11/13/09
News
Join us for the next Conversations in Sustainability session to learn about the international Slow Food and Slow Food USA movements to promote “good, clean, and fair food” from Alison Wiediger, co-owner of Au Naturel Farm. Alison will share slides from her summer trip to the 2009 international conference, discuss what she and other local producers are doing to advance similar goals locally, and explore with members if there is interest in starting a local chapter. This event will be held on Tues. Nov. 17 @ 5:30 pm at Greener Groundz Café, and is free and open to the public.
A brief BGGreen meeting will follow this presentation/discussion, to discuss options that individuals and our group can take related to expressed concerns about the planned shooting facility at Shanty Hollow Lake.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is asking for local input for its fiscal year 2010 program at a meeting scheduled on Nov. 19 at 9a-noon at the Carroll Knicely Center. Members who are able to attend could address concerns about the proposed shooting facility at Shanty Hollow Lake, or other concerns for resource protection in our area. See Input sought on natural resources priorities, BG Daily News, 11/7/09.
The KY Division of Water was made aware of potential violations concerning hazardous waste disposal at the Triple M Land Farm in Simpson County. KY Resources Council was contacted and Director Tom Fitzgerald agreed to file a Freedom of Information request under the Open Records Act to investigate further. Suspicions were confirmed, and on Nov. 2 Fitz filed comments with the Division of Waste Management to request denial of the permit renewal application. See KRC Comments On Renewal Of Triple M Land Farm Permit.
The Huge Mistake” – Climate Change Solutions 2009 Two EPA employees produced this video, now censored by the EPA. It argues for a phased-in carbon-fees approach to reducing carbon admissions, where the money savings are used to finance needed clean energy advancements, rather than the "Cap and trade" approach being recommended by Congress and the Obama administration. Finland and New Zealand are two countries that have integrated a carbon fees approach into policy, and in New Zealand, a 60¢/kwh premium for decentralized solar-generated electricity is payed (compare this to the12¢/kwh paid now by TVA.] Many have argued that the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (also called the Waxman-Markey Bill) has huge loopholes for industry and is not aggressive enough in its approach to controlling carbon emissions. I found the video interesting and wanted to pass it along.
Events
T Nov 17 Conversations in Sustainability/BGGreen Meeting. Greener Groundz at 5:30 pm Terra Madre/Slow Foods, Alison Wiediger, Au Naturel Farm
W-Th Nov 18-19 ‘Algae: Exploring Open Pond Production Opportunities, Memphis, TN (see below)
Th Nov 19 USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 9a-noon, Carroll Knicely Center, WKU
The National Algae Association’s Mid-South Chapter is addressing a growing interest by catfish producers
for growing algae as a viable option. A workshop entitled, "Algae; Exploring Open Pond Production Opportunities" will be held in Memphis, TN on November 18 and 19, 2009. For more information, go to www.NationalAlgaeAssociation.com/midsouth.html or call 270-328-8314.
Articles & Resources
Porsche Builds New Paint Shop with Latest Environmental Technology, Reuters, 11/3/09
Universities Look for Heat Underground, Higher Ed Impact: Weekly News & Analysis, 11/6-12/09
U.S. Senate Panel Passes Climate Bill as Republicans Continue Boycott The Hill, by Jim Snyder, 11/5/09
See also: Boxer Pushes Through Climate Bill, SustainableBusiness.com11/5/09
Former NRC Commissioner Peter Bradford Says Massive Nuclear Subsidies Won’t Solve Climate Change
CapTimes, by Peter A. Bradford, November 3, 2009 “The idea that Congress and state legislatures must override the 30-year market verdict against additional power reactors by providing vast infusions of taxpayer and customer money for dozens of new reactors is beyond sober analysis.”
Coal Company Destroys Last Intact Mountain in Coal River Valley, Center for Biological Diversity, 11/5/09
Reducing Greenhouse Gases May Not Be Enough To Slow Climate Change, 11/11/09 -- Because land use changes are responsible for 50 percent of warming in the US, policymakers need to address the influence of global deforestation and urbanization on climate change, in addition to greenhouse gas emissions say experts.
Chemists Describe Solar Energy Progress And Challenges, Including The 'Artificial Leaf', 11/3/09 -- Scientists are making progress toward development of an "artificial leaf" that mimics a real leaf's chemical magic with photosynthesis -- but instead converts sunlight and water into a liquid fuel such as methanol for vehicles
National Outdoor Lighting Improvements Would Save $5.1 Billion Annually, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and Natural Resources Defense Council, 11/3/09
Paranoia Strikes Deep, By Paul Krugman, NY Times
Resources & Links
RMQI Reinventing Fire [Highly recommended: Rocky Mountain Institute, whose motto is ‘Abundance by Design’, works internationally and in the U.S. to promote clean energy and energy efficiency.]
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