Welcome to our Green Page

Al Gore on Global Warming

 

Carbon emissions are the focus of Paul Anderson's remarks as he discusses the merits of a carbon tax on business at the Energy Solutions Forum, featuring Al Gore and sponsored by the Sierra Club.

A call to action and what Greenpeace is all about--not just sitting there, but doing something!

The below video is from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Caution: Contains graphic and disturbing footage

Clean solar energy

Across the globe, people are joining together to protect the areas they love. They are cleaning up their beaches and forcing polluters to stop. Heal the Ocean, a Santa Barbara based non-profit organization, is leading the way toward cleaner ocean water by working to improve wastewater infrastructure such as sewers and septic systems. Their team includes engineers, lawyers, scientists and university laboratories to help locate sources of pollution, assess their significance and find solutions. Their work is a response to a groundswell of public opinion and suport from people who believe that clean oceans are a birthright for everyone. This short film is a tribute to these everyday, motivated, supportive people.

Am excerpt from Clean Ocean Action's Video

More than 450 mountains have been destroyed by mountaintop removal coal mining. Watch this video of mountaintop removal featuring Woody Harrelson and a soundtrack featuring an original recording of "Blowin' in the Wind," sung by Willie Nelson. This video is part of the National Memorial for the Mountains.

We encourage members to submit issues of concerns and interest about the environment and animal related issues to this page. We're an active congregation both in terms of Social Justice issues and Environmental issues and we stand ready to make a response to many of the problems facing humanity, animals and the environment. Members are also encouraged to submit topics for petitions and other actions.

Note: We now feature boxes for old cell phones and used computer printer cartridges on the table by the back door at Mountain Light.

A prequel to a documentary about the struggle against the largest hydroelectric project in Europe.

 

Is Iceland compromising it's natural environment in pursuit of energy?

Landvernd: The Icelandic government has made serious mistakes where they under valuate the value of the untouched nature of our highlands. Two examples.

First, the Kárahnjukar project  a huge dam resulting in a 54 km2 lagoon north of the glacier Vatnajökull.

The project involves two of the largest glacial rivers in Iceland Jökulsá á Dal  and Jökulsá á Fljótsdal  and the Karahnjukar dam is to supply electricity to a aluminum smelter owned and operated by Alcoa producing 345.000 ton of aluminum annually. In the Environmental Impact Assessment process the National Planning Agency (NPA) ruled that the Karahnjukar project should not be conducted due to the significant and irreversible negative effects on the environment. The National Power Company (NPC) submitted this decision was to the minister for the environment, (submission is allowed in the law on public administration). The minister for the environment overruled the decision of the NPA, made some few changes (some would say minor changes in the large perspective) and allowed the NPC to continue the project. To realize this project a large part of a nature reserve named Kringilsárrani had to be sacrificed  the minister for the environment simply made a new regulation shrinking the preserved area as need.

Second. The Þjósrárver area, south of the glacier Hofsjökull in central Iceland .

According to highly respected experts internationally, Roger Crofts and Jack D. Ives this area could prove a serious candidate for designation as a World Heritage Site given the correct reserve area. See their reports on page 3  12 in the attachment. Nevertheless recently environmentalists had to fight the government in court of law to prevent the NPC to be allowed to significantly reduce the environmental value of the area. Luckily we (the environmentalists) won in the district court of Reykjavík this summer. Now it seem likely that the parliament will pass a new law enlarging the natural reserve area. You really should read the reports (page 3  12) they were made in 2004 but the battle has been going on since 1972!

Is renewable energy really renewable?

Landvernd: As many other environmental questions this is debatable. The Karahnukar reservoir will be filled with glacial clay in some few hundred years, around 400 years. This means that the capacity of the lagoon will become significantly less in only 1-200 years. Renewable or not? good question.

Another area that might be dammed in the North part of the island is Villinganes. This reservoir will be full of glacial clay in only some few decades 40  80 years. Renewable or not? In my opinion not.

Geothermal Energy

Here is a official report from experts from National Energy Authority, Iceland GeoSurvey and IGA http://www.landvernd.is/myndir/sjalfbaerni_jv.pdf. This is all in Icelandic, but take a look at picture 2 on page 4. The picture shows 4 potential ways to operate a geothermal power-plant in equilibrium (in a sustainable manner). The horizontal line in the middle (1) shows the energy equilibrium in a hypothetical site. On the x scale is time in years. To the best of my knowledge currently all the geothermal power-plants are run according to path 3, i.e. they can be run for some decades and then they have to be rested for approximately twice as many decades. Is that renewable or not? I guess it is renewable but it can be debated if it is sustainable or not. If we are running all the geothermal systems at the same time (as the power companies are aiming at) these will cool off in a similar time (maybe all inn 40 years) and the generation that is running the show at that time will NOT have the same right as our generation to choose to protect other areas, such as glacial rivers, if their economy is based on the usage of all this energy. That is not in accordance with the ideology of sustainable development.

Does the electricity production provide jobs for Icelanders?

Landvernd: Yes. Aluminum smelter have staff of some 2  400 people. In addition to that several other jobs are needed to provide various services for the industry. However, currently Iceland is over employed with only 1% unemployment. According to economists unemployment of 3% (give or take) is the ideal situation. Iceland is now importing cheap labor and over heating the economy with current inflation around 7-8% whereas the inflation targeting set by the parliament is 2.5% This worries the central bank and pushes the exchange rate for the Icelandic currency up the roof having a negative effect on our exports. This is a problem during the construction phase of smelters and power-plants but should not be a problem in the operation phase. However, there seems to be no stop in the construction phase of smelters and power-plants in Iceland today. We are experiencing (or suffering from) something that similar to the industrial revolution that took place in Europe in the 1860  1900, feels kind of absurd in year 2006. But I guess we missed the last one.

Do you feel you produce electricity in an environmentally friendly manner?

Landvernd: In terms of greenhouse gas emissions the it can be stated that the Icelandic way to produce electricity is better than for example usage of fossil fuels. However, the current rate of building power plant to supply the huge demand of the planned aluminum smelters can not be regarded as environmentally friendly. In the geothermal branch for example, only 10% of the thermal energy can be transformed into electricity. In the past this was OK because we used the remaining 90% to warm up our houses (hot water). We have now fulfilled the demand for hot water and so for the more recent and planed geothermal plants 90% of the energy goes to waste. This is not due to poor efficiency its simply the law of physics that prevent transforming more than 10% (or so) of the thermal energy into electricity.

How strict do you feel the government's environmental guidelines are?

Landvernd: Over ruling NPA quality decisions on Kárahnjukar and shrinking reservation areas with new regulations when needed  not that strict.

Source: Bergur Sigurðsson, executive manager.

Landvernd, landgræðslu- og umhverfisverndarsamtök Íslands
Icelandic Environment Association
Skúlatúni 6,
105 Reykjavík
+354 552 52 42, GSM 863 7038

 

Recycling :: By Ben Bradley

Recently at Mountain Light there was a discussion of the millions of cell phones disposed of every year, and the need for recycling them.

Those that are still operational will work for dialing 911, and can be donated to battered women's shelters, or given to others who may need them but can't afford a cell phone. But many don't work and have truly reached the end of their useful live, and must be disposed of.

Computers are another high-volume electronics item that gets replaced and thrown out at high rates. One of the worst substance in electronic devices is the solder that holds the components to the circuit boards. Solder is made of about 50 percent lead, a poisonous metal. Many people are concerned about lead ending up in landfills, where it may eventually end up in underground water which gets pumped for drinking water.

There are "hazmat" companies which recycle electronics (you usually have to pay them a dollar or more per item) and prevent the lead from going into landfills or other harmful areas. Some computer manufacturers now accept "returns" for recycling at costs from free to a few dollars.

Another offendor putting lead into the environment is the lead wheel weights used for balancing automobile tires. Many of them come off the wheels and end up on the road, where they get run over and ground down to bits and dust which is washed away by rain into the groundwater.

There are alternative weights made of non-poisonous metals available now, as discussed on this website:

http://www.leadfreewheels.org/

I think lead weights ought to be outlawed and replaced with safer materials as soon as possible. I don't know the cost of tin or steel weights over lead, but I can't imagine it being significant, especially comared with reducing lead being dumped on streets and into waterways.

If you agree, please write your representatives. Put in your 9-digit zip code on the left where prompted on this page:

http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm

and it will give the names of your two Senators and your Congressional representative (this may have changed recently for a few of our readers).

You can then find their addresses at the webpage below, and ask them to write or support a bill that eliminates lead wheel weights:

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/newseek.cgi?site=ctc&state=ga

While I think this should be a federal law (and in general I'm not in favor of more federal laws), it may be faster to have state and city laws passed, so don't hesitate to also write your state and local representatives about this as well.

  • Get Involved In Gilmer County with Georgia Forest Watch!

  • Georgia Interfaith Power & Light

    •  

  • Georgia Interfaith Power and Light also has a .pdf document on how church congregations can save energy


  • An Inconvenient Truth: Take Action

  • Al Gore lays out his global warming plan in the Washington Post
  • UN World Conservation Monitoring Center
  • Practical Action originates and implements great solutions for citizens of 3rd world countries that allow them to live for less and have more.
  • United Nations Environment Programme, The UN 'green' agency
  • Each new gold ring purchased means someone sifted through 20 tons of dirt to get the dust.
  • Treehugger; just what it sounds like.
  • Oxfam partner Earthworks
  • Over 750,000 activists online working for the health of the planet.
  • Get informed by reading an overall impact on the environment from mining.
  • Environment Defense
  • Ocean Trust, saving the oceans that feed the world
  • NOAA, keep up with the weather on a global scale.
  • For a healthy ocean, SeaWeb
  • Jean-Michel Cousteau
  • Ocean Arks International, founded in 1981 by visionary Ecological Designer Dr. John Todd, is a global leader in the field of ecological water purification.
  • Delf University in the Netherlands has a great page on Design for Sustainability in English.
  • The Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science is an international charity that operates the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey.
  • UN Atlas of the Oceans
  • Ocean Watch Foundation is a 501-C-3 non-profit volunteer organization founded in 1988 for the preservation, protection and education of the local coral reef communities in Southeast Florida.
  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
  • Blacksmith Institute keeps up with the world's most polluted places.
  • American Forests
  • Boreal Forests
  • Rain Forest Portal
  • Forest Guild
  • The Heritage Forests Campaign
  • Friends of the Earth International
  • National Forest Protection Alliance
  • African Forestry, Agroforestry and Environment
  • Pollutants in your community
  • National Association of Clean Air Agencies
  • Global Green
  • Solar Electric Light Fund
  • Solar Electric Power Association
  • Home Power - Make Your Own Power
  • The Cutting Edge of Low Technology, The Other Power
  • American Solar Energy Society
  • SolarEnergy.com
  • Americans for Solar Power
  • Solar Equipment
  • Montana Solar
  • Getting Solar Power from the Ocean
  • Finding A Recycling Center
  • Recycle.com
  • Steel Recycling site
  • Container Recycling Institute - Plastic, glass, and aluminum recycling information
  • A recycling site for kids
  • Computer Recycling Center
  • Cell Phone Recycling
  • Water Recycling
    • Animal Rights
  • Peta
  • Animal Concerns Community
  • Animal Rights Net
  • Animal Rights Counterculture A site with original, freely-distributable animal rights songs, stories and other artistic works.
  • Feminists for Animal Rights
  • AVAR - The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights
  • Animal Law

  • Carnegie Mellon University Green Design Initiative
     
  • Centre for Design at RMIT
     
  • Central European University
    Central European University in Budapest, Hungary.
     
  • Design for Sustainability Program (TU Delft)
     
  • The Ecological Design Group (the Robert Gordon University)
     
  • The Ecological Design Center (University of Oregon)
    "A student organization at the University of Oregon for the promotion of sustainable design solutions."
     
  • Ecosa Institute
    Educating ecological designers.
     
  • Gund Institute for Ecological Economics
    The Gund Institute for Ecological Economics (GIEE) was established to fill the growing need to integrate the study and management of "nature's household" (ecology) and "humankind's household" (economics).
     
  • Middlebury College
    A small liberal arts college in Vermont.
     
  • National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology Program
     
  • Oberlin College
    Oberlin College, Environmental Educator David Orr, and the home of Oberlin's Environmental Studies Center, a building designed with cutting edge environmental technology.
     
  • Schumacher College
    An international centre for ecological studies.
     
  • Second Nature
    Transforming higher education for sustainability.
     
  • Swedish Royal Institute of Technology
    Contains links to the work of Professor Gunnel Dalhammar, who has collaborated with Dr. John Todd on ecological engineering research.
     
  • Sustainability Education Center
    Educational materials, professional development and community education focused on sustainability.
     
  • Sustainable Measures
    Developing indicators that measure progress toward a sustainable economy, society and environment.
     
  • University of Maryland Biological Resources Engineering Dept.
    Natural Resources Management / Ecological Engineering at the University of Maryland.
     
  • University of California at Davis
    With links to faculty whose research concerns wastewater treatment and ecological engineering.
     
  • University of Florida, Environmental Engineering
    Previous home of Professor Howard T. Odum, Ph.D.
     
  • UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
    The School of Natural Resources at the University of Vermont where John Todd teaches.
     
  • The Yestermorrow Design/Build School
    A hands-on design/build school.
     


    • Other Earth Stewards


    Colleagues
    • Air Diffusion Systems
      Air Diffusion Systems treats domestic and industrial wastewater, purifies lakes and ponds, and enhances the production of aquaculture systems inexpensively using innovative aeration systems.
       
    • ASIEnvironment
      Ecological solutions for the 21st century (in Chinese).
       
    • Bacta-Pur
      Bactapur distributes a range of bioaugmentation products.
       
    • Korte-Organica Ecotechnologies
      Korte-Organica offers cutting-edge technologies and services in a variety of environmental remediation fields throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Their aim is to maintain a healthy and balanced interaction between human beings and their environment.
       
    • Living Technologies Ltd.
      Living Technologies Ltd (LTL) designs and builds ecological wastewater treatment systems in co-operation with various partner organizations in the UK.
       
    • Natural Systems International
      NSI provides comprehensive specialized engineering services in the area of biological wastewater treatment systems using the natural ecologies of ponds (wastewater lagoons), marshes (constructed wetlands), prairies, grasslands (land application/irrigation), and woodlands and forests (irrigation).
       


    Wastewater and Phytoremediation


    Articles About John Todd & Ocean Arks


    Other Articles