2nd Green Revolution

I Don’t Understand Parking Lots

In an op-ed a few months back I alluded to the coming diatribe against parking lots. As a form of land use, parking lots make no sense to me. Conversely, ...

The Angry Pedestrian: An Introduction

Let me say first off that I own a car. I drive. I don't drive a ton, I don't drive everyday, I don't drive to my job, but I understand ...

What Will It Take to Make Mass Transit the Norm?

Will people start consistently riding mass transit when gas prices stay above $5 per gallon? $10? What about when we are paying the true cost of driving (i.e. emissions, disposal)? ...

Designing Cities with People in Mind

I'm not a city planner. I took one class in college, so I don't even pretend to be qualified. However, living in a city and trying to commute without a ...

Earth Day 2012

Celebrating the 42nd Earth Day and 4.5 billion years of earth. Image from NASA Johnson Space Center

California and US are Top State and Country for Renewable Energy

by Eric Wilson on March 13th, 2012

Ernst and Young’s most recent quarterly Renewable Attractiveness report reveals that the United States has regained its top spot as the most attractive country for renewable energy. China had taken over in 2010. States, led by California, “were the driving force behind this shift, offering insight into the nation’s diverse renewable energy markets, energy infrastructures and their suitability for individual technologies. Most notably, the report highlights that, despite uncertain macroeconomic conditions, renewable energy – particularly in states like Massachusetts, Colorado, Texas and California – is positioned very favorably to benefit from future investments.

Behind California in the “All Renewable Index” were Southwestern neighbors Colorado and New Mexico. In fact, New Mexico ranked among the top five in long-term wind and long-term solar indices. California, by far the largest state in the union in terms of population, was ranked number one in both of these, as well as the geothermal index, coming in second behind Maine in the biomass index. California was the only state ranked in all four categories, leading to its top overall ranking.

As for the global outlook, Ernst and Young reports that last year brought the highest levels of new investment for clean energy, but the future is more uncertain.

MIT Study Details Future of Grid and Renewable Energy

by Eric Wilson on March 12th, 2012

A recent study by the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) looked at what it deemed as “One of the most important emerging challenges facing the grid . . . the need to incorporate more renewable generation in response to policy initiatives at both state and federal levels.” At issue is the intermittent nature of many renewables, namely wind and solar. Despite being two of the most talked about renewable sources of energy, they produce meager amounts of energy and do not provide a constant supply of electricity, especially in comparison to hydroelectric and biomass.

This report represents the fifth such study in the MIT Energy Initiative’s Future series. It “aims to provide a comprehensive, objective portrait of the U.S. electric grid and the identification and analysis of areas in which intelligent policy changes, focused research, and data development and sharing can contribute to meeting the challenges the grid is facing.” Because the grid must provide the necessary amount of power required by users at all times, the fluctuation in production that is inherent in solar and wind can cause an imbalance. Too little electricity leads to a blackout (rolling or otherwise).

If wind and solar are to replace coal and nuclear as viable sources of electricity, the study points out that they may well rely on centralized locations (think giant wind farms in the Dakotas, once hailed as the Saudi Arabia of wind).

Number of Visitors to the Antarctic Over 70,000 Per Year (And That Is Just The Seeds)

by Justin Manger on March 12th, 2012

With nearly every nook and cranny of the earth now accessible to humans, the world’s largest desert, Antarctica, is no exception. Statistics from the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) show that over 50,000 people visited the frigid but warming area over the 2010-2011 time period. Of the many impacts that increasing numbers of tourists have on the area, the proliferation of plants on the continent is often not thought of as a major one. However, as a recent BBC articles points out, each visitor carries an average of 7.5 seeds to Antarctica. Scientists carry more, presumably because they have been out interacting with nature and picking up various seeds and tiny animals. Ideal places where the seeds attach are the tongues of boots, but they have also been found in and attached to bags and on clothing.

Only about 1% of Antarctica is ice free (that percentage is increasing as the climate warms) but tourists tend to make stops at some of the more ice free and warmer spots, thereby giving the seeds they carry with them a nice place to get settled. These invasive species are already getting a foothold in these warmer spots, competing with local species. As the BBC article points out, the seeds are from various regions of the world and many can survive

Why Walmart Fails at Sustainability

by Megan Stilley on March 11th, 2012

The key to sustainability is acknowledging and considering the three legs of sustainability: society, environment, and economic. Walmart fails in at least two of these categories. I will consider giving them economic. They have a business plan to keep their business running and not go bankrupt. While that plan includes opening more stores to increase profits, and forcing manufacturers and suppliers to lower their prices to keep Walmart’s costs down; it is a plan that has been working for them so far.

Then there are the two other important factors to consider: environment and society. Let’s talk about the social aspect first. Walmart fails in this leg on all accounts. They treat their own workers terribly with awful benefits, long hours, and poor wages. They also force their suppliers to treat their employees in the same fashion, by refusing to buy products unless they are at extremely low prices. Walmart does its best to keep costs down to make their pockets happy and consumers’ pocket’s happy. They also fail with the social leg because when they open a new store (despite protests) they often run other businesses out. This causes other people to suffer since they lose their jobs and businesses.

What I really want to discuss is how Walmart fails at the environment leg. Walmart likes to green wash and spout off facts of they will do as a company to become sustainable. Their three goals are :

Washington DC Aims to be Greenest College Town

by Eric Wilson on March 10th, 2012

When I think of college towns Ann Arbor, Michigan or Eugene, Oregon come to mind. Admittedly, these are enormous state universities, but they arguably serve as the economic engines of the towns. Mayor Vincent Gray and university presidents across the city want Washington D.C. to be the “greenest college town” in the country. While DC is home to numerous institutions of higher learning, it is so much more than a college town.

On February 29th, the presidents of 9 colleges across the city signed the District of Columbia Mayor’s College and University Sustainability Pledge (CUSP). The Pledge furthers Gray’s commitment to sustainability. His Sustainable D.C. Initiative aims “to make the District the world’s most sustainable city.” The city got off to a good start on the trek to sustainability with its Bikeshare program.

The Washington Examiner reports “The pledge requires the universities to commit to sustainability goals related to energy use and buildings, transportation, waste reduction, grounds maintenance, purchasing, and the management and reporting of progress.”

American University calls it “The first initiative of its kind in the country, [requiring] signatories to undertake at least five commitments across 10 categories related to energy and buildings, jobs and community development, water, green education and training, transportation, waste, research and innovation, purchasing, grounds and habitat, and management and reporting.”

For a full list of signees, see below:

Five Friday Facts: Chevy Volt

by Eric Wilson on March 9th, 2012

With the positive and negative news surrounding the Chevy Volt this week, we wanted to present five facts about the vehicle. These facts come from the Chevy Volt’s website.

Every Volt comes standard with a 120V portable charge cord that can plug into most common household outlets and will fully charge a Volt in about 10 hours, depending on outdoor temperature. You can also have a 240V charging station (additional cost plus installation) professionally installed in your home that will reduce the charging time to about four hours.
The Volt was named a 2011 Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety and receiving a 5–Star Overall Vehicle Safety score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A 16kWh lithium–ion battery pack powers Volt for an EPA–estimated 35 miles on a full charge.
You have an electric source–a battery–that allows you to drive gas–free for an EPA–estimated 35 miles. And there’s also an onboard gas generator that produces electricity so you can go up to a total of 375 additional miles on a full tank of gas.
With a fully charged battery, most people can commute gas– and tailpipe emissions–free for about $1.50 per day. That’s about the same annual cost as running a common household appliance. To save even more, some utility companies offer lower electricity rates for vehicles charging during off–peak periods, such as night.

Taking Urban Gardens to the Next Level

by Eric Wilson on March 8th, 2012

In his 2006 book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, Michael Pollan looks at the idea of foraging as one of the four meals he considers in his book (McDonald’s, Whole Foods, and a local farm represent the other three). He starts with the highly industrialized fast food meal and works his way through more natural food choices until he arrives at foraging. Pollan went into the woods and searched for mushrooms, collected salt from the San Francisco Bay, and hunted a wild boar in Northern California, for the ultimate in fresh, local, and self procured food. For just about everyone else, this is not an option. However, a new style of garden in Seattle is bringing foraging to the public, and those who do not necessarily have access to fresh food

NPR reports that a 7 acre park (Beacon Food Forest) with numerous fruits will be open to the public to harvest. According to the story, “Seattle Public Utilities, offered up the 7-acre plot, which could make it the largest, urban food forest on public land in the U.S.” The full acreage will not be converted into a “food forest” right away. The project starts with a 1.75 acre test plot slated for completion by the end of the year.

While hopes remain high, the issue of “overzealous pickers” remains unsolved.

On Sale this Year: Natural-Gas Powered Pickups

by Chris DeArmond on March 8th, 2012

With natural gas prices hovering around $2.44 per MMBtu—less than half of what they were 18 months ago—compressed natural gas (CNG) is now starting to make sense as an alternative fuel for vehicles.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the number of dual-fuel vehicles is increasing. In a recent press release, General Motors said it will partner with Impco Automotive to produce CNG-powered versions of the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 pickup trucks, available to retail customers beginning next month. By June, Chrysler will also sell pickups that run on CNG in its Dodge Ram lineup, but it will be the first company in the industry to make production-line CNG pickups. While the Dodge models will provide a combined range of 367 miles (255 miles on CNG, 112 miles on gasoline), the combined range of GM’s pickups will be as high as 650 miles. The engines in both vehicles will switch automatically between gasoline and CNG.

Though prices have not been released by GM or Chrysler, the premium for CNG vehicles makes them somewhat exclusive. The Honda Civic NG, which has been on sale in the U.S. since 1998, starts at

Ben and Jerry’s Greener, Cleaner Freezer Gets EPA Approval

by Eric Wilson on March 7th, 2012

If you’re anything like me, when you walk into the market/bodega/corner store/mega-mart/supermarket, you can’t help but how much energy is consumed by refrigerators and freezers. I have read that the chest style freezer (read: not upright ones) are more efficient. It makes sense, since colder air is denser than warm air and easily sinks down and out when the door of an upright freezer is open.

Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is known for using high quality ingredients, including many fair trade and organic ones. Their most recent innovation is not related to the flavors but rather the in-store freezers that house their tasty treats. The difference is in the coolants used to keep the ice cream ice cold.

Four years ago, Ben and Jerry’s installed these new “HC” (hydrocarbon) freezers in the greater Boston and Washington DC areas. (To find one near you, click here.) The trial basis was part of the plan until the company received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That day has come. Last month the EPA approved the use of the “new” freezers.

Chevy Volt and Opel Ampera Named 2012 European Car of the Year

by Eric Wilson on March 6th, 2012

Just after GM announced a production shut down of the Chevy Volt due to poor sales, it received Motor Trend Magazine’s 2012 European Car of the Year honor. The Opel Ampera, the Chevy Volt’s European doppelganger is produced in the United States, but sold in Europe. The Volt and Ampera are mechanically identical, hence the joint award. In a competition involving 35 vehicles, the Volt/Amprea represents the second straight (partially) electric car to win Europe’s top prize. Last year the Nissan Leaf won the Motor Trend European Car of the Year (in addition to the Japanese and World titles).

Motor Trend’s designation of the Volt as the European Car of the Year represents a sweep of sorts for the car. In addition, it was named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year last year. While sales lagged due to unflattering press coverage stemming from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation into post-crash fires, it remains to be seen if Motor Trend’s decision will provide a boost in sales.

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