Tag: environment

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Business Development News Politics

Brown states balance concerns for our environment, our jobs

A recent New York Times article coined the term “brown state-green state clash,” referring to the opposing viewpoints of politicians from the coasts and politicians from the Midwest and Plains States. “Green states” like California are pushing for higher fuel efficiency, more renewable energy, and other efforts to fight climate change, while “brown states” like Ohio are resisting in order to preserve our manufacturing jobs.

In particular, many brown state officials are opposed to a cap-and-trade system proposed by President Obama. This proposal sets a ceiling on carbon dioxide emissions, giving manufacturers a certain number of credits and allowing them to emit a certain amount of pollutants. If a company reduces its emissions, it can sell its excess credits to companies who pollute more.

After a failed U.S. Senate global warming bill in June 2008, ten senators from coal-dependent, manufacturing-heavy states created the “Gang of 10,” which has since grown to 15 members. Ohio’s Sherrod Brown was part of the original group. Brown claims, “There’s a bias in our Congress and government against manufacturing, or at least indifference to us, especially on the coasts.” He adds, “If we pass a climate bill the wrong way, it will hurt American jobs and the American economy, as more and more production jobs go to places like China, where it’s cheaper.”

This seems to contradict themes echoed in both national and local politics, pushing for more “green jobs.” Environmental blog Gristmill points out that Midwest and Plains States will likely come out ahead job-wise in the push to become green: Plains States have been nicknamed “the Saudi Arabia of wind,” and the Midwest will manufacture wind turbines that are too large to be shipped from overseas. Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts says, “A lot of new jobs will be created if we craft a piece of global warming legislation correctly, and that is our intention.”

Clearly, what we have is a disconnect between politicians claiming a green future will create jobs and politicians claiming exactly the opposite.

In Washington state, Democratic Senate leaders plan to direct $180 million of stimulus money to their plan “Clean Energy, Green Jobs.” One aspect of the plan, retrofitting low-income residents’ homes to be more energy efficient, will create an estimated 7,500 jobs over five years. The plan would also create an agency to oversee greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce them to 1990 levels by the year 2017. Republicans oppose the plan, saying that the new restrictions would be an impediment to businesses.

A similar movement is starting to happen in the Ohio state House, where Democrats are pushing for higher energy efficiency standards in public buildings. They claim this will cause job creation in the fields of energy-efficient design and construction. Republican Senator Jimmy Stewart said he supports the plan as long as it doesn’t create additional delays in construction.

Are our politicians effectively balancing concerns for our environment with the need to preserve jobs in our region? Will the green movement cause a gain or loss of jobs? Sound off in the comments section.

Additional reading/Sources:

Photo from Flickr user Caveman 92223

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Development News

Northern Kentucky to pilot rain barrel program

Northern Kentucky’s Sanitation District No. 1 is now taking orders for a pilot rain barrel program, joining the ranks of Mt. Airy and Lexington, Kentucky.

These particular rain barrels were devised by two Lexington, Kentucky women, who developed a rain barrel that collected storm water while doubling as a plant urn with a self-watering wick. The barrel was designed to be aesthetically pleasing, with a spigot for a water hose or for a pail.

“Lily,” as it was dubbed, was available for purchase to the first 500 residents for only $75, with the city contributing an additional $75 towards the total cost. Although it was released as a pilot program to raise the region’s environmental conscious, the city sold 500 within the first 24 hours.

But why rain barrels?

  • A rain barrel can save money by storing water that can be used for future use. Lawn and garden watering can consume up to 50% of total water usage for a typical household during the summer months. A rain barrel can reduce that usage by 1,300 gallons; one inch of rain on 1,000 square feet can create over 600 gallons of storm water.

  • Foundation walls can be preserved. During extended dry periods, homeowners with basements must water around their foundations to keep them from suffering from the damaging affects of expansive clay soils. A rain barrel with a hose is a perfect way to keep the soils moist. A rain barrel reduces potential flooding in basements. A rain barrel with a soaker hose will slowly release water so that it does not cause ground water problems along a foundation, and will reduce the chance that rain water seeps into a basement.

  • A rain barrel provides a natural water source with a pH level lower than that of potable water. This makes it ideal to water plants and gardens.

  • Rain barrels used throughout a community can control runoff from developed lands, and can reduce the need for massive retention ponds and detention basins that waste space in an urbanized environment. They also reduce direct runoff. Water, as it flows through downspouts and across lawns and driveways, accumulate animal wastes, automotive chemicals and oils, and debris from lawn. While it is inevitable that these will end up in the streams regardless, downspouts aggravate the issue by providing a greater velocity to flush the pollutants into the drainage system. Rain barrels slow down the water and let it soak into the ground.

  • Rain barrels also allow the groundwater to recharge.

Locally, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began a project in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Mt. Airy dubbed “Mt. Airy Rain Catchers” to install rain gardens and rain barrels throughout the neighborhood. The goal was to evaluate how these individual actions can improve local water quality via continuous monitoring of Shepherd Creek pre- and post-improvements. Each residence was eligible to receive up to four rain barrels and one rain garden, with all costs borne by the EPA.

The first installation of a rain barrel was at the Mt. Airy Arboretum building, and with the construction of two demonstration rain gardens at the park in the summer of 2007. This was followed up with the installation of 50 rain gardens and 100 rain barrels throughout the neighborhood. In the spring of 2008, EPA installed 31 additional rain gardens and 60 rain barrels.

Now, Northern Kentucky’s Sanitation District No. 1 is taking orders for its pilot rain barrel program with the hopes that it will reduce storm water runoff, improve water quality and promote water conservation. The push came after residents for years have inquired as to where to purchase rain barrels, and after an article was published in “What’s Happening! in Boone County, Kentucky.” The “Raintainer,” otherwise known as the “Lily,” is being sold for $124.88. One can also find rain barrels for sale at Park+Vine along Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine.

Photo Credit: Guy Marsden

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News

Getting to know Cincinnati’s stimulus projects

If you’re not already familiar with Cincinnati’s stimulus projects then I suggest you get familiar. Cities from around the country have submitted their “shovel ready” projects to be considered for stimulus money. Cincinnati’s list has 48 projects* totaling $434,916,420.

Projects big and small fill out the list. You will find Cincinnati’s proposed streetcar system, streetscape improvement projects, RecycleBank, green roof projects, street grid for The Banks, stabilization/control of the Ohio River for the new Central Riverfront Park (CRP), forest carbon sequestration, and much more.

A new site – Stimulus Watch – allows you to look through the submitted items from cities all across the nation. The website allows you to vote on each of the submitted items. You can select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ as to whether you feel that particular project is critical and worthy of stimulus money. The site then categorizes these projects nationally by the Most and Least Critical, Most Expensive, and Most Active (by votes).

So far Cincinnati’s projects are faring quite well with the streetcar project leading nationally as the Most Critical project according to voters. Also high on the list is the street grid project for The Banks development, bank stabilization for the CRP, and streetscape improvements throughout Over-the-Rhine.

Visit the CINCINNATI PAGE to view all of Cincinnati’s included projects, and give your input on what you would and would not like to see the stimulus money go towards locally.

*DISCLAIMER – These projects are not part of the stimulus bill. They are candidates for funding by federal grant programs once the bill passes.

Categories
News Politics

A taste of Cincinnati’s Climate Protection Action Plan

In September of 2007, Mayor Mallory pushed for the creation of an Environmental Quality Department. This department would oversee the City’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and hopefully bring Cincinnati in alignment with goals set forth by the Kyoto Protocol set globally in 1992 (183 parties have ratified the Protocol as of 2008).

The Climate Protection Action Plan (CPAP) is the primary document and driving force behind Cincinnati’s localized efforts to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The plan has short, medium, and long term Greenhouse Gas reduction goals which average out to an annual GHG reduction of 2%.

  • Short Term – Reduce GHG emissions 8% below 2006 levels by 2012
  • Medium Term – Reduce GHG emissions 40% below 2006 levels by 2028
  • Long Term – Reduce GHG emissions 84% below 2006 levels by 2050

Within the CPAP there are 5 identified categories that include more than 80 Emission Reduction Measures. One of these measures – eating less meat – has gotten significant coverage over the past 24-36 hours and has caused quite a stir.

The idea is that people try to go one day a week without eating meat. It’s not a mandate or policy, just a suggestion. The response though has been chaotic and emotionally charged with comments filled with anger and misunderstanding.

% of global meat consumption – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The fact is that reduced meat consumption can have a very significant impact on our GHG emissions (read CPAP excerpt below). If all Cincinnati residents were to, on average, eat meat one less day per week it would constitute a 14% reduction in meat consumption. That 14% reduction would translate into the reduction of 26,400 tons of GHG emissions by 2012 (short term) and 52,800 tons by 2028 (medium term). This reduction is more profound than the estimated GHG emission reduction by Energy Star Residential Construction (2,500 tons by 2028), Programmable Thermostats (35,000 tons by 2028), Increased Bicycle Usage (6,300 tons by 2028), or Hybrid Transit Busses (12,771 tons by 2028).

Summary of specific issues – A 2006 report by the United Nations‘ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Livestock’s Long Shadow, found that the production of animals for food is responsible for over 18% of the planet‘s greenhouse gas emissions. This is more than twice that of the office buildings and homes (8%) and nearly 40% more than transportation emissions (13%). This figure represents 9% of the planetary carbon dioxide emissions, 37% of the methane (mostly from livestock flatulence and waste matter) and 65% of the nitrous oxide; the latter two gases having 23 times and 296 times the global warming potentials of CO2.

The report concluded ―The livestock sector emerges as one of the… most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global and finds it must become a major policy focus.

A 2005 University of Chicago report, Diet, Energy and Global Warming (597kb pdf) found that the added burden of meat diets above plant based diets accounts for 6% of US total greenhouse gas emissions. The Standard American Diet (SAD), of which around 28% of the caloric intake is derived from meat, produced 1.485 metric tons CO2 equivalent emissions (per person per year) more than an all plant based diet (a conservative figure). A red meat eater‘s mean diet increased this number to 2.52 tons CO2e. This is the equivalent difference between driving a sedan (Camry) and an SUV. A diet of just 20% meat produced an added GHG burden of 1 ton CO2e per person annually; this is the difference between a year of driving a standard sedan (Camry) and the highest efficiency hybrid (Prius).

With 80% of annual world deforestation connected to animal agriculture, an area the size of a football field is razed every second, a practice which has been termed ―”the ‘hamburgerization’ of our forests.” A single SAD meal levels 55 square feet of rain forest.

Estimated greenhouse gas reduction to be achieved – 26,400 tons by 2012 (10% reduction in meat consumption x 20% of the population and 100% reduction by 3% of the population x 1.6 tons/person); 52,800 tons by 2028 (20% reduction in meat consumption x 20% of the population and 100% reduction by 6% of the population x 1.6). The goal will be to have all Cincinnati residents, on average, eat meat one less day per week by 2012, which would be a 14% reduction in meat consumption. The projected GHG emission reductions are based on a more conservative forecast of actual behavior.

Read the full report here (1.94mb pdf).

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Arts & Entertainment News

Cincinnati area parks a growing community asset

Cincinnati is known for its great park system. The Cincinnati Park Board boasts 70 neighborhood parks, five regional parks and 34 nature preserves. This doesn’t include the additional 16,000-plus acres of parks (80+% are dedicated natural areas) in the Hamilton County system.

Over the years both systems have seen a strong usership of the parks, and have gradually expanded their respective systems in quantity and available uses. Hamilton County has begun implementing mountain bike trails in their parks. Cincinnati in the mean time is building what will become the crowning jewel (Central Riverfront Park) for the already impressive Cincinnati Park System.

The Central Riverfront Park will then be connected with the nearly 1.5 miles of existing riverfront parks that stretch from Downtown through the East End. These parks will then soon be connected into the Ohio River Bike Trail that will introduce a dedicated bike trail from Downtown all the way to the Little Miami Scenic Trail (aka Loveland Bike Trail).

Ohio River Trail Map (click for larger version) – Provided

In 2008 more Hamilton County residents used the county’s parks than in any other year in the past two decades. In the recent University of Cincinnati study, 96% of respondents said that they or a member of their family had visited a park in the Hamilton County Park District in the past year.

The two systems combined make for one of Cincinnati’s strongest assets. They are great resources for the region and offer a wide variety of outdoor activities for people and nature preserves for the environment. In that same survey the most popular Hamilton County park was Winton Woods.

  • You can help make the Ohio River Bike Trail reality by making a secure, tax-deductible donation to The Ohio River Way on their website. $12m of the $16m needed has been identified to bring the trail from Newtown to Lunken Airport. The remaining $4m is needed to complete the final leg from Lunken to Downtown.