Canucks Go Green

Wednesday afternoon the Canadian Embassy in Washington hosted a renewable energy and energy efficiency showcase and reception. Innovative Canadian companies were on hand to display their latest technological breakthroughs and there were some noteworthy innovations that will hopefully soon start to take off on this side of the border.

Perhaps the most promising for reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is the home geothermal unit from NextEnergy. While geothermal technology has been around since the 1950s, it is only in the last 15 years that it has become more efficient.

Installing a unit in your home can provide you with peak efficiency all the time for heating during the winter and cooling during the summer. The reason is because the pipes go down anywhere from six feet to a thousand feet (depending on if it's a vertical, horizontal or pond loop) into the earth where the temperature is a constant 50 to 60 degrees. And there is only a six inch hole in the ground so no more big, noisy and wasteful air conditioning units.

And the carbon footprint of geothermal is incredibly low. A typical home using geothermal saves between 2 to 5.5 tons of CO2 per year. And the long-term financial savings are tremendous as well. The upfront cost for the unit and drilling averages around $20,000, minus any federal and state incentives that in some U.S. states can trim 25-30% off the initial cost. But here is where it gets good -- the upfront cost is all you have to pay for geothermal energy. For the next 40 to 60 years you will be getting free renewable energy from the earth to heat and cool your home that is always operating at peak efficiency and helping to fight global warming and our addiction to fossil fuels.

Other companies represented:

• SunProject makes see-through sun screen shades to make buildings more energy efficient. They worked on providing exterior shades for the Vancouver Olympic Village Project. They also make recycled stainless steel railing systems.
  
  
• The Power-Pipe recovers hot drain water energy to lower water heating costs by up to 35% and reduce your home's greenhouse gas emissions by up to one ton per year.
  
  
• The Power Panel is a next generation solar panel that combines heat and electricity. The panel captures around 80% of the sun's energy versus 5-18% for a traditional PV panel and supplies both electricity and heat from the same panel. Power Panel is the first-to-market solar panel that provides both photovoltaic electricity and thermal energy.
  
  
• Delta makes sustainable home drainage and water retention products to maximize efficiency such as waterproofing membranes, drain boards, rainscreens, breathable roofs and garden roof systems.

Gray wins, D.C. loses

What if you had a once-in-a-generation mayor who took rare decisive action to fix a broken system and inspire thousands of young, diverse residents not bogged down by the deep divisions of race and class that have been exploited for decades by the political establishment?

Mayor Adrian Fenty was that special man, that rare breed of leader who actually made Washington D.C. a better place to live and work by reforming the schools, reducing the crime rate, improving city services, adding bike lanes and bus routes and streetcars to get people out of their cars, revitalizing long-neglected neighborhoods like Columbia Heights that helped spark a population growth after decades of decline.

And what if those hard-fought gains turned our Nation's Capital from a national joke to a model for urban renewal?

Mayor Fenty won many admirers for his dynamic approach to governing and was endorsed for re-election by The Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Washington City Paper and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Newark Mayor Corey Booker and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

But that wasn't enough in this racially and economically divided city where leadership is still defined by personality over substance and getting things done. So this morning at 5:24 a.m. I sadly report that District voters rejected our great mayor and decided to take a major step backwards by electing Council Chairman Vincent Gray who ran a viciously negative, Republicanesque campaign by playing on the economic and racial insecurities of D.C. residents by tearing down Fenty and offering no alternative platform whatsoever other than to make disingenuous and false promises to disgruntled special interests.

Way to go D.C. Your shortsighted betrayal of Fenty will discourage dynamic young leaders from taking office in this city and perpetuate the stereotype of D.C. as a provincial backwater Southern town unable to tackle big issues, instead of the world-class city Fenty was trying so hard to create.

And this is the thanks he gets -- booted out of office despite the majority of residents saying their city is better off after four years of his visionary leadership.

It truly is a Gray day in Washington, D.C.

A Soulful 'Solar On The White House' Event

Unity College in Maine students display the Jimmy Carter solar panel on the sidewalk prior to the official event inside the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Northwest D.C.

Given the gravity of global warming, a house of worship was the perfect place to welcome a group of students who traveled all the way from Maine to try to convince President Obama to re-install solar panels on the roof of the White House (Jimmy Carter first installed them in 1979 and Ronald Reagan removed them in 1986).

The historic All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church on 16th Street in Northwest Washington, D.C. was the setting Thursday evening for a soulful panel of speakers and an enthusiastic audience who welcomed the students from Maine's Unity College at the end of their road trip. They brought an original Carter-era solar panel with them which they planned to deliver to the White House. The students, who were accompanied on the trip by environmental activist, author and 350.org founder Bill McKibben, drove their vegetable oil-powered van to Boston, New York City and finally to D.C. for the meeting at the White House on Friday morning at 9 a.m.

The organization 350.org is named for the upper limit of CO2 parts-per-million in the atmosphere before the climate change tipping point. In addition to the Solar Panel Road Trip, the organization is busy preparing for a global climate change day of action on 10/10/10.

"We think (the failure of the climate bill) is a gift to the administration because it allows them to show everybody how committed they are to clean energy," said McKibben about why he is cautiously optimistic the White House will be receptive to the idea of re-installing solar panels on the roof.

Unity College students speak about the solar panel road trip and environmental education. In addition to the students and McKibben, other speakers included Hip Hop Caucus CEO Reverend Lenny Yearwood Jr., All Souls Executive Director Katie Loughary, Chesapeake Climate Action Network founder and director Mike Tidwell, and one of the laborers who helped install the first solar panels on the White House roof.

"I know people who don't believe in global warming and even they like solar panels," said McKibben. "What's not to like?"

McKibben cited Michelle Obama's White House vegetable garden as an example of how the First Family can influence millions of Americans by such a simple gesture.

"When Michelle Obama planted that beautiful garden, the next year the sale of vegetable seeds went up 30%," said McKibben. "People already knew intellectually that there was such a thing as a vegetable garden -- you plant the seed in the ground and it grows into a vegetable -- but clearly it was useful to see it acted out in public on the most important piece of real estate that we all together own as Americans."

McKibben candidly could give no guarantees that we still have time to slow down or reverse climate change or that there is even the political will to begin to tackle this massive problem. But he did have one rock solid guarantee that left the audience with some hope.

"There are lots of people around the world who will keep doing this work until the absolutely bitter end. They will continue to work as hard as they can to solve this problem."

Obama Turns Attention to Infrastructure

The plan includes rehabilitating or reconstructing 150 miles of airport runways, while also installing a next generation air navigation system to reduce travel time and delays.

The Associated Press is reporting this morning that President Obama is calling on Congress to approve $50 billion in infrastructure spending to upgrade roads, railways and airports and spur long-term economic growth. Additionally, the President plans to call for the creation of a national infrastructure bank so there is a dedicated source of funding for national and regional infrastructure projects.

Obama will discuss the infrastructure plans at a Labor Day event later today in Milwaukee.

Click here for the link to the AP story on WashingtonPost.com.

2TUXD4DWWGRM

Sierra Club's Stunning Endorsement of Vincent Gray

Mayor Adrien Fenty greets Metro subway riders. Picture courtesy of the website DCist.com

Picking up the Washington Post this morning my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe what I was reading. The Sierra Club had endorsed challenger Vincent Gray over incumbent Adrien Fenty for the Democratic nomination for mayor of our Nation's Capital (winning the September 14th primary is tantamount to a November election in this heavily Democratic city).

Gwyn Jones, chair of the Sierra Club D.C. chapter, was quoted as saying that "our decision was not a difficult one." Not a difficult one? That smug comment is an indicator that this was a wrong-headed decision from an ungrateful organization that has betrayed the greenest mayor Washington, D.C. has ever had.

So like the rest of their insecure and fickle Washingtonians, they would prefer their leader to listen to them instead of getting results. I guess reforming the education system, lowering the crime rate, improving city services and increasing the population are not enough. They want a mayor who will make promises he can't possibly keep and criticize our current mayor for making tough decisions that a "consensus-builder" like Gray will never make. But I digress. I'm not even talking about how much our beloved Mayor Fenty has done to green this city after decades of neglect and a car-first mentality.

In an email response, Political Committee Chair Chris Weiss stated that the Gray endorsement was a unanimous vote of both the Sierra Club political committee as well as a unanimous vote of the Sierra Club Executive Committee.

I'm curious what they think about Mayor Fenty's green accomplishments:

• Formed a Green Team of over 80 members from over 40 agencies.
• District Department of the Environment launched a Green D.C. website to educate and inform residents about green issues.
• Installed bike lanes across the city including a bike lane down Pennsylvania Avenue, symbolizing the city and the nation's commitment to going green.
• Promoted the Circulator bus, which has been a great success by getting people out of their cars. The Circulator continues to expand, most recently adding a Rosslyn-Georgetown-Dupont Circle route.
• Instrumental in securing expanded bike sharing in D.C. and opening the new bike rental and storage facility at Union Station.
• Put in place Gabe Klein who has transformed the Department of Transportation and has set in place an ambitious plan for 37 miles of streetcar lines of which two -- H Street NE and Anacostia -- are under construction and should be up and running by spring of 2012.

Picture I took this evening of the new Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes.

Still not convinced? Below is video I took of Mayor Fenty and Mr. Gray talking about green issues at a debate at 6th and I Historic Synagogue. At a later point in the debate (not in the video) Gray talks about eliminating bus and bike lanes to make more room for car commuters (many of whom drive in from Virginia and Maryland). In this video Mayor Fenty touts his impressive record of installing bike lanes across the city and promoting alternative forms of transportation with initiatives such as adding more Circulator bus routes and moving ahead with laying down streetcar tracks in H Street NE and Anacostia.

Gray participated in the worst kind of political pandering at the next Washington Post-sponsored debate at the Newseum by stealing Mayor Fenty's lines from the previous debate and reversing his comments by saying that D.C. needs more bike lanes and less people driving. Of course he wasn't challenged about his cynical flip-flopping. But he did promise to lower parking meter rates which will attract even more motorists into the central city. It is easy to make promises Mr. Gray and tough to actually deliver, which is what Mr. Fenty has been doing for the past four years. 

Perhaps this city just isn't ready for a forward-thinking and take-action kind of mayor such as Adrien Fenty. Well, if that is the case then it will truly be a sad day in our Nation's Capital on September 14th.

Here is the video:

Green D.C. Headlines: September 3, 2010

Norfolk Southern to Cut Carbon Footprint 10% by 2014 (Environmental Leader)
Summary: Norfolk Southern has set a goal to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per revenue ton-mile 10 percent by 2014, using 2009 as a baseline. The freight rail transportation company expects to reduce its carbon footprint through fuel-savings technology and improvements in operating efficiencies.

Judge quashes Cuccinelli subpoena of U-Va. records (Washington Post)
Summary: An Albemarle County Circuit Court judge has set aside a subpoena issued by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to the University of Virginia seeking documents related to the work of climate scientist and former university professor Michael Mann.

Real-time next train arrival information now available by phone (Metro)
Summary: Metrorail customers can now get real-time next train arrival information by phone, in addition to online and via web-enabled mobile devices.

I-66 Spot Improvement Now Under Construction (CommuterPlageBlog)
Summary: A "spot improvement" on westbound I-66 between the George Mason Drive and Sycamore Street is underway. These projects which are essentially short-distance widenings, have been the subject of great debate for more than a decade. VDOT has long wanted to widen I-66 to three lanes in each direction; Arlington, smart growth and environmental groups have been strongly opposed.

The First of Capital Bikeshare Stations Installed! (CommuterPageBlog)
Summary: The first of 114 stations has been installed in Crystal City.

Global Greening Effort (DowntownDC.org)
Summary: The Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center (1300 Pennsylvania Avenue) will be one of at least two federal sites where the US government will test a new pilot program designed to help businesses, governments and other organizations reduce energy use in their buildings.

Nike WVU Football Uniform Ad Enrages Activists For Appearing To Endorse Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining (Huffington Post)
Summary: Activists trying to stop mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia are furious over a Nike Inc. promotional ad for a new West Virginia football uniform designed in tribute to the 29 victims of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion.

The Smart-Growth Set (Washington City Paper)
Summary: Most fights among D.C. residents somehow involve parking. So you could argue that David Alpert’s introduction to local political warfare was only typical.

Group Bike Ride to Nationals Game

Last Friday evening the Washington Nationals lost a ballgame. That is nothing new. But in attendance -- donning red curly W Nats hats given to them before the game -- was a group of Washingtonians who chose to bicycle to the ballgame. Now that is something different.

The popular area bike shop Revolution Cycles held the highly organized bike ride from their new City Hub bike rental and sharing location in Crystal City and in my view it was first class all the way. For only $40 they provided a bicycle, helmet, ticket, hat and a guided ride led by Revolution's bicycle advocate Angela Koch. She had already scouted the route which was just about perfect.

The City Hub staff made everything seamless by locking up all the bikes for us so we could focus on enjoying the game. They also had our bikes ready and waiting with headlights and tail lights turned on and glow sticks for us to wear around our necks for the night ride back across the Potomac River to Crystal City.

So while the Nationals lost the game against the St. Louis Cardinals, we all won because of the successful group bike ride thanks to Revolution Cycles. For more information on future group bike rides in the D.C. area click here for the City Hub events website.

Here are videos I took while on the bike trip. You can see the route we took from Crystal City to the Mount Vernon Trail past National Airport to the 14th Street Bridge to Hains Point to I-395 to Maine Avenue and the Southwest Waterfront and then down Half Street to Nationals Park at South Capitol Street.



And here are pictures from the event:

The bikes that City Hub provided us all had our name and a number on them and we were given an ID bracelet to wear with the number so we would easily identify which bike was ours.

Group leader Angela Koch gives pre-ride instructions at City Hub Crystal City.