Red, Green, and Blue

A new study shows that pollution from automobiles and coal-fired power plants is contributing to the melting of mountain snowpacks up to a month early, exacerbating water shortages and polluting streams in the arid West.

We’ve all seen it. That white fluffy blanket of snow that looked so nice after it fell a couple weeks back is no longer white and fluffy. It has been capped with a layer of dark sooty particulate matter, turning it from white to gray to black. Having grown up in the Boston area, this was the reality of virtually every snowstorm I can recall from my youth. But that dark, sooty particulate matter that builds up on the stale snow is not only an aesthetically unpleasing feature of urban landscapes in the winter, it happens in the North American snowscapes of the Rockies, the Sierra Nevadas and the Cascades - with far more serious consequences.

A peer-reviewed study conducted by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is the first to explore changes to snowmelt caused by soot pollution at a regional level. The study, authored by Qian, Gustafson, Leung and Ghan, is scheduled to be published next month in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres. Read the rest of this entry »

Few Presidents have mentioned the environment in their inaugural speeches, but Mr Obama is one of them. There were some excellent pointers in his businesslike presentation today. Some that particularly caught my ear:

“Roll back the specter of a warming planet”

“…restoring Science to its rightful place”.

I also noted the part about “harnessing the sun, the wind and the soil”. The BBC’s Washington correspondent, Richard Lister noted that he was “setting out his transformative agenda: creating a new energy infrastructure. The image of ‘harnessing’ the soil is a notable one…”

Read the rest of this entry »

In an earlier post, I raised the fact that only two U.S. Presidents have ever even mentioned the environment in their inaugural addresses. And after today, that record will technically stay intact.

Though President Obama did not utter the word “environment” per se, he spoke both directly and indirectly about the major energy and environmental issues of today; more so than any of his predecessors. Below are the excerpts in which Mr. Obama referred to the environment:

“…each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.”

“For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.”

“With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.”

“To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.”

Full text of inaugural address
Image: CC licensed by flickr user victoriapeckham

There will be many firsts during the course of Tuesday’s Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama, but mentioning the environment in the inaugural address will not be one of them: though pretty darn close.

[Update: While President Obama did not use the actual word "environment", he spoke both directly and indirectly about the environment more so than any of his predecessors. See those references.]

Past presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S Truman and Calvin Coolidge have referred to the development and wise use of our “natural resources.”  The language in these earlier environmental references was infused with the themes of conservation and preservation as opposed to pollution and ecological balance.

Conspicuously absent throughout the history of inaugural addresses have been allusions to the major energy and environmental issues of the time. In fact, only two presidents in this country’s history have even mentioned the word “environment” in this context; and they each used both of their opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »

“Well, it’s a sad night because we’ve reached the end of George W. Bush’s presidency and that means we have to unload what was a tremendous, rich, heavy-laden vein of comedy for us - like mining a dense vein of coal by god…” - David Letterman, January 16, 2009

The late night TV hosts have made their living over the last eight years thanks to the guffaws of the forty-third President of the United States, George W. Bush. But now that Bush is leaving the White House, the same late-night denizens of the airways have made a cottage industry talking about how they will have no material to make fun of after Obama takes office. Letterman recognized the end of the George W. Bush era with a video tribute to some of the President’s “rougher” moments [3:46].

Change is in the air! Red, Green, and Blue editor Tim Hurst posted photos of the wind turbines on the Capital Mall yesterday, and I was able to see them firsthand today, with the flag-draped Capital as a most appropriate backdrop.

Arriving in the DC area last night, I’m staying across the Potomac in Alexandria, the obvious buzz in the air is about the inauguration. But this time it is different. That’s the feeling on the air and the word on the street. Estimates are now for two million people to converge on the Mall on inauguration day in what truly is becoming  a Great American Pilgrimage.

Of course I knew when I left San Francisco early yesterday morning that I was one of many - thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions - coming to Washington to bear witness to history. But once the journey is begun, I am myself swept up in its tide.

There is a pragmatic aspect to governance, a political reality to wielding power. But seeing and being a part of this movement of people, I realize there is an underlying spirit to what this inauguration represents. Pragmatism and power lend itself to politics - the art of the possible. They are the tools that, when we strive for our best, serve the ideals and spirit of a nation and its people. This is a proud moment for America and Americans.

The whole world is watching.

Image credit: Tom Schueneman

Two small wind turbines, the type that would power individual homes, farms, or businesses are currently on display at the National Mall and contributing to the Washington, D.C. power grid. The turbines will remain in place through January 2009 as part of a sustainability exhibit at the Botanic Garden.

The two turbines, from Mariah Power (left) and Southwest Windpower (right), are just a few hundred feet from the Capitol, visible from where President-elect Obama will take the oath of office next Tuesday, January 20.

“Small residential wind turbines and solar PV are examples of technologies moving us toward realizing President-elect Obama’s vision for a renewable energy future and also creating thousands of new manufacturing and dealer jobs across the country,” said Andy Kruse, co-founder of Southwest Windpower, maker of the Skystream 3.7, the first real ‘plug and play’ residential wind turbine to hit North American markets.

>>See Also: Top 5 Micro Wind Turbines

This past fall, Congress passed a small-wind tax credit that gives individuals and businesses a $4,000 investment tax credit for the purchase of turbines like those from Mariah and Southwest Windpower currently on display on The National Mall.

Images: Courtesy of the manufacturers

This is a guest post by Caitlin Sislin, a public interest environmental attorney in Oakland, California and founder of the Transformative Advocacy program of Women’s Earth Alliance.

Barack Obama is committed to slowing and reversing climate change. Environmentally-friendly initiatives such as green jobs are at the center of his economic stimulus plan. So it’s no surprise that Obama’s inauguration will have the smallest “footprint” of any president in history.

>>See Also: Obama Could be Just the Third President to Mention Environment in Inaugural Address

The four-plus million people expected to flood Washington, D.C. in two weeks will be treated to numerous eco-friendly perks:

• For the first time ever, the Environmental Protection Agency will advise event organizers on techniques for throwing a greener party.
• Festivities will include not one, but two carbon-neutral Green Inaugural Balls — one hosted by Al Gore.
• Organic food will be served at official events.
• Bicycle-riders will be treated to valet parking.
• Public restrooms will feature air dryers instead of paper towels.
• Many of the festivities will be lit using energy-efficient bulbs.
• All catered events at the House of Representatives will use compostable or biodegradable plates and utensils.
• A small-wind turbine display from Southwest Windpower and Mariah Power

Environmental groups will also be on hand, working to raise awareness about sustainability among the millions of event attendees. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will hand out used fur coats to homeless people, as well as hot chocolate with soy milk in cups that read “Thank You for Not Wearing Fur!” Read the rest of this entry »

An aide to Obama said Friday that the administration plans to add 20 gigawatts (GW) or more of wind power and  4 GW of geothermal and solar power by 2012 through loan guarantees and fast tracked national renewable energy requirements, like the Renewable Portfolio Standard. Last May the U.S. Energy Department estimated wind power could provide almost a quarter of U.S. electricity.

Trade groups from the U.S. wind and solar industries were happy with the news, considering that the current economic environment for commercial credit has lowered all boats as it were, with all investment now endangered - not just investment in risky financial instruments, but even those investments in renewable energy that are essential to growing a stable economy.

>>See Also: Obama Stimulus Package May Include $25B in Energy Tax Credits

No other country, in any single year, has added the volume of wind capacity that was added to the US electrical grid in 2007 with both wind and solar growing well over 40%, but with the credit crunch affecting all sectors of the economy, new projects could drop by as much as 50%, without help from the Federal government.

Read the rest of this entry »

Abraham Lincoln was a self-described billiards addict. John Adams swam almost daily in the nearby waters of the often chilly Potomac River. Gerald Ford made use of the White House facilities as if they were at his own private country club wedged in a corner at the intersection of Pennsylvania and Executive avenues in Washington, D.C.

Whether entertaining high-powered guests or for personal enjoyment, American presidents and their families have a long tradition of recreating on the grounds of the White House. When the ability to find simple seclusion in the outside world is nearly impossible, these seven White House facilities can offer respite from the high-pressure job.

1. Basketball

It is no secret that Barack Obama is a huge basketball enthusiast. From his high school days in Hawaii when he earned the nickname “Barry the Bomber”, right up until the day he gave his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Mr. Obama has played basketball as a way to keep fit, focused and healthy. With an incoming cabinet basketball team said to be the best ever and with Obama’s proclivity for shooting the rock around, the single-basket outdoor court may not be enough.

Installed by George H.W. Bush in 1991, the 26′ by 26′ court sits near the swimming pool and just off the Oval Office. But when Mr. Obama hinted throughout the campaign that he’d like to upgrade from the driveway-sized basketball court to a full-sized indoor court by replacing the existing bowling alley, bowling industry groups raised vocal opposition.

2. Bowling

As opposed to his skills on the basketball court, Mr. Obama’s skills in the bowling alley are, let’s say, not as sharp. Obama displayed his proficiency as a bowler in the Spring of 2008 whilst campaigning in Altoona, PA, when he bowled a less-than-stellar score of 37. But whether Obama will actually make good on his promise to replace the White House bowling alley, remains to be seen. After news broke that Obama was considering gutting the bowling lane and building a basketball court, a coalition of bowling groups offered to redesign the White House lane(s) with a decidedly twenty-first century feel:

The first White House bowling alley was actually built as a gift for President Harry Truman in 1947 in the location of what is now the Situation Room. Though not much of a bowler himself, the Truman bowling alley was well used by guests and staff until it was relocated across the street to the Executive Building. In 1969, President Richard M. Nixon brought bowling back to the White House with a single lane in a basement area below a driveway that exists today.

3. Swimming

Nestled in the trees not far from the basketball court and the West Wing is the White House swimming pool, installed in 1975 by Californian and avid swimmer Gerald Ford. Outfitted with a cabana, a solar hot water system for the pool and a spa that was later added by President Bill Clinton, the pool area is the perfect place to entertain guests, let alone Malia and Sasha.

The original White House swimming pool was built by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Roosevelt, who suffered from polio, used the indoor West Wing swimming pool as therapy to strengthen his upper body. The Roosevelt pool was ultimately filled in by Nixon who used the space as an area for press to gather.