Easy Being Green

Horse trails in nature preserves?

Published

on February 5, 2010

. 1 Comment

By Andy Mead
amead@herald-leader.com
FRANKFORT — Kentucky is known around the world for its horses.

It also has some beautiful, environmentally sensitive lands — the kind of places that Daniel Boone would recognize — that are protected in nature preserves.

Those two things have come into conflict on the Brush and Cumberland mountains in the southeastern corner of the state, where a historic horse trail was closed to protect a delicate ecosystem.

On Thursday, the conflict arrived at a legislative committee meeting in Frankfort.

The Kentucky Horse Council, which claims 3,000 trail-riding members, is backing House Bill 312. It would require agencies that manage “state recreation land” to notify the public of any plans to close foot trails to horses and prove that there is a good reason behind the ban.

State officials would be required to “ensure that equine travel on state recreation land grows and flourishes, in keeping with the commonwealth’s internationally recognized equine heritage.”

Ginny Grulke of Lexington, the council’s executive director, says that riding trails on horseback is a rapidly growing pastime, especially among baby boomers.

But, she said, other states are doing a better job of providing places to ride and reaping tourism dollars.

“If you look across the nation, Kentucky is on the low end of public land available,” Grulke said.

Environmental groups who oppose the bill in its current form say they are in favor of what is called “adventure tourism.” However, they say, nature preserves are “living museums” that should be off limits to horses.

The horse council began working on a potential legislative fix after a horse trail was closed in Harlan County. State agencies “discriminate” against horses in many places in Kentucky, Grulke said, but the Harlan County trail was a last straw.

The trail apparently had been used for more than a century, starting with the 1904 establishment of the Hensley Settlement on Brush Mountain in what now is Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

In modern times, the trail had been the only way to get into the national park from Harlan County.

The state’s Wild Rivers Program bought 1,600 acres to protect a stream that tumbles down the mountain. In 2006, the land officially became the Martin’s Fork Wildlife Management Area/State Natural Area, and horses were banned.

The area is managed by the rivers program, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission.

Besides the stream, the area contains nine plants and three animals that the Nature Preserves Commission considers endangered, threatened or of special concern.

Horses, or any pets, aren’t allowed in nature preserves or natural areas.

Don Dott, executive director of the commission, said that horses can bring in the seeds of invasive species on their hooves, coats or manure. The invasive species can then out-compete native species, driving them to the brink of extinction.

Nature preserves are open to hikers. But having to provide trails sturdy enough to accommodate horses and finding room to park horse trailers would strain his agency’s limited budget and staff, Dott said.

He said it would be difficult to prove that opening a specific nature preserve trail to horses would, for example, introduce an invasive plant such as garlic mustard. But invasives already are a major problem in every preserve, he said.

Grulke and Dott testified Thursday before the House Tourism Development and Energy Committee.

Also testifying were people who ride horses or run businesses that cater to horseback riders, and environmental groups.

Tom FitzGerald, executive director of the Kentucky Resources Council, said that nature preserves have no place in the proposed legislation.

“They are not ’state recreation areas,’ they are remnant natural communities,” he said.

Committee members took turns voicing their support for horses and tourism.

But Rep. Jim Gooch, D-Providence, warned that opening state lands to horses could spur demands by other groups, such as people who ride off-road vehicles.

Several committee members said the opposing sides need to get together and work toward a compromise.

At the end of a two-hour hearing, the committee chairman, Rep. Eddie Ballard, D-Madisonville, strongly suggested that negotiations take place. HB 312 “needs a lot of work done on it,” he said.

Reach Andy Mead at (859) 231-3319 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3319.

Follow coal plant air quality hearing on Twitter, Facebook

Published

andymead

on February 3, 2010

in Coal mining, Environmental illnesses and Mining

. 2 Comments

Environmentalists opposed to East Kentucky Power Cooperative’s proposed coal-burning plant in Clark County will be attending a public hearing on an air quality permit for the plant on Thursday, Feb. 4.
The hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. at Clark County Cooperative Extension,
1400 Fortune Drive in Winchester.
A half hour before the hearing, several people will be speaking about pollution and health impacts from the plant. That group includes Dr. Vicki Holmberg, a Lexington physician.

The environmentalists say there will be live updates from the hearing on Twitter (#STOPSMITH) and
Facebook (Group name: No New Coal Plants in Clark County!).

Environmentalists have been trying for years to stop the project, now known as Smith 1. So far, only limited, but potentially significant, success: At the request of Wendell Berry and others, the Kentucky Public Service Commission has opened an investigation into whether the plant is needed.

Can clean coal be Lorax-clean? Dr. Seuss’ people say no.

Published

andymead

on February 2, 2010

in Coal mining

. 0 Comments

From the New York Times:

The company that protects the copyrights on the works of Theodor Geisel, better known as the children’s book author Dr. Seuss, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to a Massachusetts company looking to get into the coal business under the name Lorax — the title character of a story published in 1971.

“There’s no reason for them to use the term,” said Karl ZoBell, the longtime lawyer for Dr. Seuss Enterprises, “except to purloin the good will attached to the book and use it for a company that appears to be the opposite of everything the book is about.”

Read the rest of the article: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/of-dr-seuss-and-coal-gasification/

University of Kentucky students want coal off campus; offers T-shirts

Published

andymead

on February 1, 2010

in Coal mining

. 3 Comments

A new UK Beyond Coal group is holding its first meeting on the campus Monday night.
Here’s where to find out more: http://ukbeyondcoal.wordpress.com

And here’s a press release about it (the press release is missing the time and precise location of the meeting; the web site says it’s 8:30 p.m.in room 357).

Back to School? Not for Coal
University of Kentucky Part of New Campaign to Kick Coal off Campuses

Lexington, KY: UK Beyond Coal launched a new campaign on campus to move the University of Kentucky beyond coal, part of the Sierra Club’s nationwide effort on more than 60 campuses. The group aims to close polluting coal plants, like that on UK’s campus, and replace them with cleaner energy options and energy efficiency.

“We’re focusing on campuses because universities should be leaders in technological innovation and sustainability, creating models for green society,” said Bruce Nilles, Director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. “Campuses should be places of learning, development and growth where young adults can thrive, not homes to dangerous and polluting 19th century technology.”

Already the Sierra Student Coalition, working with students across the country, has been part of a national movement to secure commitments from over 600 universities to reduce their carbon emissions to zero through the Presidents Climate Commitment. One of these committed universities is the University of Louisville, one of UK’s biggest rivals. Yet many schools, including UK, continue to rely on coal to meet their energy needs. In fact over 60 campuses own coal plants on campus, making it impossible to meet the zero emissions goal.

While UK is taking notable steps to become a greener campus, such as recycling in all the academic buildings, improving bike lanes/paths, and hiring Ameresco to help put energy efficiency projects in motion all over campus, the campus still relies on dirty coal. One of these coal plants on campus is over 50 years old.

“UK is on the right track towards becoming a greener community, but needs to just take that last step and become a coal-free campus. Other top-notch universities around the country, such as Cornell, are already moving beyond coal and I think UK should follow suit. I think more research on renewable energy resources and implementing that research on UK’s campus could help UK become a Top 20 Research Institution,” says Allison Roland, a first year at UK.

UK Beyond Coal is holding a Kick Off Meeting on Monday, February 1 in Room 357 of the student center. Over sixty students are expected to attend and take part in the meeting’s activities. Keynote speaker, Tanya Turner, from eastern Kentucky, will talk about the impact of coal in her region as well as what it means to have a coal plant at UK, the flagship for the rest of the state. Students will work on different aspects of the campaign such as media, grassroots pressure, event planning and coalitions with faculty, alumni and student organizations. The meeting will Kick Off the campaign on UK’s campus to move the campus off coal.

Tackling climate change in a coal state

Published

andymead

on January 28, 2010

in Energy, Events, Gas and Uncategorized

. 5 Comments

By Andy Mead
amead@herald-leader.com
FRANKFORT — In Kentucky, where global warming skeptics are given a warm welcome before coal-friendly legislative committees, a major effort to rein in climate change began Thursday.

The Kentucky Climate Action Plan Council, whose members were appointed last month, held its first meeting Thursday, with an eye toward having a series of policy recommendations by the end of the year.

Its task, as defined by state government: “Identify opportunities for Kentucky to respond to the challenge of global climate change while becoming more energy efficient, more energy independent, and spurring economic growth.”

The purpose of the group is not to debate climate science, said Len Peters, secretary of the state Energy and Environment Cabinet and chairman of the climate council.

“The whole issue…has entered into the realm of politics at this point,” he said. “Whether you are a nay-sayer or you think the science is right…we want to get beyond that. The nation, the world, is saying we need to more forward in this regard.”

Although burning coal is considered one of the major human-generated causes of climate change, the state’s coal industry apparently has little to fear from the council.

Coal is used to generate half the nation’s electricity, and more than 90 percent of Kentucky’s electricity.

Peters said as the state looks forward to the next 10 or 15 years, an important consideration will be remaining competitive with other states on the cost of electricity.

The council will look at things such as clean coal technology, burning renewable fuel along with coal, and capturing and burying the carbon dioxide from coal, he said, “keeping those rates low and at the same time reducing carbon.”

Peters said the council’s work will mesh well with the work of a task force that recommended more use of renewable energy sources, and Gov. Steve Beshear’s November 2008 energy plan that set a goal of significantly reducing greenhouse gases while increasing jobs.

Reducing carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions won’t be easy.

From 1990 to 2005, Kentucky’s emissions increased at double the national rate, according to a draft report prepared for the council. Kentucky emissions rose 33 percent over the period; nationwide emissions rose 16 percent.

The report was prepared by the Center for Climate Strategies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group formed in 2004 to help governments with climate change issues.

Tom Peterson, CCS’s president and CEO, said that at least other states have prepared climate change plans like the one Kentucky is beginning.

The state is paying CCS $200,000 to work with the climate council. Another $97,500 is coming from the Blue Moon Foundation and the Turner Foundation.

On Thursday, the council heard a long list of things that other states are doing to curb greenhouse gases. They ranged from demand-side management, where a homeowner can see how much electricity he is using and turn off unnecessary appliances, to dealing with the methane emitted by cows.

Deciding which of those policies to recommend for Kentucky will be the responsibility of the 31-member council and technical committees that will include members of the council and others with scientific or other expertise.

The council includes Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry (who sent a representative in his place Thursday) and state and federal officials. It also includes people from the coal, aluminum, lumber and automobile industries, and only two or three people who could be identified as environmentalists.

That didn’t escape Tona Barkley, a member of the Frankfort Climate Action Network, who sat through the 5 1/2 hour meeting to speak during a public comment period at the end.

She said the council was a great idea, but added that she would like to see more environmentalists on it. Peters, the chairman, suggested that more people could be added to the technical committees.

The only other member of the public to speak was Connie Lemley, a farmer, who also talked about what the council was missing: People who could speak for inhabitants of island nations that could be submerged by rising sea levels, African farmers hit by droughts caused by a changing climate, polar bears, and birds that migrate hundreds or thousands of miles only to find out that the insects they always depended on are not around.

“I guess one of my real concerns about meetings like this is that the solutions that seem feasible are not really what we need to do,” she said.

To learn more about the Kentucky Climate Action Plan Council, go to www.kyclimatechange.us.

Reach Andy Mead at (859) 231-3319 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3319.

School lunches, part III

Published

lindajohnson

on January 27, 2010

in Uncategorized

. 4 Comments

Did you see the story we had last week about how Fayette County is removing deep fryers from some schools?

I was stunned to see that schools have and use deep fryers in 2010. They have been removed from 19 schools.

Here’s the nut graph from that story:

Those schools now are baking or broiling foods that already were flash-fried — fried briefly at high temperatures — before being frozen and delivered to the schools, says Marty Flynn, the district’s child nutrition coordinator.

They’re still fried. Now they just aren’t fried twice. Great.

And then these nuggets:

Even though the 19 schools have removed frying equipment, more than 30 others still have it, Flynn said. Frying equipment is being removed each time a school is renovated, and no frying equipment is being placed in new schools, Flynn said. The goal is to eliminate all deep fryers.

Meanwhile, in schools that still have frying equipment, moves are under way to reduce the amount of frying or to use healthier, zero trans-fat oils when foods are fried, according to district officials.

That means they are still using them and those chicken strips flash-fried by the vendor are still fried again, right?

One of the photos with the story shows a student’s lunch tray at Russell Cave Elementary, one of the 19 schools to remove the fryers.

It showed once-fried chicken strips, a few orange slices and some unidentifiable fruit in a cup (which most likely means canned), a whole wheat roll and chocolate milk. Two fruits, great. Whole wheat roll, good. Once-friend chicken, not so much. Chocolate milk? Not good, especially if he grabs it five times a week (this was on an average Tuesday).

I got slammed by commenters after the first blog I did on how unhealthy school lunches are. I wrote then that they don’t seem to have progressed much since I was in school, back in the dark ages.

This doesn’t help their argument.

And, frankly, it’s just wrong, especially in a state with one of the highest child obesity rates in the country.

I had a long conversation with Marty Flynn after that first posting and she told me some of the good things happening in the school cafeterias, like switching to whole wheat breads and adding fresh fruit. But, really? They’re still double-frying foods more than half the schools?

Don’t tell me kids won’t drink or eat healthy things. Kids will eat what you put in front of them, especially if you don’t offer sugar-laden and/or high-salt and/or deep-fried crap beside the healthy stuff.

Why not just bake or broil the chicken without it being fried to start with? It might take a little more time to make sure the chicken is cooked, but aren’t kids worth that effort?

I think they are.

— Linda J.

The University of Kentucky anti-coal sign mystery (con’t)

Published

andymead

on January 26, 2010

in Coal mining, Energy, Mining and Uncategorized

. 4 Comments

Mysteriously posted on campus 1/25/10

Even when it’s cold and snowy out, there still are some people on the University of Kentucky campus thinking about how the school gets its energy. This sign allegedly went up sometime Tuesday. I received the following press release from “midnightactivist.”:

LEXINGTON, Ky: Tuesday, an anonymous group of students from the University of Kentucky hung a banner from a parking structure near Rose Street to protest the university’s use of coal power on campus. The banner, reading “COAL: A Tradition of Oppression. STUDENTS: Let’s Change Our Legacy”, included a reproduction of the familiar UK symbol, with a burning smokestack between the letters instead of the usual Memorial Hall steeple.

Deemed the “midnight strike force” by local news sources, the students are fueling a campaign to move the university beyond the “outdated” technology of coal power and in the direction of cleaner energies. One of the students, an economics and environmental studies senior, said, “You can’t argue facts. Coal is a finite resource and the shift to alternative energies has to begin immediately. Kentucky must realize its potential to be progressive and enterprising in the country’s transition toward environmental awareness.”

The students’ use of the word “oppression” alludes to the detrimental effects of coal not only on the environment, but on the miners and communities in coal-mining regions of the state. An estimated 12,000 coal miners have died from black lung in the past decade, and their families are equally affected. The real tragedy, though, lies in mountain top removal (MTR) coal mining, a practice that more and more coal companies are using to extract coal at a lower cost. MTR employs explosives to decapitate mountains, and the leftover waste is deposited in surrounding valleys. The chemicals and residue bury and contaminate freshwater streams, thus poisoning the water supply for surrounding communities and devastating local ecosystems.

While the university, directly, does not deal in MTR coal, Kentucky Utilities provides a significant portion of the campus’s power, and is a known distributor of energy derived from the controversial method.

“The University of Kentucky is the flagship university of the state, and as such, sets the example for the rest of Kentucky. Any change we can make toward cleaner energy and the diversification of jobs and economies will affect the entire Appalachian region drastically, and for the better. This change is one that can’t wait,” said an Appalachian Studies junior.

It seems momentum has not died from the announcement last semester that the new Wildcat Coal Lodge would be endorsed by the coal industry. Tuesday’s banner was one of a series that has hung on campus since October, indicating that the students have not forgotten President Todd’s decision, and that they still worry for the future of their school’s energy and integrity.

New Web site focuses on changing Appalachia

Published

andymead

on January 26, 2010

in Coal mining, Kentucky's natural resources, Mining, Water, Weather, solar energy and wind energy

. 1 Comment

The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development and Kentuckians For The Commonwealth have come together for a project called The Appalachian Transition Initiative. MACED’s Justin Maxson says the goal is “to promote an active, action-oriented, public conversation about the necessary transition to a new economy in Central Appalachia.”

A new Web site to go along with the project is www.appalachiantransition.net

Coming Saturday: your chance to do something locally about clean water

Published

andymead

on January 21, 2010

in Uncategorized

. 1 Comment

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN KENTUCKY: SEWING FIG LEAVES FOR FLOODS ?

Hank Graddy, Project Director, Kentucky River Watershed Watch

On Saturday, January 23, 2010, the Kentucky River Watershed Watch will hold the 13th annual Watershed Protection Conference at Midway College, Midway, Ky. Our focus will be on “green infrastructure” – an alternative approach to managing storm water that seeks to reduce surface water flow and increase infiltration into the groundwater during rain events.

The US EPA has begun to promote “green infrastructure” as a more effective and less expensive approach to storm water management. See the following explanation at:
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=298
Green infrastructure is an approach to wet weather management that is cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. Green Infrastructure management approaches and technologies infiltrate, evapotranspire, capture and reuse stormwater to maintain or restore natural hydrologies.
At the largest scale, the preservation and restoration of natural landscape features (such as forests, floodplains and wetlands) are critical components of green stormwater infrastructure. By protecting these ecologically sensitive areas, communities can improve water quality while providing wildlife habitat and opportunities for outdoor recreation.
On a smaller scale, green infrastructure practices include rain gardens, porous pavements, green roofs, infiltration planters, trees and tree boxes, and rainwater harvesting for non-potable uses such as toilet flushing and landscape irrigation.
The question for Kentuckians is whether anybody paying attention ?

Last year, the Georgetown Fire Department conducted a series of field days to show off their new parking lot at Fire Station No. 3, with a “pervious pavement” that quickly absorbed the water from the fire hose, and that was designed to minimize runoff. This pilot project is one of a few projects in Kentucky that are designed to perform as “green infrastructure.” Last year, Lexington’s Bluegrass Rain Garden Alliance announced the goal of creating 2010 rain gardens by the year 2010. To date, 74 rain gardens have been registered.

The 2007 LFUCG Comprehensive Plan devotes 30 pages to the “Environment and Green Infrastructure” and this chapter was included within the documentation that was part of the Consent Decree with the US EPA. Lexington, Louisville and the Sanitation District No. 1 of N. Ky. promote the use of rain barrels as a way individual homeowners can be come part of the “green infrastructure” solution to the storm-water problems facing every community.

Are we doing enough? Are our communities among the leaders across the country – or are we placing band-aids on problems that require major surgery? Are we responding to floods by sewing fig leaves together?

As a self-described “environmental activist,” my answer to those questions is predictable – of course we are not doing enough. However, this issue is different from most environmental issues. Here, there is documentation that “green infrastructure” is cheaper than the status quo. This means it is a waste of money not to change. It is fiscally irresponsible for governments and communities to hold on the “business as usual” course of action.

Nancy Stoner, former NRDC Co-Director for Water wrote about green infrastructure last December 9, 2009 in an article titled: “Green Infrastructure Is Cheaper, So Let’s Remove the Hurdles. She cited developers and US EPA studies that document the savings from adopting new green designs to replace the “gray infrastructure” that is the status quo.
The complete article is at: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/nstoner/green_infrastructure_is_cheape.html

Ms. Stoner was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the 13th Annual Kentucky River Watershed Protection Conference this Saturday, at Midway College. However, she just accepted a new position with the US EPA, Office of Water, and her assistant, Ms. Rebecca Hammer will speak in place of Ms. Stoner. The conference is open to the public, at a cost of $15.00 (lunch included). Conference information is at:
http://www.uky.edu/OtherOrgs/KRWW/
or
http://www.uky.edu/OtherOrgs/KRWW/2010conferencebrochure.pdf

Why have we made so little progress? Unfortunately, part of the problem seems to be that many people are not paying attention. People understand floods. But many of our fellow citizens are not paying attention to water quality and storm-water related water quality problems. In addition, many of us who are aware of the problem still have not taken action. And our leaders have failed to lead. Where we are all part of the problem, we must all become part of the solution.

Rain barrels and rain gardens are clearly part of the solution – but we need many more. Individual homeowner and business actions are helpful – but not enough. The problems are community-wide and state-wide and so must be the solutions. We need your help!

My green resolution for week of Jan. 18

Published

lindajohnson

on January 19, 2010

in Uncategorized

. 1 Comment

This week’s resolution comes courtesy of the Planet Ark Green Resolutions mailing list that I signed up to receive.

They found a great seafood guide from the Australian Marine Conservation Society for making sure we choose seafood options — whether eating out or cooking — that are sustainable and not overfished.

Download it and carry it with you when you are shopping for seafood or choosing from a restaurant menu.

You can also buy a version that details more than 60 types of seafood from the conservation society for $9.95.

I’m done with several seafood types I would have ordinarily ordered at a restaurant thanks to this guide.

— Linda J.

Andy Mead has managed to parlay a fondness for the outdoors into a career as an environmental reporter in Florida and Kentucky. He came to the Herald-Leader in 1976 and has written about issues ranging from coal mining, water quality and invasive species to dragon flies and mushroom fairy circles

Linda J. Johnson, a member of the Online Team, grew up in Colorado where a love for the outdoors and things environmental was ingrained at a tender age. She has been with the Herald-Leader for almost 12 years.

Greenspot on Kentucky.com

Metal plating industry under fire for dumping PFCs in sewers
Alarmed by research linking chemicals used to make Scotchgard and Teflon to cancer, liver disease and other health problems, the federal government spent the last decade pressuring manufacturers to phase out the stain-resistant compounds. But scientists at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently discovered that a different industry - metal plating - is dumping high levels of the chemicals into sewers in Chicago and Cleveland, and likely is doing the same thing in scores of other cities. The finding is worrisome because the chemicals, known as perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, wash unfiltered through sewage treatment plants into lakes and streams. The chemicals don't break down in the environment, and traces are showing up in the blood of people and wildlife around the globe. At one Chicago-area metal plating shop, which the EPA does not name, the agency found PFCs being flushed into the sewers at concentrations of 12,214 parts per trillion, far higher than the 2.5 parts per trillion found in water piped into the factory. Levels were even higher at one of the Cleveland shops: more than 54,000 parts per trillion.
Officials unveil multimillion-dollar plan to battle Asian carp
After a White House meeting christened the "carp summit," federal and state officials on Monday announced a multi-pronged attack with a $78.5 million price tag to prevent Asian carp, an invasive species, from establishing populations in Lake Michigan. Nancy Sutley, the president's top environmental adviser, led the meeting at the request of the governors of Michigan and Wisconsin, who were on hand. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois was scheduled to attend, but canceled his travel plans because of the winter weather and planned to take part by teleconference, said Marlena Jentz, a spokeswoman. Officials on Monday unveiled an Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework, which they characterized as "aggressive" and "unparalleled." It features more than 25 short-term and long-term actions funded by major spending, some of which officials said already is in the pipeline. Asian carp are considered a major threat to the Great Lakes and its commercial and recreational fishing industry, which estimates call a $7 billion enterprise. The new strategy calls for a multi-tiered defense of the Great Lakes to keep carp out which scientists try to develop biological controls to prevent the prolific, non-native fish from developing self-sustaining populations.
Congressman says clean energy will add jobs
The expansion of clean energy represents the next major source of economic development and job growth in Washington state, U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., said at a conference aimed at promoting rural economic development in the Northwest through clean energy development. Inslee said that more than 11,000 jobs in the state are associated with the production of clean energy, including hydro, wind, solar, nuclear and biomass. Agriculture and the development of the aerospace and software industries represented the first three waves of job creation in the state, with clean energy technology the newest rung, he said. Approval of energy legislation is crucial, Inslee said, and not only for job growth and climate protection. America also is in a research and development race with China to create clean energy technology. Read the full story at tri-cityherald.com.
Wildlife safety concerns could boost costs of Everglades reservoirs
Reservoirs planned to help restore the Everglades might need costly redesigns to avoid trapping and killing wildlife drawn to the vast pools of water. Making the proposed reservoirs' embankments more animal-friendly could add to the cost - by $50 million for just one reservoir - of long-delayed water storage considered vital to reviving parts of the Everglades. South Florida water managers contend the proposed changes could save taxpayers money in the long run, but the upfront costs would add yet another hurdle to Everglades restoration. It is "insane" to let concerns about potential wildlife deaths within the reservoirs add to the costs, and potential delays, of water-storage structures intended to save dwindling animal habitat in the Everglades, said Michael Collins, a member of the South Florida Water Management District board. "We have totally lost our focus," Collins said. "If we have got to take care of every field mouse, we are never going to get there."
Pet waste topic of workshop on streams
"Now, I've got to tell you that when I was thinking about running for mayor in 2005, I didn't think I would be spending my Monday mornings talking about pet waste," Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry said. He wasn't talking about pet waste that ends up on the soles of your shoes, although that topic certainly produces strong opinions. No, Newberry was talking Monday about pet waste and water quality. He was at a news conference at Lansdowne Veterinary Clinic and Dental Center to announce a workshop to help businesses and apartment complexes protect streams from a number of pollutants. "Stool from dogs and cats dogs in particular is frequently contaminated with bacterial pathogens ... as well as a variety of parasites," said Dr. Stephen Pinkston, a veterinarian.
Hawaii is paradise for green-tech entrepreneurs
Take a ride in Ron Baird's pickup truck along the volcanic shore of Hawaii's Big Island and he'll show you an inventor's wonderland. On one parcel of this government-created energy laboratory, rows of mirrors shine white-hot in the sun, turning heat into energy. On another, brown water tanks harbor strands of algae that will be made into fuel. Nearby is a wind turbine whose blades spin parallel to the ground. "It's an awesome amount of things going on here," said Baird, chief executive of National Energy Research Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, which is helping to nurture 42 green private-sector businesses on 877 acres of land in Kona. Watch out, California. Tiny Hawaii is gunning for the title of the nation's green energy capital. It's aiming to obtain 70 percent of its total energy needs from clean sources within 20 years.
Save energy, reap rewards?
You maneuver the controls on your thermostat, hoping for a few more degrees of warmth. But wait! What if there were a reward for leaving the setting right where it is - or, better yet, for lowering it? What if putting up with a little chill got you a price break on a butter pound cake split three ways and filled with lemon curd and blackberry and raspberry puree from a local bakery? Or maybe a $10 coupon for native plants or artisanal goat-milk cheeses from your local farm? Or a bed-and-breakfast package at the Four Seasons Hotel? Perks like those are part of a growing list from businesses in the Philadelphia area hoping to improve their bottom lines by promoting a greener lifestyle.
Do Your Part: Valentine's gifts that show you really care
Make Valentine's Day more meaningful this year when you Do Your Part while selecting gifts for your sweetie. From the cards to the candy to a colorful bouquet of flowers, there are lots of creative ways to pick the perfect present and tread lightly on the planet at the same time. Let's start with the card. Valentine's Day is second only to Christmas for most number of cards bought and delivered. Whether you pick one up at the grocery store or a card shop, look for ones made from recycled content. Check the back of the card for the recycled content information. Choose cards made with post consumer content, the paper you and I recycle. You can also find cards that will double as a blooming plant in the future. Look for ones made from paper embedded with flower seeds. After reading the card, your loved one can plant it and later watch the flowers bloom! Flowers are of course a traditional gift for your Valentine. But, why not choose something that will smell sweeter and last a whole lot longer? A small pot of blooming tulips, daffodils, or hyacinth are a beautiful gift and can be planted outdoors where they will continue to bloom year after year. If roses are a must on your list, consider this: most roses are imported from other countries and are heavily sprayed with pesticides and insecticides. Some of these chemicals are so toxic that American farmers are banned from using them. If you want to buy a bouquet that isn't blanketed in toxic chemicals, there are many alternatives.
Despite millions in tax credits, wind energy firms aren't hiring
Despite the Obama administration's efforts to create jobs making wind turbines in America, some companies say that sluggish demand for wind energy is holding them back. The U.S. installed more wind power last year - 9,900 megawatts, or enough to power 2.4 million homes - than in any other year. The growth in wind farm installations in the U.S. was a product of federal stimulus spending. Nonetheless, wind equipment manufacturers cut as many as 2,000 jobs last year. According to the American Wind Energy Association, a trade group, the drop in U.S. jobs is due, in part, to the lack of a long-term national policy that would require a certain percentage of American electricity to come from renewable sources. About half the wind turbines installed in the U.S. were made overseas. A check with some of the companies that want to get into the wind manufacturing business found that even some that qualified for clean-energy manufacturing tax credits aren't able to create jobs quickly because they don't see enough demand for wind energy.
Ask MNN: Can I recycle my old VHS tapes?
Q: I started my spring cleaning early and I just came across some boxes (16 to be exact) of old VHS tapes. I never got rid of them because some of them are home movies that I'd like to transfer to some other form of media that I can actually use. You know, first birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, graduations and the like. The rest, like all my old '80s movies, I'll probably just toss. But before I do, is there any way to recycle these relics of the past? A: First, let's deal with the challenge of transferring all those VHS tapes you want to save to DVD. Family videos are a real treasure and can be a great way for your kids and their kids and many generations more to actually get to know (in a freaky "Twilight Zone" kinda way) who their parents were. But on VHS tapes, those memories might as well be in the trash, because ain't nobody gonna be able to watch those in 10 years. Here's your best option for getting all those beautiful memories onto DVD: www.ehow.com/how-4464104-copy-vhs-movies-dvd.html Now ... what to do with the rest of those tapes (like that copy of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" that you've watched 100 times). If you're interested in getting crafty with those old VHS tapes, you can actually crochet old VHS tapes: www.myrecycledbags.com/2007/04/09/crocheted-sling-bag-of-recycled-vhs-tape/ Or, instead of letting them gather dust in your basement, put them to a good cause. Alternative Community Training (http://actrecycling.org/), a nonprofit organization in Missouri that provides jobs to people with disabilities, will take your old tapes and erase them, reselling the ones in good condition and recycling the plastic parts of the rest. You can also see if the local library will take them, or if not, give them to the Salvation Army, which pretty much takes donations of everything. Another option is to send your old VHS tapes to GreenDisk (www.greendisk.com). They have a nifty word for technology that's gone obsolete: technotrash. And they'll take that technotrash and recycle it for you - if you ship it to them. You pay a $6.95 processing fee, and you can ship them up to 20 pounds of those old VHS tapes (not to mention a whole slew of other items). All you have to pay in addition is the shipping, which shouldn't be more than $10 if you use the postal service's media rate.

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