About mdlittlehale

Mike is a senior at Suffolk University studying journalism and government. He is currently a volunteer intern at Cambridge Energy Alliance.

A New Lens on Environmental Change

Climate, Mind, and Behavior Program

Bringing people together from a wide range of fields to make new strides in environmental change

While the environmental movement is nothing new, dating back almost a century, the approach of activists, organizations and policy makers is continuously evolving. The Garrison Institute is taking measures to contribute to this evolution by creating the Climate, Mind, and Behavior Program. The CMB program looks to combine a number fields to solve environmental issues.

The Garrison Institute holds a CMB Symposium where leading scientists and thinkers from the fields of environmental advocacy, neuro-economics, behavioral and evolutionary economics, psychology, social networking, policy-making, investing and social media together to focus on new approaches to reducing emissions on a large scale. The event has been held in March annually since 2010.

The program approach is to use recent developments in understanding human behavior and human nature combined with the fields of psychology, evolutionary theory and apply it to environmental and climate change issues. The goal is to come out with new tactics to tackling environmental issues across the board, from reducing emissions to clean water, and everything in between.

Another important aspect of the CMB program, in conjunction with the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), is the envisioned “behavioral wedge.” A goal for individuals to make simple behavioral changes to eliminate a giga-ton of greenhouse gas emissions. The “behavioral wedge” looks to make an early difference because regulatory changes, investment, research, and other new approaches take some time to implement. This CMB/NRDC research hopes to provide for progress to be made during the lull as other initiatives from the CMB program take shape.

By aligning climate change solutions with the way people think and behave, the Garrison Institute looks to produce much more effective and efficient solutions to solve our environmental problems. To track progress, The Garrison Institute’s website keeps a blog for updates on the CMB program, as well as a wealth of other resources and information related to the project.

Public Hearing on Environmental Bills on Beacon Hill this Tuesday

Massachusetts State House

Massachusetts State House in Boston

This coming Tuesday, April 5th, the Joint Committee on Environmental, Natural Resources and Agriculture will hold a public hearing (described as “Invasives and Waterways”) on over 20 bills that hope to improve and update Massachusetts environmental laws. The bills range from explicit to quite broad, the latter likely subject to more scrutiny at the hearing because of the lack of specific details within the bill.

A number of the bills are intended to provide funding for the rebuilding and restoration of beaches, shores, and seawalls, in coastal towns from Marshfield to Scituate. A majority of the bills to be heard are of this nature, but there are others for the purpose of setting up grants to help with this type of restoration in all coastal towns that need it, without naming any specific towns.

Other bills look to provide grants to protect waterways from invasive plant species that damage the ecosystem of the lake or pond they end up in. Another bill likely to gain support from environmental groups is one that calls for the restoration of the public trust in tidelands. This is important because public trust provides citizen standing should there be a reason to bring a law suit to court to protect the tidelands.

With over twenty bills to discuss, many look like they will overlap, but its clear that many legislators are interested in protecting the state’s freshwater bodies, as well as restoring coastal property and protecting ocean sanctuaries.

Complete details on the hearing can be found here, as well as the full list of bills to be heard.

New Coalition Advocates for Great Waters Across the Country

Rock Jetty in Narragansett Bay

A rock jetty on the Narragansett Bay in North Kingston, Rhode Island

They may not be the Great Lakes, but stewards of bodies of fresh and salt water in the United States are joining together to form America’s Great Waters Coalition. Recently Narragansett Bay and other southern New England waterways joined the advocacy organization, which looks to improve the water quality of its members among other goals. The organization came to be after funding for water issues across the country started to disappear amidst the financial crisis.

So far, there are 19 members across 35 different states. Organizers looked to the Great Lakes for inspiration, given that Congress set aside $475 billion for restoration and conservation of the five Great Lakes. Working as a coalition seems to be the way to go, given the success of the Great Lakes. The money won’t be easy; as one study suggested a $3 billion investment would be required for a healthy ecosystem in the Gulf of Maine. Still, the group has argued for dozens of restoration measures and other water projects before Congress, as well as worked on court briefs for water issues that ended up before state and federal courts.

Peter Alexender, director of the Northeast Great Water Coalition pointed out that if there are not enough programs and funding to support water quality and habitat restoration, there could be “dramatic economic costs.” Once again, it is being said that environmental issues, if not dealt with effectively, can have harsh economic consequences. Something that should always be kept in mind when considering any environmental issue.

Something to Learn From: Biking in the Netherlands

Cycling in Groningen, Netherlands

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to the Netherlands and visit many different areas within the country. I landed in Amsterdam and took a train roughly 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the city of Groningen in the northern part of the country. The trip took about as long as it takes to get from one end Boston to the other via the green line (sadly I’m only half joking here). It doesn’t take long to notice the public transportation system in the small European country is as efficient any.

Stepping out in Groningen, we made our way to catch a bus to the apartment where we would stay for the next few days. Finally outside of airports and train stations, I was able to take in Holland for the first time. Before I could enjoy it all, a bike flew by a few inches in front of me, bell ringing and some Dutch shouted in my direction. I was standing right in the middle of a bike lane that had more “traffic” than the road running parallel to it. I quickly came to realize why the Netherlands is the bike capital of the world. Bikes are locked up all over the place. There are even special garages to lock your bike up for an extended period of time. Thousands of bikes are housed in these garages at train stations every day.

Bike Garage outside of Central Station, Groningen, Netherlands

When cycling in Holland, almost every road has a separate bike lane, usually two lanes, running along side it. In Boston and other U.S. cities, we are used to the little bike lanes painted on the side of the road, with car traffic speeding by only inches away. Not here. Almost everyone owns a bike and can safely traverse the city at their own pace without worrying about car traffic. The bike lanes even have their own traffic lights. It gets a bit busy at major intersections; with traffic lights for car, bike, and pedestrian traffic, but they are all well labeled, making it easy to safely navigate even the busiest of areas.

There is no need to own one of the $1,600 road bikes that cruise many U.S. roads, either. In Holland, a majority of bikes are fairly basic – one speed, and pedal breaks – making this mode of transportation affordable for everyone. This also makes it a bit more bearable to find your bike stolen; a couple hundred Euros lost is much better than over 1,000. Still, bike theft is becoming more of a problem, and police are turning to arresting those who purchase stolen bikes in an attempt to cripple the black market. So, if you’re looking to get a bike, make sure its from a legitimate bike shop (they’re as frequent as Dunkin Donuts are in New England). Of course, nobody wants to lose their bike no matter how cheap it is, so a strong cable bike lock is necessity, along with a neat fixed lock on the rear tire that owners have to put a key into, and leave in to unlock the back wheel. Usually this key is attached to all your other keys, so you’ll never ride your bike away from home without your keys again!

I had the pleasure of enjoying some cycling of my own after settling in. We took the bikes out to get dinner on the other side of the city. It took us maybe ten minutes, with no problems. Its quite the rush cycling on your own road, or safely with traffic. In Holland, for the most part cars will stay well behind you until its completely safe to pass. Bikes are just a part of traffic, something that people have a hard time accepting in the United States it seems. Both the individual and collective benefits of this attitude are simple.

Bike and car traffic at an intersection, Groningen, Netherlands

Individually, transportation costs are incredibly low. The upfront cost for the bike depends on what you want of course. You can buy an expensive new bike, or go used for as little as a hundred Euros. Along with locks and repairs every once and while, that’s all it will cost you. Cycling being a major mode of transportation also benefits the community as whole. The emission of greenhouse gases is significantly reduced because there are many fewer cars on the road. Also, since its not always great weather for biking, the trend makes it even more important for the city to have an efficient public transportation system for those who rely on cycling but cant because of the weather, or any other reason for that matter.

While in Boston it is unlikely a bike lane can be added to every street, it is still important to continue to integrate biking onto our city streets. There is already good work being done with programs such as the growing bike-share program. The more work put into bike safety like that in the Netherlands, the more people will ditch their cars for a bike. It is truly a site to see more bikes at an intersection than cars. Cycling, a staple to Dutch society, is something that cities and countries around the world can learn from as part of bigger plans to curb carbon emissions, transportation costs, and increase energy efficiency.

Cycling through the bike garage, Groningen, Netherlands

China to Enact Strict Plan for Energy Conservation

A Coal-Fired Power Plant in Shuozhou, Shanxi, China

A coal-fired power plant in Shuozhou, Shanxi, Chin

Unrest in the Middle East has yielded change in the region, but the effects of anti-government protests are slowly being felt globally as oil soars to its highest price in over 2 years. The New York Times reported that Chinese Energy Specialists revealed that the government plans to announce strict goals for energy conservation.

Make no mistake, this is not an altruistic attempt by the world’s leading energy consumer and greenhouse gas emitter to go green or make strides to curb carbon footprint (energy security far out ways climate change in Chinese policy priorities). China views energy as a national security issue; the concern here is how rising oil prices will effect inflation, export competitiveness, and the country’s pollution problems, according to the NYT article.

China still sees oil as its most important energy source, but as Zhang Guobao, former Energy Czar in China, said, “Oil security is the most important part of achieving energy security,”he went on to say, “Preparations for alternative energies should be made as soon as possible.” China is looking to avoid getting stuck trying to fuel a booming economy on oil while prices skyrocket.

Despite the fact that China is the world’s biggest producer of wind turbines and solar panels at the lowest cost, a majority of its electricity comes from coal. When oil use increased dramatically along with the rise of automobile use, the government pushed extensively for electric cars. This decrease in oil consumption only increased the use of coal. Still, electricity plants tend to be much more efficient than the combustion of gasoline, and stay within the energy use goals China has in mind.

Looking at China’s imported energy sources, the concern coming from Beijing is understandable. Oil from the Middle East, along with the increasing price, gets to China via shipping lanes controlled by economic rivals India and the United States. Iran is also a large importer of crude oil to China. The instability of Iran leaves Russia as China’s most stable oil importer, but only 3% of crude oil imports to China come from its neighbors to the north.

Some are worried that the mostly state run energy industry in China would have to start allocating the limits on energy use. This could cause the decrease in production of certain products, like metals for instance. Stuart Burns on MetalMiner explains;

But who decides, with no free market to set prices on the basis of supply and demand? The impact that could have for resource-hungry activities like steel, aluminum and zinc smelting could be profound in the first half of this decade. China may decide it would rather import metals than import energy, reversing the trend of the last decade. Having temporarily idled some of the 20+ million tons of aluminum capacity, could the Chinese really close a significant portion of it permanently?

As china responds to the effects of rising oil prices, the rest of the world may end up feeling the effects of China’s energy policy. In the more immediate future, China may be looking at energy shortages as their own supplies may not be able to keep up with its rapid economic growth. China’s efforts in lowering energy consumption will no doubt have a number of other benefits along with the primary goals of securing its energy future. The reducing of greenhouse gas emissions will save money not only on energy but on health care costs as the environment in China becomes cleaner and safer for its citizens. The decisions made here will have significant effect on China’s role in energy in the region, as well as its role as a major contributer to climate change.

Energy Star Rating Standards to Tighten

Energy Star Logo

The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced updates to its Energy Star Rating requirements on televisions and cable boxes. The revisions are the first in a list of about 20 products that will receive updates to their Energy Star Rating requirements this year.

Currently, Energy Star rated televisions hold at least 70% of the Market Share. The stricter standards mean, according to the EPA, “substantial overall energy bill reduction, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reductions.”

The new standards are requiring a 40% reduction in watt usage. For example, a 60 inch television currently averages about 282 watts, but the come September the same 60 inch TV will be required to use less than 108 watts to receive an Energy Star Rating. Talk about saving a watt!

In its announcement, the EPA states that if all U.S. homes had Energy Star rated TVs and cable boxes under these new requirements, savings would reach $5 billion a year and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of taking over 700 million cars off the road.

A Short Term Answer to Reduce CO2 Emissions

A new report (.pdf file) from The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), along with the World Meteorologist Association, and a group of scientists will be presented to the governing council of UNEP. The report states that reducing emissions of short lived particles from black carbon, methane and ground level ozone could reduce warming to a half degree within the first half of this century. However the efforts would have to be taken worldwide by all nations to reach the given numbers.

These emissions, known as soot, are particles of fossil fuels that are released into the atmosphere upon burning. Along with damage done to the atmosphere, they also take a toll on human health and damage crops. The report stresses the damaging effects these emissions have on the environment on a global scale. Among the points are;

  • The presence of black carbon in the lower atmosphere has disrupted weather patterns, like the Asian monsoon, for example, that have effected the livelihoods of millions of people.
  • The black characteristics of these particles has caused darkening of snow and ice decreasing their reflection of sunlight (increasing absorption), thus heating the atmosphere causing snow and glacier regions around the world to experience severe melting.
  • Ozone in the lower atmosphere damages human health, and has been a cause of premature death globally. This same particle causes damages crops, reducing yield.

The report says that even a “small number of emission reduction measures” for these particles would immediately begin to “protect climate, public health, water and food security, and ecosystems”.

While this report has netted little coverage (it is just another United Nations recommendation after all), some are hopeful that the United States government will make changes after recently cutting back the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget. Among the cuts to the budget was a program to update dirty diesel engines, a large contributor of black carbon.

While a worldwide cut of these short lived emissions seems a daunting task, UNEP stresses that it can be done with existing technologies, “but would require significant strategic investment and institutional arrangements.”

Convincing Businesses to Go Green

Toits de Bedzed

Solar panels are just one of many possible investments that can save businesses money in the futur

Business owners, when confronted with the decision of moving towards more sustainable practices, are sometimes weary of giving such an idea the green light. For owners, almost every decision is made with the bottom line in mind; a business that does not earn profit simply will not survive. The potential for high up front costs is enough for many owners to say “no thanks” and stick with the same practices that have been in use for years. Owners may think, “If a company is making a profit, why change anything?”

Well, when looking at a switch to sustainable business practices as an investment rather than a cost, the decision can be a lot more beneficial to the bottom line than one would think. This is exactly how L. Hunter Lovins presents the switch to sustainable practices for businesses. She recently sat down with The New York Times to talk about the non profit Natural Capitalism Solutions of which she is president. In order to promote sustainability, the company provides “innovative, practical tools and implementation strategies for companies, communities, and countries”.

NCS’s strategy is to present the switch to sustainability as an investment, and focuses on finding the areas of a business that can be more efficient, thus effecting the bottom line in a positive way. It is important to show that there can and will be a return on the investment, not just a large up front cost. For example NCS worked with Scandic Springs, a metal manufacturer in California. The company made a small change in the amount of cardboard used in their packaging, saving them $8,000 a year. While they paid very little to make this happen, other investments in sustainability can cost a lot more up front, so it takes more to convince some businesses.

Lovins says that they stay away from presenting any arguments about climate change or global warming, and choosing instead to stick to the economic benefits. This way, business owners who may not believe in global warming can still be swayed to make changes towards greener practices. It has become another way to help solve climate change without actually talking about climate change. In fact, according to Lovins, it is easier to convince those who are skeptical or may not know much about climate change, rather than those who consider themselves believers.

With their success working with businesses, NCS is able to show interested companies the progress of others who have worked with them to help find a place to start. Even small businesses can start changing towards more efficient practices and get a quick return. According to Lovins, one of the quickest returns is efficient lighting by switching to compact fluorescents from old fluorescents or incandescent bulbs.

Lovins also stresses the importance of following trends in your area. Local, state and federal laws regarding energy efficiency are changing, so it is important to stay ahead and be prepared to make changes to comply with new efficiency codes. Also, keep up (or better yet, ahead) of competition. On top of the savings from sustainability, there may also be a competitive advantage especially if a business is in a community where it’s important to residents that companies do good within the community.

Today, energy efficiency and sustainability are more than just fashionable trends. They are good business. More and more local small businesses are doing it, and even large worldwide corporations are making green changes. As Lovins said, “Why is Wal-Mart going green? Trust me, it’s not out of the goodness of their heart. They are going green because they are saving money.”

Federal Efforts for Energy Efficiency

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama

In the 2011 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama highlighted many goals as part of the administration’s “winning the future” campaign. Energy efficiency was one such goal, and last Thursday the President, speaking at Penn State, unveiled the Better Buildings Initiative, a plan for a 20% improvement in energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 2020. It’s no coincidence the plan was reveled at Penn State, a school with more than 500 researchers working on energy and environmental studies. The President touted Penn State as a leader in the research towards a clean energy future.

The initiative also strives to reduce companies’ energy bills by $40 billion per year. The plan aims to achieve these goals through a number of different approaches, including tax incentives, loans, and challenges to turn the private sector towards the mind set that clean energy is a worthwhile investment.

In the plan, five main points are presented to achieve these goals.

  • Tax incentives – A call to redesign tax code, this would create more incentives through tax breaks and credits for businesses to make energy efficiency improvements to their properties.
  • More financing opportunities – Through a recent increase in loan size limits, the Small Business Administration is encouraging current lenders to promote loans made specifically for small businesses to improve the efficiency of their buildings. Also, a new pilot program is proposed in the President’s budget that will guarantee loans for improvements on hospitals, schools, and other commercial buildings.
  • Promote state and local governments to encourage energy efficiency in the private sector – The President’s proposed budgets will include new competitive grants for state and municipal governments to encourage the private sector to invest in energy efficiency upgrades to commercial buildings. This is important because many codes, regulations, and standards on commercial energy efficiency are set and controlled by state and local governments.
  • The Better Buildings Challenge – The President will challenge CEOs and University Presidents to become leaders in the movement of commercial building energy efficiency by making those leading the way eligible for benefits that include public recognition, technical assistance, and access to “best-practices sharing” within a network of like minded peers.
  • Training the next generation of commercial building technology workers – The plan looks to provide more transparency around energy efficiency performance, and provide better training in energy auditing and building operations.

To show the government is truly behind its aspirations for energy efficiency, President Obama issued an executive order to federal agencies, directing them to achieve zero net energy by 2030. Among the requirements, all new constructions and alterations must employ high performance and sustainable design principles. As a mark of progress of this Executive Order, at least 15% of existing federal buildings must meet these principles by 2015.

As for the energy efficiency in the homes of American families, this particular plan does not touch on the subject, but it builds off of the proposed “HOMESTAR” legislation, which encouraged Americans to make energy saving upgrades to their homes. While the house passed the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010, it never came to vote in the Senate. The President says his remains committed to passing this legislation.

As 2012 approaches, President Barack Obama will be starting to campaign for reelection in the coming months. Look for energy efficiency policy to be a big part of his “winning the future” campaign unveiled during the State of the Union Address last month.