Motive has announced the development of Canada’s first bio-composite bodied electric car. The car, called the Kestrel, will make its full marketing debut during the September EV 2010 VÉ Conference and Trade Show in Vancouver. The Kestrel is an electric 4 passenger compact vehicle, designed and engineered by Motive. The body of the car is made from impact resistant bio composite material. Kestrel designer Darren McKeage says – “electric cars need to be efficient, therefore the Kestrel design had to be simple (minimized part count) and light weight, while still being unique and eye catching.”
The bio composite material is made from Hemp mats produced by Alberta Innovates Technology Futures (AITF) in Edmonton Alberta from Hemp stock grown in Vegreville, Alberta. Nathan Armstrong, President of Motive says “we saw a unique opportunity to make significant advancements in the automotive sector and support the Canadian Auto Sector by providing sustainable products and opportunities to create new green manufacturing jobs.”
Prototyping and testing will begin on the vehicle later this month. The goal is to achieve the same mechanical properties as glass composites while achieving a reduction in weight. According to Dr. John Wolodko at AITF, bio- composites are becoming more popular due to their low cost and light weight. “Natural materials such as hemp can offer a green and sustainable alternative to conventional fibers used in composites.” Composite materials are currently used in formula one vehicles and many road going vehicles and have been found to have strength and safety benefits above that of steel.
Motive Industries has designed and engineered the Kestrel for participation in Project Eve, an entirely Canadian Initiative with the goal of furthering the production of electric vehicles and electric vehicle components in Canada. A full announcement about Project Eve will be made during the Vancouver EV 2010 VÉ Conference and Trade Show in September.
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CHICAGO – Green For All – in partnership with the Dew Tour – announced the launch of Protect the 360°, a campaign to engage and activate the action-sports community in efforts to curb climate change. The initiative is a direct response to fans’ concerns over global warming and its impact on outdoor sports.
“Climate change is real,” said Dave Mirra, BMX legend. “It affects everything from snow quality to quality of life. But doing little things – like turning off your lights or riding your bike instead of driving – can add up to make a difference. I am doing my part and I hope fans will join me in doing theirs to protect the 360°.”
The Protect the 360° campaign includes an interactive websitethat provides simple, useful information about how people can make their lives greener.
“Green For All works to educate new audiences about the benefits of going green,” said Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green For All. “2010 is the hottest year on record and we all have a part to play in curbing climate change.”
SYDNEY: If just 10% of the near-shore wave energy available along Australia’s Southern coastline could be converted into electricity, half of the country’s current electricity consumption would be met, say CSIRO scientists.
Committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% of year 2000 levels by 2050, the Australian Government aims to produce 45,000 gigawatt-hours/year of additional renewable energy before 2020.
“This total energy quota could be achieved using wave energy alone,” said lead author Mark Hemer of the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship, Melbourne, “if 10% of the available wave energy resource over a 1,000km section of the Southern Australian margin were converted to electricity.”
Australia lags behind in encouraging wave energy
The World Energy Council identified Australia’s southern margin as one of the world’s most promising sites for wave-energy generation, but governmental policies are still relatively underdeveloped.
“Several countries, particularly in Europe, have much more advanced policies to support uptake of the wave energy industry. This research shows that Australia’s wave energy resource is considerably larger than these other countries which are actively encouraging the industry,” said Hemer.
“As an example, the UK’s wave energy resource has been estimated to be about 50 TWh/yr. This study has shown that Australia’s southern has a sustained wave energy resource of 1329 TWh/yr.”Finding Australia’s best wave energy locations read on
Vestas, the world’s leader in producing high-tech wind power systems, announced today it will move its North American sales and service headquarters into the historic Meier & Frank Depot Building at 1417 NW Everett St. in Portland’s Pearl District.
Gerding Edlen Development, Inc., will transform the sturdy structure, vacant since 2001, into one of Portland’s newest and distinctive buildings. Construction is expected to begin in October 2010. Vestas plans to occupy the space in early 2012. The building will be designed with the intent to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification. There are only 15 buildings in Portland designated as LEED Platinum, the highest rating given by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Gerding Edlen, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is one of the nation’s largest developers of LEED certified properties having developed more than 40 LEED projects since the inception of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Built in 1928, the Meier & Frank Depot Building will undergo a complete historic renovation. When redeveloped, the building will be 172,000 square feet that will include a 22,000 square-foot addition on the fifth floor complete with an ecoroof terrace and gardens. Additionally, the building will have what is believed to be the largest roof-mounted solar energy array in Portland’s central business district. The total project cost for the developer is estimated at $66 million.
“We are making a long-term commitment to Portland,” said Martha Wyrsch, president of Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc. “As a company devoted to wind power, it makes sense for us to be part of a community that so strongly supports clean energy.”
Working with its development team, Vestas will maintain the integrity of the building’s historic façade. Construction plans call for: contiguous, open work space on five floors; a central auditorium to accommodate up to 250 people; a cafeteria; locker facilities; ample parking; and bicycle storage.
“I am so pleased that Vestas is making a long-term commitment to grow their business here in Portland,” said Mayor Sam Adams. “Today’s announcement shows the success of working strategically to grow quality jobs by building on our competitive advantage as a leader in clean technology and sustainable industries. Moreover, our joint efforts mean that local architects, construction workers and engineers will get to work now converting a Portland landmark into one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the United States.”
Vestas, which employs nearly 400 people in Portland, has occupied its primary building at 1881 SW Naito Parkway since 2004. It also houses employees in two other buildings nearby and another, an IT center, on SW Washington Street. Employees in these four buildings will move to the new headquarters. Vestas also employs 14 people at its training facility near Portland International Airport. These employees will remain in their current location.“We are intent on growing,” Wyrsch said. “Our new headquarters gives us the flexibility to accommodate up to 600 employees.”
The Museum at FIT presents Eco-Fashion: Going Green
Fashion & Textile History Gallery – Until – November 13, 2010
The Museum at FIT presents Eco-Fashion: Going Green, an exhibition exploring the evolution of the fashion industry’s multifaceted and complex relationship with the environment. By examining the past two centuries of fashion’s good—and bad—environmental and ethical practices, Eco-Fashion: Going Green provides historical context for today’s eco-fashion movement.
CHICAGO – Green For All – in partnership with the Dew Tour – announced the launch of Protect the 360°, a campaign to engage and activate the action-sports community in efforts to curb climate change. The initiative is a direct response to fans’ concerns over global warming and its impact on outdoor sports.
“Climate change is real,” said Dave Mirra, BMX legend. “It affects everything from snow quality to quality of life. But doing little things – like turning off your lights or riding your bike instead of driving – can add up to make a difference. I am doing my part and I hope fans will join me in doing theirs to protect the 360°.”
The Protect the 360° campaign includes an interactive websitethat provides simple, useful information about how people can make their lives greener.
“Green For All works to educate new audiences about the benefits of going green,” said Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green For All. “2010 is the hottest year on record and we all have a part to play in curbing climate change.”
SolarWorld AG this year will honor Nobel Peace Prize laureate and micro-finance pioneer Muhammad Yunus by presenting the 2010 SolarWorld Einstein Award to him in September. The professor of economics from Bangladesh and founder of the Grameen Bank will receive the award in recognition of his breakthrough concept of micro-loans for the poor, which have helped millions of people worldwide to escape poverty. The micro-loans have, among other things, made possible installations of more than 400,000 small solar power systems, securing energy supplies for people in rural regions of Bangladesh who live far from the national utility grid.
“Professor Yunus stands for radically new thinking in economics and banking. He has recognized the potential of the poorest of this world who manage to make a decent living on the basis of a small starting credit, a lot of creativity and the sun as the source of energy. This is more than exemplary,” explains Dr. Ing. h. c. Frank Asbeck, chairman and CEO of SolarWorld AG.
On the basis of micro-loans granted by banks held by the Grameen family since 1983, Yunus developed the concept of “social business,” which has inspired similar activity worldwide. This type of business does not strive to maximize profits and generate dividends but to solve social and ecological problems. Social business companies make available technologies for clean drinking water, affordable medication or inexpensive, clean energy.
Emma Watson launching eco-fashion
London Evening Standard reports that Harry Potter’s Emma Watson has a new collection of ecologically sound fashion that will debut at Prince Charles’s Garden Party To Make A Difference. The event is a 12-day festival in London during September that aims to give people of all ages a fun day out while at the same time demonstrating the “small steps that can, and are, being taken by all of us, interested in building a more sustainable future.”
The 20-year-old actress is the latest big-name backer for the event and will show the clothes she has helped design for fair trade fashion company People Tree.
A few weeks ago, I flew over the Deepwater Horizon site and saw what looked like the opposite of all the news reports: it looked more like somebody had spilled water into a Gulf filled with oil.
You don’t have to make a personal trip to the Gulf of Mexico to realize the BP disaster has blown the cover off a subject some would prefer to keep quiet: the ongoing damage inflicted by our addiction to oil.
When you see images of blackened beaches, grounded fishermen, and toxic dispersants in the water, you can’t pretend that it only costs $35 to fill your gas tank.
There are hidden costs in every drop of oil, and that’s why I made this PSA for NRDC about the true cost of a gallon of gasoline.
People in the Gulf are paying a steep price right now. Eleven people lost their lives, but the human cost goes far beyond that. The commercial fishing and tourism economies in the Gulf have been gutted, and local families trying to put food on the table don’t know where to turn. They’ve lost their jobs, wages, cultural traditions, beloved beaches, and security. This is the collateral damage of the disaster.
I didn’t grow up in Louisiana, and I can imagine those who did are even more passionate about cleaning up this mess than the rest of us. I grew up in Canada, where we have a similar tragedy being carried out right now: the ancient boreal forest in Northern Alberta is being destroyed to collect dirty tar sands oil. Oil that generates three times the global warming pollution as regular crude. As a result, entire ecosystems and indigenous communities are being devastated.
When you see what’s happening in the Gulf and the boreal, you realize we’re willing to stop at absolutely nothing in order to get our fix. And it seems to me like it’s time we recognize we have a problem. A major, major problem.
What we’re doing is literally the same thing cave men did: we set things on fire to produce energy. There are so many viable alternatives. Wind farms and solar plants, for instance, don’t explode, destroying thousands of miles of marshlands and oceans. That’s something worth focusing on.
I started out feeling angry about the spill, and I think a lot of other people did too. Slowly but surely, I’ve been trying to redirect that anger into something positive. And you start to think, “How can we change this? How can we turn this into an opportunity?”
I see this whole thing as a wakeup call: a chance to shift to cleaner energy and build a greener economy.
It’s easy to vilify Big Oil after a tragedy like this, but there are still hard working people in that industry who need to put a roof over their heads. I firmly believe we can pass clean energy and climate legislation and by doing so, put millions of Americans to work.
But we have to ask for it. We have to petition the government to move this kind of legislation forward. The Senate failed to do it this summer, but we should call on them to do it this fall. If the voices are loud enough, lawmakers will start to listen and (if only in the interests of self preservation) begin to move the country in a new direction.
I think our approach to energy is going to change one way or another. Eventually the Earth will make us change. It would be great if we could get in front of that – and better still, be here to enjoy it.
I’ve got a couple of people I want to acknowledge. First of all, your wonderful Governor and First Lady, Jim and Jessica Doyle are here. Please give them a big round of applause. (Applause.) We’ve got somebody who is fighting on behalf of Wisconsin families each and every day — Russ Feingold, your wonderful U.S. senator. (Applause.) A great friend and somebody who has been really doing great work over her first couple of years in Congress — Congresswoman Gwen Moore. Please give her a big round of applause. (Applause.)
And thank you, Eric, for the wonderful tour that you provided to us. Please give Eric Apfelbach a big round of applause — CEO of ZBB. (Applause.)
It is great to be here. I just had a chance to see some of the batteries that you’re manufacturing and talk to a few of the men and women who are building them. And the reason I’m here today is because at this plant you’re doing more than just making high-tech batteries. You’re pointing the country towards a brighter economic future.
Now, that’s not easy. We’ve been through a terrible recession -– the worst that we’ve seen since the Great Depression. And this recession was the culmination of a decade that fell like a sledgehammer on middle-class families. For the better part of 10 years, people were seeing stagnant incomes and sluggish growth and skyrocketing health care costs and skyrocketing tuition bills, and people were feeling less secure economically. Read More
U.S. Mayors Continue Press Toward A Green Economy
California Mayors Share Best Practices On Energy Efficiency
The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more, hosted a one-day meeting in San Francisco at the Fairmont Hotel to discuss how cities in California are using federal stimulus dollars to make local communities more energy efficient and to create green jobs.
Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, who serves in the Conference’s leadership and chaired the session, was joined by host San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Cathy Zoi, The U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and several mayors from the state of California to discuss how Energy Efficiency Block Grants are being used for the first time to support local green projects.
First funded under last year’s Economic Recovery Plan and administered by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program is a newly-created program conceived by the Conference of Mayors designed to assist mayors in reducing city energy use and climate emissions. The program allocates $2.8 billion directly to cities and counties to improve energy efficiency and spur economic growth in the green sector, providing direct formula funding to 215 cities and 13 counties in California.
At a press availability held during the meeting, Mayor Newsom described how he is using San Francisco’s block grant funding. “The EECBG program is allowing us to improve energy efficiency in almost 150 buildings serving San Francisco’s diverse neighborhoods,” said Mayor Newsom. “More importantly, these energy efficiency projects create and sustain green jobs, save people money on their utility bills, and cut the City’s carbon emissions by more than 3,000 tons a year.”
The U.S. Conference of Mayors began pushing for the energy block grant in 2005 in conjunction with the introduction of a Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement — a landmark pledge for mayors across the country to take bold action to reduce carbon emissions in cities by 2012. Now, more then 1,044 U.S. mayors – representing more than 87 million people – are signed onto the Climate Protection Agreement and are committed to making local economies energy efficient.
Since the Block Grant is a key priority for USCM, the organization will also take its message to Congress this fall with a push to continue the program as means of green job creation in cities and metro areas where jobs are needed most.
“Mayors know that green jobs and the new green economy are the future of America’s economic competitiveness,” said Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, USCM Trustee and immediate past chair of the USCM Environment Committee. “This is why the Energy Block Grant program is at the top of our Mayors’ 2010 Metro Agenda for America, our MainStreet investment plan that focuses on putting people back to work and creating an economy that will lead the world for decades to come.” Of the benefits associated with EECBG program, Tom Cochran, USCM CEO and Executive Director said, “Mayors understand that a successful plan in this country for reducing U.S. energy consumption is grounded in local action, in our cities, counties and regions. California mayors have been leaders on energy issues in this country, and in particular this program, with strong support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others in the California delegation.”
“We know that extending the Energy Block Grant beyond the Stimulus Bill will help mayors to build upon successes already in progress and meet the climate protection goals as stated in the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement with signatories of 1044 USA mayors,” Cochran concluded.
Hundreds swap their gas mowers for battery-powered ones
Richard Morgan tried and failed to trade his 2000 Toyota in the federal government’s “cash for clunkers” program, but on Saturday he got a deal from the state of Maryland that was almost as good.
He dumped his gas-hog Honda power mower and replaced it with a brand-new, deeply discounted, battery-powered rig.
“Mowing your lawn is like driving from here to Pittsburgh,” said the 51-year-old Columbia resident, citing a comparison that underscores the environmental damage caused by small gasoline engines.
Morgan and hundreds of other eco-spirited, economy-minded Marylanders jumped at the chance to take part in the Great Maryland Lawn Mower Exchange of 2010. Staged in a parking lot between Baltimore’s downtown sports stadiums, the event was designed to spread the word that gas mowers pollute and to provide an economical way for some to make the switch to battery power. The Maryland Department of the Environment co-sponsored the event with Clean Air Partners, a nonprofit coalition of area governments. Morgan, a cancer scientist at the National Institutes of Health, drove up in a Sienna minivan judged too fuel-efficient to qualify for the clunkers program, which was designed to improve air quality and stimulate the economy by replacing older vehicles with newer, more fuel-efficient ones.
“We’ve been trying to go green in general,” he said, “and it was almost time for a new mower anyway.” Mowers with gasoline engines are unusually dirty machines, spewing harmful compounds into the atmosphere at a prodigious rate. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, gas mowers produce 5 percent of all air pollution in the United States. Most grass-cutting takes place in the warmest months of the year, when air quality is often at its worst in places like the Mid-Atlantic region
Randy Mosier, head of the MDE’s air-quality division, said he was impressed that some of the mowers that people were trading in had been purchased within the last two years and still looked new. “They’re doing it for the environmental reason, not just for the discount, which is impressing us,” he said as workers tossed the gas-powered castoffs into bright-orange, industrial-sized storage bins from Baltimore Scrap Corp., which plans to shred and recycle the metal components.
The downtown Baltimore event was a promotional coup for Vermont-based Neuton Mowers in the traditional backyard of a much larger competitor, Black & Decker, which also markets a rechargeable mower. In addition to cutting emissions, battery-powered motors also reduce noise pollution. When the blade of the Neuton “smart mower” is spinning, it sounds about as loud as a small vacuum cleaner.
Mosier said the state has run three previous gas-mower trade-in promotions, starting in 1995, but this weekend’s was the most successful by far. More than 900 people, responding to an ad campaign on TV and online, signed up in advance to qualify for the discount. A total of 1,110 new lime-green colored Neuton mowers were available for purchase at roughly one-third the regular price of $400 and $500. If people have to use gas-powered mowers, he said, the best time is “rather early in the morning,” before the atmosphere heats up and ozone pollution worsens.
Alternative Energy: Will U.S. Lead or Follow?
Oil Spill Turns American Minds to Renewable Power Sources As
Inventors, Investors Wait for Gov’t to Get Serious
This fall, Crystal Cruises’ guests have the opportunity to give back and see Valetta, Malta from a different point of view on award-winning Crystal Serenity voyages this fall. A brand new Crystal Adventure invites travelers to “Go Green” in Malta, by planting trees in the island’s only national park, donating food at a local charity and learning eco-conscious planting and harvesting practices at a local organic farm. The optional Crystal Adventure is available on Crystal Serenity’s 12-day, October 19 Mediterranean/Holy Land voyage from Athens to Rome, and the 11-day, October 31 Mediterranean/Spain voyage from Rome to Barcelona, and is $95 per person.
“This excursion affords guests the opportunity to contribute to the local needs in Valetta, and also gain a better understanding of the environmental efforts of the destination,” says John Stoll, vice president, land and port operations. “Like so many Crystal Adventures, this experience offers a new point of view for guests who want to explore destinations from a deeper, more informed perspective.”
The nearly eight-hour excursion begins with a visit to Ta’ Qali National Park, where guests will plant trees and learn about the park’s conservation efforts. Following a guided tour and lunch at eco-conscious Ta’ Zeppi Organic Farm, guests will visit a local orphan refuge, where they will donate time and food for the young residents.
The Valetta excursion highlights Crystal’s efforts to bring global awareness to its six-star vacation experiences, and is a prelude to its global ‘You Care, We Care’ program debuting in 2011.
Solar energy to save lives
By Charissa Sparks
An estimated 1.5 million deaths in Africa have been caused by the use of kerosene lamps. In an effort to address this issue, the first solar-powered light bulb is now being distributed as an alternative for people in developing countries who live without electricity.
It is estimated that 70 percent of sub-Saharan Africa lives in rural areas. Of these people, 90 percent have no access to electricity. In such instances, many people are forced to light and heat their homes with kerosene lamps.
The World Bank has found burning kerosene indoors to be equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. It is estimated that almost one billion women and children are breathing in kerosene on a daily basis. Continued use of these lamps can cause infection of the lungs or eyes, and respiratory problems.
In addition to the significant health risk of the fumes, fires can also erupt when a lamp is knocked over, or when household items or clothes are exposed to the flame.
A company called Nokero has begun producing the first solar light bulb. Tom Boyd, representative for Nokero, told MediaGlobal, “The target market is the extremely poor, the so-called ‘bottom of the pyramid.’ With 1.6 billion people worldwide living without electricity, and another 1.8 billion living with intermittent electricity, the demand for clean safe, solar light is nearly inexhaustible.”
While distribution began on 10 June of this year, the new solar light bulb has already been purchased in 30 countries, and shipments for testing have arrived in Liberia, Pakistan, Haiti, and Nicaragua. “These bulbs are being used and tested by families who live with minimum or no electricity at all,” Boyd said. “We hope for sustainable growth that will give the bulbs the longest possible lifespan on the market with the best possible outcome for those on the ground who are using it.”
Nokera’s solar light bulb is rain-proof, made of shatter-resistant plastic, with four solar panels on the sides to collect the sun’s energy. When placed in full sunlight for eight hours, the light bulb will produce between two and four hours of light. Each of these green light bulbs has a battery that is designed to last two to three years and is both replaceable and recyclable. The solar panels on the side are expected to last five years or more.
“There is a great need for these light bulbs, and many people will be able to use them,” Boyd stated. At present, the cost of these solar bulbs is a main concern for Nokero. A single unit is sold for $15, but when sold in bulk, the price will be significantly lowered, with some as low as $6.
Finding ways to make these solar lights available will reduce the number of kerosene lamps needed, providing safer and healthier living situations for the vast amount of people living without electricity today.
Alternative Energy: Will U.S. Lead or Follow?
Oil Spill Turns American Minds to Renewable Power Sources As
Inventors, Investors Wait for Gov’t to Get Serious
Leanardo Dicaprio has had a string of movie successes; The Departed, Revolutionary Road, Shutter Island and the current summer hit,Inception. Just like the movie Inception there’s more to Dicaprio then what meets the eye, ah I mean a dream. Rewind to 2007 to Dicaprio’s apocalyptic environmental documentary The 11th Hour. Was he dreaming? Did 200, 000, 000 million plus gallons of toxic oil just reak havoc on the Gulf of Mexico, and what of the economic and environmental aftershocks? Was it a projection or just one of those things? Dicaprio’ like other entertainers, including Woody Harrelson, Scarllet Johanson, Will I am of the Black Eye Peas, Cameron Diaz and a host of others have been green evangelists in their efforts to wake us from the nightmare dream of big oil.
The nation needs Washington to put it’s self interest in the oil and coal cartel aside. We need to get our country on a path to renewable and sustainable green living with a bold, innovative job producing national energy policy. Whether you live in Oklahoma or Arizona. Gulf shrimpers are rightfully concerned that the shrimp they’re hauling in now is contaminated despite claims to the contrary by the EPA. Do you think it’s safe to eat shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico at this point? Economist have just revealed that China is now the world’s second largest economy after the US. And China is by the way the largest manufacturer of solar panels in the world. What shall the nation do? Sit idle as elected representatives continue burned out and unsustainable debates?
Dicaprio does have a foundation that takes on environmental causes called The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. But Dicaprio is a Hollywood big wig and he has the resources to do this kind of thing. This is what the artist does…they project upon us and we upon them, but in some way we can all find a way to make a difference. Does life imitate art or does art imitate life? The issues regarding this primitive oil and coal burning ritual; its monstrous consequences and the infrastructure that’s been developed around the world to support it is indeed destroying the planet. Other nations around the globe are ahead of the US in terms of renewable energy. If we continue on the path we’re on without setting forth a vision, a bold dream of what our nation’s energy structure will be, one day the big marine freighters coming into our ports won’t be filled with oil (we could run out any way), they”ll be filled with solar panels and wind turbines we have to buy from China.
Air District approves $5 million for electric vehicle charging stations
SAN FRANCISCO – The Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board of Directors approved $5 million to support further development of a regional electric vehicle charging infrastructure program in the Bay Area.The electric vehicle charging stations and home chargers is part of the Air District’s Spare the Air program which will make owning an electric vehicle in the Bay Area a viable option for residents. “The past several years have seen exciting progress in the development of electric vehicle technology,” said Air District Executive Officer Jack P. Broadbent. “Creating a useful charging network will make it easier for Bay Area residents to Spare the Air every day by going electric.”
The Air District is working to support at-home electric vehicle charging and to establish a network of accessible charging sites where electric vehicle owners can conveniently recharge while conducting their normal business, running errands or shopping. The program will leverage up to $5 million in Air District funds to support electric vehicle charging infrastructure grants including:
3,000 home chargers at single family and multi-family dwellings
2,000 public chargers at employer and high-density parking areas
50 fast chargers within close proximity to highways
In the Bay Area, the transportation sector accounts for more than 50 percent of air pollution. Significant emission reductions from the transportation sector will help the Bay area attain and maintain state and national air quality standards. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (www.baaqmd.gov) is the regional agency chartered with protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.
La. shrimpers worry about prices for new season
By CAIN BURDEAU and KEVIN McGILL (AP)
NEW ORLEANS — Shrimpers trawling Louisiana waters Monday in the first commercial season since the Gulf disaster don’t know what dangers from the massive BP oil spill still lurk and what market there will be for their catch if consumers don’t believe the seafood is safe.
Perhaps the biggest fear is that some fisherman might try to sell oil-contaminated shrimp.
“If you see oily shrimp, you got to throw them back over. Go somewhere else. It’s all you can do. And you hope everyone else does the same,” said Dewayne Baham, 49, a shrimper from Buras.
Louisiana shrimp prices rose soon after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers and triggering the spill that eventually spewed 206 million gallons of oil from BP’s blown-out well into the Gulf of Mexico. The price spike was fed by fears that the shrimp would soon be unavailable. However, despite state and federal assurances that seafood reaching the market was safe, demand dropped and prices crashed a month ago, said Harlon Pearce, a seafood dealer and head of the state’s seafood promotion board.
Ravin Lacoste of Theriot, said he believes his fellow shrimpers know better than to turn in a bad catch. “If you put bad shrimp on the market — we in enough trouble now with our shrimp,” Lacoste said. “You might can go in the closed waters and catch more shrimp. But it ain’t worth it.”
Pearce did what he could over the weekend to allay fears over safety. On Friday, he was in a group that set out with several fishermen on a test run around Grand Isle and Barataria Bay.They trawled several areas, pulling up nets that held shrimp, mud, jellyfish or driftwood — all without the signs or telltale smell of oil.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke also will be in Louisiana on Monday to lunch with fishermen and talk to seafood industry representatives. The spill has put a crimp in the fishing industry in a state that ranks first in the nation in producing shrimp, blue crab, crawfish and oysters, which are a $318-million-a year business in Louisiana. Seafood testing begins when there’s no longer visible oil in a particular area. First, inspectors smell samples for oil. Then comes testing at federal or state laboratories. To reopen seafood harvesting, the samples must test below Food and Drug Administration-set levels of concern for 12 different potential cancer-causing substances. BP also used chemical dispersants to break up the crude, but the government has not yet developed a test for the materials in seafood.
Shrimpers also are concerned about how much they’ll be able to make on their product. “I don’t think people are worried so much about the resource, but the price,” said Rusty Gaude, fishery agent for LSU Sea Grant Program. And fishermen need to know what waters are open. Slowly, more and more waters closed because of the spill are reopening. However, shrimping remains forbidden in federal waters off Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and most of the catches have come off Texas and Florida, said Roy Crabtree, the regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service’s southeast region.
Commercial shrimpers are heading out as the drilling of a relief well meant to plug BP’s runaway well permanently nears completion. Once the relief well is complete, a so-called bottom kill procedure can begin, in which mud and cement would plug the well from below the seafloor.
Engineer John Wright has never missed his target over the years, successfully drilling 40 relief wells that were used to plug leaks around the world. People along the Gulf Coast and others are hoping he can make it 41-for-41. “Anyone who has ever worked extremely hard on a long project wants to see it successfully finished, as long as it serves its intended purpose,” Wright, 56, who is leading the team drilling the primary relief well, said in a lengthy e-mail exchange with The Associated Press. BP began work on its primary relief well in early May. But about two weeks ago, around the time the company had done a successful static kill pumping mud and cement into the top of the well, executives and the government began signaling that the bottom kill procedure might not be needed.
But retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government’s point man on the spill, said the relief well would be finished so the well could be killed. The bottom kill won’t be started until at least next weekend. Despite the waters reopening, many fishermen distrust state wildlife officials and may be reluctant to head out right away, said Patrick Hue, 49, a shrimper out of Buras.
“Nobody wants to rush into this and then someone gets sick on the seafood and the first thing you know, no one wants to buy our seafood,” he said. Seafood dealer Pearce, however, said many shrimpers will be unable to resist. “Opening day is like a religion to these people,” he said. “It’s a way of life down here.”
Alternative Energy: Will U.S. Lead or Follow?
Oil Spill Turns American Minds to Renewable Power Sources As
Inventors, Investors Wait for Gov’t to Get Serious
CHICAGO – Green For All – in partnership with the Dew Tour – announced the launch of Protect the 360°, a campaign to engage and activate the action-sports community in efforts to curb climate change. The initiative is a direct response to fans’ concerns over global warming and its impact on outdoor sports.
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