|
Welcome to another issue of our newsletter. We strive to bring you
important, timely information about sustainability and sustainable
practices.
Every time I write, compile, and edit one of these newsletters, I learn
something. Perhaps the most astounding reminder I've had today is that the
planet's human population has increased by 4 billion people in my lifetime
-- from 2.5 billion to 6.5 billion. How can this possibly be sustainable?
Facing this issue may perhaps be the greatest challenge in all of human
history.
In this issue, you will read articles on energy independence at the
University of Wisconsin, demand for more sustainable food on college
campuses, an energy conservation program at the University of Toronto, the
impact of the U.S. population on the planet, rising methane levels in the
atmosphere, global warming, the Northwest Green Campus Initiative, and
information on our books and workshops.
There is an enormous amount of important work that all of us must do
for our world to be a more sustainable place. You can find hope in our
workshops on solar power, alternative transportation, sustainable
living, natural and green building, and permaculture. I really encourage
each of our readers to take one of our
workshops and to read the books
that we promote.
Thanks to all of you for your support of what we do. Together we not
only can make a difference, we are making a difference!
Bob Gragson, Executive Director
|
|
Energy Independence |
 |
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has announced that the
University of Wisconsin in Green Bay, Oshkosh, River Falls, and
Stevens Point will make their campuses completely energy independent
within the next five years. In 2012, the schools will be the first
state-owned facilities capable of acquiring or producing renewable
energy equivalent to their consumption. The campuses will work with
the Department of Administration’s Division of State Facilities to
identify and implement technologies capable of replacing external
power supplies currently serving their locations. Possible
replacements include the use of solar or wind power, fuel cells, a
greater emphasis on renewable fuels, and a switch to biomass. The
project will also emphasize energy conservation strategies to
curtail overall energy demand. Currently all four campuses produce
their own heating and cooling by burning fossil fuels.
By conservative estimates, converting the four campuses to
renewable fuels will save 260,000 tons of coal over a decade –
equivalent to a train loaded with coal 30 miles long. It will also
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 676,000 tons and improve the
energy efficiency of campuses – saving taxpayers money.
For more information:
|
|
|
Campus Food |
|
USA Today reported Sept. 26 increasing student demand
for local, organic food in campus dining halls. Some prospective
students are using an institution's commitment to sustainable food
as a factor in deciding which school to attend. Annual surveys by
Aramark also show increasing demand from students for sustainable
food. Last year, 9% of students said they strongly preferred organic
food; this year it was 13%. In another survey, about 80% of Yale
students said they'd eat in the school dining halls more often if
sustainable food was served.
College students are embracing the idea of food grown locally
with ecologically sound and seasonally sensitive methods. This
concept also includes humane treatment for workers and animals and
fair wages. In addition to wanting sustainable food, students want
it to be organic: grown without pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics
or hormones. A few colleges are even creating organic minifarms on
or near campus.
|
|
|
Oil Depletion Protocol |
|
This editor is genuinely convinced that Richard Heinberg is
truly one of the great communicators and visionaries of our times.
Richard is able to speak to the masses in a simple and clear style
about our energy plight and oil depletion in a way that inspires
individuals and governments to action. It was his book The
Party's Over that was the breakthrough work that transformed
the discussion of oil depletion from one among petroleum geologists
to the general public.
And now you absolutely won't want to miss his new book, The
Oil Depletion Protocol! Timely and critically important,
The Oil Depletion Protocol is a must-read for policy
makers and for all who seek to avert a Peak Oil collapse.
Be sure to also visit the new
Oil Depletion Protocol website. Here you can read and adopt the
protocol, educate yourself, help publicize the protocol, and share
your energy reduction experiences. There are also good news feeds to
be found here.
Since oil is the primary fuel of global industrial civilization,
its imminent depletion is a problem that will have profound impact
on every aspect of modern life. Without international agreement on
how to manage the decline of this vital resource, the world faces
unprecedented risk of conflict and collapse.
The
Oil Depletion Protocol describes a unique accord whereby
nations would voluntarily reduce their oil production and oil
imports according to a consistent, sensible formula. This would
enable the task of energy transition to be planned and supported
over the long term, providing a context of stable energy prices and
peaceful cooperation.
|
|
|
Green Careers Day |
|
Only One Day Left for Early Bird Special:
Register for our
Green Career Day by Sept. 30 and save $25!
If you’ve been thinking about finding your niche in the
emerging green economy, you won’t want to miss our Green
Careers Day. This special event will feature leading green
entrepreneurs and green career experts who will present the full
range of career opportunities in the green economy. You'll come away
with ideas, strategies, resources and contacts to help you find your
dream green job.
For more information call us at 707.744.2017, or visit our
website to sign up today!
|
|
|
Energy Conservation |
|
Smart marketers are tapping into the power of social networking
to do everything from recruiting to selling soda, so savvy
University of Toronto students have decided to use the same
strategies to sell their peers on energy saving behaviors. Their
pilot study, which took environmental psychology research and
applied it to student residence life, was so successful in reducing
energy consumption in a residence that the University of Toronto
decided to broadly implement the plan. Tuesday the university
launched the Rewire campaign, designed to decrease energy
consumption at seven St. George campus residences, two university
offices and the University of Toronto at Mississauga campus.
The campaign is based on the success of a pilot study
conducted during the 2005-2006 academic year. The study synthesized
many social marketing strategies, such as soliciting personal
pledges to act sustainably, word-of-mouth encouragement and visual
prompts, into a single plan. Equipment was strategically installed
in the residence to monitor electricity use in the building.
Statistical analysis of the data showed a drop in electricity
consumption between 5% and 10%. This year’s expansion will see
electricity monitored before, during and after the implementation of
the Rewire information toolkits that are the key resource for the
project. There are plans for further expansion next year to target
classrooms, common areas, laboratories and the hotel and
apartment-style residences.
|
|
|
Methane Emissions |
|
A rise in human-caused methane emissions has been masked by a
decline in natural methane releases, says a new report in
Nature. Atmospheric concentrations of methane, less abundant
than carbon dioxide but 20 times more potent as a greenhouse gas,
have remained relatively stable since 1999. But data from tracking
stations around the world show that the human-caused variety, which
decreased during the 1990s, has increased since 1999. The uptick was
hidden by a 5% decline in methane-producing swampland, caused partly
by drought. But scientists fear that the wetter weather predicted
over the next 3-5 years could reactivate some wetlands, adding over
11,000 tons of methane a year to the atmosphere. The research comes
too late to include in the latest report from the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, which has reduced its earlier estimate of
methane's impact.
For more information:
|
|
|
300 Million This Month |
|
As the U.S. population ticks ever closer to the 300 million
mark -- 299,800,000-plus and counting! -- many worry that the rising
numbers will amplify existing environmental problems. "The U.S. is
the only industrialized nation in the world experiencing significant
population growth," says Vicky Markham of the Center for Environment
and Population. "That, combined with America's high rates of
resource consumption, results in the largest ... environmental
impact [of any nation] in the world."
Ecologists point out that at current consumption rates, the
long-term "carrying capacity" of the U.S. wouldn't sustain even half
of the nation's current population. Baby boomers, with their
relative wealth and preference for big homes and vehicles, are doing
more than their part as the highest resource consumers in the
nation's -- and the world's -- history.
The U.S. population doesn't look likely to stabilize anytime
soon; it's expected to hit 400 million by mid- century. And in case
you didn't notice, the world population hit 6.5 billion earlier this
year. (Note: that's 4 billion more people than in 1950!)
For more information:
|
|
|
Global Warming |
|
The earth is the warmest it has been in the last 12,000 years and
is within 1.8 degrees of its highest average temperature in the past
million years, scientists report in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences. The global surface temperature has increased
0.36 degrees each of the last three decades, more rapidly than
during the century up to 1975. "If further global warming reaches
[3.6 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit], we will likely see changes that
make earth a different planet than the one we know," said NASA's
James Hansen, lead author of the study. "The last time it was that
warm was ... about 3 million years ago, when sea level was estimated
to have been about [80 feet] higher than today." Hansen and his
colleagues are also concerned that warming of the Pacific Ocean
could lead to stronger and more destructive El Niño weather
patterns; they say global warming affects El Niños much as it does
tropical storms.
For more information:
|
|
|
Peak Oil Special |
|
Prepare for Peak Oil--Workshop Special
Modern industrial societies are built on cheap fossil fuels, but
cheap oil and gas will likely soon be things of the past. What will
be the impacts — personally and societally? And what strategies will
work best for families, bioregions, and nations, as we enter the
post-carbon era?
Join world-renowned Richard Heinberg, author of The Oil
Depletion Protocol and The Party’s Over, for Powerdown:
The End of Cheap Oil, a full- day workshop on November 2, as he
provides participants with practical strategies to prepare for peak
oil.
Stick around on November 3 and 4 and join Jason Bradford and
Brian Weller in our Organizing
Sustainable Communities workshop. Join these economic
localization experts as they provide further insight on how to
localize food, energy and basic goods production. This interactive
workshop, which receives rave reviews from our students, will surely
inspire you to get involved in preparing your own family and
community to deal with the impact of peak oil.
Register
for both classes now and save $75! Hurry, offer ends October 1.
|
|
|
Biodiesel America |
|
Biodiesel
America: How to Achieve Energy Security, Free America from
Middle-East Oil Dependence and Make Money Growing Fuel by
Josh Tickell
Regularly $29.95, Now
Just $23.95 for a Limited Time
Before September 11, 2001, few Americans had heard the term
“energy security.” Now, with soaring fuel prices, rising tension in
the Middle East, and natural disasters threatening U.S. petroleum
production, the need for an immediate solution to our oil-dependence
has become a national priority. Yet a magic formula for freeing
America has eluded technocrats, lawmakers, and the American public
alike. In his powerful new book, Biodiesel
America, energy expert Josh Tickell shatters the myths that
surround America’s oil dependence and illuminates the solutions.
From Saudi Arabia’s most guarded secret to Henry Ford’s thwarted
plans to fuel the nation with biofuel, from exposing the link
between school buses and asthma to showing the potential for every
school district in the nation to run on clean-burning biodiesel,
from top secret cars that get over 300 miles per gallon to new fuel
crops that could soon yield billions of gallons of clean fuel,
Biodiesel America provides a fresh perspective on our oil-laden
history, our present position of energy compromise, and the true
potential for a fossil-fuel-free future.
In no-nonsense language, Tickell explains:
- why America is more dependent on oil than any other nation
- why Saudi Arabia’s oil empire will soon crumble, sending
energy prices skyrocketing
- why normal, everyday vehicles that get 80 miles per gallon are
already sold in Europe, but not in the U.S.
- how Rudolf Diesel invented an engine to run on vegetable oil
over 100 years ago
- how you can take simple steps to make money and decrease your
dependence on oil
Biodiesel
America shows that an abundance of available, economically
viable, and profitable energy solutions exists. At the forefront of
these new energy technologies is biodiesel, a fuel that could bring
over one million jobs back to rural America, invigorate our economy,
and create a stable domestic fuel supply.
|
|
|
Transportation Classes |
|
Biodiesel
Intensive -- October 13-15
Take our introductory How
to Make and Use Biodiesel on October 12, and follow it up with a
3-day
Biodiesel Intensive: From the Processor to the Pump on October
13-15. In this information packed, hands-on workshop, you will
learn to build your own biodiesel processor, create a co-op, or
start up your own biodiesel distribution or retail business!
Sign up by October 1 and save $50 on the Biodiesel
Intensive.
Electric
Vehicle: Hands-on Clinic -- October 21-22
If you’re wondering whether an electric vehicle might be the
answer for you, would like to learn how to do the conversion
yourself, or educate yourself on the most cutting edge technologies
so that you can make an informed decision when purchasing, then this
workshop is for you!
The first day of this intensive workshop is an
information-packed lecture, and the second day will be held at a
mechanic’s shop where participants will take apart and rebuild an
electric VW. Bring your overalls and plan on getting greasy!
Sign up by October 1 and save $25
|
|
|
Green Campus Initiative |
|
The Northwest Green Campus Initiative -- a program of Northwest
Sustainable Energy for Economic Development -- provides information
and guidance to college and university campuses as they explore
clean alternatives to meet their energy needs. Specifically, the
program helps students and administrators garner campus support for
green power investments while evaluating utility green power
purchases, on-site demonstration projects, and certified renewable
resource credit acquisition. The newly-launched NW Green Campus
website serves as a resource tool for students, faculty, and staff
on issues ranging from renewable energy to green buildings and
campus transportation. The website is also meant to foster
connections between activists at different schools throughout the
region. Representatives from individual campuses are encouraged to
post their sustainability efforts, events, and successes to the
website.
|
|
|
Visit Our Web-Bookstore |
|
There are some really excellent books coming out this year,
and you can get them right here at our web store. For a short period
of time, we are offering a special pre-order discount of 20% on the
following titles: Eating
Fossil Fuels by Dale Allen Pfeiffer and The
Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook by Albert K.
Bates. You won't want to miss them, and at 20% off the regular
retail price, this is the best price you will get for these
important books. Don't miss these great prices!
Additional new and recent titles added to our web store that you
will want to be sure and read include the following:Planetwalker
by John Francis, The
Oil Depletion Protocol by Richard Heinberg, Biodiesel
America by Josh Tickell, Towers
of Deception by Barrie Zwicker (this promises to be an
extraordinary expose on media coverage of 9/11 by the narrator of
The
End of Suburbia DVD many of you have seen), Armed
Madhouse by Greg Palast (five autographed copies are still
available), Energy
Switch by Craig Morris, Solar
Water Heating by Bob Ramlow with Benjamin Nusz, Your
Green Home by Alex Wilson, Cutting
Your Car Use by Randall Ghent with Anna Semlyen, Biodiesel
Basics and Beyond by William H. Kemp, Ecocities
by Richard Register, and the film Ecological
Design now in DVD format.
Be sure to check out our other titles in the following
categories:
We encourage you to shop with us. Our online bookstore is
growing rapidly. We are adding titles weekly to bring you some of
the best reads on sustainable living available. Shop with the Solar
Living Institute, and help support our valuable work!
|
|
|
Women Learn Carpentry |
|
It never would have happened on the "Donna Reed Show," but at the
Solar Living Institute in Hopland about a dozen women spent their
day cracking jokes and having a good ol' time doing what was once
considered "a man's job."
The Women's Carpentry Skills Primer held in May provided women
with little or no prior carpentry experience the opportunity to
tackle a creative construction project, as they built a set of
picnic tables.
On the first day of the workshop, participants learned about
measuring, choosing lumber, selecting tools and how to use them
safely. On Friday, they were able to put their newly learned skills
to work.
"Today they see their finished product, using both hand tools and
power tools to do it," instructor Jane Elias said as she wandered
amongst the women wearing sun hats, work gloves and goggles when
they made cuts using the compound miter saws.
|
|
|
Job Openings |
|
We're hiring here at the Solar Living Institute. We have a
position open for Administrative Assistant.
Administrative Assistant: Our excellent Administrative
Assistant has also decided to go back to school, and we are looking
to replace her also as soon as possible. This position reports to
our Operations Manager. Review the job
description for the Administrative Assistant position and send
your cover letter and resume to our Executive Director, Bob Gragson,
at bob.gragson@solarliving.org.
For other energy and environmental positions throughout the
world, you might also check out these websites:
|
| Quick Links |
|
|
