Environmental Beat

Are Humans suicidal?

2012-02-21T13:05:00.001-08:00

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/02/21/428884/crossing-the-line-heartland-institute-peter-gleick-and-andrew-revkin/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29

Heartland Institute lies about climate science and gets caught

2012-02-19T12:36:00.001-08:00

An Open Letter to the Heartland Institute

As scientists who have had their emails stolen, posted online and grossly misrepresented, we can appreciate the difficulties the Heartland Institute is currently experiencing following the online posting of the organization’s internal documents earlier this week. However, we are greatly disappointed by their content, which indicates the organization is continuing its campaign to discredit mainstream climate science and to undermine the teaching of well-established climate science in the classroom.

We know what it feels like to have private information stolen and posted online via illegal hacking. It happened to climate researchers in 2009 and again in 2011. Personal emails were culled through and taken out of context before they were posted online. In 2009, the Heartland Institute was among the groups that spread false allegations about what these stolen emails said. Despite multiple independent investigations, which demonstrated that allegations against scientists were false, the Heartland Institute continued to attack scientists based on the stolen emails. When more stolen emails were posted online in 2011, the Heartland Institute again pointed to their release and spread false claims about scientists.

So although we can agree that stealing documents and posting them online is not an acceptable practice, we would be remiss if we did not point out that the Heartland Institute has had no qualms about utilizing and distorting emails stolen from scientists.

We hope the Heartland Institute will heed its own advice to “think about what has happened” and recognize how its attacks on science and scientists have helped poison the debate over climate change policy. The Heartland Institute has chosen to undermine public understanding of basic scientific facts and personally attack climate researchers rather than engage in a civil debate about climate change policy options.

These are the facts: Climate change is occurring. Human activity is the primary cause of recent climate change. Climate change is already disrupting many human and natural systems. The more heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions that go into the atmosphere, the more severe those disruptions will become. Major scientific assessments from the Royal Society, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, United States Global Change Research Program and other authoritative sources agree on these points.

Here’s the rest of the letter and the signatories:

What businesses, policymakers, advocacy groups and citizens choose to do in response to those facts should be informed by the science. But those decisions are also necessarily informed by economic, ethical, ideological, and other considerations. While the Heartland Institute is entitled to its views on policy, we object to its practice of spreading misinformation about climate research and personally attacking climate scientists to further its goals.
We hope the Heartland Institute will begin to play a more constructive role in the policy debate. Refraining from misleading attacks on climate science and climate researchers would be a welcome first step toward having an honest, fact-based debate about the policy responses to climate change.

Ray Bradley, PhD, Director of the Climate System Research Center, University of Massachusetts
David Karoly, PhD, ARC Federation Fellow and Professor, University of Melbourne, Australia
Michael Mann, PhD, Director, Earth System Science Center, Pennsylvania State University
Jonathan Overpeck, PhD, Professor of Geosciences and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona
Ben Santer, PhD, Research Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Gavin Schmidt, PhD, Climate Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Kevin Trenberth, ScD, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Climate Analysis Section, National Center for Atmospheric Research

CO2 Levels Highest Jump in Recent History

2012-02-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

CO2 emissions rose 5.9 percent in 2010 according to the Global Carbon Project, an international group of scientist that track the numbers. A half million more tons of CO2 was pumped into the atmosphere in 2010 which is the largest percentage jump since 2003.

Over 5.5 million bats in North America have died from White-nose Syndrome

2012-01-19T07:52:00.001-08:00

North American Bat Death Toll Exceeds 5.5 Million From White-nose Syndrome

On the verge of another season of winter hibernating bat surveys, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and partners estimate that at least

5.7 million to 6.7 million bats have now died from white-nose syndrome.

Biologists expect the disease to continue to spread.

Carbon Dioxide reaches new very high level

2012-01-15T12:11:00.001-08:00

CO2 levels averaged out to 392.95 Parts Per Million last week. That is really high. Check it out! http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/

US sets record of $52 Billion in extreme storm Damage in 2011

2011-12-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released an analysis, “U.S. sets record with a dozen billion-dollar weather disasters in one year.” They report:

§ To date, the United States set a record with 12 separate billion dollar weather/climate disasters in 2011, with an aggregate damage total of approximately $52 billion. This record year breaks the previous record of nine billion-dollar weather/climate disasters in one year, which occurred in 2008.

§ These twelve disasters alone resulted in the tragic loss of 646 lives, with the National Weather Service reporting over 1,000 deaths across all weather categories for the year.

Society had better pay attention and get cracking!

2011-12-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Reposted:
Published on Monday, December 5, 2011 by CommonDreams.org
The Most Important News Story of the Day/Millennium
by Bill McKibben

The most important piece of news yesterday, this week, this month, and this year was a new set of statistics released yesterday by the Global Carbon Project. It showed that carbon emissions from our planet had increased 5.9 percent between 2009 and 2010. In fact, it was arguably among the most important pieces of data in the last, oh, three centuries, since according to the New York Times it represented “almost certainly the largest absolute jump in any year since the Industrial Revolution.”

What it means, in climate terms, is that we’ve all but lost the battle to reduce the damage from global warming. The planet has already warmed about a degree Celsius; it’s clearly going to go well past two degrees. It means, in political terms, that the fossil fuel industry has delayed effective action for the 12 years since the Kyoto treaty was signed. It means, in diplomatic terms, that the endless talks underway in Durban should be more important than ever--they should be the focus of a planetary population desperate to figure out how it’s going to survive the century. [350.org] 350.org

But instead, almost no one is paying attention to the proceedings, at least on this continent. One of our political parties has decided that global warming is a hoax--it’s two leading candidates are busily apologizing for anything they said in the past that might possibly have been construed as backing, you know, science. President Obama hasn’t yet spoken on the Durban talks, and informed international observers like Joss Garman are beginning to despair that he ever will.

Who are the 99%? In this country, they’re those of us who aren’t making any of these deadly decisions. In this world, they’re the vast majority of people who didn’t contribute to those soaring emissions. In this biosphere they’re every other species now living on a disorienting earth.

You think OWS is radical? You think 350.org was radical for helping organize mass civil disobedience in DC in August against the Keystone Pipeline? We’re not radical. Radicals work for oil companies. The CEO of Exxon gets up every morning and goes to work changing the chemical composition of the atmosphere. No one has ever done anything as radical as that, not in all of human history. And he and his ilk spend heavily on campaigns to make sure no one stops them--the US Chamber of Commerce gave more money than the DNC and the RNC last cycle, and 94% of it went to climate deniers.

Corporate power has occupied the atmosphere. 2011 showed we could fight back. 2012 would be a good year to step up the pressure. Because this time next year the Global Carbon Project will release another number. And I’m betting it will be grim.

Originally posted on Daily Kos.
Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben is Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and co-founder of 350.org. His most recent book is Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet.

Scientist measured the biggest jump in CO2 Emissions ever in 2010

2011-12-06T07:22:00.001-08:00

The Global Carbon Project, an international collaboration of scientists tracking the amount of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels recorded the biggest jump in CO2 emissions ever recorded. Emissions worldwide rose 5.9 percent in 2010.

This unprecedented rise makes it difficult, if not impossible, to prevent severe climate change impacts in the coming decades. The longer we do nothing the longer we doom our own existence.

Here is an interesting interactive climate change data guide

2011-11-14T09:55:00.001-08:00

https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/

Zero Money Down for a home solar system

2011-11-14T09:36:00.000-08:00

We recently did a little research regarding a Solar Lease system (Solar Panel Installation) that services several states in the US. I know many of you would consider getting solar panels but the investment cost is typically abundant. This program allows you to get solar as a service for $0 money down (the installation and equipment is built into the lease) and once the system is installed you'll pay less for the energy you currently use every day. Solar Panels offer many great benefits:

Environment protection
Energy independence
Green jobs
Combat the rising rates of energy

To obtain more information, visit http://www.sungevity.com/home-1c or call 866-SUN-4ALL for free information on the technology, benefits, and this lease service

Brandywine Creek Event Tomorrow Morning

2011-10-14T12:21:00.001-07:00

MEDIA ADVISORY

Join the Appalachian Mountain Club to learn more about water-based conservation and recreation in Southeastern Pennsylvania and to enjoy the afternoon hiking and paddling. Bring your kayak and join the fun!

When: This Saturday Morning, October 15^th 10am - Noon:

Kayaking Event and Speakers

Where: Shady Acres Campground

301 Creek Road (Route 282) north of Downingtown, PA.

Who: Mark Zakutansky, Appalachian Mountain Club

Others?

State Senator Andy Dinniman at 10:00 AM

Richard Whiteford, Local Environmental Activist

Township officials.

What: Come learn about conservation and recreation efforts in the greater Philadelphia area of Southeastern PA and the Pennsylvania Highlands Region through the official launch of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s newest print and online publications, including an online-interactive “Water and You Learning Center” and a hiking and paddling mobile application. The East Branch of the Brandywine River will be the setting for the event, chosen as AMC’s 2011 Adopt-A-Waterway, a program aimed at bringing attention to the recreational values of rivers and streams which can provide water-based recreational opportunities including paddling, when enough rain provides adequate flows. The event will conclude at noon to allow participants to explore the Struble hiking trail and paddle on the East Branch of the Brandywine River.

Also, Please take a look at this totally state-of-the-art iphone technology that the Appalachian Mountain Club has created. It will be demonstrated this Saturday morning at our press event on the Brandywine Creek just North of Downingtown on Route 282 (Creek Road) at Shady Acres Campground from 10:00 AM till Noon. Please come and check this out.

http://highlandsmobile.outdoors.org/Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP.

Contact: Mark Zakutansky

Appalachian Mountain Club, Mid-Atlantic Policy Manager

mzakutansky@outdoors.org 610-868-6915

Richard Whiteford

Downingtown, PA

savebiosphere3@verizon.net 610-246-7974

Why we need to stop burning fossil fuels right now

2011-09-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

We have passed the threshold of abating the consequences of the climate change effects that will come from the 391 Parts per Million (PPM) of CO2 that currently exists in the atmosphere. The extreme heat waves, droughts, wild fires, tornadoes, heavy downpours, and devastating floods that were not only experienced in America, but around the world are a harbinger of what is to come. It can only get worse as CO2 continues to rise. CO2 is going up at roughly 3 PPM per year as we pump 50 million tons of CO2 in the atmosphere every 24 hours. Our only recourse is to cut fossil fuel use as soon as absolutely possible. It is imperative that people and politicians listen to the CLIMATE scientists and not the smoke screen so-called scientists paid for by the fossil fuel industries and take this issue dead seriously. Every puff of CO2 adds further to the problem. Take a look at what the weather events looked like so far this year and ask yourself if you want it to look worse than this next year and worse again the year after that and so on.

Europe is bewildered by America's ambivalence to climate change.

2011-09-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

European Union climate chief Connie Hedegaard is disposing of diplomatic niceties when describing U.S. political battles over climate change.

“I’m shocked that the political debate in the U.S. is so far away from the scientific facts,” she said, according to The Copenhagen Post. [ ©European Parliament/Pietro Naj-Oleari)] "It’s hard for a European to understand how it has become so fashionable to be anti-science in the U.S.,” Hedegaard said. (photo: ©European Parliament/Pietro Naj-Oleari)

“When more than 90 percent of researchers in the field are saying that we have to take [climate change] seriously, it is incredibly irresponsible to ignore it. It’s hard for a European to understand how it has become so fashionable to be anti-science in the U.S.,” Hedegaard said in the Post account, which reprints comments she made to the Danish paper Politiken.

“And when you hear American presidential candidates denying climate change, it’s difficult to take,” she said.

Her remarks come amid a split in the GOP presidential field, where candidates including Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann dispute the mainstream scientific view that the planet is warming and human activities are a key factor.

Tar Sands Oil will doom us

2011-09-04T13:34:00.001-07:00

On September 3, 2011 243 courageous people were hauled away to jail -- it’s the last day of Phase 1 of the tar sands campaign, and 1,252 North Americans have been arrested, the biggest civil disobedience action this century on this continent.

I was arrest number 129 and got hauled away in a paddy wagon after protesting in front of the White House against the Tar Sands pipe line project. If we burn the amount of oil that the tar sands contain CO2 levels will rise to well over 700 PPM and destroy most life-forms on the planet. We cannot allow this to happen!

There is no real dispute over the accuracy of climate science.

2011-08-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

This comes from Joe Romm's post:

Our understanding of basic climate science is so strong now that the U.S. National Academy of Sciences concluded its recent review of climate science, saying it is a “settled fact” that “the Earth system is warming and that much of this warming is very likely due to human activities.” Last year, Time magazine reported on a comprehensive new review paper of “100 peer-reviewed post-IPCC studies” in an article titled, “Report: The Case for Global Warming Stronger Than Ever” noting:

By looking at a wide range of observations from all over the world, the Met Office study concludes that the fingerprint of human influence on climate is stronger than ever. “We can say with a very high significance level that the effects we see in the climate cannot be attributed to any other forcings [factors that push the climate in one direction or another],” says study co-author Gabriele Hegerl of the University of Edinburgh.

It's not a matter of faith; it's a matter of fact.

2011-07-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Global climate change exposes an interesting observation: the great battle between ideologues and politicians against the scientific community about the reality of climate change exposes the confusion between belief and factual understanding. For instance, if a quarter (a 25 cent coin) lies on a table and people observe it there should be a100% agreement that it is a quarter. It is hard factual evidence. Anyone who says it’s not really a quarter would be looked upon with great suspect. The quarter represents a case in fact-based understanding. The person who says it’s not really a quarter bases their position on their belief. We’ll get back to the quarter.

Belief is a very curious phenomenon. For instance, our local Native American tribe, the Lenape, believed that many animals including turtles had sacred powers. They believed that if a turtle wondered into a village containing a sick person, that person would be healed and become very lucky. The Okehocking tribe that maintained a summer hunting camp just east of West Chester on Route 3 was a turtle worshiping tribe.

Beliefs run across religious, philosophical, and ideological divides or can be a combination of these. In the religious community there are ten known non-Christian religions and fifteen recognized Protestant Denominations in the United States who, for the most part, claim that their way is the only way to God. Which one is right and how can they be sure?

The British philosopher Stephen Law described some belief systems (including belief in homeopathy, psychic powers and alien abduction) as "claptrap" and said that they "draw people in and hold them captive so they become willing slaves ... if you get sucked in, it can be extremely difficult to think your way clear again". That describes the extreme “shock jock” news programs of today.

Belief that the economy is the only thing that counts is another example. As much as capitalist like to demonize socialists (I’m not supporting socialism), the fact is Capitalism is a failed system too. Look where we are right now! Capitalists only care about the next quarter earnings. The Marcellus Shale issue is a perfect example. They are willing to destroy people’s water quality and communities to keep their earnings optimal. One curious thing about the socialist accusation from capitalists is, why won’t they admit that when taxpayers pay over $91 Billion to subsidize big oil companies, at the same time the oil companies are gouging us at the pumps racking up historic profits - that that is socialism? The “people” are supporting the oil industry with our tax dollars. This is not free enterprise market-based business, yet they support the tax subsidies?

Back to the quarter, the scientific facts about climate change are as real as that twenty-five cent peace. The facts come from NASA, The Snow and Ice Data Center, NOWA, and some other scientific organizations. The facts are rock-solid. Skeptics disputing the facts are like someone saying that the quarter isn’t really a quarter.

In my fourteen years involvement with the scientific community researching climate change I have never seen one “peer reviewed” scientific study that disputes the facts about climate change. In addition, there are over 2,500 climatologists that say climate change is a very serious problem that has passed the threshold of stopping some very unpleasant future repercussions. If you pay attention to the droughts and wildfires in the southwest, the floods and tornados in the Midwest, and extreme weather events around the world, you will realize climate change is here now. The skeptics deliberately promoted unsubstantiated beliefs as fact to keep their quarterly earnings up. The cost for not fact-checking information will cost us all.

Conservative rant about socialists

2011-07-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

Throwing epithets like socialists at anyone who doesn’t agree with the extreme right-winged Republican party is getting a bit trite and tiring. Consider this: extreme right-winged Republicans are for keeping the 91 billion dollar subsidies of taxpayer dollars going to the oil industry while the oil industry is gouging us at the gas pumps and posting the largest profits in the history of any business that ever existed. What is more socialistic than taxpayers supporting a for-profitable industry? So, shut up about socialism until you make your legislators stop giving our tax dollars to big oil.

Beer Drinkers Unite to Preserve Brandywine Watershed

2011-06-14T09:21:00.001-07:00

Beer drinkers should unite

Published: Tuesday, June 14, 2011

By RICHARD WHITEFORD, Guest Columnist

One of the most essential needs for human survival is clean water; without it you cannot survive.

A watershed area is the foundation of the water supply surrounding a particular stream or river. If you allow it to get polluted, you jeopardize the health of everyone who drinks its water. The best way to describe a watershed is that it looks like a naked tree. The top part of the tree, the canopy, is the headwaters area. The tips and the very top branches of the tree are analogous to the small tributaries that make up the headwaters.

These tributaries flow into bigger streams which are analogous to the thicker branches growing from the trunk. The main river corridor is analogous to the tree's trunk. Where the river meets the bay is analogous to the tree trunk meeting the earth. It is a large hydraulic system.

In the Brandywine Valley, at the beginning of colonial settlement, Lenape Indians and early European settlers could lie on their stomachs and drink from the Brandywine. It was pristine, pure, cold water. Fast forward to 2011; the population in the headwaters of the east branch of the Brandywine north of Downingtown is over 50,000 people.

Now due to lawn treatment chemicals from residential homes and golf courses, and industrial and agricultural pollutants you do not dare drink water directly from the stream. Even though the headwater areas are vital for protecting water quality and quantity, it is important to protect the entire watershed area to ensure safe drinking water. Any dangerous chemicals or pollutants introduced into the stream anywhere in the stream corridor will be detrimental to everyone downstream from that point.

The further from farm fields and housing developments where fertilizers and other chemicals can get into the water, the more pure the water remains.

The focus in this article is on the upper east branch between Honey Brook and Downingtown. This area is targeted for heavy residential development which will threaten the integrity of this water. The bad economy is the only thing that has prevented this area from getting trounced so far. Development converts water filtration areas into water runoff areas by replacing natural land with impervious rooftops and driveways. Protecting this watershed is vital to assure safe drinking water for hundreds of thousands of Chester County residents.

Over many years conservationists struggled to protect this watershed but industrial and residential development trumped many preservation efforts. There just hasn't been enough public concern or knowledge about the watershed's importance to protect it -- until perhaps now.

What might that be, you ask? Beer! Not just any beer, but possibly the finest beer on the planet. Victory Brewery in Downingtown, an internationally respected brewery, whose Prima Pils, chosen by The New York Times as the number one, world's best Pilsner is totally dependent on the water quality of the Upper East Branch of the Brandywine to maintain its quality.

If every lover of Victory beer realized just how utterly reliant the protection of this watershed is to assure the impeccable quality of that beautiful cold golden-amber flow from the tap to their glass, they would protect this watershed with life and limb. Beer loyalists are like this, you know.

Now this is not an advertisement for Victory Brewery, but knowing how fervent beer lovers are, and considering that nothing else seems to have worked, can you imagine an organization called Beer Drinkers United for Watershed Protection rising up and organizing, raising money, and lobbying the government to designate the upper east branch an exceptional value stream?

Imagine signs along roads that read, "You are now Entering the Victory Brewery Watershed Area." Beer lovers rise up! Protect your watershed! Protect your beer!

(Richard Whiteford of Downingtown is an environmental communications consultant.)

Solar Power Without Solar Cells

2011-04-16T09:29:00.001-07:00

Science News

Solar Power Without Solar Cells: A Hidden Magnetic Effect of Light Could Make It Possible

ScienceDaily (Apr. 14, 2011) — A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light discovered by University of Michigan researchers could lead to solar power without traditional semiconductor-based solar cells.

The researchers found a way to make an "optical battery," said Stephen Rand, a professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Physics and Applied Physics.
In the process, they overturned a century-old tenet of physics.
"You could stare at the equations of motion all day and you will not see this possibility. We've all been taught that this doesn't happen," said Rand, an author of a paper on the work published in the Journal of Applied Physics. "It's a very odd interaction. That's why it's been overlooked for more than 100 years."
Light has electric and magnetic components. Until now, scientists thought the effects of the magnetic field were so weak that they could be ignored. What Rand and his colleagues found is that at the right intensity, when light is traveling through a material that does not conduct electricity, the light field can generate magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than previously expected. Under these circumstances, the magnetic effects develop strength equivalent to a strong electric effect.
"This could lead to a new kind of solar cell without semiconductors and without absorption to produce charge separation," Rand said. "In solar cells, the light goes into a material, gets absorbed and creates heat. Here, we expect to have a very low heat load. Instead of the light being absorbed, energy is stored in the magnetic moment. Intense magnetization can be induced by intense light and then it is ultimately capable of providing a capacitive power source."
What makes this possible is a previously undetected brand of "optical rectification," says William Fisher, a doctoral student in applied physics. In traditional optical rectification, light's electric field causes a charge separation, or a pulling apart of the positive and negative charges in a material. This sets up a voltage, similar to that in a battery. This electric effect had previously been detected only in crystalline materials that possessed a certain symmetry.
Rand and Fisher found that under the right circumstances and in other types of materials, the light's magnetic field can also create optical rectification.
"It turns out that the magnetic field starts curving the electrons into a C-shape and they move forward a little each time," Fisher said. "That C-shape of charge motion generates both an electric dipole and a magnetic dipole. If we can set up many of these in a row in a long fiber, we can make a huge voltage and by extracting that voltage, we can use it as a power source."
The light must be shone through a material that does not conduct electricity, such as glass. And it must be focused to an intensity of 10 million watts per square centimeter. Sunlight isn't this intense on its own, but new materials are being sought that would work at lower intensities, Fisher said.
"In our most recent paper, we show that incoherent light like sunlight is theoretically almost as effective in producing charge separation as laser light is," Fisher said.
This new technique could make solar power cheaper, the researchers say. They predict that with improved materials they could achieve 10 percent efficiency in converting solar power to useable energy. That's equivalent to today's commercial-grade solar cells.
"To manufacture modern solar cells, you have to do extensive semiconductor processing," Fisher said. "All we would need are lenses to focus the light and a fiber to guide it. Glass works for both. It's already made in bulk, and it doesn't require as much processing. Transparent ceramics might be even better."
In experiments this summer, the researchers will work on harnessing this power with laser light, and then with sunlight.
The paper is titled "Optically-induced charge separation and terahertz emission in unbiased dielectrics." The university is pursuing patent protection for the intellectual property.

Penn State Malvern May 19th LIfe's New Paradigm in the Age of Climate Change

2011-04-06T11:03:00.001-07:00

Life’s New Paradigm in the Age of Climate Change

Thursdays, May 19
7 to 8:30 p.m.
Musser Auditorium, The Conference Center Building

Environmental consultant and author, Richard Whitesford, explains climate change, how it works, its impact on the environment, and the economic opportunities the climate-shift paradigm will afford the United States.

Penn State Presentation April 12th The Sea Beneath Us

2011-04-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Alumni, Friends & Corporate Partners

The Sea Beneath Us: Ocean Life Encounters from the Galapagos to Papa New Guinea

An exhibit featuring the work of Jeremy Cohen, Ph.D., Associate VP and Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education

The Gallery at Penn State Great Valley is featuring Dr. Jeremy Cohen’s exhibit “The Sea Beneath Us: Ocean Life Encounters from the Galapagos to Papua New Guinea,” from April 4 through May 31. Dr. Cohen is a member of Penn State’s American Academy of Underwater Sciences Dive Control Board and teaches a unit on underwater photography to the University’s science diving students. His portfolio was featured in the January/February issue of the Penn Stater Magazine.

Meet the Artist Reception Tuesday, April 12
6 to 7 p.m.
The Gallery at Penn State Great Valley
30 E. Swedesford Rd., Malvern

To register, click here.

$20,000 matching grant opportunity for reducing energy usage. Webinar this Thursday

2011-04-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

Webinar
Partnering with Local Businesses to Reduce Energy Usage
When: Thursday, April 7 at 2 p.m. Eastern (1 pm Central / Noon Mountain / 11 am Pacific)
Event Summary: Despite a strong economic case for making basic energy efficiency improvements, many small business owners do not utilize the many options available to finance efficiency retrofits at their facilities. Local governments can help overcome these barriers by partnering with community businesses to reduce their energy consumption while also minimizing operating costs. By providing low-cost financing, educating businesses on their energy usage, or uniting small businesses to realize greater aggregate savings, localities can make local businesses more sustainable and economically competitive.

On Thursday’s call we’ll be joined by Dave Konkle, the Energy Programs Director at the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority and former Energy Coordinator for the City of Ann Arbor, MI. Mr. Konkle will discuss how Ann Arbor is working with downtown businesses to conduct energy efficiency audits and retrofit commercial buildings. The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority provides a free “Technical Energy Analysis” for all downtown businesses and a 50% matching grant (up to $20,000) for businesses that implement energy saving recommendations. Over 100 businesses are currently participating.
REGISTER TODAY
If you are already registered for the Climate Communities weekly teleconference series, you do not need to register again.
(Climate Communities hosts weekly teleconferences on best practices and other key energy issues of importance to local governments. There is no charge to attend these weekly calls.)

Upcoming Events

Local Government Clean Energy Leadership Summit
June 15-17, 2011, Washington, DC

Participate in the premier energy efficiency and renewable energy conference for the local government sector, share best practices with colleagues and federal officials and urge the Obama Administration and Congress to make further clean energy investments in local governments. This conference will be a key opportunity to demonstrate to federal policymakers the success of the EECBG program and other investments in local clean energy projects.
April 15 - Early Bird Deadline.
Register at www.localenergysummit.org

About Energy Block Grants Work!

In July, local government and private sector officials from across America launched the Energy Block Grants Work! campaign in Washington, DC with meetings with senior officials in the White House, Department of Energy, and the Congress. Organized by Climate Communities, the Energy Block Grants Work! campaign is rallying cities and counties across America to urge President Obama to include full funding for the EECBG program in his budget for next year.

The campaign is managed by Climate Communities, a national coalition of cities and counties that is educating federal policymakers about the essential role of local governments in implementing clean energy projects and promoting a strong local-federal partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Visit:

www.energyblockgrants.org where you can:

download an advocacy toolkit
join the mail list
share your local EECBG story
donate to support the effort

Thank you for your consideration, and please forward this email to other community leaders who may be able to help.

Natural Lands Trust at People's Light & Theatre May 16th

2011-04-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

Correction...

Our apologies! The telephone number for People's Light & Theatre Company listed in yesterday's email was in error. Please see the information below for the corrected number. Thank you.

Choosing Conservation in the 21st Century: An Evening with Natural Lands Trust

Monday, May 16, 7:00 pm

This spring, People’s Light & Theatre Company will present the Philadelphia premiere of the Broadway hit Dividing the Estate, by Horton Foote. In the play, the Gordon family is locked in a battle over whether to divide, sell, or keep the family estate. While the play is fictional, the story is a common reality—especially in our region. As open space dwindles and estates are developed, what options are available to landowners? How can they balance financial needs with their personal love of the land?

Join Natural Lands Trust for an evening of lively discussion at People’s Light as panel members with an in-depth experience with this issue—a landowner whose family chose conservation, a developer, a lawyer who advises landowners, and Natural Lands Trust President Molly Morrison—share their perspectives and answer your questions.

This panel discussion is free, but pre-registration is required; call 610-644-3500. For tickets to Dividing the Estate, visit www.peopleslight.org. Members of Natural Lands Trust receive a 15% discount on any performance. The production runs from May 11 through June 5. (If you order tickets online, use promo code "NLT.")

Natural Lands Trust \| 1031 Palmers Mill Rd, Media, PA, 19063 \| Phone: 610-353-5587
Privacy Policy \| Email Preferences	© 2011 Natural Lands Trust

Natural Lands Trust Tree Planting Event

2011-04-04T11:29:00.001-07:00

Celebrate Arbor Day by Planting Trees

Saturday, April 30, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

With your help, we'll plant 1,400 trees at our Sadsbury Woods Preserve at this Arbor Day event. Join us for the whole morning or for just a few hours. Children and groups of any size are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served.

Please wear boots or shoes that can get muddy, and bring work gloves and a shovel, if possible. We'll be digging holes, planting seedlings, and placing protective tree tubes around the trees.

This event made possible through partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, TreeVitalize, PA Department of Environmental Protection, Chester County Conservation District, and Natural Lands Trust.

Pre-registration is required. Please email info@natlands.org or call us 610-353-5587 ext. 243.

Photo: Ed Cunicelli

Join the 6th Annual Goose Creek Cleanup Aril 16th

2011-04-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

Join the 6^th Annual Goose Creek Cleanup on April 16th!

On Saturday, April 16^th you can make a big difference for a healthier environment and cleaner streams by volunteering with the Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association (CRC) and your fellow residents to clean up Goose Creek. Last year, 296 volunteers hauled out 24,200 pounds of junk that had been clogging culverts and streams or creating health hazards along the creek. The cleanup is from 9 am to 11 am.

Volunteers are asked to report by 8:50 am to get their assignments and enjoy complimentary coffee and bagels. Please wear hiking boots, waders, or old shoes. Gloves and bags will be provided.

Please contact one of the site coordinators or CRC to volunteer for one of these stream sections and the meeting places below.

West Goshen Township, meet in lot behind the Mac Donalds on the corner of Montgomery and Gay Streets. Coordinator: Craig Marleton, cemarleton@aquaamerica.com or 484-356-9309

West Chester Borough, meet inside Public Works Garage, 205 Lacey Street, Coordinator: Courtney Finneran, Courtney.marm@gmail.com or 610-637-7576.

Thornbury/Westtown Townships, park in the lot for Goose Creek Park, located at Goose Creek and Route 926. Coordinator: Teresa Destefano 610-202-0329 or tdestefano@thornburytwp.com.

CRC thanks the public works departments for their help. For more information about the cleanup, please contact CRC at 610-892-8731 or crc@nni.com or visit CRC’s web site at www.crcwatersheds.org

How can anyone take climate deniers seriously anymore

2011-04-04T07:11:00.000-07:00

Climate deniers get less credible all of the time:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/opinion/04krugman.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212

I am featured on this issue of the Climate Project Website

2011-04-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

http://us.theclimateproject.org/

Electric Car Charging Stations coming to Pennsylvania

2011-04-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

EV Charging Network Coming to PA

On March 11, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

announced a partnership with 350Green, a developer of electric vehicle (EV) charging station networks, to design, build, and operate a network of 22 EV fast charging and 44 Level 2 charging stations across the state. A substantial portion of the chargers will be concentrated in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions. Construction is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2011 and be complete by mid-2012.

If PA DEP projections of EV purchases are correct, 350Green estimates that by 2020 its Pennsylvania charging network can help displace 260 million gallons of fuel, which represents $580 million in avoided costs and 1.6 million cumulative tons of CO2 emissions avoided per year.

Denier lies about Al Gore exposed

2011-03-31T06:22:00.000-07:00

The denier smear campaign gets exposed again. Please check this out:

http://climateprogress.org/2011/03/28/koch-richard-muller-gore-cicerone-polar-bears-friedman/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29

Here's the latest climate change report from NASA

2011-03-31T06:02:00.001-07:00

NASA's latest climate report below shows "a global increase in extremely hot summers. From 1951 - 1980 extremely hot summers increased from 2 - 3 % to as much as 30 - 40 % to 2010. It also show that while it was unusually cold this winter in the eastern United States and northern Eurasia, Hudson Bay and Baffin Bay (between Canada and Greenland) were essentially ice-free, the first recorded time that ice-free conditions lasted so long."

http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2011/20110327_Perceptions.pdf

The Misinformation Machine is alive and well.

2011-03-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

My wife and I attended a conference in Harrisburg to learn more about the Affordable Care Act and it's effect on Medicare. I was surprised to see that the strategy for the attacks on this bill are no different than the strategy for the attacks on climate change, and in fact, some of the players are involved in both issues. Please read this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/opinion/28krugman.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212

Climate deniers lie about Al Gore's statement about polar bears

2011-03-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

This report from Climate Progress goes into very fine details to expose a lie perpetuated by climate deniers about the accuracy of Al Gore's comments about polar bears in his documentary An Inconvenient Truth. As a Climate Presenter, this lie has been lobbed at me many times. I'm amazed at the longevity that lies and misinformation have when the truth is readily available.

Please check this out: http://climateprogress.org/2011/03/28/koch-richard-muller-gore-cicerone-polar-bears-friedman/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29

Earth Day Event in Reading PA May 1, 2011

2011-03-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

Earth Day event in Reading, PA on May 1, 2011.
See details:
http://earthdayreadingpaarea.weebly.com/index.html

Hopewell Furnace Stone Wall Masonry Training Event

2011-03-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Learn the Ancient Craft of Dry-Laid Stone Masonry!
Drystone Walling Workshop offered at
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
April 30 – May 1, 2011
Individuals interested in learning more about Pennsylvania’s wonderful dry-laid stone walls and
the ancient craft of drystone stone masonry are invited to participate in a general public
workshop scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 30 – May 1, at Hopewell Furnace National
Historic Site. Hosted by the National Park Service, this two-day introductory workshop will be
taught by professional drystone masons from the nationally recognized Dry Stone Conservancy,
a Kentucky-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve historic drystone
structures and to revive and promote the ancient craft of dry-laid stone masonry.
Hopewell Furnace East Race (before) Dry Stone Workshop (after)
Dry Stone Workshop (during)
Drystone masonry is the method of building enduring stone structures with the use of any mortar.
The Conservancy’s workshops are hands-on training events where participants learn the craft
while restoring an important historic drystone structure, thus contributing to the public’s
understanding of our nation’s incredible drystone heritage. The Hopewell Furnace National
Historic Site project focuses on the repair of the Historic East Race, a structure that dates to the
18th century. The workshop is designed for enthusiasts and masons with little to no previous
drystone experience who would like to gain a basic understanding of this beautiful and practical
craft. The pace will be comfortable as participants, guided by the Conservancy’s professional
drystone mason instructors, learn the fundamental skills needed to repair a retaining wall that
supported the soil and hill above the East Race. The wall will be restored using native stone. The
work will demonstrate the techniques necessary to create a dry stone laid wall that will remain
structurally sound for years to come.
The workshop is limited to 18 participants and runs from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM both days. The
workshop includes a brief classroom introduction to the “four basic principles and five golden
rules” of drystone construction followed by hands-on instruction for the remaining two days. All
participants will receive a copy of the Conservancy’s training manual Building and Repairing Dry
Stone Fences & Retaining Walls. Advance registration is required by contacting the
Dry Stone Conservancy at 859-266-4807 for a registration form. The fee for the two day
workshop is $300; a deposit of $100 is required to guarantee your spot. To register and learn
more about the Dry Stone Conservancy go to www.drystone.org.
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is located in Union and Warwick Townships with the
main entrance, five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off PA Route 345. The park’s mailing address
is 2 Mark Bird Lane, Elverson, PA 19520. For directions and more information go to
www.nps.gov/hofu.

Schuylkill Highlands event Sustainable Tourism and Commercial Corridors

2011-03-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

Announcing an exciting workshop happening soon in the Schuylkill Highlands...

Creating Community Character
Sustainable Tourism and Commercial Corridors

in the Schuylkill Highlands

May 5 & 6, 2011
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. both days.

Registration, networking and coffee from 8:30-9:00 a.m.

Location: Franklin Commons
400 Franklin Avenue, Phoenixville, PA 19460

COST:

Workshop $20

Bus Tour $20

Workshop and Bus Tour (2-day registration) $40

Lunch included both days. Space at this workshop is limited, so REGISTER TODAY.

Join two national experts for a one-day workshop followed by a choice of two optional full day bus tours in the Schuylkill Highlands region.

This program describes and illustrates various re-development design strategies to create and sustain vibrant communities, with a focus on community gateways and commercial corridors. Speakers will include Ed McMahon, Senior Resident Fellow for Sustainable Development, at the Urban Land Institute and Randall Arendt, Senior Conservation Advisor at the Natural Lands Trust. Learn how communities can use their unique historic and natural assets to attract sustainable tourism and economic opportunities. Hear how communities are creating mixed-use centers from existing highway strips, to help communities implement smarter, more sustainable development patterns, and learn new ways to improve downtown economic viability and attractiveness.

As a follow-up to the morning presentations, an afternoon participatory workshop offers attendees with an opportunity to learn first-hand how to retrofit an existing section of degraded commercial highway strip, rural crossroads or community gateway. Using actual Schuylkill Highlands places, participants will be guided through a hands-on design exercise illustrating how the kinds of improvements described and illustrated in the preceding presentation could be implemented in the typical example provided.

On May 6^th, the second day of the conference, choose from two bus tours. Join us for one day or two! Bus tours: You can choose between two bus tour topics: Sustainable Landscapes Tour OR Conservation Subdivision Tour.

We encourage landscape architects, engineers, planners, developers, municipal leaders, non-profits representatives, interested community members, and commercial property or business owners to attend.

To Climate Deniers

2011-03-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

Since America has experienced severe snowstorms this winter, the climate skeptics are out in droves poking fun at how “Al Gore’s liberals” use every weather event to prove global warming. I’m not sure how climate change, or global warming, got politicized because its ramifications will impact conservatives and liberals; Republicans and Democrats alike.

It’s easy to tell when a climate denier is really on an ideologically hate rant. They almost always bring up Al Gore’s name or use the word politics a lot in their diatribe. That’s the give-a-way.

Climatologists have known for decades that climate change is happening. Al Gore didn’t invent or make up climate change information. He just compiled it into an effective documentary from many scientific sources.

As the science progresses and gets more sophisticated more is discovered. Weather patterns are regional and the snow storms are just that, weather. The operable word for climate related storms is: extreme. Many parts of America had very extreme weather events. A recent snowstorm was 2,000 miles across. You can see a satellite photo of it at NASA’s website. Ask Australia about extreme weather. They had the most extreme flooding ever seen in that region. If I had the space here, I could go add a very long list of extreme storms.

The bottom line is, CO2 concentrations have increased by 110 parts per million (PPM) in the last 150 years from burning fossil fuels. The more CO2 in the atmosphere, the more moisture rises and the more comes down in extreme storms. When Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth came out CO2 was 385 PPM, it is now 390 PPM and rising by 3 PPM per year. That’s a fact!

Rather than listening to ideological hate rants and following hearsay by people that have no clue what they are talking about, find out the real facts by following reliable scientific websites, get the science from the scientists not misinformed ideologues:

NASA http://www.giss.nasa.gov/
National Snow and Ice Data Center http://nsidc.org/
NOAA’s National Climate Data Center http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html