The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is expected to debate amendments to a bill proposed by Sens. Lieberman (I-CT) and Warner (R-VA) that would create a “cap and trade” system designed to cut total U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions. Yet an expert with the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) says the cap and trade system would slow economic growth with little if any environmental improvement to show for it.
“Back in 1997 the Senate took the sensible position that the U.S. should not adopt any climate treaty that would either harm the economy or that didn’t include meaningful participation by major developing countries,” said H. Sterling Burnett, senior fellow at the NCPA. “Now, with an election year fast approaching, many of the same Senators are rushing to adopt a unilateral bill that violates both of those principles. The good news is this proposal has little chance of becoming law.”
The bill, titled “America’s Climate Security Act,” would restrict greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, petroleum refiners, major manufacturers and natural gas supplied to both residential and commercial buildings under what is called a “cap and trade” mechanism. Under a cap and trade system, government establishes a cap on total emissions, and then auctions or gives allowances to the affected industries, allowing them to emit carbon dioxide at certain levels. Companies are also allowed to trade their emission allowances among themselves, so that companies that can cost effectively cut emissions more than their allowed amount can sell their excess emission credits to others. Over time, the annual emissions limits would decline.
Burnett noted that an analysis of cap and trade proposals in general by the Congressional Budget Office estimated costs to the economy in tens of billions and perhaps hundreds of billions of dollars annually and concluded that the poor would bear the brunt of resulting higher energy prices.
“These costs could be quite high since the technologies don’t exist at the present to meet the emission reduction goals,” said Burnett. “There is no telling if and when we can separate economic growth from growth in energy use or at least from growth in fossil fuel use.”
Increasingly scientists are advocating geo-engineering approaches, as more immediate, cost-effective ways to reduce warming. And politicians and analysts world wide are coming to embrace the need for adapting to future warming.
The NCPA is an internationally known nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute with offices in Dallas and Washington, D. C. that advocates private solutions to public policy problems. We depend on the contributions of individuals, corporations and foundations that share our mission. The NCPA accepts no government grants.
Chicago is starting to be known as one of the greenest cities in the nation. And of course, people recognize the city for the Sears Tower. The tallest building in North America and the city’s green initiatives might be joining forces.
The tallest building in North America is officially going green, along with a few of its Windy City counterparts. At a green building expo in Chicago yesterday, former President Bill Clinton and eterna-Mayor Richard Daley announced a partnership to retrofit landmarks including the Sears Tower and the Merchandise Mart, the nation’s largest commercial center. Using features like wind turbines and green roofs, the endeavor will seek to save energy, fight climate change, and — perhaps most important — show other communities and countries around the world that environment and economy do mix. Green building and other climate fixes represent “a staggering economic opportunity,” Clinton said. “I think this is the greatest opportunity our country has had to generate prosperity since we mobilized for World War I.” Daley, who first took office in 1914, nodded sagely.
A lot of people are changing their daily habits and adopting more eco-friendly practices - and holiday gift giving is no exception. Unbeknownst to the average consumer, many of the seemingly normal gifts are starting to look a little green.
Putting more green into your holidays means more than leaving less impact on the planet. It’s about choosing gifts that are made with durable, quality, non-toxic materials. Luckily, this often leads to quirky, one-of-a-kind items that say as much about your creative leanings as your Earth-friendliness. Giving green can mean everything from reusing gift wrap and gift bags (or do-it-yourself stenciled paper bags or comics pages), to putting all-natural lotions and beeswax candles in stockings and solar-powered electronics and vintage jewelry under the tree. Of course, if you choose to actually give green — as in plants! — that’s OK, too. (In that case, we recommend philodendron, Boston fern, peace lily and English ivy, all of which are known for their air-cleaning qualities.)
-For the gadget geek: The eco hard drive
-For children: Non-toxic toys and games
-For the outdoors enthusiast: Sustainable skis and snowboards
-For the chief household officer: Creative kitchenware
-For the hipster/fashionista: Reclaimed bags and accessories
-For the eco-economic (under $25): The waterproof wallet
Chicago Biofuels is offering a unique stocking stuffer - renewable energy. Well, not really…but you can buy eco-friendly gifts from their Web site.
Check out the new merchandise page online to see their t-shirts and bumper stickers. The t-shirts are 100% US made organic cotton that’s locally hand silk-screened with non-toxic inks and the stickers are the perfect stocking stuffer for all your bio-buddies.
There are other ways to support Chicago Biofuels in your holiday giving…consider making a donation in someone’s name…and nothing says I love you (and the earth) like a gift membership. Remember to order early to be sure your gift arrives in time for whichever holiday you choose to celebrate this season (they suggest ordering by Dec. 14th if said holiday involves a fat man in a red suit).
Mackenzie Yang, a journalist from the Columbia Spectator, hit the nail on the head: Green eating habits mean more than just broccoli.
After attending a series of workshops on food, farms and community health in New York, Yang learned some lessons that Chicagoans need to hear.
Lesson 1:
Eating organic produce translates to eating an extra serving of fruits and vegetables due to all the antioxidants and nutrients it has compared to nonorganic produce.
Lesson 2:
Vitamin content in nonorganic fruits and vegetables has decreased by 10 to 40 percent over the years.
Lesson 3:
Irradiated food—food exposed to radiation to kill off bacteria—does not have to be labeled as such, even if it’s sold in restaurants, schools, and hospitals. This is disturbing, as irradiation destroys vitamins, protein, and essential fatty acids, and produces chemicals that have been linked to DNA damage in human cells.
Watch a video that shows step-by-step how the women of WomanCraft, a social enterprise of Deborah’s Place, turn shredded office paper into wedding invitations, stationary and holiday cards. After watching the process, think about trying it out for yourself or coming by the studio to see the papermaking process firsthand.
For further reading, check out last month’s post about the non-profit organzation creating new beginnings for women in Chicago.
Everyone says that they want to eat local and organic and will maybe go on a “green” spree for a short time. But who really sticks to their original green game plan?
One woman and one man did - Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon.
Like many great adventures, the 100-mile diet began with a memorable feast. Stranded in their off-the-grid summer cottage in the Canadian wilderness with unexpected guests, Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon turned to the land around them. They caught a trout, picked mushrooms, and mulled apples from an abandoned orchard with rose hips in wine. The meal was truly satisfying; every ingredient had a story, a direct line they could trace from the soil to their forks. The experience raised a question: Was it possible to eat this way in their everyday lives?
Back in the city, they began to research the origins of the items that stocked the shelves of their local supermarket. They were shocked to discover that a typical ingredient in a North American meal travels roughly the distance between Boulder, Colorado, and New York City before it reaches the plate. Like so many people, Smith and MacKinnon were trying to live more lightly on the planet; meanwhile, their “SUV diet” was producing greenhouse gases and smog at an unparalleled rate. So they decided on an experiment: For one year they would eat only food produced within 100 miles of their Vancouver home.
It wouldn’t be easy. Stepping outside the industrial food system, Smith and MacKinnon found themselves relying on World War II era cookbooks and maverick farmers who refused to play by the rules of a global economy. What began as a struggle slowly transformed into one of the deepest pleasures of their lives. For the first time they felt connected to the people and the places that sustain them.
For Smith and MacKinnon, the 100-mile diet became a journey whose destination was, simply, home. From the satisfaction of pulling their own crop of garlic out of the earth to pitched battles over canning tomatoes, Plenty is about eating locally and thinking globally.
The authors’ food-focused experiment questions globalization, monoculture, the oil economy, environmental collapse, and the tattering threads of community. Thought-provoking and inspiring, Plenty offers more than a way of eating. In the end, it’s a new way of looking at the world.
Just in case you’re not sold quite yet, here’s a review:
“This very human and often humorous adventure about two people eating food grown within a short distance of their home is surprising, delightful, and even shocking. If you’ve only talked about eating locally but never given yourself definitions — especially strict ones — to follow, I assure you that your farmers’ market will never again look the same. Nothing you eat will look the same! This inspiring and enlightening book will give you plenty to chew on.” Deborah Madison, author of Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets
WHAT TO DO: Register at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/adamsbrown/ (Click on Locally Grown Conference) Registration is $25 per person, with a lunch featuring local foods included
Direct Energy is recommending these measures to reduce usage and maximize efficiency during the holidays:
– Turn down the heat a few degrees. Doing so could save 10 percent on
heating bills. Reducing the heat before guests arrive makes sense, too,
because all their extra body heat will soon warm up the room.
— Dim the lights and have memorable holiday meals by candlelight. You
could even “go organic” and try soy candles.
— Decorate using LED bulbs, which have a rated life of 50,000 hours,
representing nearly 20 years of normal usage. That’s a bargain,
especially when compared with incandescent lights, which last just 600
to 1,000 hours.
— Wrap gifts with conservation in mind. If everyone wrapped just three
gifts in reused paper or fabric gift bags, it would save enough paper
to cover 45,000 ice hockey rinks.
— Don’t open the oven door to peek at what’s cooking. It can lower oven
temperatures as much as 25 degrees, which increases cooking time and
gobbles energy. Use the oven light and window instead.
— Remember your other cooking appliances when preparing a holiday meal.
Great for cooking or for heating up holiday dinner leftovers,
microwaves use about 50 percent less energy than conventional ovens.
— Use your dishwasher for cleanup. A dishwasher requires 37 percent less
water than washing dishes by hand.
— Buy miniature decorative lights, which use about 70 percent less energy
and last much longer than bigger bulbs. Connect them to an automatic
timer to reduce the chance of leaving your holiday lights burning all
night or while you’re away.
City officials say Chicago is the alley capital of the world with the paved equivalent of five midsize airports. And with that title, come endless possibilities - to help the environment? Might seem a little weird, but according to a New York Times article featuring Chicago…it’s true.
The Windy City announced plans to green its 2,000 miles of alleyways by installing permeable ground coverings that will allow rainwater to seep back into the ground and replenish groundwater supplies.
The plan is called the Green Alley Initiative and could possibly be the most ambitious street makeover in U.S. history.
Susan Saulny summarizes the new system:
In a green alley, water is allowed to penetrate the soil through the pavement itself, which consists of the relatively new but little-used technology of permeable concrete or porous asphalt. Then the water, filtered through stone beds under the permeable surface layer, recharges the underground water table instead of ending up as polluted runoff in rivers and streams.
Revamping the way the city paves could help preserve one of Chicago’s most valued natural resources - Lake Michigan. But some people are skeptical of the refurbished alleyways in a city where people hardly recycle.
City officials say the city will have completed 46 green alleys by the end of the year.
Read the New York Times article for more coverage on the confident and skeptical people affected by the alleyway makeover.
