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I N · T H I S · I S S U E
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FLANIGAN'S ECO-LOGIC
The Green Tipping Point
A “green tipping point?” What’s up with that?
Have you read “The Tipping Point” by Malcom Gladwell?
The term tipping point emerged in the 1970s and referred
to an urban planning phenomenon whereby a certain percentage
of blacks would enter a neighborhood, causing white flight
to the suburbs. Gladwell’s Year 2000 bestseller took the
concept into a far broader dimension: He presents evidence
of how change occurs, and how fast this happens at one
dramatic moment: the tipping point.
The environmental movement is clearly at a tipping point.
After years of being considered radical, fringe, and its
members being accused of whining and being unnecessarily
alarmist, how very exciting to be legitimate!
The Tipping Point presents an argument that the best way
to understand the widespread acceptance of anything from
a fashion trend to a political is that ideas and products
and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do.
They are epidemics.
All successful movements are the result of infectious
behavior. At a certain point, everyone and every company
is feeding off one and other. Everywhere you turn there
is substantiation and reinforcement. At a certain point,
being green comes into vogue and like wheels on suit cases,
like cell phones and i-PODs and navigators, the trend
is universal. Everyone’s either got it or getting it!
Look at the evidence of an eco-tipping point. Since our
last issue,
Bank of America pledges $20 billion, yes billion!
GE establishes a Renewable Energy financing group,
expecting $1.6 billion of investments by the end of
2006, and $3 billion by 2008.
Market research finds that U.S. investments in clean
energy doubled last year.
Al Gore wins an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth.
The people of Los Angeles link Southern California’s
March heat wave to global climate change. “It’s happening,”
is a fellow train rider’s succinct remark. I marvel
at the pace of greening: In Toronto, a Councilor rides
his bike to work. Far from a “freak,” he is featured
in the press for braving snow, freezing rain, ice, and
cold, and demonstrating his daily commitment to responsible
action.
There’s the prefix craze: eco-snobs, eco-zone, clean
energy funds, green weddings, green trading, a green
radio station, eco-sexuals, you get it! I just read
an article about a fella’ in an “eco-tizzy.” Below the
rhetoric, thoughtful souls are contemplating the reality
that our lifestyle may well change. Britain is preparing
its citizens. “Everyone will have to deliver," notes
an analyst for a Dutch company this week in an Associated
Press story.
EcoMotion is pleased to be part of the movement. We’re
dedicated to a successful transition. We salute those
who are similarly dedicated, and we encourage those
that have not yet seen the light to catch on. We’re
at a tipping point; we’re launching into an exciting
– and notably different – era. As my friend Evan Mills
likes to say, “Ride the Wave!”
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THE SHENZHEN SOLAR MANDATE
The Province of Shenzhen
has set an energy-saving example by mandating the use
of solar power in new housing construction. The law, the
first of its kind in China, requires new residential buildings
with fewer than 12 stories to install solar- powered water-heating
systems.
WARW 94.7: The Globe!
WSAR in Washington DC, a
CBS affiliate station, is going green, changing its format
and its source of power. Formerly, “classic rock” becomes
“the globe,” and greening ranges from wind power purchases,
to hybrid vehicles, and a new studio featuring green materials
such as recycled flooring.
A CBS spokesperson, interviewed by the Washington Post,
noted that this “demonstrates how environmentalism has
moved to the political center. Thirty years ago, it was
considered fringe. Even five years ago, it would have
been highly unlikely for a mainstream commercial radio
station to align itself with concerns over global warming
-- too crunchy for most listeners. Now, WARW thinks such
branding might increase its ratings, as environmentalism
-- like recycling -- carries a positive and widely popular
connotation.”
Member Question: Just What the Heck Should I do with
Retired-Yet-Operable Incandescent Lamps?
Cleaning my garage this past
weekend, I came across a bag of incandescents that I’d
removed from my home. I found myself at a loss: Just what
the heck should I do with the incandescents? They work,
so I again resisted throwing them away.
Should I give them away? Recycle them? Donate them to
a school for an art project?
WE WANT YOUR SUGGESTIONS!
Be in touch by writing Vnicols@EcoMotion.us
and specifying “Incandescent Disposal” in the subject
line. The best entry will get a reward.
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“I keep meaning to write and tell you how much both Jeff
and I enjoy receiving this newsletter and hearing about
all the news and good ideas...”
Julie Morse Realtor
Lake Forest, Illinois
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Compact Fluorescent Lamp Disposal
- Clare Chang, Student Intern, University of California
at Irvine
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With the banning of incandescent bulbs well underway in
California, and elsewhere, millions of Compact Fluorescent
Light Bulbs (CFLs) will be taking their place in residential
homes, company and business buildings as the main energy
light source. Yet, with all the benefits that CFLs will
provide us in the future, an inevitable thought occurred
to me, “How in the world will they all be recycled?”
CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury, roughly the
size of a tip of a ball-point pen. (Compare to the amount
in a traditional home thermostat, which is 100 times as
much!) Unfortunately, mercury is a nerve toxin and improper
disposal of fluorescent light bulbs can result in the
contamination of the air, waterways, lakes, and the ocean.
Different states have different disposal rules, but starting
2006, homeowners and small businesses in California may
no longer throw fluorescent light bulbs in the trash.
These bulbs are now considered universal waste and must
be disposed of at a household hazardous waste site.
Based on a 2004 report from LampRecycle.org, 70.8% of
the mercury-lamps used by business and 98% of the lamps
used in homes are not being recycled. These are terrible
statistics especially considering the fact that more CFLs
will be used in upcoming years.
Thankfully, there are productive actions you can take
to assist in the proper recycling of CFLs:
• Check out www.earth911.com and enter your zip code to
find disposal options, or call 1-877-EARTH911, the U.S.
EPA’s Environmental Recycling Hotline.
• Check directly with your local waste management agency
for recycling and disposal guidelines.
• Look up www.lamprecycle.org
for further information.
• Check out www.almr.org for
more information on the non-profit Association of Lighting
and Mercury Recyclers (ALMR).
• IKEA, the home products retailer, is accepting used
CFLs, as are many other retailers who are looking into
take-back programs. Check their website www.IKEA.com
for a location near you.
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A $20 Billion
Green Initiative
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The Bank of America threw its hat into the ring this week: Making Richard Branson’s historic $3 billion commitment seem small, it made a ten-year commitment to fund $20 billion of “environmentally sustainable business activity.” According to CEO Kenneth D. Lewis, "Today, we have a tremendous opportunity to support our customer's efforts to build an environmentally sustainable economy.”
For its customers, BOA will provide a range of services. It will finance LEED-certified buildings, energy efficiency improvements, and green mortgage programs. It plans an eco-credit card with proceeds going to offset carbon emissions. BOA announced the launch a carbon emissions trading unit. And through its investments, it will encourage green manufacture, while donating $50 million over the decade to non-profits and charitable works.
BOA, now headquartered in North Carolina, is the nation’s largest retail financial institution. Internally it is “walking the talk,” committing $1.4 billion to assure that all new facilities are LEED certified and launching a $100 million energy conservation program for existing facilities.
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Renewable Portfolio Standards |
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Orange states
have an RPS.
Click on image for map details. |
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change reports that as
of March 2007 there are 23 states that have set standards
for the percentage of renewable energy delivered by electric
utilities. Most states have Renewable Portfolio Standards
(RPS). Minnesota and New York lead the pack with 25% and
24% RPS requirements by 2025 and 2013 respectively. Two
states – Illinois and Vermont – have non-binding goals.
Recently the 27-member nation European Union took charge
with new energy policies derived from a Brussels summit
including a pledge to require 20% renewable by 2020.
Pew reports a number of key RPS design details. First
is the definition of renewables. Some states like California
exclude distributed solar projects from the standard.
Some states allow utilities to purchase renewable energy
credits reach compliance. And the level of renewables
delivered varies by state, as do the interim goals. Texas,
for example, calls for its utilities to deliver 2,000
MW of renewables by 2009 and 5,800 MW by 2015.
In California, the State’s major investor-owned utilities
are working hard to achieve the accelerated 20% goal by
2010. (Originally, the target date was 2017.) After 2010,
California will require the state's utilities to continue
to increase its renewable portfolio by at least 1% per
year. The State legislature is considering increasing
the renewable standard to 33.3% by 2020. This past week,
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed a bill into
law that doubles his state’s renewable energy requirement
to 20% by 2020. And the State is on track: Public Service
Company of New Mexico expects to meet an interim target
several years ahead of schedule. Renewables currently
make up 8% of its portfolio.
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Bracing to Become World’s First
Green Economy
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According to an article in London’s Daily Mail, “drastic
government plans” are being formulated that British ministers
warn would mean everyone in the country will have to live,
work, and travel differently. The Climate Change Bill
presented in draft this week by Britain’s highest officials
targets 60% reductions in CO2 by 2050. Ministers compared
the scale of change necessary to the industrial revolution
of the 18th century.
British homes may be required to be carbon neutral in
ten years. Homeowners may be subject to mandatory home
energy audits, they will have access to “hassle-free”
renovations that allow them to buy now and pay later,
and those who refuse to make their properties energy efficient
will face financial penalties. Environment Secretary David
Miliband said it would be "painful" to continue to have
an energy inefficient home.
Transport will also undergo radical overhaul as Britain
moves towards becoming a "low- carbon economy." The Government
plans to work with the EU to set new average emissions
target of 130g of CO2 per kilometer - well below most
of today's models - with further reductions to follow.
People will be encouraged to make more sustainable travel
choices, including greater use of public transport, walking,
and cycling.
Prime Minister Tony Blair and his expected Labor party
successor unveiled the draft Climate Change Bill at Downing
Street this week. Officials expect that the legislation
will pass in April, making Britain the first country in
the world with legally binding targets.
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Clean Energy Investments Double
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Ted at wind farm
in Gorgornio Pass
near Palm Desert, CA |
This year’s Clean Energy Trends Report, an annual
“snapshot” of clean energy trends by the Portland-based
Clean Edge, finds that venture capital investment in U.S.
companies developing alternative energy technologies more
than doubled last year to an all-time high of $2.4 billion.
According to the report, high oil prices caused investors
to seize on the promise of ethanol and other bio-fuels.
Potential government carbon caps have also created an
impetus for the investment growth.
Venture capital investments in bio-fuels such as ethanol
and bio-diesel surged from $20.5 million in 2005 to $813
million last year. Clean Edge said the worldwide clean
energy market in four technologies – bio-fuels, wind,
solar PV, and fuels cells and distributed hydrogen --
grew from $40 billion in 2005 to $55 billion last year.
It also projected that the market would grow to $226 billion
by 2016. That rate of growth, the report said, compares
to growth rates in the nascent computer, wireless and
Internet industries.
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