tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27613808188778929272024-03-13T14:13:27.406-05:00Southeast Environmental Task ForceSETF - A not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the southeast side and south suburbs of Chicago by promoting environmental education, pollution prevention, and sustainable development.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-33058068617994262442015-11-19T13:23:00.000-06:002015-11-19T13:23:32.889-06:00
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Guest commentary from Rhea Suh of Natural Resources Defense Council.</div>
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<i>The Southeast Environmental Task Force is grateful for its association with the NRDC, and for all they have done to help on the southeast side of Chicago.</i></div>
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<h2 id="blog">
<a href="http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rsuh/">Rhea Suh’s Blog</a></h2>
<h1 id="pagetitle">
A Just Transition in Southeast Chicago</h1>
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<a href="http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rsuh/a_just_transition_in_southeast.html#"> </a></div>
<img alt="Rhea Suh" class="mug" height="68" src="http://switchboard.nrdc.org/media/photo-rsuh-contributor.jpg" width="68" />
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Posted November 18, 2015</div>
<dl class="tags">
<dt>Tags:</dt>
<dd><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">asthma</a>, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">cleanenergy</a>, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">health</a>, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="tag">petcoke</a></dd></dl>
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<div class="graf--h4 graf-after--h3" id="687b" name="687b">
<span style="line-height: 1.62;">Community activists are leading a shift from dirty fuels and heavy industry to clean energy and sustainable business.</span></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--h4" name="2571">
On a warm day last August,
as family and friends gathered in Mari Barboza's backyard for a
birthday cookout, afternoon winds whipped up a toxic torrent of
jet-black dust that swept across her community on Chicago's Southeast
Side. Blown from a nearby mountain of grit called <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www2.epa.gov/petroleum-coke-chicago" href="http://www2.epa.gov/petroleum-coke-chicago" rel="nofollow">petroleum coke, or petcoke</a>,the
vile fog choked the life out of the party. Mari scurried to cover food
she'd prepared while neighbors scrambled to herd children inside to flee
the pollution, which irritates throats and lungs and worsens asthma and
other respiratory ills.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--h4" name="2571">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p" id="71c9" name="71c9">
"We
can't even be outdoors, we can't even open our windows," Mari explained
to me last week. "We're like prisoners in our own houses," she said, as
huge dump trucks rumbled past the<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.nrdc.org/media/2015/150728.asp" href="http://www.nrdc.org/media/2015/150728.asp" rel="nofollow"> piles of petcoke, a harmful by-product of oil refining</a>. "We can't even have a good time in our own backyards."</div>
<div class="graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p" id="71c9" name="71c9">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="b9a3" name="b9a3">
For people living in southeast Chicago's <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.cityofchicago.org/dam/city/depts/zlup/Sustainable_Development/Publications/Chicago_Sustainable_Industries/Calumet.pdf" href="http://www.cityofchicago.org/dam/city/depts/zlup/Sustainable_Development/Publications/Chicago_Sustainable_Industries/Calumet.pdf" rel="nofollow">aging industrial corridor between the Calumet River and Lake Michigan,</a> toxic <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://petcokealerts.org/" href="http://petcokealerts.org/" rel="nofollow">petcoke dust</a>,
abandoned steel mills, blighted lots, and heavily polluted waterways
are all part of a sorry legacy that undercuts health, environmental
quality, and economic opportunity. What's needed now, for Mari's
community and many others like it across much of our industrial
heartland, is a deliberate shift from the heavy industry and dirty fuels
of the past to a new generation of economic growth based on the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.nrdc.org/energy/renewables/energymap.asp" href="http://www.nrdc.org/energy/renewables/energymap.asp" rel="nofollow">clean energy</a> and <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.e2.org/jsp/generic.jsp" href="https://www.e2.org/jsp/generic.jsp" rel="nofollow">sustainable business models</a> of the future.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="b9a3" name="b9a3">
</div>
<div class="graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p" id="ceaa" name="ceaa">
"We
are part of an old industrial economy and we're looking for a just
transition to a low-carbon economy, but we still have the burden of the
old high-carbon economy," says Thomas Frank, an activist with the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://setaskforce.org/" href="http://setaskforce.org/" rel="nofollow">Southeast Environmental Task Force</a>,
standing up for communities along the Calumet industrial corridor. </div>
<div class="graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p" id="ceaa" name="ceaa">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p" id="ceaa" name="ceaa">
"We're locked into the economic patterns and land-use patterns of the
old industries."</div>
<div class="graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p" id="ceaa" name="ceaa">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="62c3" name="62c3">
The community is
held hostage by its need for good jobs, while trapped by its history as
an aging industrial, waste disposal, and fossil fuel sacrifice zone.
"It's slowly dying," says Peggy Salazar, executive director of the Task
Force. "That's what happens when you don't invest in a community."</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="62c3" name="62c3">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="3cb5" name="3cb5">
The community,
though, refuses to die, in part because of the heroic stand that people
like Mari, Thomas, and Peggy are taking to fight for a brighter
tomorrow. "We want job creation, but we want it to be correctly done
from the beginning and be sustainable for the environment and the
future," Peggy says. "We see the opportunity for us to change the
conversation and the potential for renewable energy sources, moving away
from fossil fuels to renewables."</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="3cb5" name="3cb5">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="85ad" name="85ad">
The community is
determined to play its role in the shift to a clean energy future. For
most of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Calumet industrial corridor was
a center of heavy industry that helped to define American enterprise
and might. The community made steel for the railroads and bridges that
formed the sinew and spine of American commerce. With access to the
river and Lake Michigan alongside junctions of highways and railroads,
the region provided an unparalleled transportation hub for shipping U.S.
products -- across the country and around the world. And it produced
basic materials for the automobiles that moved the nation and the tanks
that helped secure our freedom.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="85ad" name="85ad">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="c23a" name="c23a">
The region held a
central place in the organized-labor movement and hosted major ethnic
communities that brought their own sets of skills and cultural
contributions, while the area's <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.openlands.org/who-we-are" href="http://www.openlands.org/who-we-are" rel="nofollow">natural lakes, rivers, and wetlands nourished a rich and vibrant web of wildlife.</a></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="c23a" name="c23a">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="5657" name="5657">
The residents are
rightly proud of their heritage and eager to be partners in the new
economy that's remaking our country once again. They want to help build
the wind turbines, solar panels, and hybrid and all-electric cars that
can move the country forward.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="5657" name="5657">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p" id="f629" name="f629">
"We make things in this neighborhood. We're union workers," says Olga Bautista, a mother of two who heads up the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-South-East-Side-Coalition-To-Ban-Petcoke-848330295223606/" href="https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-South-East-Side-Coalition-To-Ban-Petcoke-848330295223606/" rel="nofollow">Chicago South East Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke.</a> "We want this area to be a model for the rest of the world of what a sustainable and green economy can look like."</div>
<div class="graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p" id="f629" name="f629">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="0929" name="0929">
That's far more
than a pipe dream. Through a plan called the Calumet Area Vision, the
coalition has outlined a promising way to pull together the region's
natural, cultural, historical, and economic assets into a cohesive and
viable whole.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="0929" name="0929">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p" id="ab31" name="ab31">
"This
is one of the oldest and largest industrial complexes in the world,"
says Frank. "To be able to reposition it in a new, greener economy would
be a great win."</div>
<div class="graf--p graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p" id="ab31" name="ab31">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="dd30" name="dd30">
It would be a win for all of us.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="dd30" name="dd30">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p" id="703e" name="703e">
That's why NRDC
is standing with these community leaders, helping to provide such
expertise as we can, while learning from the experiences these community
leaders share and the example of assertive activism they set.</div>
<figure class="graf--figure graf-after--p" id="478c" name="478c">
<div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked">
<img class="graf-image" data-action-value="1*7dOtWzuHe6PVdcc_mZjsYw.jpeg" data-action="zoom" data-height="984" data-image-id="1*7dOtWzuHe6PVdcc_mZjsYw.jpeg" data-width="1481" src="https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/800/1*7dOtWzuHe6PVdcc_mZjsYw.jpeg" /></div>
<figcaption class="imageCaption">L to R: Olga Bautista, Mari Barboza (obscured), Isra Pananon, Henry Henderson, Elizabeth Corr, Rhea Suh.</figcaption></figure>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="e6ef" name="e6ef">
We're
working together to get rid of the mountains of petcoke that threaten
the health of residents and loom over the Calumet River like some toxic
omen of doom. We're challenging other misguided projects that seek to
perpetuate land uses that would sentence the future of the region to the
depredations of the past and reinforce its role as a sacrifice zone.
And we're working to advance the Calumet Area Vision as a way to
leverage the region's unique character and strengths to create a future
of promise and hope.</div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--figure" id="e6ef" name="e6ef">
<br /></div>
<div class="graf--p graf-after--p graf--last" id="f8d6" name="f8d6">
It
starts by recognizing the past glory and true potential of this special
corridor of people and place. As Thomas Frank puts it, "We have to get
this place labeled 'Too big to fail.'"</div>
</div>
Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-877822918853481382015-09-01T14:18:00.002-05:002015-09-01T14:18:57.802-05:00Guest Blog- Another environmental disaster waiting for some intervention!Here is another environmental disaster waiting for some intervention!<br /> My column in todays newspaper -<br />
<br />
Indiana Continues Fly Dumping in Illinois<br />
<br /> A definition:<br /> Fly dumping - the dumping of any waste material on public or private property without a permit.<br />
<br />
The Kankakee River starts near South Bend Indiana and flows West into
Illinois, about 60 miles south of Chicago. This area has a rich history
however, even with heightened awareness of the importance of clean water
and air, the Kankakee River is still threatened by greed and neglect.
In the past, the Kankakee River area was so rich in natural resources
that people could not fathom how the buffalo, deer, beaver, muskrat and
other fur bearing animals could ever be diminished. The Kankakee was
also home to migratory birds including ducks, pheasant, and geese that
have been described as ‘turning the sky black with their numbers.’<br />
The
Potawatomi Indians were early inhabitants of what became known as the
‘Grand Marsh.’<br />
<br />
Back in the early 1900’s the State of Indiana
decided that the Kankakee River was a big nuisance. The river flowed
through a vast marshland that people in power looked at with distain.
The swamp had no value in their eyes. It didn’t matter that the
marshland gave unbelievable resources to a myriad of living creatures –
man included. For centuries the Kankakee marshland gave abundant natural
resources, but would soon be raped and pillaged in the name of
progress. Underneath the slow moving water was black dirt that had been
undisturbed for centuries. This black soil was perfect for agriculture.
Influential landowners persuaded Indiana politicians that the best use
of the land was to grow corn, soybeans, wheat and hay. This required the
marsh to be drained - and so it began. The State of Indiana began
cutting channels into the Kankakee River and draining the water.<br />
<br />
Indiana
sold the soul of the Kankakee marsh.<br />
<br />
The drainage was not enough to
satisfy the thirst for crops. The river was not only drained, but
Indiana began to turn the curving and winding Kankakee River into one
long, straight channel for miles and miles. Now crops could be planted
right up to the channel - and every last square foot of land utilized in
the name of progress – and profit. By 1923, the Kankakee River was an
unrecognizable ditch. Gone were the curves and oxbows of a healthy
river. Gone were the marshlands that served as home to wildlife and
migratory birds.<br />
<br />
Since rivers do not recognize state lines, the
Kankakee begins in Indiana but continues to flow into Illinois. If you
look at Google maps and view the river east of Momence, you will clearly
see the difference between the Indiana side of the river - and the
Illinois side. In Illinois the river curves and bends like a healthy
river should, while in Indiana the channel is as straight as when it was
dug back in 1923. Man had tamed and trampled on the Grand Marsh with
disastrous results.<br />
<br />
One of the biggest problems is one we cannot see.
The Illinois side of the river looks healthy, but it is not. Due to the
channelization of the river in Indiana, there are tons of sand and
sediment that are washed down the river channel from Indiana to Illinois
every year. This sediment from Indiana has destroyed fishing habitats,
increased flooding, and is choking the Illinois portion of the Kankakee
River. This fly dumping started almost a century ago and continues
today. Even today Indiana dredges their portion of the river to remove
the build up of sediment – and continues to call it improvements, just
like they did 100 years ago.<br />
<br />
We can’t change the past, but
Indiana is now doubling down on pouring silt and sediment into the
Illinois portion of the Kankakee. There are plans to create a huge
gravel quarry upstream of the Kankakee. This quarry has permits to pump
millions of gallons of water every day into a tributary of the Kankakee
River.<br />
<br />
Now I’m assuming that since this water will be coming out of a
rock quarry, this water will contain silt, sediment and solid particles
– just what the Kankakee River does not need.<br />
<br />
We don’t need every last
bushel of corn and beans, and we don’t need every last truckload of
gravel – especially when it will cost us a river in exchange.<br />
<br />
The
Kankakee River was created by an 'Act of God' - but it sure seems like
Indiana is trying to wipe it off the map.<br />
<br />
Arlo Kallemeyn<br /> The Shopper Publisher, and big fan of leaving rivers to do what they do best.Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-25991008491760841592015-07-03T09:23:00.001-05:002015-07-03T09:23:49.448-05:00Lawmakers Want Feds To Do Petcoke Impact Study<a href="http://dnain.fo/1Iwx7Dc#.VZaa72uFpnY.blogger">Lawmakers Want Feds To Do Petcoke Impact Study</a>Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-15102969578482012412015-06-22T21:38:00.002-05:002015-06-22T21:38:50.340-05:00<br />
<br />
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58937" style="font-size: 24pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<strong id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58936">Highly anticipated Cal-Sag Trail connects Southland to waterways</strong></div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58939" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /> </span></div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58940" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58941" style="font-size: 11pt;">Officials
unveiled the first half of a long-awaited trail that will connect
Southland communities seeking recreation along the Cal-Sag Channel.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58945" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58953" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD)
joined federal, state and local officials to open the west segment of
the Cal-Sag Trail, extending 13 miles from Lemont to Alsip. The MWRD
dedicated half of the land on which the trail was built.<br /> </div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58954" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
"We
are thrilled to make this contribution and see the first half of the
Cal-Sag Trail come into fruition," said MWRD President Mariyana
Spyropoulos. "This trail will connect communities and lives, and it is
our belief that everyone should have access to our waterways and green
space. The Cal-Sag Channel is particularly important to the MWRD,
because we have been tasked with protecting and improving it, and we are
happy any time we have a chance to highlight our work and utilize this
critical resource."<br /> </div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Although
the trail has been more than 10 years in the making, area planning maps
from as far back as the 1970s promoted a multi-use path along the
waterway. The trail was eventually made possible thanks to federal and
state contributions, MWRD land donations and extensive community
outreach and fundraising efforts from local municipalities, Friends of
the Cal-Sag Trail and other local organizations.</div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58942" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br />When
totally complete, the Cal-Sag Trail will connect 14 communities within
the Southland and Millennium Reserve area, from Lemont all the way to
the Burnham Greenway near the Indiana border. The eastern segment is
scheduled to be complete by 2017. The 13-mile western segment runs along
the Cal-Sag Channel from 131st Street and Cicero Avenue in Alsip on the
east to Archer Avenue and Route 83 on the west end. Much of it runs
through Cook County Forest Preserves, and it connects with several
existing bike trails in the forest preserve system.<br /> </div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58943" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
While
more than 185,000 people live in the 14 communities a mile from the
trail, more than 1.2 million people live within a 15 minute drive of the
Cal-Sag Trail. Not only will the trail preserve and enhance the natural
and historical qualities of the channel and Calumet River, it will
provide an accessible opportunity for recreation and healthy lifestyles,
said Steve Buchtel, executive director of Trails for Illinois.</div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
"This
is the most important health infrastructure project in Illinois in the
last 20 years. There is no hospital, no fitness center, no physicians
network in Illinois that's going to improve the health and wellbeing
more for so many people as the Cal-Sag Trail. And as this trail connects
to the communities east of Alsip and other trail systems, that health
impact is going to grow," Buchtel said.</div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br />When
complete, the Cal-Sag Trail is expected to be the longest trail in the
Southland and will the busiest regional trail in the Chicago area after
the Chicago lakefront trail.<br /> </div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58977" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The
trail will be used by bicyclists, hikers and neighbors. In addition to
recreational opportunities, the trail is expected to create a rise in
business opportunities. The trail connects users to regional trails,
transit, retail areas, parks, forest preserves, marinas and nature
centers.<br /> </div>
<div align="LEFT" dir="LTR" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58976" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
"This
trail has changed people's perspective about the Cal-Sag Channel 180
degrees," Buchtel said. "The towns are talking about incorporating the
trail and views of the channel into development and open space projects.
People are clamoring to clean up all this invasive brush that blocks
view of the river-that's a word people are using. It's a river now,
because of the trail." </div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_59080" style="font-size: 11pt;">President
Mariyana Spyropoulos, Commissioners Timothy Bradford and Debra Shore
and others participated in the Cal-Sag Bike trail ribbon cutting
recently.</span></div>
</span><a class="yiv8098962679imgCaptionAnchor" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001grXgo3XnNVFjTJcbQNx-JMbvGkpOnyAPfxDmojXDLIlsyIi28SCifa-bLCsfGP5aXSD-3cIzmhiPNeDU4FabEjG04FOPMp1DLCS5gm5X8vklYvWg9rMRtd9xyWQD6NzDMFQXvKU0LF7nyf9jDrt57Gwpq7SbPyOkWYpr-u-VKKLcg_5Xyw1Y95oSidiDv_BikMdUdWhsWZxJtdWbytyceY0kq1qU9it1yHD2GJjRKhK1d4igLJ72qqcu2koLDgYf0kcxLUUA3z1-LvUumZn9EXblGrvgBkp56ZIHOVGNuKUMeS03p1ie0A==&c=JeXRqDGInIb3GtR1mNI9_HA4VCyTtfmfgUgTQaSYyTMNEIRa0Pn9BQ==&ch=eU7YKJT0pgaBSM9l3a3Uw5R1XSBYgNvRg2uvD2Wv7_JOIauCd2IEVg==" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58923" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" target="_blank"><img border="0" hspace="5" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1435017255180_58922" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.56" src="http://files.ctctcdn.com/7dd0cad5401/1047dad0-ee3f-4f1c-b493-78b8650904ef.jpg" vspace="5" width="570" /></a>Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-5156314529570441742015-06-02T21:57:00.002-05:002015-06-02T21:57:25.056-05:00<i>The Southeast Environmental Task Force joined the Sierra Club in their Beyond Coal campaign. </i><br />
<br />
Guest story via Politico:<br />
<br />
<header>
<h1>
Inside the war on coal</h1>
</header>
<div class="subhead">
How Mike Bloomberg, red-state businesses, and a lot of Midwestern lawyers are changing American energy faster than you think.</div>
<div class="subhead">
<br /></div>
<footer class="meta">
<div class="byline">
By <span class="vcard">
<a class="url fn" href="http://www.politico.com/reporters/MichaelGrunwald.html" rel="author">Michael Grunwald</a></span>
</div>
</footer><br />
<br />
The war on coal is not just
political rhetoric, or a paranoid fantasy concocted by rapacious polluters.
It’s real and it’s relentless. Over the past five years, it has killed a
coal-fired power plant every 10 days. It has quietly transformed the U.S. electric
grid and the global climate debate.<br />
<br />
The industry and its supporters
use “war on coal” as shorthand for a ferocious assault by a hostile White
House, but the real war on coal is not primarily an Obama war, or even a
Washington war. It’s a guerrilla war. The front lines are not at the
Environmental Protection Agency or the Supreme Court. If you want to see how
the fossil fuel that once powered most of the country is being battered by
enemy forces, you have to watch state and local hearings where utility
commissions and other obscure governing bodies debate individual coal plants.
You probably won’t find much drama. You’ll definitely find lawyers from the
Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, the boots on the ground in the war on coal.<br />
<br />
Beyond Coal is the most
extensive, expensive and effective campaign in the Club’s 123-year history, and
maybe the history of the environmental movement. It’s gone largely unnoticed
amid the furor over the Keystone pipeline and President Barack Obama’s efforts
to regulate carbon, but it’s helped retire more than one third of America’s
coal plants since its launch in 2010, one dull hearing at a time. With a vast
war chest donated by Michael Bloomberg, unlikely allies from the business
world, and a strategy that relies more on economics than ecology, its team of
nearly 200 litigators and organizers has won battles in the Midwestern and
Appalachian coal belts, in the reddest of red states, in almost every state
that burns coal.<br />
<br />
( read the rest of the story at: http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/05/inside-war-on-coal-000002 )Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-57633732778912512152015-05-30T16:21:00.002-05:002015-05-30T16:21:47.978-05:00Guest commentary:<br />
<br />
<u><b>by Tom P. ....oh, and Pope Francis</b></u><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="date">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/21/1300969/-Pope-Francis-Causing-Climate-Change-Is-a-Sin" id="titleHref">Pope Francis: Causing Climate Change Is a "Sin"</a><span style="white-space: nowrap;"></span></h2>
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<span>by</span> <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/user/TomP">TomP</a></div>
<div class="author">
</div>
I hope this has an impact on people. Pope Francis recently spoke about climate change. Yes, it's real:<br />
<br />
Pope Francis made the religious case for tackling climate
change on Wednesday, calling on his fellow Christians to become
“Custodians of Creation” and issuing <strong>a dire warning about the potentially catastrophic effects of global climate change</strong>.<br />
<br />
Speaking to a massive crowd in Rome, the first Argentinian pope
delivered a short address in which he argued that respect for the
“beauty of nature and the grandeur of the cosmos” is a Christian value,
noting that failure to care for the planet risks apocalyptic
consequences.<br />
<br />
“<strong>Safeguard Creation,” he said. “Because if we destroy Creation, Creation will destroy us! Never forget this!”</strong><br />
<br />
The pope centered his environmentalist theology around the biblical
creation story in the book of Genesis, where God is said to have created
the world, declared it “good,” and charged humanity with its care.
Francis also made reference to his namesake, Saint Francis of Assisi,
who was a famous lover of animals, and <strong>appeared to tie the
ongoing environmental crisis to economic concerns — namely, instances
where a wealthy minority exploits the planet at the expense of the poor</strong>.<br />
<br />
“Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even
less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a
wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use
it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude,”
Francis said.<br />
<br />
<strong>Francis also said that humanity’s destruction of the planet is a sinful act, likening it to self-idolatry</strong>.<br />
“But when we exploit Creation we destroy the sign of God’s love for
us, in destroying Creation we are saying to God: ‘I don’t like it! This
is not good!’ ‘So what do you like?’ ‘I like myself!’ – Here, this is
sin! Do you see?”Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-43849942724779926762015-05-29T18:11:00.002-05:002015-05-29T18:11:39.066-05:00<div class="clearfix " id="ja-contentwrap">
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</h2>
<h2 class="contentheading">
Guest Editorial: </h2>
<h2 class="contentheading">
<a href="http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/features/environment/8701-the-united-states-government-leads-in-crimes-against-the-planet-obama-approves-30-million-acres-for-drilling">The United States Government Leads in Crimes Against the Planet: Obama Approves 30 Million Acres for Drilling</a>
</h2>
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<div>
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">World Can't Wait, Bay Area | May 29, 2015</span></div>
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</div>
“For a leader who has made fighting climate change a priority, President
Barack Obama's decision to approve Royal Dutch Shell's return to oil
and gas exploration off Alaska was seen by many environmentalists as a
contradiction.” <br />— <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/01/usa-shell-arctic-idUSKBN0MS54K20150401">Timothy Gardner, Reuters</a></div>
<div class="item-page">
Talk about understatement! To the shock and outrage of state and
national green groups, the Obama administration earlier this month gave
conditional approval to a controversial proposal by Shell to drill for
oil in the Arctic Ocean this summer. The exploration plan for the
Chukchi Sea entails drilling up to six wells approximately 70 miles
northwest of Wainwright, Alaska. Activists warn that this
“unconscionable” decision to ignore the counsel of scientists begs
disaster.<br />
<strong>Decades of international conferences</strong> and non-binding
agreements have done nothing to stop the escalating destruction of the
global environment. Melting ice caps — the most obvious measure of
climate change — has served to open vast new areas for exploitation.
Disaster capitalists rejoice!<br />
Using the justification of “national security,” our government has
sabotaged climate talks, encouraged dangerous drilling, fracking,
plunder and exploitation and jailed environmental activists as
“terrorists.”<br />
<h3 class="topcallout">
Interior Department confirms 75 percent spill risk... Shell moving oil rigs to Alaska</h3>
<strong>We can’t wait for some savior from the Democratic Party.</strong> A <em>Washington Post</em>
survey of 2016 candidates — from both parties — found little promise to
change course. It is up to us to create a political situation where
“business as usual” is interrupted. We find inspiration in Kayaktivist
flotillas blocking passage of Shell drilling rigs berthed in Seattle.<br />
Hundreds of protesters on land and sea challenged the leasing
agreement between the city and Shell with “Paddle in Seattle” action on
May 16. Environmental organizations are spreading a <a href="https://shellno.org/take-the-pledge-of-resistance.php">Pledge of Resistance to Arctic Drilling</a>
and planning events in other ports. Two activists climbed onto the
chain anchoring the Arctic Challenger ship in Bellingham Bay over the
weekend. Greenpeace has released a video, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMsVvDwf-eA">A Song of Oil, Ice and Fire,</a> where apocalyptic montages of actual oil spills replace backdrops of iconic paintings like Andrew Wyeth’s <em>Christina’s World.</em><br />
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<strong>Support the coalition of activists, artists and “noisemakers” at <a href="https://shellno.org/">sHellNo.org</a>.</strong><br />
<br /><em>The World Can't Wait Chapter in the San Francisco Bay Area can be reached at <a href="http://www.sfbaycantwait.net/">sfbaycantwait.net.</a></em><br />
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-82349993197245972882015-05-16T23:11:00.002-05:002015-05-16T23:11:41.557-05:00Guest blogger:<span> John Vukmirovich</span><br />
<br />
<h1 class="postTitle">
Life in the 10th Ward: Still waiting for a plan</h1>
<div class="postTimeWrap">
<span>Posted: 03/16/2014, 06:05am | BY John Vukmirovich</span></div>
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<span class="postImageCaption">Sun-Times Library</span></div>
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I recently sold my family’s modest Cape Cod on Chicago’s Far
Southeast Side, the 10th Ward. My father, a Navy veteran of World War II
who earned 10 battle stars, bought the house in the East Side
neighborhood in 1953.<br />
<br />
My family’s ties to the area, however, began some 40 years earlier.<br />
<br />
My paternal grandparents came to America from Serbia before World War
I. My grandfather served in the U.S. infantry during the war, then he
and my grandmother settled in South Chicago, where my father was born in
a tenement at 88th and Burley. A teenage midwife brought my father into
the world, and 73 years later I met her at his wake. She had attended
to his birth and bore witness to his passing.<br />
<br />
Neighborhood ties, indeed.<br />
<br />
After serving in his own war, my father returned to Chicago with my
mother, whom he had met on leave and married. They lived with his
parents for a while in South Deering, west of the Calumet River, before
buying that Cape Cod. My father, like his father, became a steelworker,
working at the Republic Steel (later LTV) for close to 40 years.<br />
<br />
I mention these things because I tend to view the 10th Ward not
merely through the filter of my own experiences, but through a larger
prism of a century’s worth of Far Southeast Side history, a history that
parallels America’s in the 20th century.<br />
<br />
As the steel mills flourished along the Calumet River, immigrants
flocked to the area. Single-family homes were built and sold, small
business were established and thrived, and high-wage union jobs paid for
mortgages, cars and education. The ward prospered for decades and
families stayed put.<br />
<br />
Along the way, men (and women) from my neighborhood went to war. My
father, his two brothers and a sister served in World War II, one of the
brothers dying in the 1944 Battle of Anzio. Whether building the
peacetime economy or defending our country, the families of the Far
Southeast Side gave more than their share.<br />
<br />
By the 1970s, however, this country no longer had a need for
American-made steel — or for the people who made that steel. Mill jobs
disappeared, people picked up and left, mom-and-pop businesses closed
and the ward shuddered.<br />
<br />
In the early ’90s, a second wave of residents left when then-Mayor
Richard M. Daley tried to pave over the area with a third airport. Daley
failed in that effort, thankfully, but many of my neighbors looked at
the ward’s glass of potential and saw it as half-empty. When they left,
the ward shuddered again.<br />
<br />
Entering this century, the ward didn’t so much shudder as it tried to
keep its balance while hit by a series of tremors. LTV Steel went
bankrupt, more local businesses faltered, and then the real estate
debacle of 2008 struck, spawning evictions, short sales and
foreclosures. We lost our Dominick’s — a real community asset — and then
our Jewel.<br />
<br />
Not all is gloomy. An underappreciated treasure of the 10th Ward can
be found along the Indiana border, where a swathe of green space
includes Eggers Grove, Wolf Lake and the Wolf Lake Overlook. The area
abounds with red-tailed hawks, deer, and migrating waterfowl. Each
spring and fall, hundreds, even thousands, of sandhill cranes fly
through, headed to or from the Jasper-Pulaski Wildlife Refugee in
Indiana.<br />
<br />
In the more than 30 years since the steel mills shut down, the people
of the 10th Ward have waited for their elected officials to show a
little imagination, to finally see beyond the ward’s industrial past and
come up with a comprehensive, economically feasible and environmentally
sound redevelopment program.<br />
<br />
We’re still waiting.<br />
<br />
I am not a city planner, but perhaps I have just a bit more imagination than the past and current occupants of City Hall.<br />
<br />
Why not convert the former Republic/LTV Steel site along the east
bank of the Calumet River into recreational green space and link it to
Wolf Lake and Eggers Grove?<br />
<br />
Or, if not green space, why not create a research and development
site for the auto industry, especially since the Ford plant is nearby?<br />
<br />
Or build a solar energy collection project, not unlike the one west of the river in Pullman.<br />
<br />
What we don’t need is the coal-to-natural gas plant that was once
(and still is?) proposed for that site. Coal?<br />
How 19th century.<br />
<br />
And as for the current debate concerning the storage of mountains of
petcoke along the Calumet River, I’ll only say that this strikes me as a
perfect example of how the ward is too often viewed through ancient
soot-covered glasses by local, city, and state officials: if it’s dirty
and industrial, put it in the 10th Ward.<br />
<br />
How shameful, unimaginative and unambitious.<br />
<br />
I write these words in the form of a long goodbye, having sold the
family home, but I don’t mean it as a final goodbye to the 10th Ward,
where I still have personal connections to the old neighborhood. But I
am cognizant of the danger of looking backward; the fate of Lot’s wife
comes to mind. I don’t fear being turned into a pillar of salt but,
rather, a pile of petcoke.<br />
<br />
If the history of the 10th Ward in the last century mirrors the
history of the country, does the current plight of the ward reflect that
of present-day America? The 10th Ward is hardly alone in its boarded-up
houses and businesses, lethal street gangs, lack of vision and
industrial waste. I fear for bleak decades for the ward, Chicago and the
country.<br />
<br />
But then there are the sandhill cranes.<br />
<br />
For decades each spring and fall, I’ve watched them as they’ve
migrated over the 10th Ward. Lithe and graceful, mindful of their own
kind, they are everything we are not. Soon, beginning in early March,
they will be passing overhead again.<br />
<br />
The cranes are embodiments of beauty, strength and determination.<br />
<br />
Worthy symbols to embrace and emulate, if only we have the courage.<br />
<br />
John Vukmirovich is a writer and researcher who still lives in Chicago.<br />
</div>
Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-14233784988378123882015-05-15T16:46:00.000-05:002015-05-15T16:46:12.082-05:00<h1 class="story-headline clearfix">
Big Marsh Park Will Allow Outdoor Adventures Without the Long Getaway Drive</h1>
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SOUTH DEERING — The transformation of a former <a href="http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140801/south-deering/big-marsh-bike-park-open-by-fall-2015-feature-elaborate-cycling-trails" target="_self">278-acre industrial site </a>on the Southeast Side into <a href="http://bigmarshchicago.com/" target="_blank">Big Marsh Bike Park</a>
is well underway — and officials hope by next year it will become a
destination unrivaled in the city for cycling, fishing, canoeing,
hiking, nature-walking and bird-watching.<br />
<br />
The park at 110th Street
and Stony Island Avenue in South Deering isn't open to the public yet,
but work on the property has picked up steam as the weather warms.<br />
<br />
"There’s still lots of trucks dumping clay at the site, and real construction starts soon, so you can’t just drop in," said <a href="http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/people/steve-buchtel" target="_self">Steve Buchtel</a>,
Friends of Big Marsh program coordinator. "The bike park is going to be
popular. Chicago mountain bikers [go] to Georgia, or Louisville, or
Colorado on weekends to ride the features Big Marsh will have."<br />
<br />
<img src="https://assets.dnainfo.com/chicago_photo/2015/05/img8167-1431634417.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /><sup>Steve
Buchtel, Friends of Big Marsh program coordinator, says Big Marsh Bike
Park is taking shape. The Downtown skyline can be seen in the distant
background. [Photos by DNAinfo/Justin Breen]</sup><br />
<br />
The bike park
at Big Marsh is a public-private development, with roughly half the
funding from the Chicago Park District and half from private
contributions, Buchtel said.<br />
<br />
Phase 1 of the bike park improvements
will include a combination of different trails and material, according
to Joel Baldin, a project manager with Hitchcock Design. The main plaza
and bike plaza will have concrete sidewalks and a tot track for
beginning riders, Baldin said.<br />
<br />
During a tour given to DNAinfo
Chicago on Thursday afternoon, some of the trails were starting to take
shape, but most of the parkland was still unusable.<br />
<br />
<em><strong>Last fall, about 100 mountain bikers tried out the trails. Check out the video below:</strong></em><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><strong> http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150515/south-deering/transformation-of-big-marsh-park-into-biking-mecca-well-underway</strong></span><br />
<br />
The
park's main trail, which will be a half mile, will be multi-use
asphalt, Baldin said. There also will be a crushed gravel multi-use,
1.9-mile path encircling the main bike park area that also will connect
with other areas of the park.<br />
<br />
The park also will include multiple
dirt trails, plus BMX-style obstacles like dirt berms, dirt landings, a
curved wall ride, a ladder drop and kicker ramps, Baldin said.<br />
<br />
About
1.4 to 2 miles of the trails will be "single track," which are winding
dirt trails around trees and other obstacles like single dirt rollers,
dirt berms, dirt landings, rock gardens and rock causeways, Baldin said.<br />
<br />
Buchtel said the bike park will compare favorably to current spots popular with cyclists and mountain bikers: <a href="http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20150415/hegewisch/bike-path-will-link-edgewater-joliet-nearly-all-of-it-is-off-road" target="_self">Palos Hills</a> and <a href="http://www.backyardbikes.com/Trails.asp" target="_blank">Kettle Moraine State Forest</a> in Wisconsin.<br />
<br />
"Palos
and Kettle Moraine have miles and miles of single track trails
maintained by incredible mountain bikers that are fun, challenging, and
of course the landscape is gorgeous," Buchtel said. "Both are fantastic
outdoor experiences. But they’re further away than Big Marsh from most
of the city. Traveling to the trails is usually the least fun part about
mountain biking.<br />
<br />
"When you get to Kettle and Palos, what you
don’t find are features professionally designed to appeal to off-road
cyclists and BMX riders — features like jumps and riding walls,
structures for performing tricks, high-banked turns, and obstacles
designed to challenge even a pro’s off-road cycling skills," Buchtel
added.<br />
<br />
The cost for opening the first phase of the park in spring
2016 is $6.4 million. The cost includes parking, water and sewer, the
bike park features and a $1 million in-kind donation of dirt, Buchtel
said.<br />
<br />
The bike park will be anchored to a 1,000-acre park plan currently known as Big Marsh, Buchtel said.<br />
<br />
"[It]
makes Big Marsh the gateway to a major urban park experience on the
southeast side of Chicago, where communities have been too long waiting
and too often fighting for the land around them to be returned to open
space they can enjoy," Buchtel said.<br />
<br />
<sup>Steve Buchtel, Friends of Big Marsh program coordinator, shows where one of the trails will be at Big Marsh Bike Park.</sup><br />
The first phase was scheduled to be completed this
year but was delayed until 2016 because $900,000 of the project budget
is through an Illinois State OSLAD grant, which was suspended by Gov.
Bruce Rauner on March 9, according to Chicago Park District spokeswoman
Zvezdana Kubat.<br />
<br />
"This project has been on hold awaiting a decision
from the state on this important funding. If the state funds are not
released, we will redesign the project to meet the lower budget
available," Kubat said.<br />
<br />
Kubat said the park district is looking at "a few different maintenance strategies" for the bike park's trails.<br />
<br />
Buchtel
has the keys to the park and said people or organizations who want to
request a tour can email him at friends@bigmarsh.org.<br />
<br />
Buchtel also
noted Friends of Big Marsh is working to raise an additional $2 million
of the $6.4 million development cost by this fall for phase one.
Contributions can be made <a href="http://chicago.suntimes.com/news-chicago/7/71/454387/cps-principals-say-private-aramark-janitorial-management-still-isnt-working" target="_blank">online</a> or by contacting friends@bigmarsh.org.<br />
<br />
In addition, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebonebell?fref=ts" target="_blank">The Bonebell</a> off-road cycling advocacy group is hosting a viewing of the cyclocross movie “For the Love of Mud“ as a <a href="http://thebonebell.com/2015/05/14/big-marsh-love-mud/" target="_blank">fundraiser</a> for the Phase 1 buildout of Big Marsh Bike Park. The event is May 31 at 7 p.m. at the Logan Theatre, 2646 N. Milwaukee Ave.<br />
<br />
<img src="https://assets.dnainfo.com/chicago_photo/2015/05/img8132-1431634399.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /><br />
<img src="https://assets.dnainfo.com/chicago_photo/2015/05/img8170-1431634420.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /><br />
<img src="https://assets.dnainfo.com/chicago_photo/2015/05/img8154-1431634411.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /><br />
<img src="https://assets.dnainfo.com/chicago_photo/2015/05/img8142-1431634402.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /><br />
<img src="https://assets.dnainfo.com/chicago_photo/2015/05/img8155-1431634413.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /><br />
<img src="https://assets.dnainfo.com/chicago_photo/2015/05/img8151-1431634408.jpg" style="width: 100%;" />Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-6736144764591693952015-05-12T16:17:00.002-05:002015-05-12T16:17:32.716-05:00<div id="header">
<div id="masthead">
<div id="branding" role="banner">
<div id="site-title">
<span>
</span></div>
<div id="site-title">
<span>From: </span></div>
<div id="site-title">
<span><a href="https://rusustain.wordpress.com/" rel="home" title="Sustainability Studies @ Roosevelt University">Sustainability Studies @ Roosevelt University</a></span></div>
<div id="site-title">
<span>
</span>
</div>
<div id="site-description">
Chicago's first sustainability BA program</div>
<a class="home-link" href="https://rusustain.wordpress.com/" rel="home" title="Sustainability Studies @ Roosevelt University">
<img alt="" height="198" src="https://rusustain.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/park-042110-rhr011.jpg" width="940" />
</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h2 class="entry-title">
<a href="https://rusustain.wordpress.com/2015/05/12/setf-summer-tours-of-chicagos-south-side/" rel="bookmark">SETF Summer Tours of Chicago’s South Side</a></h2>
<div class="entry-meta">
<span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="https://rusustain.wordpress.com/2015/05/12/setf-summer-tours-of-chicagos-south-side/" rel="bookmark" title="11:05 am"><span class="entry-date">May 12, 2015</span></a> <span class="by-author"><span class="sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://rusustain.wordpress.com/author/rusust/" rel="author" title="View all posts by rusust">rusust</a></span></span></div>
<div class="entry-meta">
<span class="by-author"><span class="author vcard"> </span> </span> </div>
<div class="p1">
This summer, the <a href="http://www.setaskforce.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Southeast Environmental Task Force</a> is offering several <strong>public tours of the environmental sites of interest on Chicago’s South Side</strong>
that offer a close-up view of wastewater treatment systems, landfill
and recycling facilities, hazardous waste and pollution sites — all
united by a focus on environmental justice and urban sustainability.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
All tours are conducted on a comfortable coach bus with
minimal walking required, and feature SETF’s expert narrators / activist
professionals. Each tour begins (10am) and ends (2pm) at the <a href="http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_culturalcenter.html/" target="_blank">Chicago Cultural Center</a>, Michigan & Randolph St. in downtown Chicago.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="padding-left: 30px;">
<b>Deep Tunnel and Thornton Quarry Tour</b></div>
<div class="p1" style="padding-left: 30px;">
<i>Last chance to go deep into one of the world’s largest rock quarries, and to descend 250 feet below ground into the deep tunnel.<br />
</i>Saturday, June 20 – 10am to 2pm (cost $30)</div>
<div class="p1" style="padding-left: 30px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2" style="padding-left: 30px;">
<span class="s1"><b>Recycling Tour </b>(jo</span>intly sponsored by the <a href="http://www.chicagorecycling.org/" target="_blank">Chicago Recycling Coalition</a>)</div>
<div class="p1" style="padding-left: 30px;">
<i>Visit a working recycling
facility, compost sites, landfills, and a wastewater treatment plant;
see how Chicago deals with its waste.<br />
</i>Saturday, July 18 – 10am to 2pm ($30)</div>
<div class="p1" style="padding-left: 30px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4" style="padding-left: 30px;">
<b>Energy Solutions Tour</b></div>
<div class="p5" style="padding-left: 30px;">
<i>Visit the US’s largest
inner-city solar facility; the massive BP refinery in Whiting, Ind.; and
some more-innovative energy options being employed in Chicago.<br />
</i>Saturday, August 8 – 10am to 2pm ($30)</div>
<div class="p5" style="padding-left: 30px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p5">
<span style="color: black;"><b>To Register:</b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
Visit <span class="s2"><a href="http://www.setaskforce.blogspot.com/">www.setaskforce.blogspot.com</a> o</span>r call 773-646-0436.</div>
Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-29507054851609256122015-05-07T00:04:00.000-05:002015-05-07T00:04:52.730-05:00<section class="mainBody nine-col">
<section class="CPcontent">
<h1>
Taking Flight: Birding Hot Spots in Millennium Reserve</h1>
<div class="contentGeneral">
<img alt="" height="797" src="http://www.millenniumreserve.org/globalassets/priorities/photo----story-21---birding.jpg" style="float: right;" width="1224" />Walter Marcisz walks quietly through Indian Ridge Marsh at 122<sup>nd</sup>
Street and Torrence Avenue in Chicago. Suddenly, he stops and puts down
a small, portable telescope through which he sees a striking scene in
the marsh: three different species of ducks are swimming side-by-side.
Not far from them is a swan, gracefully tilting its neck and surveying
the scene.<br />
<br />
It’s the kind of bird-watching moment that has delighted and
fascinated Marcisz for more than 50 years. When asked to name a few
favorite birding spots in the region, Marcisz hesitates. “There’s so
much here,” he says. “It’s hard to choose.”<br />
<br />
Though he is a year-round birder, Marcisz says that “May is peak
time. Good weather – usually – new growth, and everything is alive.”
It’s a perfect time, he says, to visit a few of the many spots that are
ideal for birding in the Millennium Reserve.<br />
<br />
Marcisz, a leading birder in the region, currently leads birding
tours, monitors bird activities for Audubon Chicago Region and otherwise
immerses himself in his passion for birding. <br />
<br />
At Indian Ridge Marsh, he says, a white-faced ibis – a wading bird
that is hard to find in Illinois – visited the site last summer. In
August, three snowy egrets appeared. Meanwhile, on a recent spring day,
an egret appeared to be slowly dancing across the marsh, though Marcisz
said the bird “was just hunting for small fish.” He paused to say that
the Migratory Bird Treaty of 1918 (which resulted in part from advocacy
efforts by the National Audubon Society) helped save the great egret
from extinction.<br />
<br />
A short drive away, Wolf Lake (part of which is located at William W.
Powers State Recreation Area at 12949 South Avenue O in Chicago) boasts
a wide range of recreational options, including hunting, fishing and
biking. “For birding, Wolf Lake has traditionally been a very good place
for migrating water fowl and native swans, especially in the early
spring,” Marcisz says. On the north side of Wolf Lake, there’s a wide
variety of migrant warblers in spring and fall. “There’s lots of noise
and mating,” says Marcisz. “It’s just a songfest in there, and a feast
for the eyes: You can track down orange, yellow and blue warblers.”<br />
<br />
Next stop, Eggers Woods (112<sup>th</sup> Street and Avenue E in
Chicago), which features woodland, marsh and open country habitats –
each with their own assemblage of bird species. “Eggers is not very far
from Lake Michigan,” says Marcisz, “and that has a great impact on what
birds you’ll see. Thousands of birds migrate in the spring and fall at
night, and then in the morning they’ll stop at Eggers and other places
for food and to rest. The month of May is exciting – there’s not only a
great diversity of birds, but they are colorful and in full song.”<br />
<br />
The Wolf Lake and Eggers sites are also notable because they are
among 23 “ecologically important” sites in Millennium Reserve that will
be protected and restored through the <a href="http://www.millenniumreserve.org/Priorities/featured-project---2/">Conservation Compact</a>,
a partnership between the Illinois Department of Natural Resources,
Forest Preserves Commission, Chicago Park District and The Nature
Conservancy. Implementing natural areas in the Conservation Compact is a
priority of Millennium Reserve.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Marcisz offers a few birding tips to visitors. “Birding is
almost always better in the morning – especially during migration,” he
says. “I recommend that people bring binoculars and a field guide – and
dress in layers. Plus, spring rains are frequent, so wear something that
gives you a little rain resistance.”<br />
<br />
Nat Miller, Director of Conservation for <a href="http://chicagoaudubon.org/">Audubon Society Chicago</a> (a
Partner of Millennium Reserve), says that birding can “become an easy
thing to fall in love with. We want to be in tune with nature – and
nature also provides great places to go with family, a community group
or by yourself. It’s just amazing to know you can go to an area in the
Millennium Reserve and see dozens of species of birds.”<br />
<br />
<em>For more information, go to <a href="http://chicagobirder.org/">chicagobirder.org</a> and <a href="http://chicagoaudubon.org/">chicagoaudubon.org</a></em><br />
<br />
<em>May 2015</em><br />
</div>
</section>
</section>Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-20855269367451438532015-04-26T13:38:00.001-05:002015-04-26T13:38:27.615-05:00<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Community Members of South East Chicago</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnEl6gf9oa_392Yb9ci_xj4JbKMFydN4ATdOQ35VDb7KinhACpQDh3laG0J_IMGA1jJqEWO05SzjiQ-1dFaLzHZKfzwFE2sqvpbJUYnpSNuQ86Faf33sneBu-GErBO8-Ui7oxpsfb_DJp/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnEl6gf9oa_392Yb9ci_xj4JbKMFydN4ATdOQ35VDb7KinhACpQDh3laG0J_IMGA1jJqEWO05SzjiQ-1dFaLzHZKfzwFE2sqvpbJUYnpSNuQ86Faf33sneBu-GErBO8-Ui7oxpsfb_DJp/s1600/Untitled.png" height="228" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
South East Chicago has a wide variety of people coming from
different backgrounds. When it comes to knowing the community, one of the best
ways to learn more is to know its residents. In March we asked several
individuals what are their thoughts on the community and what they would like
to be changed. <br />
<br />
The questions that were asked were <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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What do you like most
about your community?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
If you could change
one thing about Hegewisch, what would it be?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
How much time do you
normally spend outdoors?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
What’s your favorite
outdoors spot in Hegewisch?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Do you have any
concerns regarding the environment within the community?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Do you believe you
live in a safe healthy community?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
What do you think
makes a community healthy or unhealthy?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
If you were a
political representative of your community what would you do differently?(law, policy)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Are you aware of the
petcoke issue?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
If yes:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
How do you think it has
affected your community?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
What do you think
should be done?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Throughout the visits we were able to also get photographs
of two very kind women along with their input on the community. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUcMjrlnTDOOGRp-hnvetZ2CC6qdtw4074rA8PTo6QqBq-5IpsF2bjPiuDzN5AAOmiTgg_gCjIMavD0nZAMvTVcCcQ8ZH47rhLc5bd58ipBTgW1qWyjAI7mm1B6Aw-2q99MrGG3TLQtqa/s1600/IMG_6618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUcMjrlnTDOOGRp-hnvetZ2CC6qdtw4074rA8PTo6QqBq-5IpsF2bjPiuDzN5AAOmiTgg_gCjIMavD0nZAMvTVcCcQ8ZH47rhLc5bd58ipBTgW1qWyjAI7mm1B6Aw-2q99MrGG3TLQtqa/s1600/IMG_6618.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Juanita<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
What do you like
about your community?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
“That we can walk
safely around the neighborhoods.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Juanita here works for a local dentist office and was very
aware of the environmental issues that are occurring within the area. She told
us personal stories of how the environment is causing respiratory problems for
friends and relatives. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU58AIN2dgfekslXVXKUE_y-Wx13JQU74XKoxaKsp2oFfNRzgb2OfyBNehaoWIi8whQqk5IPqw_4EE9B1Ww1txISk9v19wZvIeNbhwnwqI9GopoZcFsPbyrDyAvDddVPwje3NxRvHP9AJh/s1600/IMG_6605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU58AIN2dgfekslXVXKUE_y-Wx13JQU74XKoxaKsp2oFfNRzgb2OfyBNehaoWIi8whQqk5IPqw_4EE9B1Ww1txISk9v19wZvIeNbhwnwqI9GopoZcFsPbyrDyAvDddVPwje3NxRvHP9AJh/s1600/IMG_6605.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Frannie<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
If you could change
one thing about Hegewisch, what would it be?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
“Wish it was nicer”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Frannie was an employee at a local Pete’s Fresh Market that
was happy to give her input on the area. She would like for it to be safer for
her children to come out and play. Often she feels she should keep her children
inside because she does not feel the area is clean enough for her kids to play. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
These were two individuals of the community that were very
cooperative giving their honest opinion on the area. They both were residents of
South East Chicago and would like for it to be cleaner and safer for its
members. This was insightful as we now have recommendations from actual
community members, and can use these in consideration for any major
decision-making in the future. <o:p></o:p></div>
Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-4656002877342562462015-04-22T14:27:00.000-05:002015-04-22T14:27:14.780-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1QGM7m5ViOBzcL41sKAqUrLGeR_YC1ECKwGuI2o6BneHxdNabaOjQ-3KCEjIdi7zjv2058NDm66UEVDMnzmDFjxIriUTjA9amUeLHZUyKpUzU9FNA2hpIrfKqLdQmx_84BcvC1mw_lxL/s1600/resistance+tour.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1QGM7m5ViOBzcL41sKAqUrLGeR_YC1ECKwGuI2o6BneHxdNabaOjQ-3KCEjIdi7zjv2058NDm66UEVDMnzmDFjxIriUTjA9amUeLHZUyKpUzU9FNA2hpIrfKqLdQmx_84BcvC1mw_lxL/s1600/resistance+tour.png" height="390" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
Saturday April 18<sup>th</sup> was a day that the community
was able to come together and have a discussion regarding the environment. The
meeting was held at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and consisted of
individuals discussing the Tarsands resistance within the community. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These people are on tour throughout the Midwest to raise
awareness of the dangers regarding the pipelines being provided by oil
companies. More information on their tour and how to help their cause can be
found here (<a href="https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/stop-enbridge-tar-sands-tour">https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/stop-enbridge-tar-sands-tour</a>).
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGK7nkhroAhiz5N72uUcyuFFzwi4Lxa4EekUtRUF_FRiPOO3csxR2gBQ8HOS_5VVo8M1WszavJdgiDVCZLtC_ThY-ufJpvtWxJz5j1syLKWYtv1mvwYWLt2ycOKj2ZY3hGHHpokwdtedxA/s1600/FullSizeRender+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGK7nkhroAhiz5N72uUcyuFFzwi4Lxa4EekUtRUF_FRiPOO3csxR2gBQ8HOS_5VVo8M1WszavJdgiDVCZLtC_ThY-ufJpvtWxJz5j1syLKWYtv1mvwYWLt2ycOKj2ZY3hGHHpokwdtedxA/s1600/FullSizeRender+(1).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
People such as Eriel Deranger, Andy Pearson, Thomas Frank
and many more came out telling personal stories of how tar sands has affected
their environment, health and personal lives. We learned of a 51 year old woman
whose community inhabited 80 families and now 10 are left. Due to the
devastation of pipelines bursting and contaminating the river, Eriel mourned
over the deaths of her neighbors and continues to miss the other neighbors that
left.<br />
<br />
Thomas Frank, Olga Bautista and Tom Shepard soon discussed petcoke and its
effect on South East Chicago. Pictures were provided regarding the amount of
petcoke as well as the change of properties throughout the years as BP is
buying land areas for parking. This change of ownership is causing community
members to be concerned as they do not want to leave and do not want to face the
health consequences. The implications that BP is causing on South East Chicago
is driving people away, and causing respiratory illnesses amongst the people
that stay.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
People need to know more about the environmental problems
going on throughout the Midwest. The purpose of this meeting was to raise
awareness about the Midwest pipelines and fracking & its effect on the
nearby population. <br />
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Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-13079875245944915982015-04-17T08:18:00.004-05:002015-04-17T08:18:51.101-05:00Petcoke in Chicago: A Toxic Gift From the Koch Brothers<a href="http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/petcoke-in-chicago-a-toxic-gift-from-the-koch-brothers/19271-petcoke-in-chicago-a-toxic-gift-from-the-koch-brothers#.VTEIM9fh2UI.blogger">Petcoke in Chicago: A Toxic Gift From the Koch Brothers</a>Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-36531397321755483372015-04-15T10:54:00.004-05:002015-04-15T10:54:54.873-05:00A note from Senator Jeff Merkly of Oregon is worth noting:<br />
<br />
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72391">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72390" style="font-size: 14px;">When
asked for their thoughts on climate change, a popular line for the
other side – including some Presidential hopefuls – is this: “I’m not a
scientist.”</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72395">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72396">
<strong id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72435"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72434" style="font-size: 14px;">Seriously?</span></strong></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72397">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72398" style="margin-left: 40px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72437" style="font-size: 14px;"><em id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72436">I’m not a chemist,</em> but I believe that </span>H<sub>2</sub>0 <span style="font-size: 14px;">= water.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72399" style="margin-left: 40px;">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72400" style="margin-left: 40px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72439" style="font-size: 14px;"><em id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72438">I’m not a physicist,</em> but I'm sold on gravity.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72401" style="margin-left: 40px;">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72402" style="margin-left: 40px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72441" style="font-size: 14px;"><em id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72440">I'm not a cartographer,</em> but I'm pretty sure the earth isn't flat.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72403">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72404">
<strong id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72433"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72432" style="font-size: 14px;">And
I’m not a climate scientist, but the scientists have made it clear that
climate change is a real and present threat to all of us.</span></strong></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72442">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72431">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72430" style="font-size: 14px;">Carbon
in the atmosphere is up dramatically. The oceans are far more acidic.
And average temperatures are jumping. These are facts.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72429">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72411">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72414" style="font-size: 14px;"><strong id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72428">We can have a debate about how we address climate change, but the time for debate on whether it’s happening is long, long past.</strong>
Climate change denial is simply irresponsible. The economic and
environmental impacts are already falling heavily on certain communities
and it puts future generations everywhere at risk.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72406">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72409">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72408" style="font-size: 14px;"><strong id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72407">America is ready for bold action that starts saving our planet and our future.</strong> Anyone running for office – from President on down – would be wise to remember that.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72427">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1429108031567_72426">
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><em>Jeff</em></span></div>
Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-29593869912589461952015-03-23T20:33:00.000-05:002015-03-23T20:33:14.629-05:00<h1>
Earth Hour</h1>
<div class="lead">
Don't
forget to switch off your lights for Earth Hour at 8.30pm (20:30) on
the last Saturday of March - it's a global climate change campaign held
every year . Make it <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedform.html"><strong>an event to share</strong></a> with friends and family!
</div>
<figure class="five columns bloat" id="bloat" title="Paper doll people in shades of blue link hands while standing on top of the world Click image to see more detail."><div class="bloat-wrap">
<img alt="Paper doll people in shades of blue link hands while standing on top of the world" class="bloat-img" src="http://c.tadst.com/gfx/600x400/earth-hour-2009.jpg?1" /></div>
<figcaption class="caption">It's time to switch off the lights during Earth Hour.</figcaption><figcaption class="img-credit">©iStockphoto.com/Trista Weibell</figcaption></figure><h2>
About Earth Hour</h2>
Earth Hour is a global WWF (formerly known as World Wildlife Fund)
climate change initiative. It is an eventthat aims to create awareness
of people taking responsibility towards a sustainable future by turning
the lights off. Earth Hour is not to be confused with <a href="http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/world/earth-day">Earth Day</a>.<br />
<h2>
What do people do?</h2>
Millions of people turn off their lights for Earth Hour at 8.30pm
(20:30) in their local times on the last Saturday of March. Iconic
buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas have stood
in darkness during previous Earth Hours. Some people enjoy Earth Hour
with a candle-lit dinner or a candle-lit bath, while others host large
events or parties, either in darkness or with candles, to celebrate
Earth Hour.<br />
Businesses and government organizations, as well as community and
political leaders also take part in Earth Hour. It's about giving people
a voice on the planet’s future and working together to create a
sustainable low carbon future for planet earth.<br />
<h2>
Background</h2>
Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. This event saw 2.2
million homes and businesses turn their lights off for one hour to make
their stand against climate change that year. Earth Hour had become a
global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across
35 countries participating in 2008. Global landmarks such as the, Sydney
Harbour Bridge, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Golden Gate Bridge in San
Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness for Earth Hour.
In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third
Earth Hour.<br />
WWF, which organizes the annual Earth Hour event, aims to stop the
degradation of the earth's natural environment. It also focuses on
building a future where people live in harmony with nature. The
organization functions through a network of more than 90 offices in more
than 40 countries worldwide. Its first office was founded in Morges,
Switzerland, on September 11, 1961.<br />
========================<br />
<br />
<ol class="question-and-answer">
<li>
<div class="question">
What is Earth Hour?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour is a worldwide grassroots movement uniting people to protect the
planet, and is organised by WWF. Engaging a massive mainstream community
on a broad range of environmental issues, Earth Hour was famously
started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then
it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide, and
the one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger
movement.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
What is Earth Hour Blue?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour Blue is an all-new digital crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform
for the planet launched in 2014 to capture the power of the crowd and
engage people around the world beyond the lights out event. The
crowdfunding section of the platform allows participants to financially
support and deliver positive, tangible changes to the environment and
communities all over the world. Individuals can also use Earth Hour
Blue’s crowdsourcing platform, which will call for people to add their
voice to some of the biggest environmental campaigns across the world.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
When does Earth Hour take place?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour 2015 will be held on Saturday 28 March between 8.30PM and 9.30PM
in your local time zone. The event is held worldwide towards the end of
March annually, encouraging individuals, communities households and
businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a
symbol for their commitment to the planet.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
What does Earth Hour aim to achieve?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour aims to encourage an interconnected global community to share the
opportunities and challenges of creating a sustainable world.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
What does Earth Hour ask people to do?</div>
<div class="answer">
The
first thing anyone can do to get involved is to turn off their lights
on Saturday. But there is much, much more. Our full ambition is for
people to take action beyond the hour. Whether it’s supporting a
crowdfunding or crowdsourcing campaign on <a href="http://www.earthhour.org/">www.earthhour.org</a>
or getting involved in Earth Hour campaigns in their own country, or
starting the movement in their own community. The vision is always to do
more, so make the light switch the beginning of your journey.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
How long has Earth Hour been going for?</div>
<div class="answer">
The
first Earth Hour event was on March 31 2007. WWF-Australia inspired
Sydney-siders to show their support for climate change action. More than
2.2 million individuals and 2,000 businesses turned their lights out
for one hour in the first Earth Hour event.<br />
Earth Hour 2015 will mark the ninth year of the campaign.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
Is Earth Hour an annual event?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour is more than an annual event – it is a movement that culminates in
an hour of inspiration across the world held towards the end of March
each year.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
What exactly has Earth Hour achieved before launching Earth Hour Blue?</div>
<div class="answer">
<ul>
<li>WWF Uganda started the world’s first Earth Hour Forest</li>
<li>More than 250,000 Russians voiced support for better protection of their country’s seas and forests</li>
<li>Argentina used its 2013 Earth Hour campaign to help pass a Senate
bill for a 3.4 million hectare Marine Protected Area in the country</li>
<li>Thousands of wood-saving stoves were distributed to families in Madagascar</li>
<li>Solar-powered lights were installed in three villages without electricity in India</li>
<li>In Paraguay, WWF used the Earth Hour platform to build public
support to gain an extension of the logging moratorium, helping to
reduce deforestation</li>
<li>Education programs for schools were launched in Thailand and Taiwan</li>
<li>Hundreds of thousands of LED lights were installed by girl scouts in the USA</li>
<li>More than 2123 mitigation actions submitted by Earth Hour City Challenge 2014 participating cities</li>
</ul>
But this is just the start, there are so many more Earth Hour
stories out there we’re still discovering, and of course much more to
do.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
Back to the event. Isn't switching the lights off dangerous? What about public safety?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour only asks people to turn off the non-essential lights for one hour
- not lights that affect public safety. Earth Hour is also a
celebration of the planet so it’s important to enjoy the moment in a
safe environment.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
What lights can be safely switched off?</div>
<div class="answer">
That
is a decision that has to be made individually but usually the overhead
lights in rooms (whether it is your house or a business), outdoor
lighting that does not impact safety, decorative lights, neon signs for
advertising, televisions, desk lamps, the list goes on and on.<br />
There are a few lights we can say with certainty that should NOT be
turned off, including safety lights in public spaces, lights for
aviation guidance, traffic lights, security lights, just to name a few.
We ask people to use common sense. Before you turn off any lights for
public spaces, Earth Hour recommends you check with local officials or
community centres.<br />
In your own home, use common sense with respect to safety. Keep small
night lights on for basic safety especially in halls and on stairs.
Make sure you have alternative light sources handy before Earth Hour
starts, like torches or flashlights. That way if you need to see, you
have a light source close at hand, and you can still respect the spirit
of Earth Hour and keep yourself and your family safe.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
What candles should I use for my Earth Hour event?</div>
<div class="answer">
If
you plan on burning candles during Earth Hour, make sure you use 100%
beeswax candles or soy candles, which are gentler on our planet - smoke
free, non-toxic and non-allergenic. They are also made of natural
products, not petroleum-based materials, so they are effectively carbon
neutral (the CO2 they emit has already been taken from the atmosphere to
produce the wax). Many communities are now replacing candles with LED
lights for their event, as a way to promote energy efficient lighting - a
key for any sustainable future. If you're using candles, though, make
sure you take care. We suggest you carefully follow these tips:<br />
<ol type="a">
<li>Candles should only be used under adult supervision</li>
<li>Candles should never be left unattended</li>
<li>Candles should be kept away from children and pets</li>
<li>Extinguish candles before going to sleep</li>
<li>Keep candles away from flammable liquids and gas-combustible materials</li>
<li>Candles should be kept clear of any combustible materials such as paper, curtains and clothing</li>
<li>Candles should not be placed in windows as they can be blown over. Blinds and curtains can also catch alight</li>
<li>Candles should be placed on a stable, dry, heat-resistant surface away from drafts</li>
</ol>
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
What is Earth Hour’s position on technology?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour embraces technology to spread the message of positive
environmental action across the world, and to replace more inefficient
means of living our lives. Technology is key to a sustainable future
that is aspirational. From LED lights, to hybrid vehicles, to developing
replacements for unsustainable use of resources - Earth Hour has
thrived off the back of the development in digital technology. <br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
Will my city go completely black during the event?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour is not a black out. It is a voluntary action by its participants
to show their commitment to an act of change that benefits the planet.
For many businesses in city skyscrapers or for many government
buildings, the lights are turned off at the end of the business day the
Friday before Earth Hour. So Earth Hour is more of a fade-out in some
ways than a black out. There is usually no instant dramatic difference,
but rather a gradual dimming of lights starting the day prior. Many
major icons and neon signs are switched off for the hour and they are
extremely noticeable. You may be able to see dramatic changes in large
business districts or at iconic landmarks and buildings around the world
and in your city.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
If everyone turns their lights back on at the same time will there be a power surge?</div>
<div class="answer">
People
celebrate Earth Hour in a variety of ways for different lengths of
time, with many continuing to keep their lights off well beyond the
designated hour. After eight years, it’s clear everyone will not switch
back on his or her lights simultaneously.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
Why is Earth Hour the event held in late March?</div>
<div class="answer">
The
second-to-last and last weekend of March is around the time of the
Spring and Autumn equinoxes in the northern and southern hemispheres
respectively, which allows for near coincidental sunset times in both
hemispheres, thereby ensuring the greatest visual impact for a global
‘lights out’ event. Earth Hour 2015 will be held on Saturday 28 March
between 8.30PM and 9.30PM in your local time zone.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
How many cities/countries/landmarks took part in Earth Hour 2013?</div>
<div class="answer">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UywrjnOaUE" target="_blank">Earth Hour 2013</a> took
place in more than 7001 cities and towns in 154 countries and
territories across all seven continents. Hundreds of millions of people
switched their lights off for an hour, and the campaign experienced its
biggest growth since 2009. There were around 3395 landmarks that
participated.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
What does a commitment to Earth Hour mean?</div>
<div class="answer">
By
registering for Earth Hour 2015, individuals, communities and
businesses are making a commitment to turn their lights off for an hour
at 8.30PM on Saturday 28 March in acknowledgement of an act they will
undertake for the benefit of the planet. We hope that these individuals,
communities and businesses will take action beyond the hour through
Earth Hour Blue.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
Who can participate?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth Hour is a campaign for anyone and everyone who wants to share a commitment to make this planet better.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
How can I do more for Earth Hour than just switching off my lights?</div>
<div class="answer">
You can fund a project or add your voice to support projects anywhere around the world on Earth Hour Blue.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
What energy/carbon reductions have resulted from Earth Hour in previous years?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
hour does not claim that the event is an energy or carbon reduction
exercise - it is a symbolic action. Therefore, we do not engage in the
measurement of energy or carbon reduction levels. Earth Hour is an
initiative to encourage individuals, businesses and governments around
the world to take accountability for their ecological footprint and
engage in dialogue and resource exchange that provides real solutions to
our environmental challenges. Participation in Earth Hour symbolises a
commitment to change beyond the hour.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
Aren't you using a lot of electricity and resources to promote this event?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour takes every effort to minimise our footprint, not just for the
hour but also all year round. Earth Hour Global has a core team of just
nine people based in Singapore and relies on a dispersed open-sourced
model, meaning that the movement is run locally through WWF and
communities all over the world.<br />
All of Earth Hour Global’s emissions are offset and the campaign
embraces digital technology to minimise the usage of natural resources
and to spread our message.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
Earth Hour is advertised all over the world. Does Earth Hour pay for this advertising?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour Global secures millions of dollars of free advertising space with
the help of partners such as Starcom, Discovery Networks International
and many others. Earth Hour Global does not spend any money on paid
advertising space. Earth Hour’s advice to teams around the world running
local campaigns is to only seek either pro-bono or if absolutely
necessary, low-bono advertising space.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
Whose idea was Earth Hour?</div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour came from a think tank initiated by Earth Hour CEO and Co-Founder,
Andy Ridley, resulting in the formation of a partnership between WWF
Australia, Leo Burnett and Fairfax Media to address the climate change
issue.<br />
In 2007, there was still a degree of scepticism and denial about the
issue of climate change. Earth Hour came as the inspiration to rally
people to the reality of climate change and start a dialogue about what
we as individuals can do to help address the greatest problem facing our
planet today. Leo Burnett partnered with WWF to promote the idea and
help make the campaign a reality in Sydney, a campaign which has now
gone beyond climate change to symbolise the growing global pursuit of a
better, healthier world.<br />
<a href="http://www.earthhour.org/spokesperson" target="_blank">Read more about Andy Ridley’s story.</a><br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
What is Earth Hour’s relationship with WWF? </div>
<div class="answer">
Earth
Hour is an initiative of WWF. In 2007, WWF initiated Earth Hour as a
way of engaging a broad section of society in the environmental issues
challenging citizens across the world. WWF embraced the idea of an open
sourced campaign that would allow communities and organisations to
become part of a global movement to protect out planet.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
Do you have requirements or regulations about who can or cannot partner with Earth Hour?</div>
<div class="answer">
Any
partner must uphold and support the aims and principles of Earth Hour.
These include encouraging individual and community engagement on
environmental issues. Encouraging conscious decisions to change the way
we live in order to affect environmental reform, without the use of
scare tactics or shaming. The specific decisions about whether or not to
partner with a group or corporation are made at local level by Earth
Hour country and city teams based on what suits their needs and
community in achieving the goals of Earth Hour.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
Does Earth Hour welcome the support of other NGOs (Non-Government Organisations) and NFP's (Not for Profits)?</div>
<div class="answer">
Absolutely.
In fact, the success of Earth Hour would not be possible without the
support of other NGOs and NFPs. Global organisations such as the World
Organisation of the Scout Movement and the World Association of Girl
Guides and Girl Scouts have been pivotal in spreading the Earth Hour
message, while in some countries where there is no WWF presence, Earth
Hour campaigns are orchestrated entirely by other NGOs and NFPs.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
What does the Earth Hour logo mean?</div>
<div class="answer">
The
standard Earth Hour '60' logo represents the 60 minutes of Earth Hour
where we focus on the impact we are having on our planet and take
positive action to address the environmental issues we face. For Earth
Hour 2011 the ‘60+’ logo was introduced representing a commitment to add
to Earth Hour a positive act for the planet that goes beyond the hour.
Take up the ‘plus’ and get involved with Earth Hour Blue.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
I represent a hotel. What the best way for my organisation to celebrate Earth Hour?</div>
<div class="answer">
You can <a href="http://www.earthhour.org/sites/default/files/Earth%20Hour%20How-to-Guide%20for%20Hotels.pdf">click here</a>
for the hotel's guide. Everything you need to know about running an
Earth Hour - tips and tricks, email templates for staff and partners,
going beyond the hour and more - specially for hotels.<br />
</div>
</li>
<li>
<div class="question">
I'm new to Earth Hour, where can I start?</div>
<div class="answer">
You can <a href="http://www.earthhour.org/sites/default/files/Earth%20Hour%202015%20Event%20Playbook.pdf">click here</a>
for the all-round event guide! This comprehensive guide contains a list
of FAQ regarding Earth Hour as well as ideas and suggestions of various
activities different groups can carry out during and after Earth Hour.<br />
</div>
</li>
</ol>
Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-53825705751517518892015-03-23T16:50:00.001-05:002015-03-23T16:50:21.228-05:00<h3 class="bigTitle">
<a href="http://theforeigner.no/pages/columns/scandinavias-clean-energy-and-grassroots-change/" title="View Post: “Scandinavia’s clean energy and grassroots change”">Scandinavia’s clean energy and grassroots change</a> </h3>
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Published on Monday, 23rd <a href="http://theforeigner.no/pages/columns/archive/2015/03/" title="View posts">March</a>, <a href="http://theforeigner.no/pages/columns/archive/2015/" title="View posts">2015</a> at 07:12 under the <a href="http://theforeigner.no/pages/columns/" title="View posts in the category">columns</a> category, by <a href="http://theforeigner.no/pages/contributors/larrie-wanberg/" title="View posts by Larrie Wanberg">Larrie Wanberg</a>. </div>
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<div class="blogSum" style="min-height: 80px;">
From Finland’s bio-energy to America’s growing solar movement, clean energy is on the rise.</div>
<div style="border: #cdcdcd 1px solid; color: #565656; font-size: 11px; margin: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 500px;">
<img alt="Ytre Vikna wind farm" height="331" src="http://static.theforeigner.no/images/pages/2015/03/23/YtreViknawindfarm-large.jpg" width="500" />
<br />
<strong style="background-color: #dedede; display: block; font-size: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 5px; width: 100%;">This facility is located in the county's Vikna municipality.</strong><span style="font-size: 1em;"><strong style="color: #333333;">Ytre Vikna wind farm</strong><br />Photo: Nord-Trøndelag County/W. Commons</span></div>
<br />
Scandinavian countries are leaders in clean renewable
energies—each in their own specialties, yet collectively as a model for
the rest of the world.<br />
<br />
Norway, as an example, is a long-standing
world leader in hydroelectric power that benefits 99% of its citizens.
In thermal energy, Norway has about 15,000 residential buildings using
vertical “boreholes” to heat and cool buildings. Oslo has two of
Europe’s largest storage systems of thermal energy, including Akershus
University Hospital (228 boreholes) and Nydalen Næringspark (118
boreholes). Solar energy is popular in homes, mountain cabins, and
larger boats. Wind energy is produced from five onshore wind farms with
eight more funded for 2020 to triple production. Norway also builds
offshore wind turbines and is experimenting with “wave power” from ocean
currents.<br />
<br />
Iceland is the thermal “capitol” of the world, where
two-thirds of energy use comes from geothermal energy that heats 90% of
homes. Recently, deeper molten magma was discovered that beat the world
record for hottest geothermal heat at 450 degrees Celsius, increasing
the potential efficiency for steam to generate electricity as renewable
energy.<br />
<br />
Denmark is an epicenter of wind energy development that
manufactures wind turbines across the world, including a production
plant in Grand Forks, N.D. In 2014, Denmark set a world record for wind
production, attaining 39.1% of its overall electricity from clean
energy.<br />
<br />
Sweden’s economy has grown, while much of Europe has
faltered, largely by the country’s investment and production in
renewable energy. Forty-seven percent of Sweden’s consumed energy comes
from renewable sources. The White House recently pointed to Sweden as an
aspiring energy model for U.S. goals for renewable energy.<br />
<br />
Finland,
a forested land, leads in bio-energy by using lumber waste to produce
renewable energy, while integrating other clean energies. Bio-energy is
also used in under-developed countries and urban areas to produce
electricity by converting garbage to heat that is converted to
electricity.<br />
<br />
One of the most interesting trends in energy
development is how entrepreneurs at a grassroots level are impacting the
industry. The growth in the industry is seemingly driven by how many
jobs can be created, how to deal with climate change, and how
innovations in usage can reach wider markets.<br />
<br />
Solar energy is
growing rapidly on a global scale, largely because costs are coming
down, improved technologies are available, and it has the potential to
create a volume of new jobs for installers.<br />
<br />
Architects design
“green” buildings that use solar panels on the roofs. Some homeowners
use solar energy to live “off the grid,” by generating electricity and
selling excess power back to the utility company.<br />
<br />
RVers who want
to be self-sufficient and avoid hook-ups apply solar panels to their
roofs and store energy with batteries where the gas-powered generator
used to be. They use propane for the stove and refrigerator. <br />
As
a vintage RV owner, I talked with an entrepreneur named Andy Graham,
who attached a solar panel to the roof of his van with strong Velcro. He
liked to park on California beaches while brokering energy sales across
the country—online and on the phone. He powered two laptops, a music
system, and a small cooler without draining his vehicle battery (see <a href="http://www.fastenergy.org/" title="www.FastEnergy.org">www.FastEnergy.org</a>).<br />
<br />
I
asked him what his idea was for future solar sales. Andy said, “I’d go
to a homeowner and offer to attach a ‘mini’ solar demo model to the roof
with industrial Velcro and suggest that the owner try free for 30 days …
Then, we’d install a full system after the homeowner tried it and liked
it.”<br />
<br />
Communities too are organizing through electric co-ops to
provide clean energy to its members. Lake Region Electric Cooperative
(LREC) in Pelican Rapids, Minn., is one of the first communities to add
solar power as an option to their 26,000 members. “It’s like a community
garden concept,” said CEO Tim Thompson, “where we build an array of
solar panels and offer members to buy a panel or two for their use. It
costs $1,500 financed over three years, so a member’s bill is only
$42.00 per month. The offering sold out quickly and we are considering a
second unit.”<br />
<br />
Thompson highlighted a geothermal offering,
called EARTHWI$E, whereby LREC installs horizontal piping in the yard of
a home at the co-op’s expense and charges a modest tariff to the
electric bill, depending on heating and cooling requirements of the
member’s home—ranging from $32-$65 per month. For more information on
these initiatives, see <a href="http://www.lrec.coop/" title="www.lrec.coop">www.lrec.coop</a>.<br />
<br />
For
energy-minded readers connected to the web who enjoy short talks by
experts, I’d suggest two Ted Talks on renewable energy. One is a talk on
“The Future of Renewable Energy” by a serial entrepreneur who
experiences the global use of innovative solar power, viewable at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEWYLbQXg4U" title="www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEWYLbQXg4U">www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEWYLbQXg4U</a>.<br />
<br />
Another
is a former Governor of Michigan who proposes a fresh model of creating
jobs and building a national energy policy through private investment.
Her talk, “A Clean Energy Proposal—Race to the Top,” is at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMynksvCcUI" title="www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMynksvCcUI">www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMynksvCcUI</a>.<br />
<br />
I’m
toying with the thought of joining the “tiny house-on-wheels” movement,
powered by solar for electricity, and parking it in one of a dozen
developments around the country, where new micro-communities are being
organized. At least, it’s entertaining to think about the way society is
changing and the movement toward mobility and simplicity (as seen at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_house_movement" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_house_movement">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_house_movement</a>), but I wouldn’t know what to do with all my stuff. “Less is more,” they say, but I kind of like “more.”<br />
<br />
<em>This article originally appeared in the March 20, 2015, issue of the Norwegian American Weekly</em>Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-91286959626230587052015-03-15T16:35:00.002-05:002015-03-15T16:35:28.394-05:00<br />
<br />
<h1 class="title">
Lawmakers Move to Regulate Pipelines, After a Record Spill in a Drilling Boom</h1>
<h3>
North Dakota has 20,000 miles of largely unregulated 'gathering
lines,' and that number is expected to increase by around 60% over the
next five years </h3>
<div id="authoredBy" style="float: left; width: 65%;">
<a href="http://insideclimatenews.org/author/zahra-hirji">By Zahra Hirji, InsideClimate News</a> </div>
<div style="float: right; text-align: right; width: 35%;">
Mar 11, 2015</div>
<br />
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/11032015/lawmakers-move-regulate-pipelines-after-record-spill-drilling-boom?utm_source=Inside+Climate+News&utm_campaign=b05e3d913b-Weekly_Newsletter_3_15_20153_13_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_29c928ffb5-b05e3d913b-327527673<br />
<br />
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
Two
months after the biggest fracking-related spill in recent North Dakota
history, state lawmakers are pushing legislation that could help prevent
similar disasters in the future.<br />
More than 2 million gallons of toxic wastewater gushed from a hole in
the type of pipeline known as a "gathering line" near the town of
Williston between the last week of December and first week of January.
The spill contaminated at least two local waterways. The rupture went
unnoticed for about 12 days before a pipeline worker discovered it.<br />
Gathering lines carry oil, gas and wastewater laced with heavy
metals, high salt levels and possibly radioactive material from wells to
other sites, for processing or disposal. The <a href="http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130926/boom-unregulated-natural-gas-pipelines-posing-new-risks" target="_blank">number of such lines continues to soar in the midst of the nation’s fracking boom</a>.<br />
North Dakota has 20,000 miles of gathering lines, mostly in rural
areas, and that number is expected to increase by around 60 percent over
the next five years. State regulators know the location of only about
one-third of the existing gathering lines—all the lines installed after
August 2011. The recently ruptured line falls into this minority; it was
installed last summer.<br />
Of the more than 240,000 gas-and-crude gathering lines nationwide, the federal <a href="http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/">Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration</a> regulates only a fraction of them—mainly the lines that cut through cities. <a href="http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130926/boom-unregulated-natural-gas-pipelines-posing-new-risks">Few states have any regulations</a> on the books for such pipelines.<br />
Wastewater, or produced water, lines are another animal: No one knows
how many exist, they don't fall under federal jurisdiction, and most
states aren't tracking them. "The whole gathering-line issue is a big
question mark," said Samya Lutz, outreach coordinator for the advocacy
group <a href="http://pstrust.org/">Pipeline Safety Trust</a>. "Produced water would be another question mark on top of that," Lutz added.<br />
Now, two competing bills in the North Dakota legislature would take
the first steps to regulate wastewater-and-crude gathering lines,
because those lines have proved to be most at risk of spills. The bills
are currently written to target future pipelines, not the thousands of
miles of active pipelines for either produced water or crude oil.<br />
Lawmakers told InsideClimate News that they expect a final bill will
be sent to Gov. Jack Dalrymple and very likely signed into law this
spring. When that happens, North Dakota will likely be the first state
to begin to regulate gathering lines for wastewater.<br />
<div class="media media-element-container media-image_full">
<div class="file file-image file-image-jpeg" id="file-265654">
<h2 class="element-invisible">
<a href="http://insideclimatenews.org/files/frackingbrinespillndjpg-1">FrackingBrineSpillND.jpg</a></h2>
<div class="content">
<source media="(min-width: 641px)"></source>
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<img alt="" class="media-element file-image-full" data-picture-mapping="image_full" height="319" src="http://insideclimatenews.org/sites/default/files/styles/img_full_breakpoints_theme_solve_narrow_1x/public/styles/img_full_breakpoints_theme_solve_narrow_1x/public/FrackingBrineSpillND_1.jpg?itok=LN4sBqtN" title="" width="529" />
</div>
</div>
</div>
Both bills would require operators to put down financial security in
the form of a bond for such lines before construction. The bills also
require new gathering lines for waste or crude to be fitted with
technology for monitoring and leak detection.<br />
"What we want to ensure is that we are preventing as many incidents from happening," according to <a href="http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/63-2013/members/house/representative-corey-mock">Rep. Corey Mock</a>, a Democrat from eastern North Dakota. Mock helped draft one of the bills.<br />
<br />
<strong>A Surge in Spills</strong><br />
In North Dakota, the number of drilling-related spills occurring annually has steadily increased in recent years, <a href="http://insideenergy.org/2015/02/16/state-officials-misrepresent-north-dakotas-spill-problem/">according to an analysis</a> by <a href="http://insideenergy.org/">Inside Energy</a>, a news site. In 2010, there were about 1,000 spills reported. In 2013, there were around twice as many reported.<br />
Since the start of the year, there have been six large spills in
North Dakota: five dumped at least 450 gallons of fracking byproduct,
and one spilled nearly 500 gallons of oil, according to the state's <a href="http://www.ndhealth.gov/ehs/spills/">online spill databases</a>.<br />
Among those accidents was the largest wastewater spill in North
Dakota since the fracking boom kicked off in the early 2000s. On Jan. 6,
the spill near Williston was discovered by an employee of the
pipeline's operator, Meadowlark Midstream Company, LLC. Some 2.2 million
gallons gushed through a hole 2 inches in diameter––the width of two
quarters side-by-side.<br />
Water sampling shows the spill affected at least two local waterways
in the Missouri River watershed—Blacktail Creek and Little Muddy
River—as well as groundwater around the rupture site. Officials say the
spill doesn't pose a health threat—and that no water wells have been
impacted. The pipeline in question measures 4 inches in diameter and is
made of a composite material called <a href="http://www.fiberspar.com/">Fiberspar</a>.<br />
The pipe was immediately shut off after the leak was discovered. The
ruptured section of the pipe has been replaced but the line remains shut
off. The cause of the spill is still being investigated. <a href="http://www.inforum.com/news/3690442-pipeline-company-didnt-use-remote-sensors-leak">According to local news organization Inforum</a>,
the pipeline was outfitted with equipment to allow remote monitoring,
but the company wasn't using the technology. Instead, workers checked
for leaks using handheld devices.<br />
The wastewater comes from deep underground. When a well is first
tapped, flowback, a mix of the slurry cocktail used to blast open the
rock and minimal amounts of produced water, comes back up. Once oil and
gas start to flow out, produced water continues to gush up for months.<br />
<br />
<strong>House Wants $1.5 Million Study</strong><br />
Two bills have been proposed to regulate North Dakota’s gathering lines for wastewater and crude—but only one can survive.<br />
The House unanimously voted to approve <a href="http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/64-2015/documents/15-0460-03000.pdf?20150305221615">House Bill 1358</a> on <a href="http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/64-2015/bill-actions/ba1358.html">Feb. 23</a>,
and it has since been sent to the Senate and a committee meeting is
scheduled for March 13. This bill would require gathering-line
monitoring and leak detection, but it doesn’t prescribe a specific
technology. Instead, the bill would let regulators use their best
judgment. The change would apply to gathering lines that go into service
after Aug. 1, 2015.<br />
The House bill also mandates a study to be carried out by researchers
at the University of North Dakota. This $1.5 million study would
evaluate and prescribe the best way to monitor and respond to leaks at
produced-water gathering lines.<br />
The Senate unanimously approved <a href="http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/64-2015/documents/15-1015-02000.pdf?20150305222455">Senate Bill 2374</a> on <a href="http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/64-2015/bill-actions/ba2374.html">Feb. 20</a>,
and that bill has been passed over to the House for review starting
March 6. It requires specific pipeline monitoring technologies for all
wastewater-and-crude gathering lines installed after April 1, 2016.
Another key part of the bill calls for a legislative study to identify
the best technology to detect and prevent pipeline leaks.<br />
Dave Glatt, from the Department of Health, the agency responsible for
responding to pipeline spills, wrote in an email to InsideClimate News
that either bill "is anticipated to benefit our department and the
environment" by providing extra funds for cleanup and requiring
technology that should reduce the number and severity of future pipeline
issues.<br />
Both bills are missing some key areas of regulatory oversight,
according to Lutz, of Pipeline Safety Trust. For example, neither bill
proposes public notification of new gathering lines nor public access to
monitoring results. She also pointed out that both bills ignore gas
gathering lines.<br />
"If safety to the environment" is the issue driving these bills, then
inspection and monitoring "should be done at all the gathering lines,"
she said. Most gathering lines nationwide, and in North Dakota, carry
gas.<br />
<br />
<strong>Nobody Had Any Rules</strong><br />
This isn't North Dakota legislators' first attempt to regulate
gathering lines. Back in 2013, Rep. Anderson, the originator of HB 1358
and a Republican from a district with extensive drilling activity,
proposed a similar bill requiring monitoring and leak detection for all
gathering lines in the state, including those for wastewater.<br />
Although the bill failed, the Industrial Commission, the state
department for oil and gas, expanded its jurisdiction to include
gathering lines shortly thereafter. Then the department started
requiring operators for gathering lines installed after August 2011 to
submit basic information about the lines, including route location and
material being transported.<br />
In 2013, the Industrial Commission had planned to review other
states' practices to use as a model for the state. According to agency
spokeswoman Alison Ritter, this line of inquiry provided a dead
end—because nobody had any rules.<br />
Since then, Ohio and Texas have passed regulations specifically for
oil-and-gas gathering lines. Texas requires financial security for its
lines, while <a href="http://www.vorys.com/publications-617.html">Ohio mandates</a>
that companies report new lines and perform inspections to identify any
leaking. In Colorado, California and Pennsylvania, there aren't
specific rules for gathering lines. Instead, general safety rules for
reporting and responding to spills likely apply.</div>
</div>
</div>
Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-66904131935989813882015-03-12T17:04:00.001-05:002015-03-12T17:04:58.164-05:00Nothing Says Love Like Petroleum Coke Dust (Petcoke Updates)Valentine's Day Petcoke<br />
<br />
<a href="http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mgeertsma/nothing_says_love_like_petrole.html">http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mgeertsma/nothing_says_love_like_petrole.html</a><br />
<br />
Chicago Dust Report: Making Sense of February's Petroleum Coke Announcements...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mgeertsma/chicago_dust_report_making_sen.html">http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mgeertsma/chicago_dust_report_making_sen.html</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em><u>Pet Coke Community meeting </u></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><u></u></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><u>-</u></em></strong><strong><u><em>March 19th </em><em>- East Side Methodist Church 1100 South Ewing (Specific time TBA)</em></u></strong><br />
<br />Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-82639694480204995512015-03-11T13:31:00.000-05:002015-03-11T15:10:05.403-05:00Tallahassee, We Have a Problem: The Harm Done by Florida’s Climate Leadership VoidErika Spanger-Siegfried, senior analyst, Climate & Energy Program
March 9, 2015
What could justify the Governor of Florida, a state widely considered “ground-zero” for climate change in the U.S., to prohibit the use of that term by state staff?
In Florida, more than a million people live within 3 feet of the high tide mark. Sea level is expected to easily rise that much along Florida’s shores later this century. Thousands of homes and businesses are in the path of that rising sea, and millions of lives would be impacted. A leader entrusted with Florida’s welfare would treat this problem like the unfolding crisis it is, right? <br />
<br />
I can’t see what narrow politics motivate the Scott administration to do the opposite, but as long as such motivations hold sway, Floridians are going to be hurt.
Florida has the greatest number of people of any U.S. state – more than a million – living within reach of sea level rise projected later this century.<br />
<br />
I’m one of the lucky people that got to spend time in Florida this winter – in Miami and on Longboat Key. I was mostly in vacation mode. But you only have to know a fact or two about sea level rise to also be bewildered by what you see here: A landscape teeming with homes and businesses, lives and livelihoods, all well within reach of 21st century sea level rise. And many people operating like it’s business as usual. It is not.
Something’s broken
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We saw a friend in Holmes Beach who had put his much-loved home on the market recently because he can no longer afford the flood insurance. (The house is about a quarter mile from the water, not that that matters much in Florida, the flattest state. All of Holmes Beach is now within the Special Flood Hazard Area.) He and his wife were discouraged, having put decades of time, money and care into the house. But recently retired and on a fixed budget, the jump to a $10,000 annual insurance premium was just beyond their means. And most of ours! That’s the sad part.
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This is the bewildering part: the day he put his house on the market, a realtor offered him $400,000 cash. The plan? To tear down his house, construct a 7-bedroom replacement, and somehow sell it for profit – on land that could flood daily in 40 years’ time. True, the new house would probably be elevated in some way. But what does that matter if it’s surrounded by water?
In this example, one of presumably thousands across Florida, something fundamental is broken: sea level rise just isn’t part of the equation. Sure, it’s historically been safe to assume that land for sale will be dry land for the foreseeable future, but that is no longer the case. And we know it. So why, I wondered, is the real estate market acting like it doesn’t, and why are state leaders allowing this?
At the time I assumed state leaders were playing too passive a role, and failing to take strong action. We’ve since learned they may have been overseers of climate inaction, prohibiting the use in state documents of “global warming” and “climate change,” the very processes foreclosing on the state’s future.
Kept in the dark in the Sunshine State
We can expect the neighborhood where I stayed on vacation to be underwater during every high tide with two feet of sea level rise—the amount of sea level rise expected in 40-50 years. And you only need a street to flood during some high tides – which is possible decades earlier – for it to start to feel unlivable. That neighborhood is like many hundreds of neighborhoods along Florida’s coast – in easy reach of a rising sea.
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Every day, people in Florida are buying and selling homes that could face regular flooding within the lifetime of their mortgages. Every day people are making decisions for a future without climate change. But climate change is here. Editing it out of state documents and discourse serves only to keep people in the dark and increase their exposure to risk – financial and physical.
Some have suggested that, as flood insurance premiums begin to align with real flood risks (hard enough news for a great many homeowners), property values will start to decline. Others have suggested they will decline as people decide that living with frequent tidal flooding is too difficult.
Okay, but what happens then? A precipitous drop in values? Countless homeowners literally and figuratively holding underwater mortgages? The erosion of neighborhoods and communities as those who can get out do? <br />
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And some suggest that the next major storm could force the issue, as hard decisions are made about what does and doesn’t get rebuilt.
But if this is what we’re talking about – waiting around for circumstances to overtake us – then the only people who should be invested in Florida’s at-risk coastal communities are those who can afford not to care what happens. If that’s where we’re headed, then regular people are going to get hurt.
Florida badly needs open-eyed policies that drive disclosure, better information-sharing, and a statewide conversation about the future of coastal communities. Now turn that inside out and you have what state officials have delivered.
http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-city-deerfield-beach-pompano-image7210661
What climate leadership looks like
In Florida, the climate science has come through with stunning clarity – look at the problem from any angle and it’s the same thing: rising seas are going to claim large areas of this low, flat state this century (starting in the first half), and we have to do… something. But–with the notable exception of Southeast Florida’s hard work and other pockets–state leadership is behaving as if the science doesn’t exist, and insisting others do as well.
Now, Florida is a very big and populous state, and I’ve been told it’s like several states stitched together. Are the solutions obvious? No. Is it going to be hard? Very. That’s why we elect leaders.
Governor Scott, along with Senators Rubio and Nelson, should be playing Paul Revere on this issue, alerting anyone who will listen about the urgency, and appealing far and wide for help for their state. They should be passionately petitioning the federal government for aid for Florida’s vast coastal adaptation challenge. Stopping short of that, Governor Scott should be mobilizing state resources and capacity to the effort, and implementing policies to bring sea level rise squarely into relevant decisions. That’s leadership in the face of crisis, and exceptional leadership is what Florida needs.
What they have too often gotten, however, is a distortion of the facts, distraction from the issues, an unwillingness to act, and now, we’re learning, obstructionism.
Tallahassee, we have a problem and it’s you.
About the author: Erika Spanger-Siegfried is a senior analyst in the Climate & Energy program at UCS. She currently manages UCS’s coastal and Mountain West climate impacts projects, designed to shed light through new research and outreach on ongoing local impacts, current efforts to cope, and the urgency of high-level action. Erika formerly managed the Energy-Water Initiative (EW3) and, prior to that, the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment, a research effort to explore climate change, impacts, and solutions in the northeastern United States. She holds a master’s degree in energy and environmental analysis from Boston University. See Erika's full bio. Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-23823191661520067582015-03-08T22:23:00.001-05:002015-03-08T22:23:36.193-05:00PRESS RELEASE - STORY FROM YESTERDAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE
March 6, 2015
For further information, contact Peggy Salazar or Tom Shepherd,
Southeast Environmental Task Force - (773) 370-3305
-------------------------
With a backdrop of the frozen Calumet River, towering salt piles, and the ominous, black petcoke hills at the KCBX North Terminal, the Southeast Environmental Task Force, the Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke, National Nurses United, along with neighborhood residents and several students held a joint press conference to call attention to the overwhelming community support for a ban on pet coke in the 10th ward, and to clear up some of the confusion caused by the flurry of recent news articles regarding KCBX's operations.
The news that KCBX will be removing the pet coke piles from it's original northern site is not a new development but rather an update. The plan all along was to move and consolidate their northern operations to the southern site, but due to a number of delays, it has taken this long to accomplish. The company has said that they will have removed all petcoke and coal from the north site by June of this year.
Secondly, KCBX's announcement that it will no longer store pet coke in open piles on the ground but instead do direct transfer from rail to water brings a whole new set of concerns. Rail cars full of pet coke will remain uncovered, and if parked for any length of time could release particulate matter into the air and the community. Another concern was if the new technique might increase vehicle and vessel traffic, thereby causing more dust-ups.
"KCBX's recent announcement of it's plans to discontinue the storage of pet coke and instead use direct transfer from rail to water did not allay residents' concerns," stated Peggy Salazar, director at the Southeast Environmental Task Force.
In the February 24th city elections, a non-binding referendum question was on the ballot in the 10th Ward asking: "Shall the storing, handling, and transporting of petroleum coke be banned in the 10th Ward?" This measure passed resoundingly by an 86% to 14% margin.
"The people have spoken, and we stand with the neighbors on this are who have suffered with the petcoke long enough. They have said they want the stuff out!" said Tom Shepherd, one of the organizers with the Southeast Environmental Task Force.
Olga Bautista, a local resident and organizer with the S.E. Coalition to Ban Petcoke spoke of the harm that having this dirty business so close to homes, parks, and schools is having. Also speaking was Ramona Cetnar of the National Nurses United, who lives within a few blocks of the facility. The nurses have joined with the others who are concerned with the health affects of the dust that blows off the piles and is sent into the air whenever it is being loaded, unloaded, or moved about.
The groups plan a community meeting on March 19 at East Side Methodist Church to update the community, and to continue to pressure public officials to take stronger action regarding the petcoke issue.
Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-12724298845323528482015-03-08T22:21:00.000-05:002015-03-08T22:21:03.536-05:00Message from EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy
The Year Ahead - 2015
Public health is critical to a strong economy. Since EPA's founding, the agency has cut air pollution by 70%, cleaned up waterways, and redeveloped Brownfields sites; meanwhile the economy has tripled. Administrator McCarthy created a video for EPA staff where she walks through the agency's plans and priorities for 2015. We wanted to give you a special look, too. See below for shorter clips on the topics she covers and watch the full video here.
http://youtu.be/ph5frEX6mPsSoutheast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-4083851831435068112015-03-06T09:05:00.001-06:002015-03-06T09:05:16.499-06:00Setting the record straight...
SETF, the Southeast Side Coalition to Ban Petcoke and the National Nurses United along held a joint press conference to call attention to the overwhelming community support for a ban on the handling, shipping and transport of pet coke in the 10th ward and to clear up some of the confusion caused by the flurry of recent news articles regarding KCBX's operations.
Firstly, the news that KCBX will be removing the pet coke piles from it's original northern site is not a new development but rather an update. The plan along was to move and consolidate their northern operations to the southern site, but due to a number of delays, it has taken this long.
Secondly, KCBX's announcement that it will no longer store pet coke in open piles on the ground but instead do direct transfer from rail to water brings a whole new set of concerns. Rail cars full of pet coke will remain uncovered, and if parked for any length of time could release particulate matter into the air and the community. Might not direct transfer require an increase in vehicle and vessel traffic too. And why should KCBX have until 2016 to operate with open piles when there will be no major construction
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnEHCMfU5qPaLlyMBF9mt5UpBGLOrjgN_N_AwSVZRKPoXVjgnhXiNNv46RC9lsNRYeZRbiKOhsJ935Bf58kUeX5ZrbCMTJtRXzt5VKWXrYWFbEfBdtSJdhWAyvyVRM-selEvDjgngtj8u/s1600/Coalition+to+Ban+Petcoke.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnEHCMfU5qPaLlyMBF9mt5UpBGLOrjgN_N_AwSVZRKPoXVjgnhXiNNv46RC9lsNRYeZRbiKOhsJ935Bf58kUeX5ZrbCMTJtRXzt5VKWXrYWFbEfBdtSJdhWAyvyVRM-selEvDjgngtj8u/s400/Coalition+to+Ban+Petcoke.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9JOi0rDnLJQ4kjJjPIE7RqClsY4MtH8rlGkjoObeqsq03unBGm2FlFw1zix3M15KSRViyuxhJNleOodTr20KqGjRpbajZI2Bso1fC_5o3JwOhXcomNsfENmjJLztVqkncGqj4kQFptRR/s1600/11029505_10206335608928266_1166038102252282226_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9JOi0rDnLJQ4kjJjPIE7RqClsY4MtH8rlGkjoObeqsq03unBGm2FlFw1zix3M15KSRViyuxhJNleOodTr20KqGjRpbajZI2Bso1fC_5o3JwOhXcomNsfENmjJLztVqkncGqj4kQFptRR/s400/11029505_10206335608928266_1166038102252282226_n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFkVC3xRi7U3c9mLeo9jvRrKJS3Kh9z8Bln5z1yYm7X3gyGv4tkxSW8AJzDzs09CGmV_Lrjv4R0w3hF28Llt4-vi-FziHyau32GpYjZtjRhQgQZkyOdl7xyvm-VNQXJbwk5Gt6Yr2GNnl/s1600/IMG_0783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCFkVC3xRi7U3c9mLeo9jvRrKJS3Kh9z8Bln5z1yYm7X3gyGv4tkxSW8AJzDzs09CGmV_Lrjv4R0w3hF28Llt4-vi-FziHyau32GpYjZtjRhQgQZkyOdl7xyvm-VNQXJbwk5Gt6Yr2GNnl/s400/IMG_0783.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijk7IashLor42vPkW__cfMHS8cKQVkj1Yb_oA22BFS6gPoenyyebL7fNjpsRJ1WE96ruUkgMJi8Ae8T16IW0jYVN0NhVL15unTN8NCBJFzHkpI1IZGCQvDvgL0dFY0F1txg1WLgAy7a5-1/s1600/IMG_0790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijk7IashLor42vPkW__cfMHS8cKQVkj1Yb_oA22BFS6gPoenyyebL7fNjpsRJ1WE96ruUkgMJi8Ae8T16IW0jYVN0NhVL15unTN8NCBJFzHkpI1IZGCQvDvgL0dFY0F1txg1WLgAy7a5-1/s400/IMG_0790.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UotiwkajiP5N5q0-3USEZVEmuHaFzG1APwNJwOrNVgh-lqVoL5gj9nHiE0nMrn4QZRr1cEAWWjefZn_TVSAKqb-W6vDBjFJQW4pd39rmWakDwgXE3tBqGKU7OfqSZ9Z-bFa0MP_stsN2/s1600/IMG_0795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UotiwkajiP5N5q0-3USEZVEmuHaFzG1APwNJwOrNVgh-lqVoL5gj9nHiE0nMrn4QZRr1cEAWWjefZn_TVSAKqb-W6vDBjFJQW4pd39rmWakDwgXE3tBqGKU7OfqSZ9Z-bFa0MP_stsN2/s400/IMG_0795.JPG" /></a></div>
Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-72874926030853194592015-03-04T11:22:00.000-06:002015-03-04T11:22:23.871-06:00Gotham Greens to Add 'World's Largest Rooftop Farm' to Pullman Soap Factory
By Mark Konkol on October 7, 2014 4:18pm
@KonkolsKorner
Gotham Greens 75,000-square-foot greenhouse atop Method's soap factory in Pullman could produce 40 jobs and up to a million pounds of produce per year.
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PULLMAN — Vacant land where railroad mogul George Pullman built palace cars and Joseph Ryerson’s company later fabricated steel soon will be home to new industry that's environmentally friendly and literally green.
Eco-friendly cleaning products maker, Method Products, plan to top their new Pullman soap factory — which will be partially powered by solar and wind energy — with the “worlds largest rooftop farm,” a 75,000-square-foot greenhouse run by Gotham Greens.
By this spring, the rooftop farm — Gotham Green’s first outside New York City — is expected to hire 40 workers and begin growing up to 1 million pounds of vegetables and leafy greens per year that the company expects to harvest and package the same day it’s sold at local farmers markets and stores.
In New York City, Gotham Greens specializes in hydroponically grown gourmet leafy lettuce, herbs and tomatoes, including butterhead lettuce, bok choy, arugula, Swiss chard and a variety of cherry tomatoes.
"This is an exciting opportunity to bring fresh, healthy produce year-round to Pullman, which is underserved for food, and going through an exciting resurgence in economic development,” Gotham Greens CEO Viraj Puri said.
The dual-use factory project is the latest part of a slow-but-steady interest in the Pullman Park site near 111th and the Bishop Ford Freeway, which is anchored by WalMart.
Method, which sells its cleaning products at Target and Lowes, could start making soap at the Pullman factory in January.
Last month, Method installed an on-site windmill and solar panels that will produce about half the soap plant’s energy needs.
Recently, construction started on an Advocate health center and urgent care in the strip mall parking lot.
“There will be doctors offices and outpatient care that’s really needed in the community,” said project developer David Doig, president of Community Neighborhood Initiatives.
On Tuesday, Doig was at the Chicago Deal Making Conference at Navy Pier courting restaurants that he hopes to lure to Pullman Park.
“Development is incremental, but we’re trying to line up other tenants and get some restaurants here,” Doig said.
“With Method, Gotham Greens and Walmart we’re probably close to 700 to 800 employees working here. Where will those people go to eat. And if Pullman gets designated a National Park, where are all those visitors and tourists going to eat. We’re going to need a lot of restaurants. That’s the pitch I’m making today.”Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2761380818877892927.post-67804732109915850242015-03-04T11:21:00.002-06:002015-03-04T11:21:56.449-06:00Southeast Environmental Task Forcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05811538503394513056noreply@blogger.com0