RENewsletter | May 24, 2009

 

The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com  

“Our Environment is changing: Keep up with the Change.”

[05/17/09– 05/24/09]

 

* Need to vent? | Go to my blog: Environmental Thoughts - Rochester, NY

 

Opening Salvo | NewsLinks | Daily Updates | Events | Environmental Site of the Month | Take Action |

 

[Hyperlinks work by CTRL + click to follow a link]

 

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Opening Salvo:  “Green Jobs – We’re Hearing Things...”

 

You can discuss all day long about what a ‘green job’ is and some have (Green Jobs - A GLOBE-Net Perspective), but mostly it’s an occupation that employs while making our way of life sustainable. Let’s not get too ivory tower about this notion as people are desperately looking for job now and, as a concept in progress, it matters little if today’s blue collar job, with a little retro-fitting, becomes tomorrow’s green job.  Bigger changes to the job market are coming.

 

The proposed high-speed rail (TRANSPORTATION: Fast-tracking high-speed rail ) might create a lot of blue-green collar jobs if the public can get their heads around a new system that would compete nicely against vehicles and planes for longer trips.  We are hearing that a high-speed rail system connected with bus rapid transit could reduce carbon dioxide emissions and increase efficiency and safety.  Not all change is bad.  

 

We are hearing about people thinking out of the box: starting businesses with new green products that only need some public education to generate interest.  We’re hearing about a climate change bill in Congress coming up in June that could level the playing field so new forms of energy can complete with the old.

 

We are hearing about educators wanting to get their high-school students ready for a new green economy by including new training for teachers.  And we are hearing about growing renewable energy companies that are creating new jobs nearby--Wind turbines becoming growth industry in Ohio. We know that the Internet is exploding with new databases for finding green jobs (Green Business | Jobs Rochester, NY | environmental jobs Rochester | RochesterEnvironment.com) and new recycling business opening up and newly trained interns looking for green jobs, or maybe even just helping out and spicing up that green resume.  (Take on an intern with a degree in the environmental field and green up that business of yours this summer.)  People designing new Killer Aps (GoodGuide | Ratings of Natural, Green and Healthy Products | Green iPhone Apps | ZapRoot 086 | ZapRoot) are emerging as high-tech eco-problem solvers.  So, we are hearing a lot of hints that the green job thing is real.

 

No, we are not hearing about a magical green gate that has suddenly opened and anyone wanting a green job merely has to walk though it for financial security and a clean planet. But, things are certainly stirring.  All sectors of the economy, workers holding on to their old jobs, workers out of a job looking for a new one, kids coming out of college, and adults going back in, are all talking greening up the business world. So, we’re hearing more about how the time is ripe for a sea change in our economy and our planet’s health and we are following more threads that seem to be leading to more green job opportunities. 

 

Maybe it’s why we are not hearing a lot of despair—because there’s a change a’ coming to the job environment and there’s hope that this time around we’ll get it right. Products and services that afford us a living on a planet that is thriving-it’s the way it should be. 

 

 

FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com  (Click on my email for feedback)

 

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NewsLinks – Environmental NewsLinks – [Highlights of major environmental stories concerning our area from the past week]

 

·         The "veggie" Mobile

·         How to Treat Wildlife

·         The Climate Bill is Coming

·         Smart Grid is Coming

·         Monies for Transportation Projects

·         DEC Gets Greener

·         Wind & Growth Industry

·         Flu Cases in Albany & Greene Co.

·         Bike Beats Other Transportation Modes

·         Green Jobs Outlook

·         Smart Energy Use - Google

·         Stimulus Monies Help Local Communities Go Green

·         Local Company Uses Green Packaging

·         Cleaning Up Local Brownfields

·         Swine Flu Update - 2nd Case Here

·         Bottled Water Companies Sue

·         National Fuel Efficiency Policy

·         Mammals Go North Because of Climate Disruption

·         Research Topic Asked of Public on Great Lakes

·         News on the Smart Grid

·         New Green Jobs From Stimulus Package

·         Energy Star Label for Computer Services - EPA

·         Great Lakes Meeting

·         Gas Drilling in Catskills

·         Lead Issue in Buffalo

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Updates – Daily Updates – [Connecting the dots on Rochester’s environment. Find out what’s going on environmentally in our area—and why you should care? Clicking on -DISCUSSION – will take you to my blog “Environmental Thoughts, NY, where you can add your comments.]

• 5/22/09 - If high-speed rail runs through the Rochester area, our transportation modes would change dramatically.  Find out more about this issue and make comment to the government:    FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION : PASSENGER RAIL"President Obama proposes to help address the nation's transportation challenges by launching a new and efficient high-speed passenger rail network in 100-600 mile corridors that connect communities across America.  The Strategic Plan outlines the President’s vision that would transform the nation’s transportation system by rebuilding existing rail infrastructure while developing a comprehensive high-speed intercity passenger rail network through a long-term commitment at both the federal and state levels.  This plan draws from the successful highway and aviation development models with a 21st century solution that focuses on clean, energy-efficient rail transportation. "
• 5/22/09 - In many ways colleges are leading the way in environmental practices. RochesterEnvironment.com acknowledges the great contributions in environmental education that can be put into real models of sustainability via our colleges and universities.  Our local educational institutions host many programs and are conduits for teaching our community about how to treat our environment:    RIT Green "The Institute recognizes that the sustainable choices made by faculty, staff, and students will resonate for generations throughout the Upstate New York area and beyond. Those that work and study at RIT also live and raise families in the area. By making the campus more environmentally friendly and by engaging in and learning more about sustainable practices, the RIT community is improving the cleanliness of the greater environment in real and measurable ways. By doing so, we can take steps now to ensure that the Rochester area and the greater world in which we live continue to be safe and healthy well into the future."
• 5/22/09- Know your power and where it's going: Official Google Blog: Power to the people "Imagine how hard it would be to stick to a budget in a store with no prices. Well, that's pretty much how we buy electricity today. Your utility company sends you a bill at the end of the month with very few details. Most people don't know how much electricity their appliances use, where in the house they are wasting electricity, or how much the bill might go up during different seasons. But in a world where everyone had a detailed understanding of their home energy use, we could find all sorts of ways to save energy and lower electricity bills. In fact, studies show that access to home energy information results in savings between 5-15% on monthly electricity bills. It may not sound like much, but if half of America's households cut their energy demand by 10 percent, it would be the equivalent of taking eight million cars off the road. "
• 5/21/09 - Sure our sun warms our planet, keeps it from flinging itself out to the wide universe with its gravitation disparity with Earth, and keeps life alive—but is that it?  Not quite. Seems like you can do a lot more with the sun:  The Solar Cooking Archive
• 5/20/09 - I'm a little late in announcing this but here it is: MAY is National Bike Month:  The League of American Bicyclists (www.bikeleague.org) is promoting Bike-to-Work Week May 11 - 15 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 15.  Check the events section of this site often to see what bike month and bike to work week events are going on in your community.  To relieve stress, start your own event and submit your information to be posted on the site to: communication@bikeleague.org.  Please make sure you write, "Bike Month Event" in the subject line of the email.
• 5/20/09 -As the talk continues on the creation of green jobs using federal stimulus monies (our tax bucks), we continue to monitor and drill through these articles to find that Rochester-area green job with will get you and me employed and our environment sustainable.  HUD Information Related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 The Recovery Act includes $13.61 billion for projects and programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, nearly 75 percent of which was allocated to state and local recipients on February 25, 2009 – only eight days after President Obama signed the Act into law. Recovery Act investments in HUD programs will be not just swift, but also effective: they will generate tens of thousands of jobs, modernize homes to make them energy efficient, and help the families and communities hardest hit by the economic crisis. The remaining 25 percent of funds will be awarded via competition in the coming months. Additional guidance on the implementation of all funds will be routinely provided on this website.
• 5/18/09 - Advanced environmentalism: Understanding that everything you do, as a member of a species that dominates this planet with 6.5 billion souls who must eat and craves stuff, and realizing that everything you purchase has repercussions on our environment, means your one step closer to the mindset that may keep our species sustainable.  The next step perhaps is beginning to chose wisely based on a wide breath of information you would need to know to achieve truly green living.  To that end, we come across this interesting site that measures a products impact: GoodGuide | Ratings of Natural, Green and Healthy Products "GoodGuide provides the world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home.  
• 5/18/09 - Best not to pollute in the first place.  The cleanup efforts, so long in the courts and the goop so long at the bottom of the Hudson River, are a close-by example of the externalities associated with getting pollution removed from our environment.  There’s the question of whether it is safer for the public and the environment to leave the stuff alone rather than trying to remove it. And, a zillion other issues once we pollute. GE Begins Hudson River Cleanup : NPR One of the biggest environmental cleanups in U.S. history got under way Friday. (May 15, 09) NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts | Hudson River PCBs | Region 2 | US EPA "From approximately 1947 to 1977, the General Electric Company (GE) discharged as much as 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from its capacitor manufacturing plants at the Hudson Falls and Fort Edward facilities into the Hudson River."  

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Events – Rochester Environmental Events Calendar – [The most complete listing of all environmental events around the Rochester, New York area.]  If you don’t see your event, or know of a local environmental event, please send me the info: FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com with (EV event) in the subject line.

 

• NYSERDA Hosts Mini-seminar Aimed at Home Improvement and HVAC Contractors. Wednesday, May 27 • 9 - 10:30 AM at Cornell Cooperative Extension (Highland Room) 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester NY. This seminar, aimed at contractors, will provide information on program requirements and cash incentive opportunities available through the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program.  The event is FREE however registration is required. NYCharities.org --from CEI: Center for Environmental Information
• Grand Opening - Brighton Community Garden May 30, 11 am at Buckland Park, 1341 Westfall Road  Brighton Community Garden On Saturday, May 30, the Town of Brighton will celebrate the grand opening of the new Brighton Community Garden.  Nearly 70 gardeners have signed up to plant and tend individual plots in the garden.  Supervisor Sandra Frankel will officiate at the new project’s ribbon-cutting, to be held at 11 am at the garden.  The site of the garden is a field just to the east of the Buckland House at 1341 Westfall Road, Rochester 14618.  For many years the site was farmland, and the new garden connects the site to its agricultural past.   The all-organic garden will allow individuals to grow and enjoy their own fresh, nutritious food,  help preserve the environment, and participate in community building through the pleasures of gardening.  Gardeners of all ages will be participating, as well as a church youth group, a preschool, and a group from Hillside Children’s Center.  The garden is sponsored by the Town of Brighton, and assisted by generous sponsorships from  Henry M. Hess, MD, PhD, and Dave Feasey of Greenerminds.
• Opening Day - Brighton Farmers' Market May 31, 9 am to 1 pm, Brighton High School, 1150 Winton Road South | Brighton Farmers' Market Opening Day of the Brighton Farmers’ Market will follow on the next day, Sunday, May 31.  This lively community market offers fresh food from local farmers and producers who practice sustainable methods of growing and producing food.  Supervisor Sandra Frankel will preside over the vine-cutting ceremony at 10 am.  Music will be provided by Clamor, the local trio that includes Rick McCrae, Steve Piper, and Bruce Diamond, favorites of the Brighton Farmers’ Market. This year’s market, once again sponsored by the Town of Brighton, will include most of the same vendors from last year’s market, along with some new faces, including new produce farmers, a local fresh pasta maker, and a baker offering bread from a wood-fired oven.  This year the market will also offer maple syrup, jams, and certified organic milk.  The Brighton Farmers’ Market is committed to the idea that buying food from a farmers’ market is one of the best ways an individual can help support a healthier, more sustainable food supply, while enjoying fresh, delicious food that also promotes personal health.  Supporting local farmers helps the local economy and helps protect the environment. The Brighton Farmers’ Market is held every Sunday morning, from 9 am to 1 pm, in the Brighton High School parking lot, 1150 Winton Road South, Rochester 14618.  The market runs from May 31 through November 1.  For more information,  see www.brightonfarmersmarket.org.
• Weed Walk - June 6, 2009 at 9:30 AM, Horizon Hill Conservation Area -151 Garnsey Road, Perinton, NY; 73 acres. A natural area which includes a scenic section of the Crescent trail and a small parking area. ."Learn to recognize several Invasive Plant Species affecting Monroe County, and visit the scenic Horizon Hill section of Perinton's Crescent Trail. Experts will answer your questions." More info here: Weed Walk
• Green Energy Fair - Color Brighton Green Sunday, June 7, 2009, 9am to 1pm, at Brighton High School Parking Lot. This year, the fair will take place together with the Brighton Farmers Market. The fair will feature the following and more: A wide variety of businesses offering energy saving and green products and services. Tables with information and resources about energy- and resource-saving technologies and lifestyle choices.  Displays of current alternative technologies. Student projects related to alternative energy and energy conservation. Brighton Farmers Market. --Home Page - Color Brighton Green (For the Love of Water)  Monday, June 15th at 6:45 PM to 9:00 PM at the Henrietta Public Library, Henrietta, NY
• 12th ANNUAL ADK OUTDOOR EXPO Saturday, June 13, 2009 9 am - 4 pm Mendon Ponds Park Beach Area Have you ever wanted to just try a canoe or kayak but didn't know where to go? Have you ever wondered if there was a club with your outdoor interests? Here's your chance! The Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club is hosting the 12th Annual Outdoor Expo on Saturday June 13th from 9:00 - 4:00 on the beach at Mendon Ponds Park. The Genesee Valley Chapter has organized this event with YOU in mind! Just come see what you can do in the Rochester area! Demonstrations, discussions and activities will be offered all day on a wide variety of outdoor related topics. This is the perfect opportunity to connect with people that share the same interests as you all in one location! The annual Expo attracts hundreds of people who attend more than twenty workshops on various aspects of outdoor activities. Attendees also view and inspect outdoor gear and try out canoes and kayaks on the Hundred Acre Pond. ADK, other local outdoor clubs, and local outdoor retailers present all of the events. With music provided by the Golden Link Folk Singing Society
• Blue Gold: World Water Wars   Global Warming is an issue of “how” we live, the water crisis is an issue of “if” we live. Location: Henrietta Public Library   Date: Monday June 15, 2009   Time: 6:45 PM to 8:45 PM   90-minute film followed by discussion   The film Blue Gold: World Water Wars   Will water really be “the oil of the 21st century?” Why do people spend up to 4,000 times more for bottled water when its purity is less regulated than tap water? Who will stop large multi-national corporations from taking over the world’s water supply?   As part of our ongoing effort to educate the community about the issue of water privatization, we will be showing the new film Blue Gold: World Water Wars at the Henrietta Library on Monday, June 15th from 6:45 to 8:45 PM. This showing is free and open to the public.   Please join us for the 90-minute film followed by a lively discussion, hosted by our Great Lakes committee. This is truly a remarkable, eye-opening film. The Salt Lake Tribune reports: “Unlike many other films that simply drown its audience with hopelessness, Blue Gold actually has some ideas that will work to help the world avoid an epidemic... Blue Gold is excellent.” Please see the film’s website for more information. (www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com).
• Healthy Buildings 2009 (http://www.hb2009.org), an international conference and exhibition showcasing innovations in indoor environmental quality and healthy and sustainable environmental technology, will be held in US for the first time in 12 years, September 13-17, 2009. Hosted by the Syracuse Center of Excellence and Syracuse University, ISIAQ's signature conference will draw more than 1,000 researchers and professionals from the disciplines of architecture, building products and services, engineering, indoor environmental quality, public health, urban planning, and workplace performance from more than 42 different countries. HB2009 includes remarkable plenary speakers such as Rick Fedrizzi, Founder of USGBC, as well as Dr. Eduardo de Oliveira Fernandes of the University of Porto in Portugal, Dr. Yuguo Li of the University of Hong Kong, and Dr. Shin-ichi Tanabe of Waseda University in Japan; who have each made immense contributions to the body of research in indoor air quality and related fields. The exhibition (http://hb2009.org/exhibition), featuring the latest advancements in green and clean technologies and innovation, will also showcase "OppEx," an Opportunity Exchange (http://hb2009.org/opportunity_exchange) that will include industry-leader keynote speakers; healthy buildings and clean and green technology product and service demonstrations; technology transfer ideas from world-class research universities; and many more opportunities for intellectual collisions among attendees. In today's uncertain economic climate, the benefit of international exchange and engagement is critical. HB2009 offers researchers, professionals, and community planners a unique opportunity to think strategically about the direction of industry and technology through academic and industry collaboration in a world going green. For more information about the conference and exhibition please visit our website at www.hb2009.org, or contact clmatthe@syr.edu. Also, in addition to the rates currently listed on the web site, there is also a $25 one-day exhibition pass for those wishing to be a part of HB2009 on a limited budget.
• Help Clean Up the World and put your activity on the global environmental map!   Held in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Clean Up the World is one of the world’s largest community-based environmental campaigns with an estimated 35 million volunteers from 120 countries participating annually in environmental activities.   Join the campaign and put your group and its activity on the global environmental map by visiting activities.cleanuptheworld.org .  Activities can be conducted year round, however the campaign’s flagship event, Clean Up the World Weekend (18-20 September 2009) is a global celebration of the environmental actions and achievements of participants.   Joining Clean Up the World is simple: ■ Register online: http//:activities.cleanuptheworld.org ■ Email: info@cleanuptheworld.org ■ Visit: www.cleanuptheworld.org ■ Call: +61 2 9692 0700 ■ Post: 18 Bridge Road, Glebe NSW 2037, Australia. Clean Up Clean Up the World partners with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to inspire and assist communities to "clean up, fix up and conserve their local environment" through carrying out initiatives ranging from waste removal and tree planting to water and energy conservation projects. Clean Up the World and its participating organisations mobilise an estimated 35 million volunteers from more than 120 countries annually.

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Action – Take Action - Often, I receive request to pass on alerts, petitions, Public Comments on local developments, and environmental items needing action by the Rochester Community and around the world. I’ll keep Actions posted until their due date. 

• I’m passing on this interesting proposal: Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act. For those of us [the public] who helped the banks who almost failed save our bailout monies, now it’s time for us to consider a bill that would protect our environment and help create green jobs.  So, on the face of it, this bill seems especially timely: the proposed Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act - A writer suggests: "The $5 Billion Clean Water, Clean Air & Green Jobs Bond Act of 2009 as it is proposed would vastly expand opportunities for conservation beyond state and federally funded programs and initiatives.  Voter-approved bond proceeds would be utilized for state environmental projects that protect our water, land and air and create jobs.  Funding created through this initiative would make long-term improvements to our environmental infrastructure and natural resources, energy efficiency, transit, building weatherization, public health protection and economic development.  The Bond Act would build upon the federal stimulus and provide a significant investment to further New York’s economic recovery through environmentally friendly capital investments.    It was our intent in the development of this proposal to have the largest economic benefit as possible and in areas where their were natural fits - seek to elevate some of the burdens put on local municipalities - such as wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, energy efficiency program, brownfields cleanup and environmental remediation program funding,  as well as traditional conservation efforts like the protection of open space, habitat restoration and parks.     As you will see from the attached draft case statement, there are areas that could have a significant benefit regions across the state - including the Rochester area." Here's more  Working Daft NYS 2009 Environmental Bond Case Statement | ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

 

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Award – Environmental Site of the Month Award – [On the last Sunday of each month, we present an environmental award for the Rochester-area environmental web site or blog that best promotes the need to protect and offers solutions for our area's environmental issues.]