Ecotopia

April 21, 2009

Tonight our topic is Endangered Species, and we have three guests. First we talk with Dr. Mark Rockwell of the Endangered Species Coalition about the Endangered Species act and its implications.

Then we talk with Mary Muchowski, who is coordinator of the Endangered Species Faire sponsored by the Butte Environmental Council; that’s coming up on Saturday, May 2 at Bidwell Park, a wonderful Ecotopian event.

Finally, we chat with Rosamond Crowder, who will be bringing the One Heart Ceremony to the Faire; it’s a a fantastically choreographed and colorful ceremony of dancers, musicians and giant puppets representing Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

Listen to Ecotopia #29 Online Now!
To download the file, right-click (Mac users control-click) and select “Save Link As…”

Our Discussion with Mark Rockwell

Before we talk with Mark, we want to give you a few facts about endangered species from Endangeredspecie.com, the National Wildlife Federation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

• According to scientists, more than one and one-half million species exist on the earth today. However, recent estimates state that at least 20 times that many species inhabit the planet.
• In the United States, 735 species of plants and 496 species of animals are listed as threatened or endangered.
• In California, 309 plants and animals are on the threatened or endangered species list, including Abalone, the Grizzly Bear, the Humpbacked Whale, numerous butterflies, several species of foxes, and the Northern Spotted Owl.
• In the past several decades, a number of species have gone extinct despite being listed, including the Santa Barbara Song Sparrow and several species of Pupfish.
• And some species have recovered sufficiently to make it off the list, including some Wolves, Falcons, and Eagles.

Our questions for Mark:.

• Please tell us a little about the work of the Endangered Species Coalition. How does your work relate to that of the federal government?
• How does the California office of ESC fit in with the national program?
• The Endangered Species Act was first created under the Nixon administration (and modified over time). What have been its successes and failures so far?
• How did the Bush administration weaken the enforcement of the Endangered Species Act?
• Many people feel that under the Obama administration —Secretary Salazar of the Fish and Wildlife Service, and Director Lubchenco of NOAA—that some of the changes created by the Bush administration can be reversed. Do you share that optimism?
• What are the most important endangered species in California (and more narrowly in the Northstate and Sacramento Valley)? What projects are under way—either from the coalition or from government and other NGOS—to save those species?
• Over the years, we’ve seen logging trucks with signs telling us what we can do with the Spotted Owl and claiming that endangered species laws put jobs and the economy at risk. Please comment on the “balance” between species protection and the economic needs of the community?
• If you were the Endangered Species Czar, what additional changes would you make in the laws and their implementation?
• Our listeners are actively interested in environmental issues. What can they do as individuals or collectively to stop the loss of species diversity?

Check out the Endangered Species Coalition website: http://www.stopextinction.org/cgi-bin/giga.cgi?c=1704

Talking with Mary Muchowski about the Endangered Species Faire

Mary Muchowski of the Butte Environmental Council is coordinating efforts for the 30^th annual Endangered Species Faire, to be held Saturday May 2, 2009, 10:00am to 5:00pm, Cedar Grove in Bidwell Park, Chico.

• What’s the history of the event and how has it grown?
• Please tell us what is planned for the day.
• Who will be exhibiting?
• What’s the program?
• What’s there for kids?
• How can people best participate?

For full details, check out the Butte Environmental Council site www.becnet.org

 

Our discussion with Rosamond Crowder about the One Heart Ceremony

A special feature of this year’s Faire is the One-Heart Ceremony, created by our guest, Rosamond Crowder.

• Please tell us about the Ceremony—what it includes, and how it runs.
• We hear of giant puppets, music, dance, all focused around the Greek partition of the elements into Air, Earth, Water, and Fire. How do you integrate all these into the ceremony?
• When did you first start working on this project? How has it changed over the years?

How can people participate in the Ceremony as part of the Endangered Species Faire?

 

Do-It-Yourself

10 Easy things you can do at home to protect
endangered species from the Endangered Species Coalition

1) Learn about endangered species in your area
Teach your friends and family about the wonderful wildlife, fish and plants that live near you. The first step to protecting endangered species is learning about how interesting and important they are. Our natural world provides us with many indispensable services including food and medicinal sources, clean air and water, commercial, aesthetic and recreational benefits.
Check out our endangered species pages at www.stopextinction.org/endangeredspecies
For more information about endangered species, visit endangered.fws.gov

2) Visit a national wildlife refuge, park or other open space
These protected lands provide habitat to many native wildlife, fish and plants. Scientists tell us the best way to protect endangered species is to protect the places where they live.  Get involved by volunteering at your local nature center or wildlife refuge.
Go wildlife or bird watching in nearby parks. Wildlife related recreation creates millions of jobs and supports local businesses.
To find a wildlife refuge near you, visit www.fws.gov/refuges/
To find a park near you, visit www.nps.gov
To find a zoo near you, visit www.aza.org

3) Make your home wildlife friendly
Secure garbage in shelters or cans with locking lids, feed pets indoors and lock pet doors at night to avoid attracting wild animals into your home.
Reduce your use of water in your home and garden so that animals that live in or near water can have a better chance of survival.
Disinfect bird baths often to avoid disease transmission.
Place decals on windows to deter bird collisions. Millions of birds die every year because of collisions with windows. You can help reduce the number of collisions simply by placing decals on the windows in your home and office.
For more information on what you can do, check out these tips from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

4) Provide habitat for wildlife by planting native vegetation in your yard
Native plants provide food and shelter for native wildlife. Attracting native insects like bees and butterflies can help pollinate your plants. The spread of non-native species has greatly impacted native populations around the world. Invasive species compete with native species for resources and habitat. They can even prey on native species directly, forcing native species towards extinction.
For more information about native plants, visit http://www.plantsocieties.org

5) Minimize use of herbicides and pesticides
Herbicides and pesticides may keep yards looking nice but they are in fact hazardous pollutants that affect wildlife at many levels. Many herbicides and pesticides take a long time to degrade and build up in the soils or throughout the food chain. Predators such as hawks, owls and coyotes can be harmed if they eat poisoned animals.Some groups of animals such as amphibians are particularly vulnerable to these chemical pollutants and suffer greatly as a result of the high levels of herbicides and pesticides in their habitat.
For alternatives to pesticides, visit http://www.beyondpesticides.org

6) Slow down when driving
Many animals live in developed areas and this means they must navigate a landscape full of human hazards. One of the biggest obstacles to wildlife living in developed areas is that created by roads. Roads divide habitat and present a constant hazard to any animal attempting to cross from one side to the other. So when you’re out and about, slow down and keep an eye out for wildlife.

7) Recycle and buy sustainable products
Buy recycled paper, sustainable products like bamboo and Forest Stewardship Council wood products to protect forest species. Never buy furniture made from wood from rainforests.
Recycle your cell phones, because a mineral used in cell phones and other electronics is mined in gorilla habitat.
Minimize your use of palm oil because forests where tigers live are being cut down to plant palm plantations.

8) Never purchase products made from threatened or endangered species
Overseas trips can be exciting and fun, and everyone wants a souvenir. But sometimes the souvenirs are made from species nearing extinction. Avoid supporting the market in illegal wildlife including: tortoise-shell, ivory, coral. Also, be careful of products including fur from tigers, polar bears, sea otters and other endangered wildlife, crocodile skin, live monkeys or apes, most live birds including parrots, macaws, cockatoos and finches, some live snakes, turtles and lizards, some orchids, cacti and cycads, medicinal products made from rhinos, tiger or Asiatic black bear.

9) Report any harassment or shooting of threatened and endangered species
Harassing wildlife is cruel and illegal. Shooting, trapping, or forcing a threatened or endangered animal into captivity is also illegal and can lead to their extinction. Don’t participate in this activity, and report it as soon as you see it to your local state or federal wildlife enforcement office.
You can find a list of state wildlife departments at http://www.fws.gov/offices/statelinks.html

10) Protect wildlife habitat
Perhaps the greatest threat that faces many species is the widespread destruction of habitat. Scientists tell us the best way to protect endangered species is to protect the special places where they live. Wildlife must have places to find food, shelter and raise their young. Logging, oil and gas drilling, over-grazing and development all result habitat destruction. Endangered species habitat should be protected and these impacts minimized.

By protecting habitat, entire communities of animals and plants can be protected together. Parks, wildlife refuges, and other open space should be protected near your community. Open space also provides us with great places to visit and enjoy. Support wildlife habitat and open space protection in your community. When you are buying a house, consider your impact on wildlife habitat.

http://www.stopextinction.org/cgi-bin/giga.cgi?cmd=cause_dir_custom&cause_id=1704&page=tensteps

  

 

Playlist for Ecotopia #29

 

1. Feathers Fur or Fins        2:25        Helen Goodwin        

        24 Kiddies Favourites        

2. Supernova        4:42        Liquid Blue        

        Supernova        I

3. Trophic Cascade        4:12        Ronn Fryer        

        Endangered Animals (Environmental Jenga)        

4. Break Up The Concrete        2:39        The Pretenders        

        Break Up The Concrete        

5. Weave Me the Sunshine        4:28        Peter, Paul And Mary        

        The Very Best of Peter, Paul and Mary        

6. Pigs, Sheep, And Wolves        3:58        Paul Simon        

        You're The One   

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April 14, 2009

Tonight our topic is “Green Buddhism,” and our guest is Rosemary Roberts, author of a new book, “What would the Buddha recycle?”

Listen to Ecotopia #28 Online Now!
To download the file, right-click (Mac users control-click) and select “Save Link As…”

Global News on Green Buddhism

Writing for Treehugger.com A Tokyo writer named “greenz.jp,” asks: Could a Virtual Buddhist Temple Help Save the Environment?

A bunch of young Japanese monks have created a virtual temple online to talk about issues close to their hearts. They are based in Tokyo, where there are surprisingly many Buddhist temples, many as old as the city itself, dating back to the Edo Period (1603-1868) before the city started to modernize. They note that no matter how artificial our environment becomes, monks continue to pass on age-old wisdom from master to disciple, inheriting the modes of living, using the temple as its vehicle […] Perennial assumptions about nature’s power to harm human beings have been augmented by a fresh appreciation of humans’ power to harm nature. In an early text the Buddha gives his monks a prayer which reads in part:

“My love to the footless, my love to the twofooted, my love to the fourfooted, my love to the manyfooted. Let not the footless harm me, let not the twofooted harm me, let not the fourfooted harm me, let not the manyfooted harm me. All sentient beings, all breathing things, creatures without exception, let them all see good things, may no evil befall them.”

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/virtual-temple-japan.php?dcitc=prev_post

Tree Hugger also tells the story of a Buddhist Temple Built from Beer Bottles. Lloyd Alter writes from Toronto:

Fifty years ago the Heineken Beer company looked at reshaping its beer bottle to be useful as a building block. It never happened, so Buddhist monks from Thailand’s Sisaket province took matters into their own hands and collected a million bottles to build the Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew temple. It puts every other bottle building we have shown to shame. Even the washrooms and the crematorium are built of bottles, a mix of green Heineken and brown local Chang beer.”
You can see pictures of the temple by clicking on the following: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/temple-built-from-beer-bottles.php

In Cambodia, there is an organization of Buddhist monks who wish to protect the environment. Posted on their website are the history, goals, and projects undertaken by The Association of Buddhists for the Environmen involving monks from all 23 provinces in Cambodia working to strengthen the Sangha (the community of Buddhist monks and nuns) in its efforts to protect the environment.[…] ABE has implemented [two] projects: 1) Production of a documentary film on community forestry and monks […]  2) Environmental Education to include tree planting and home gardening in pagodas and in surrounding communities [as well as outreach to save] national parks it is threatened by illegal activities, such as wildlife hunting and poaching, encroachment, and illegal logging for charcoal production and firewood (for domestic consumption and for selling). […] http://www.sanghanetwork.org

On he Dalai Lama’s website is an article outlining the Dalai Lama’s concern for the environment a story out of Sarnath, Varanasi, India, dated 14 January 2009 :

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama exhorted people to protect and conserve the environment for healthy life. He also suggested people to follow the spiritual ways for healthy living. Addressing the gathering of devotees and Buddhist monks at the central institute of higher Tibetan studies […] the Dalai Lama expressed his concern over environment degeneration and said that the uncontrolled material development and exploitation of nature was causing tremendous harm to the environment, particularly the Himalayan environment. “If things remain the same, the ancients rivers will go dry in near future,” he said and made an appeal not to use plastic. Highlighting the importance of healthy living, the Dalai Lama said that people should give attention to their health. Despite the advances in medical sciences diseases like AIDS were posing threat to human life, he said adding that the self-awareness was essential for the protection of health and environment. Lord Buddha in Vinay Pittak had given special emphasis on protection of trees for environment conservation, he said. www.dalailama.com

from The Earth Sangha a nonprofit charity based in the Washington, DC, area and devoted to practical environmental action. They work in the spirit of Buddhist practice, but their members and volunteers come from a wide variety of religious and secular backgrounds. On their website they describe what they see as “Green Buddhism”

In our view, environmentally engaged Buddhism—and socially engaged Buddhism in general—is just a way of living well. Although it receives some academic attention […] green Buddhism is not primarily a scholarly enterprise. We see it, instead, as a natural expression of the Dharma (the formal Buddhist teachings), given the conditions in which humanity now finds itself. If you are uncertain what to make of Green Buddhism, this [webpage] should help with the invocation of two principles:

1. Buddhism is intended to be active, and it is more than meditation […]

2. At some point in the course of […] development, the serious student of Buddhism is liable to discover that it no longer makes sense to think of one’s practice as purely a personal quest. One ceases to practice just for oneself—and that is when practice really begins. One can begin to practice for—and with—all beings. All beings become the wisdom that practice seeks and expresses. All beings are inexhaustibly marvelous just as they are, without the perceptual confusion that our own appetites and fears project upon them.

We have arrived at Green Buddhism. Green Buddhism is merely an effort to act on this process, in a practical and systematic way, for the benefit of all the other species with whom we share this world.

One final proposition:

Green Buddhism should not confuse gestures or symbols with practical action. www.earthsangha.org

Our Questions for Rosemary Roberts:

Rosemary is a social justice activist who has interests in health care, patients’ rights, domestic violence, and spiritual philosophies. Her new book is called “What Would the Buddha Recycle? The Zen of Green Living.”

Part I

• You begin the introduction of your book, with this question: “Do I need to be ‘green’ and learn to incorporate a life of Zen to become a good human steward of the world?” Just to give us a little grounding for the philosophical stance of this book, can you tell us a little bit about what a “life of Zen” consists of?
• You entitle the introduction “The Buddha Has Always Been Green!” What do you mean by that?
• How did you decide to connect the worlds of “green” living and Buddhism for a book?
• You describe three main components of Earth that have long been a part of Zen practices. Can you talk a little bit about these elements?
• You introduce “the pathway of eight” from Zen Buddhism to talk about green practice. Can you tell us what “the pathway of eight” is and how it relates to “green” living?
• How does “karma” become an element of becoming “green”?
• For each chapter you have included a little side bar called “gift from the universe.” Can you describe what you were up to with these little gems and how do they contribute to the book’s message?

Part II

• Your book covers every aspect of living, it seems, from cleaning products to eating to decorating and entertaining to building to child care to pet care. Can you tell us how you conducted your research on all of these aspects of green living? What sorts of sources did you know you could count on for valid information? Are there some sources you could recommend to our readers? What advice and information do you provide that you think will be most helpful to people? What are some of the more crucial steps you think people should take?
• What advice do you provide that you think might meet the most resistance among even committed readers?
• You talk about rearing mindful children. What advice would you pass on to others about helping children attend to the earth.
• What did you learn in the process of writing this book that you found most worrisome or unsettling?
• If you could provide one piece of advice to your readers and our listeners that you think is the single most important thing they could do, what would that be?
• We’re wondering how you engage in these green practices in your own life. Do you find some aspects of going green more difficult than others? Did you make any changes as a result of writing and researching this book?

A Meditation for Green Buddhism
Annie B. Bond adapted a healing visualization from The Healing Power of Mind, by Tulku Thondup (Shambhala, 1996).

• Water: Imagine water as a nectar-like medicinal stream. From your source of power it descends through your head and flows through your body, soothing and cleansing every part of it, and in particular restoring the flow and harmony among the cells affected by sickness. Feel and believe that it is washing away dirt and detoxifying poisons. Your body becomes pure like a clean, clear bottle.
• Fire: Imagine that waves of fire come to you, enveloping every cell of your body. The flame radiates warmth health, and happiness. It burns and consumes all physical ailments related to coldness, lifelessness, or lack of energy.
• Air: Pure air sweeps away such ailments as circulatory and respiratory weakness, or congestions and toxins in the cells of your body. The blessed air purifies and amplifies the healthy qualities of your breathing and circulation, bringing health to every cell of your body. You could imagine that this wind is like beautiful music within you. If you have a CD or tape player by your sickbed, you could hear the actual sound of music as if it were within your body, granting relaxation and health.
• Earth: When sickness brings doubts, fears, or panic, we can remind ourselves not only of the intrinsic strength of our mind but also how resilient our body is. Feel your body as solid and strong, and take some time to rejoice in its fundamentally earth-like qualities. Visualize your whole body as being like the earth, unshakeable and self-renewing, despite the passing weaknesses or tremors of sickness. Bring as much detail to the exercise as you like. See your body’s bones, muscles, nerves, skin, and chemicals as strong. Imagine the earth within you, that your body or cells are as solid as mountains, healthy and regenerative as trees, beautiful as all of nature. http://www.care2.com/

Playlist for Ecotoipia #28

1. The Diamond Cutter Chant, Mercedes Bahleda
2.  Forgiveness, Krishna Das
3.  Gone Gone, Geshe Michael Roach and Lama  Christie McNally
4.  Gayatri, Girish
5. Kandroma, Mercedes Bahleda
6.  Reweave the Sunshine, Peter, Paul and Mary

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Date:  3/7/09

Groundwater

Tonight’s topic is groundwater. March 8-14 was National Groundwater Awareness Week and we looking at what groundwater is, how it is being threatened all over the world, and what we can do about it. Our guest is Professor Dudley Burton, chair of the Environmental Studies Department at Cal State Sacramento.

Listen to Ecotopia #27 Online Now!
To download the file, right-click (Mac users command-click) and select “Save File As…”

Background News and Information on Groundwater

From The Groundwater Foundation comes this explanation of groundwater:

Groundwater is water that is found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. Groundwater is stored in–and moves slowly through–layers of soil, sand and rocks called aquifers. Aquifers typically consist of gravel, sand, sandstone, or fractured  rock, like limestone. These materials are permeable because they have large connected spaces that allow water to flow through. The speed at  which groundwater flows depends on the size of the spaces in the soil or rock and how well the spaces are connected.[….]. In areas where material above the aquifer is permeable, pollutants can readily sink into groundwater supplies. Groundwater can be polluted by landfills, septic tanks, leaky underground gas tanks, and from overuse  of fertilizers and pesticides. If groundwater becomes polluted, it  will no longer be safe to drink.  Groundwater is used for drinking water by more than 50 percent of the people in the United States, including almost everyone who lives in rural areas. The largest use for groundwater is to irrigate crops.   http://www.groundwater.org

A United Nations Resolution in 1992 created World Water Day, celebrated this year on March 22nd in Istanbul. The purpose of World Water Day is to call attention to the lack of availability of safe water around the world. The UN reports:

The world water crisis is one of the largest public health issues of our time. Nearly 1.1 billion people (roughly 20% of the world’s population) lack access to safe drinking water. The lack of clean,safe drinking water is estimated to kill almost 4,500 children per day. In fact, out of the 2.2 million unsafe drinking water deaths in 2004, 90% were children under the age of five. Water is essential to the treatment of diseases, something especially critical for children. [. . . .] The lack of clean water, coupled with the lack of basic sanitation and a dearth of hygiene education, is one of the largest obstacles to progress and development in these regions and across the world. The UN has prioritized water access among its Millennium Development Goals because it contributes to such widespread suffering, including increased poverty, high child mortality rates, depressed education levels, and political instability. Without question, the world water crisis condemns billions of people to a perpetual struggle  to survive at the subsistence level, thus inspiring millions to engage and alleviate this problem. http://www.worldwaterday.net

From Western Water comes the report that while World Water Day was purported to address water issues throughout water-stressed areas, it was not universally celebrated by everyone:

 “activists from the Peoples Water Forum, an alternative formation representing the rural poor, the environment and organized labor, protested the official  event as a non-inclusive, corporate-driven fraud pushing for water privatization,” shouting “Water is for life, not for profit.” http://www.western-water.com/

From the Third World Network comes a  2000 story by Someshwar Singh demonstrating how widespread the threats to groundwater are:

High levels of chemical-use and waste generation in recent decades are slowly poisoning supplies of groundwater – the  major source of our freshwater needs. It is a silent disaster spreading through many parts of the world. Singh quotes an article by Payal Sampat, staff researcher at the WorldWatch who […] notes that worldwide, 97% of the planet’s liquified freshwater is storied in aquifers.[. . . . which] are beginning to mirror the increasing density and  diversity of the human activity above them. Whereas the pollutants  emanating from hog farms or copper mines may be quite predictable, the  waste streams flowing into the water under the cities contain a  witch’s brew of contaminants. […] In California’s Silicon  Valley, where electronics industries store assorted waste solvents in underground tanks, local groundwater authorities found that 85% of the  tanks they inspected had leaks.Silicon Valley has more Superfund sites – most of them affecting  groundwater – than any other area its size in the country. http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/covert.htm

From The Hindu, the online edtion of India’s national newspaper, dated  March 22, 2009, comes this this report by T. Ramakrishnan:

CHENNAI: The magnitude of groundwater pollution due to indiscriminate  discharge of solid and liquid waste by the industry and fertilizers/ pesticides used excessively by farmers have reached an “alarming  stage” in the State, according to a paper presented at a recent  workshop organised by the Central Groundwater Board. [. . . .] [S]pecial studies carried out by the Board in and around tannery  belts between 2002 and 2008 revealed that an undesirable change in  physical and chemical characteristics of soil and groundwater had been  noticed, rendering thousands of hectares of fertile land sterile. http://www.thehindu.com/2009/03/22/stories

Our Questions for Dudley Burton, Chair of the Environmental Studies Department, Sacramento State University:

1. Tell us a little bit about the Environmental Studies Program at Sac State. What does your program train students to do? What sorts of careers are they pursuing after finishing your program?
2. Tonight the focus of our show is challenges to groundwater. What are the most pressing issues related to groundwater around the country and the world?
3. In researching your background, we noted that you taught at Baylor before coming to Sac State. How are the groundwater issues different in Texas from the ones in California? Where is our groundwater in the Sacramento Valley? What condition is it in?
4. Are there particular challenges to groundwater that we have in Northern California that are different from other places you’ve studied or worked?
5. In an article in the Chico News and Review a couple of months ago, you were quoted talking about the new claims for green products in the market place. What is the difference to the environment in products made from petrochemicals and products made of “natural” products? What are “natural” products?
6. What impact do domestic cleaning supplies have on our groundwater? What concerns should we have about the products we use in our spring cleaning?
7. What impact do you think the individual can have on maintaining a healthy groundwater system? What can one citizen do?

Do-It-Yourself Groundwater Preservation

From Groundwater.org : Top 10 Ways to Protect and Conserve Groundwater

1. Dispose of chemicals properly.
2. Take used motor oil to a recycling center.
3. Limit the amount of fertilizer used on plants.
4. Take short showers.
5. Shut water off while brushing teeth.
6. Run full loads of dishes and laundry.
 7. Check for leaky faucets and have them fixed.
8. Water plants only when necessary.
 9. Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator.
10. Get involved in water education.
 http://www.groundwater.org

From the Portland, Oregon, Water Board:Portland, Oregon, Water Bureau

• Learn more about where your water supply comes from, potential sources of contamination, and local and state water protection efforts.
• Organize a groundwater forum, community water festival, water testing or other educational event.
• Support groundwater education in local schools.
• Consider safe alternatives to hazardous products. Follow instructions carefully when using, storing and disposing of household hazardous wastes. Take toxic chemicals like weed killers, pesticides, paint, thinners, strippers, wood preservatives, furniture polish, cleaners, and bleach to a hazardous waste collection center – don’t dump them down the drain or on the ground.
• Find out if you have underground storage tanks on your property. Residential tanks typically are used to store heating oil. Active tanks should be checked for leakage, which can increase with age.
• Check for leaking fluids from vehicles. Clean up drips with an absorbent like kitty litter or sawdust and properly dispose of contaminated absorbent. Do not use water to wash spills since water percolates into the ground or discharges to storm drains in the street (which typically lead to streams and rivers).
• Inventory your hazardous household products like thinners, solvents, oil based paints, stains and finishes, paint and finish preparation products, photographic chemicals, and art supplies. Store only what you’ll use; properly dispose of waste materials; and give extras to a neighbor for their use. Use less toxic alternatives whenever possible.  http://www.portlandonline.com/WATER/index

From Lori Bongiorno’s  GreenGreenerGreenest: A Practical Guide for Making Eco-Smart Choices a Part of Your Life (Penguin Group).

Bongiorno points out that “Cleaning is supposed to make our homes healthy, but in our frenzy to banish dirt, dust,mold, and germs we may be doin more harm than good. The sheer number of producsts is completely unnecessary, and we know very little about the effects of combining all these chemicals” and “Many conventional cleaning products [as we’ve heard] are made from petroleum.” She recommends a couple of websites for learning more about recipes and products for green cleaning: Care 2 www.care2.com and The Green Guide www.thegreenguide.com

Bongiorno also provides a lesson in “Decoding Cleaning Products Labels” She notes that “Manufacturers of cleaning producsts are not required to list their ingredients on labels of they are considered trade secres. This makes it difficult to determine what harmful chemicals some of them contain. However, if you look closely enough at a label you will find some clues about toxicity because the government requires toxic products to be labeled as such.” So, a product that contains the word “Danger” or “Poison,”  is typically the most hazardous. “Caution” or “Warning” means that there is a medium hazard. More information about the anger will be next to the signal word. She goes on to say that “Unfortunately, there aren’t any meaningful labels for cleaning products right now.” She suggests www.greenerchoices.org for getting ratings of some green cleaning products.

Playlist for Ecotopia #27:
1.  G. F. Handel, Water Music–Horn Suite in F 
2. Cool Water, Sons of the Pioneers
3.  Wade in the Water, the Packway Handle Band
4.  Poison in the Well, 10000 Maniacs
5.  Cool, Cool River, Paul Simon
6.  We Will Reweave the Sunshine, Peter, Paul & Mary 

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Date: 1/31/09

This program is about greener, cleaner, energy. We interview Miriam Horn, co-author of a book called Earth: the Sequel—The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming. We talk with Miriam about some promising new technologies for generating green energy, and we also discuss the economics and politics of energy, particularly the controversial proposals for a “cap-and-trade” system for managing emissions.

Listen to Ecotopia #26 Online Now!
To download the file, right click (Mac Control-click) and select “Save Target As…”

Global News and Background on Green Energy

From ZD Net Asia, a business and technology news service comes speculation about where the green economy will be going in an economic recession and a time of global warming. Martin LaMonica writes:

As the person who coined the term “clean tech,” Nicholas Parker has been around the industry as long as anybody and he thinks people underestimate the potential of green business. To most people, green technology means renewable electricity, fuel efficiency, and perhaps water purification technologies. But to Parker, those technologies–most of which focus on addressing climate change–are still just a sliver of the innovation needed to address the world’s environmental woes. [,,,] Parker sees a need for technical and business solutions under the overall rubric of sustainability. “In a way, this is a design revolution. It’s not about doing things more efficiently or doing things less bad. It’s about redesigning everything from scratch,” he said. […] [G] overnment stimulus packages around the world will help propel green-tech industries, but a “price signal” in the form of a tax or carbon-trading system is still needed.

“Other countries are being as aggressive (on clean energy) if not more aggressive as we are here,” he said. “Whether we like it or not, China is coming to this space.”

http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/business/0,39044229,62052663,00.htm

From Technology Review we have this analysis of President Obama’s proposal to “cap” carbon emissions and then “trade” carbon credits on the open market. Kevin Bullis explains:

President Obama’s budget numbers depend heavily on revenues from a proposed cap-and-trade program for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.[…]The cap-and-trade program does not yet exist: it will need to be established in future legislation. But the inclusion of future revenues in the budget, and a promise to pursue necessary legislation, is the strongest commitment yet that the administration will follow through with one of Obama’s campaign promises and establish a cap-and-trade system for carbon dioxide emissions.

Under such a system, the government sets an annual cap on carbon dioxide emissions–the budget calls for a cap of 14 percent below 2005 emissions levels by 2020, and 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. The government then issues a set number of credits for the total emissions allowed under that cap. Under Obama’s plan, those credits won’t be given away, as they were in the initial version of a cap-and-trade system employed in Europe. Instead, the credits will be auctioned off, and that money will be the source of government revenue. Polluters will be required to buy enough credits at the initial auction to cover their carbon dioxide emissions, or acquire more by trading with others at a later stage. Alternatively, they can reduce their emissions by investing in more efficient technologies. http://www.technologyreview.com/business/22247/?a=f

Our Questions for Miriam Horn coauthor of a book called Earth: The Sequel—The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming:

Part I: Energy Entrepreneurs and Amazing Technology;

· You write that we are in the midst of “a new industrial revolution” with industries that are “capital intensive” but “shovel-in-ground” and “dedicated to greening the planet.” Please tell us about this revolution.

· Reviewers say that your book is filled with optimism, and we found that to be true. Let’s talk about some of the gee-whiz sci-fi technologies you’ve found in:

o Solar. You report that 100 square miles of solar voltaic could take care of U.S. energy needs. And there are solar We’ve got that much space in the southwest deserts. What’s to make that all happen. What’s promising in solar thermal? (How do grid transmission problems slow progress? What’s possible with “smart grids” of the sort IBM is advertising on TV?)

o Biofuels. Our romance with corn-based ethanol came to an end pretty quickly as we discovered that it jacked up commodity prices, chewed up farmland, and consumed a lot of petroleum in production. What do you see as the prospects for biofuels, in particular, cellulosic biofuel production. (Genetic engineering prospects and nightmares: “Plants that produce the enzymes needed to break down their own cellulose . . . [but might] “eat themselves alive in the field.”)

o Ocean energy and bouncing buoys with “acceration tubes.”

o Coal reconsidered. High-tech pollution controls, gassification, in-ground burning. Facts and myths about carbon sequestration.

o Nuclear energy—where does it fit into the future energy picture?

Part II: Free Market, the Will of the People, and the Role of the Government

· Underlying your book is a strong belief that cap-and-trade legislation is the key to a successful energy program globally. Why do you have such confidence in this approach?

· There are some pretty vocal critics of cap-and-trade arguing that cap-and-trade:

o plays into the hands and wealth of the big polluters.

o would create a new gamblers’ market akin to the stock exchange, where people who produce nothing make a lot of money in speculation.

· Why not just a carbon tax: make the polluters pay; they pass on the costs to consumers; the free market drives carbon out of business?

· Or, why not just let the new technologies work their magic—won’t clean energy eventually dominate on its own?

· President Obama favors cap-and-trade, with the government itself profiting from sale of credits. What do you think of Mr. Obama’s plan? What do you think are the prospects for significant climate change legislation in the next several years?

· You’ve also talked about the merit of prizes and other incentives (e.g., Richard Branson’s $25 million prize). What other incentives—private or public—might push us toward a greener planet?

· What’s your best guess (or best hope) for climate control over, say, the next two to three decades?

· What should listeners, concerned citizens, voters do at this point to bring about a greener energy program?

· And in closing, a question we like to ask on this program: How did you get interested in this movement and who are your role models or inspirational gurus?

The book is Earth: The Sequel and it is published by W. W. Norton & Company. You can also learn more about the Environmental Defense Fund where Miriam works on line at www.edf.org,

Do-It-Yourself Greenery

From Voice of America by reporter Mike O’Sullivan.

A study by the environmental organization Green Seal finds that four out of five Americans are buying “green,” environmentally friendly, but often more expensive, products despite the economic recession. But, the study also shows that consumers are uncertain which products are really green.”

[The study was based on 1000 phone calls done by the EnviroMedia polling firm and] shows that consumers are uncertain how to tell whether a product helps the environment. One in 10 relied on advertising and one in five said that product reputation helped them determine whether a product is green. One in five said that word of mouth – getting advice from friends – was an important source of information. [Green Seal] certifies products and services as environmentally friendly through a life-cycle evaluation – looking at the raw materials and the manufacturing process, transportation and recycling of old products.

http://www.greenseal.org/

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-30-voa64.cfm

From the Environmental Defense Fund website:

• Interactive “green” maps that highlight firms in key manufacturing states poised to grow and create jobs under a cap on global warming pollution. A study on green jobs conducted by Duke University.

• How to calculate your carbon footprint and cut emissions.
• A “paper calculator” that allows you too look at paper consumption and find out about green and greener kinds of paper.
  
• A “seafood selector” that presents information on fish and other seafood, from eco-best to eco-worst, including a Sushi Selector.
  
• A link to EDFs “carbon offset” purchase site, where you can make donations to support companies that are exploring energy solutions, like a California Dairy that is converting cow manure to methane. The offset site sells these credits for $10 per ton and estimates that the average American produces 24 tons of C02 per year.
  

• Petition links to the Obama administration and congresspeople to urge prompt action on Global Warming Issues.

http://www.edf.org

From Green Living Tips, the Zeer Pot, a way of cooling food without electricity.

A pot-in-pot fridge consists of two unglazed terracotta pots, one larger than the other. […] A layer of sand is placed in the bottom of the large pot and the smaller pot placed inside. Sand is poured in the gap between the two pots to just below the rim.[…]Water is then poured on the sand until it begins pooling on the surface. The pot is then placed in a shaded area with good ventilation. The dampness penetrates the walls of the terracotta pots, which then evaporates. This evaporation cools the pot, the sand and the food/drinks that are placed inside the smaller pot. Wet fabric such as a tea towel or hessian is also placed over the smaller pot to assist further with cooling. The Zeer pot works best in areas with low humidity levels.

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/296/1/Cooling-food-without-electricity.html

Playlist for Ecotopia #26

1.  Working on a Dream, Bruce Springsteen
2.  Effect and Cause, White Stripes
3. The Shop of Wild Dreams, the Tiptons Sax Quartet
4.  Solar Power Princess,  Nooshi, the Balloon Dude
5.  Wind Power David Suzuki
6. Weave Me the Sunshine, Peter, Paul, and Mary

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This program is all about  innovation.  We will interview Tom Koulopoulos, author of a new book called The Innovation Zone.  He is interested in the process of innovation. We ask him about how we can use our understanding of innovation to create a more sustainable world in the future.

Global News on Innovation
Globally, innovation is a hot topic, especially as it involves giving countries a competitive edge:

From the Chinese News Agency, Xinhua (Bejing, March 22):  

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao [One jah-bow] has called on enterprises and officials to place priority on industrial upgrading and innovation, urging them to move “early rather than late” to ride through the global financial crisis.  Chinese companies should focus on adjusting product structure, improving quality and upgrading technologies in the face of economic woes, said Wen during a visit to enterprises in the northeastern Liaoning Province from Friday to Sunday.

www.chinaview.cn 

From McKinsey Digital, a think tank on global innovation is a“heat map” of he world’s innovation hot spots, reported in   “Building an innovation nation” by André Andonian, Christoph Loos, and Luiz Pires” 26 February 2009:

The report analyzed 700 variables, including:  ”business environment, government and regulation, human capital, infrastructure, and local demand […plus indicators like] patent applications to identify trends among the success stories to come up with three metaphoric categories:

•  
  • Dynamic oceans: large and vibrant innovation ecosystems …
  • Silent lakes: slow-growing innovation ecosystems  …
  • Shrinking pools: innovation hubs that are unable to broaden their areas of activity or increase their lists of innovators and so find themselves slowly migrating down the value chain….

 

http://whatmatters.mckinseydigital.com/innovation/building-an-innovation-nation 

From a company called Terrafugia, located in Boston’s famous Route 128 innovation corridor recently had  successful test flight of a flying car, the Transition.  Terrafugia writes in its promotional literature:

Every pilot faces uncertain weather, rising costs, and ground transportation hassles on each end of the flight. The Transition® combines the unique convenience of being able to fold its wings with the ability to drive on any surface road in a modern personal airplane platform. Stowing the wings for road use and deploying them for flight at the airport is activated from inside the cockpit. This unique functionality addresses head-on the issues faced by today’s Private and Sport Pilots.
www.terrafugia.com
But  Bill Schweber, writing in Environmental Engineering times, has reservations about the flying car, and asks, “Does innovation need a reality check?”  He writes:

My first thought [about the flying car]was “this is awesome!” The recurring dream we’ve all been told about–and have probably read about as “coming soon” in antique copies of Popular Mechanics from the 1950s–may be closer to becoming reality. New materials, improved electronics and innovative techniques have made possible the achievement of that dream

But then the rest of my brain got engaged and said, “Get real, what are you thinking?” Do we want the typical driver, who barely pays attention to the two-dimensional roadway, piloting a small plane? […]

Our ability to innovate needs a reality check: What is really worth doing, rather than what is possible? It’s hard enough to anticipate the impact of our innovations since the Law of Unintended Consequences is as firm as the laws of physics.

 

http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=215901419

Our Questions for Tom Koulopolous:

Part I: Getting to Understand Innovation

• Please tell us about the concept of the “Innovation Zone.”
• You note in the book that “We often aggrandize innovation . . . We ascribe to it a mystical quality.”  So how do we move innovation from the realm of magic to something people can do routinely?
• Thomas Kuhn, in The Nature of Scientific Revolutions, says that paradigm shifts take place only when the old ideas break down—then new thinking emerges. So what’s wrong with riding with the status quo until it no longer works?
• You write a good deal about what we might call faux innovation, the creation of products that nobody really needs or wants, but we buy anyway. Could you give us some examples of those kinds of products? (We’re thinking, too, of Victor Papanek’s Design for the Real World, where he argues that we spend too much money engineering for pizazz, and too little for actual functionality.)
• You say that innovators need to be tough skinned, to accept failure early and stick with the project.  But when and how do you know whether your project is just something crackpot or merely an idea whose time will come? (Please tell us the story of the Edsel).
• We remember seeing John Harrison’s amazing clock in the Greenwich Naval Museum in London, the clock used to establish precise mapping of longitude in the 18^th century. Please tell us that story.
• You also talk about the killers of innovations, things like bureaucracies, lawyers, and accountants.  And we are constantly reminded that the bottom line is everything.  So how can one innovate in a dog-eat-dog capitalist world? (Maybe the story of the Post-It.)
• Many of your examples come from large corporations—GM, IBM, Procter & Gamble, Oracle.  Can you give us an example or two from the mom-and-pop level? 

Part II:  Innovation and the Global-to-Local Economy

• What are some of the ways that you think the innovation zone concept should be put to use in today’s staggering economy?  Is this the worst of times or the best of times for entrepreneurship and innovation?
• President Obama seems to be a one-person innovation zone (supported of course, by a large staff and a landslide vote). How do you rate Obama’s performance as an innovator?  What advice might you give him (or maybe you have, please tell us)?
• You see India and China as the major competitors with the U.S. over the coming decades, but you see ways in which the country can innovate without being protectionist or overly nationalistic.  What are the innovative options?
• On this program, we are particularly interest in the movement toward local production and consumption—buy local if you can.  How can innovators take advantage of this movement?  Can the locals, in the long run, find a sustainable niche next to, say WalMart or Target or Home Depot?  Is this movement limited to farmer’s markets?
• Please talk a bit about how one might create an innovation zone for, say, for one’s personal life. Can we use your techniques to, say, engage in self renewal or family happiness?
• On this program, we’re always interested in finding out who are the role models of our guests.  Peter Drucker is obviously one for you. What was his impact?  Who else inspires you?

 The Innovation Zone  is published by Davies-Black Publications of Moutain View, and you can find it on Amazon.  http://www.amazon.com/Innovation-Zone-Companies-Re-Innovate-Amazing/dp/0891062343  You can also learn more about Tom’s work at the Delphi Group website,  http://www.Delphigroup.com 

Do-It-Yourself Innovation

Wiki How has some really cool stuff on innovative thinking starting with “How to Think Outside of the Box.”

 Indications that it might be time to change your way of thinking if:

·         You are in a rut, you know you are in a rut, and no matter what you try, you fall back into the rut.

·         You can’t come up with a solution to a nagging problem. Finally, someone else does and the answer was an incredibly obvious one…and it happens a lot.

Wiki How suggests:

·         studying creative thinking strategies such as reframing or lateral thinking.

·         not assuming that creativity is just a matter of IQ

·         overcoming limiters: negative attitude, fear of failure, stress, .following rules, accepting as the status quo.

·         Asking lots of questions

 Equally interesting, WikiHow also recognizes reality and has some ways to :Think Inside the Box 

 In most real life situations, you are given specific hard parameters that cannot be changed. Creative thinking must involve inclusion of these boundaries.

Solutions that are created “outside of the box” cannot be implemented “inside of the box”. [We disagree, actually.] Thinking outside of the box is a powerful mental exercise, but it is not practical for solving actual problems.

·         Define parameters that frame your goal. This is the “box” in which you must work your solution. If you are drawing these boundaries, be careful where you draw it, and be aware of what can and cannot be moved, if necessary, about them. 

·         Make a list of solutions that have been tried unsuccessfully in the past. Ask yourself why each of these solutions failed.

·         Start a list of solutions that have not been tried. Write down every idea regardless of merit and filter them later.

·         Work backwards. Consider resources or solutions open to you and ask whether and how they could move you toward your goal

 And lastly, Wiki How has a wonderful set of suggestions on: How to Look Like You Are Thinking:

·         Squint your eyes and look down. Have your mouth open enough to show your teeth. This is how most people look while they’re thinking. You can also breathe in through your teeth as if you were lost in thought. Bite your lower lip, and tap your hand on the desk or your leg like you were trying to remember something. This will make it look like you’re thinking deeply, and people will be afraid to disturb you.

·         Look up while tapping your hand. Occasionally close your eyes for a few seconds. After a minute of this, write, (or pretend to write), something down on a piece of paper. Once you’ve written something, look back up and repeat. Make sure you never stop, not even for a few moments, because someone will try as hard as they can to ask what you’re doing as soon as you show signs of stopping.

·         Rest your head in your hand. Make sure you do this correctly, or it could look like you’re bored instead. Hum in monotone, and look upwards. If this isn’t convincing enough, write something down after doing this for a few minutes. Squint one eye while looking up as if trying to envision something.

·         Go on a computer. Just owning a computer makes you appear as if you think a lot. Type on the computer constantly so it looks like you’re doing something important. You can also wear headphones so it looks like you’re listening to something. Nod your head often while listening to your headphones to make it look like you’re listening to an information CD.

·         Read a book. Reading a book automatically makes you look like you’re thinking. Consider reading a book that is very difficult to read, so people will think you must be working very hard to understand it. If you don’t want to read, stick your iPod in the page and watch a music video.

http://www.wikihow.com/Category:Thinking-Skills 

Playlist for Ecotopia #25:

1. The Future Freaks Me Out (Album Version)        3:37    Motion City   Soundtrack        I Am The Movie       

2. Opening:  The New World         5:05      Jason Robert Brown        Songs For A New World       

3. Innovator (DBS Remix)        8:19      Dynamik Bass System        The Mighty Machine       

4.     Somasonic         Future                       

5. kiew mission (LP Version)      9:19        Tangerine Dream           Exit                       

6. Weave Me the Sunshine        4:28        Peter, Paul And Mary       The Very Best of Peter, Paul and Mary       

 

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