed rails within 11 corridors throughout the country. Working in corporation with state governments and private businesses, this decade long project is apart of the current administration’s commitment to revitalize our society. For the last several years state governments have proposed high-speed rails to connect regional cities. States like Florida, California, and Texas have experienced rapid growth and suburban sprawl. Clogged roadways and interstates beyond capacity have caused residents to lobby for alternative methods of travel. Coupled this with the increase in fuel costs and the rise of environmental consciousness, legislation in several states have passed to begin development of high-speed rails. With the investment of $8 billion by the federal government and an additional $5 billion over the next five years, the proposed rails will become a reality. Using a strategic plan that must be submitted to Congress by mid-April, the Federal Railroad Administration must determine the guidelines of the project, such as: what corridors are the first to be developed, the amount of grants to distribute, and a timeframe of completion. There is also a provision that obligates the federal government to provide high-speed funding as part of its budget by 2012. However, the bulk of the responsibility falls on individual states, such as financing and development contracts. The construction of the rails would be half as expensive than to develop new freeways or runways and can carry large amounts of people as well as light freights. When redesigning its infrastructure, the US should consider its rate of growth. Major cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and Dallas; cities that are plagued with congestion and pollution issues have begun doing so. The new high-speed rails will decrease the amount of congestion on the roads and airports as well as relieve the necessity to further expand them. Travel time will greatly decrease as cities are connected. Traveling at 220 mph between San Francisco and Las Angelas will only be 2.5 hours. As an alternative means to travel, the new trains will be electric powered, saving about 324 lbs of CO2 on a trip from San Francisco to Las Angales. The savings will be even greater with the expansion of alternative energy such as solar, wind, and geothermal as a means to power the United States. As the population of the United States continues to grow, the effects will be felt in all sectors. More energy is then consumed, more resources depleted, more land is then developed, more sprawl occurs. The Obama administration has provided funds to a program that would not be able to exist without it. Not only will the federal government create skilled jobs throughout this country by the increase in productivity, it will lesson our environmental impact and progress the United States’ Environmental Agenda.
Anyone with a business mindset can appreciate how a turbulous market can give rise to niche venture. Last June crude oil hit an all time high at $126.33 per barrel. For the same month in 2007, a barrel sold for $59.25. With the worst energy crisis in 30 years, Americans were forced to rethink their lifestyles, and with that a new niche was created. As American auto companies struggle to stay afloat, foreign automakers are importing their progressively efficient vehicles into the U.S. Starting as early as next year, three import vehicles will make their American debut.
The Piaggio Group, manufacture of the Italian Vespa, will release its plugin hybrid scooter next winter. With a fuel economy of 140 mpg, this scooter relies on its rechargeable battery and limited gas reserves to operate. The new import is expected to cost roughly the same as an all electric scooter, about $8,000 to $9,000. However, the older scooters can only drive about 50 miles until it has to recharge. These new Vespas will bring a touch of Roma into our towns and neighboorhoods months before an American company can compete.
If a two seated scooter is not big enough for your needs, then you might want to check out the new Honda Insight. Debuting on Earth Day, 2009, it is the most cost efficent hybrid on the market. At $20,000 the Honda Insight gets 60 mpg and is $2,000 less than the Toyota Prius, prompting Toyota to redesign its hybrid. Much more conventional looking than its predessor, the Insight appeals to the environmentally concious American family.
Unlike the Insight and the Vespa, the Norweigan manufactured Th!nk, will take more than a year to hit the highways of the U.S. Previously owned by the Ford Company, Th!nk is an all electric vehicle that follows a plan of sustainability by releasing zero emissions. Plans to release a fleet of vehicles will begin this year in The Netherlands. However, in the US they are waiting on funding from the Department of Energy, to begin plant construction. Talks are underway with eight states to determine where the estimated 16,000 cars will be manufactured each year by nearly 900 employees. If approved by the DOE, Th!nk will mass produced electric vehicles, making them more affordable and transforming the American auto industry.
During times of uncertainity, it has always been American innovation that has lead the world to prosperity and stability. However, as we increasing become gloablized, it is the innovation of other countries that has begun to transform America. Unless American auto companies can revolutionize their products, foreign automaker will maximize in our market.
With the passage of the recent stimulus bill, $18 billion is allocated in transforming the United States into an energy efficient country. Billions are being spent not only in the investment in green technology, but in modernizing our infrastructure and weatherizing our homes. Most of the funds are being spent on a large governmental level, however there are things individuals can do to make their homes more energy efficient, and lessen their impact on the environment.
Every year an average American household produces 7.4 metric tons of CO2 per year. There are basic ways to decrease that amount which require little financial investment. By simply placing curtains in front of windows, it traps the heat in the room during winter months and blocks the sun from heating it in the summer. Check your window frames and seal any cracks you may find. While inspecting your widows, inspect your walls and attic for insulation. Insulation in walls is what curtains are for windows. Instead of using your parents pink fiberglass ones from the 1950’s, try recycled paper insulation. As you continue your house inspection look at your appliances and light bulbs. Get rid of the 1980 microwave and dishwasher and get ones from the last 10 years. You will be surprise how inefficient they are compared with their more modern counterparts. If you haven’t already changed you light bulbs do it! We waste about 10% of energy through inefficiently lighting our buildings. If nothing else, it will at least pay for itself in your first electric bill. Change the head of all your facets to allow less water to flow out. Less consumption of water means less energy used to transport it and less energy to heat it. You should also consider showering with someone. Less energy is consumed, less water is used, and is always an interesting time. Once you have completed the inside of your house, head outside to your yard.
The landscaping around your house also affects the amount of energy your house consumes. One of the easiest things to do is plant a tree or bushes by the house. The vegetation will provide shade for your house and keep it cooler on hot sunny days. Consider starting a small garden in your yard. On average, American foods travels an estimated 1,500 miles before being consumed. Way more than the energy you will use to walk to your garden and cut the broccoli yourself.
Unless you have lived under a rock for the past 6 months, you are aware of the social consciousness desiring for energy change. The allocated funds from the government will take months, even years, before their changes will provide a lasting effect. However, there are a multitude of things individuals can do to have an immediate impact. Although the government is forcing the market in this direction, it is our responsibility to ensure we have enough energy to continue our way of life. Because if we don’t, who will?
Sitting in a Starbucks I sipped my venti Iced green tea as I watched patrons order their laundry list of beverages. I wonder if our ancestors could ever imagine the luxury of having our level of consumption. We live our lives, unknowingly unaware of how much we actually consume and how much we throw away. An American produces 1,584 pounds of waste per year while the world average is 330 pounds per person per year. As a country, we consume 1/5 of the world’s 500 billion plastic bags that are produced annually. The United States consumes 350% more cubic feet of wood than the world’s average. So what happens to the cups of coffee we throw away once their purpose has been served?
Items that are not recycled or taken to an incinerator, are taken to a landfill to decompose. The time it takes for our waste to decompose depends on the material. Items like paper and wood, roughly half the waste in landfills, decompose quickly if exposed to oxygen and bacteria; however in a landfill this process may take more than 5 years. In contrast, aluminum can take up to 500 years to decompose. But plastic, like the 1,000 bags used per year by American families, is not decomposable. The sun, by a means of photodegrades, breaks the plastic down into molecules. But the molecules will never decompose. The problem is so bad, 1,000 miles off the coast of San Francisco there is an area called Garbage Patch. Filled with 7 million tons of waste and plastic, it is the largest landfill on Earth. Stretching to the waters of Hawaii, it is double the size of Texas and 300 feet deep. The patch is stuck in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a slow moving, spiral of currents, created by a high-pressure system of air. Samples of the water showed 6 parts plastic, one part plankton- the lifeline of the ocean. Every plastic created, even the first ones from the 1930’s, still exist today. How do we as Americans limit our environmental impact and decrease our level of consumption? Read the rest of this entry »
Undeniably, we live in a time that will be dissected by future generations. There was a food shortage that caused riots in the streets of poor nations, a global financial re-leverage, and an energy crisis that slowed a nation for the first time in decades; all of which threatens the growth of globalization, as countries seek interdependence. The United States government has created a stimulus package to combat these troubled times. One of the provisions is to make our country more energy independent using renewable resources, clean coal, and nuclear reactors. Hailed as the energy of the future a half a century ago, does nuclear power have a place in the in modern times?
More than 30 years has passed since a reactor was commission to be built, and a decade since one began commercial operation. According to a British government report, Nuclear power is said to be “the most climate-friendly industrial scale energy source, producing 2-6% CO2 per Killowatt-hour.” In fact, the U.S. has 103 reactors that produce roughly 20% of our electricity. Nuclear power produces 30% of the European Union’s electricity, while in France alone, it produces 80% of the supply. Then what has caused countries like Germany, Austria, Italy, and Korea to decommission their reactors? One of the reasons is financial cost. Read the rest of this entry »
Nearly eighty years ago the United States experienced a decade long drought that altered the course of American history. Now we live in a time with a drought severe enough to alter the history of the world. According to a Vanguard interview on Current TV, with the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, “there are fifty countries with nearly 2.7 billion people, who do not have access to water.” In a world where our differences are shrinking, so is the most valuable resource for our survival, our fresh water supply.
According to the United States drought monitor, the state of California reported a record to near record dry spring in hundreds of locations throughout the state. The drought was so severe it prompted Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a statewide drought. In a recent report from the US government Accountability Office, “At least 36 states will experience water shortages within the next five years.” The main areas to be effected will be the Southeast, Southwest, and the Pacific west. How bad is the drought at this moment? The Colorado River no longer ruins into the Gulf of Mexico. Lake Mead has experienced a 60 feet drop in the level of water within the past three years. The Everglades in South Florida is experiencing a shift in its ecosystem as the once freshwater swamp slowly evolves into a saltwater pit. Yet, the United States is not alone.
According to the same Vanguard interview, the northern Chinese province of Hebei, (pronounced Hébĕi) is home to more than two million people and half of the country’s production of wheat. However, the river that feeds life into the area and eventually Beijing has fallen 97% from its original capacity. The country itself is under a desertification. Nearly 2,000 sq/km of arable land turns into desert each year. Today, nearly 25% of China is a desert and one that is continuously growing everyday.
So what brought us to the breaking point? Although some climatologist lean toward global warming, other scientist and those who survived the Dust Bowl of the thirties blame ourselves. With the rapid rise in human population, the demands on necessary resources also drastically increased. Our excessive consumption of water has dried-up rivers and lakes, and has drained our reservoirs, and aqueducts. We, as a specie can not survive without water. Even the plants in which we consume need this resource. In fact the cultivation of the land is also blamed on the current global drought.
Whether is it the over-farming in the plains of China or the man-made canals that redirect runoff water in the United States, humans have altered the natural flow of water. Our methods in farming are far out dated in which they reflect a time when water was in abundance. However, now that we are experiencing a servere drought, our methods must adapt for the sake of our survival. Understanding the causation of a problem and the impact it has will lead to the development of a solution.
Areas that are overwhelming effected by the shortage of water have already begun to take action. Suburban cities in the US have implemented restricitions on the useage of water for lawns. Permitting alternating days dependant upon the numerical address. In Spain where the lack of water has set region against region, water is imported from France, city fountantins have been turned off, and a desalination plant near Barcelona is being constructed to extract water from the sea. Younger cities in the United States such as Irvine, California and Cape Coral, Florida, have constructed a reusable water system. The recycled water is comprised of a collection of used water from homes, businesses, as well as storm runoffs. Once it has been filtered, the water is then redistributed to be used for irrigation purposes for crops, golf courses, wetlands enhancement, and serves as a cooling system for industries. A recycled water system is a component of the citywide water system. Therefore dual distribution provides fresh and recycled water. In Saint Petersburg, Florida this system has reduced portable water usage by 50%. Imagine a similar system in operation throughout every state in the Union and the millions of fresh water that would be saved each year.
We have all witness the value of commodities such as food and energy soar within the year causing civil unrest in developing countries from the islands of Latin America to the plains of Africa. We have been fortunate to find alternatives for these commodities. However, for water there is no subsitute. Each of us has a responsibility, not to consume, but to conserve. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth, fix leaking faucets, do not water turfs. If we do not, water will be a commodity of the wealthy as the rest of humanity slowly dies of thirst.
Through the collaborative effort of Brigham Young University and Harvard School of Public Health, researchers found that cleaner air increases life expectancy. In what would seem like an obvious conclusion, they have determined that the particles in pollution such as ash, soot, diesel exhaust, and aerosol chemicals has an adverse side-affect on human health. In the study that compared data from 51 US cities over the course of 20 years, 15% of the increased life expectancy was attributed to the reduction in air pollution, totaling 5 months. With this academic data known what do we now do with this information? Is it an economic concern or societal?
The United States remains the world’s most leading contributor of CO2 emissions. On average a US household emits 59 tons of CO2 per year, while the worlds average is 8 tons per year. That is a staggering differential number. The United States spends 53 percent more on healthcare than any other country, spending $5,267 per capita. However, when spending on the environment, the United States spends $292 per capita. More of our national budget should be allocated toward improving our environment. “We find that we’re getting a substantial return on our investments in improving our air quality. Not only we are getting cleaner air that improves our environment, but it is improving our public health,” said C. Arden Pope III, lead author of the study.
Therefore, the funds that are spent improving our environment through the reduction of emissions, redesigning of our infrastructure, and the preservation of lands, will provide a reduction in pollution. The reduction in pollution will improve the health of the citizens. Healthier citizens need less medical care causing a surplus in the funds allocated to our healthcare system. The surplus funds can then be used to either fund the increase in environmental spending or used as an investment in our healthcare system, by improving the quality of it.
Pope, along with fellow researcher from Harvard, Douglas Dockery, published their research in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the last two decades we have seen many strides in environmental progression, yet we have also witness many setbacks. Many hope that the United States is set to reverse our shortcomings, and lead the environmental crusade as we did 30 years ago. If that is true, our national health will also greatly improve.
I met today with a recent alumni from the University of Connecticut named Jessica Mortell in South Florida. She has spent the last year developing a bicycle sharing program for the densely populated center of the university. Fitting upon the subject matter, we rode our bicycles to a local park to conduct the interview. Sitting on a bench surrounded by the plethora of birds who migrated South, we began discussing the environment. ”We humans have a tremendous impact upon our environment,” says Mortell who has a civil engineering degree. ”I want to work and protect against urban sprawl.” Mortell, like so many of her peers, wants to redesign the way we live, work, and transport ourselves.
A year ago a friend of Mortell’s suggested the creation of a bicycle plan as they were studying for exams. The two debated the reality of such a program and from there the seeds of an organization was established. Starting in the Spring of 2008, Mortell began investigating the steps needed to begin such a program. Fortunate for her, she discovered a Senior Design Project from 2005. Available through the Institute of Transportation Engineers at UConn, the project provided information on university density, projected bike lanes, paths, location of racks, etc. Since the design of the program was previously created, her next step was to confront the bureaucratic juggernaut known as “The Administration.” Read the rest of this entry »
