Our World and Everything in It

An Environmental News Service article stated: “The Canadian government has announced that it will protect more than 450,000 hectares (1,737 square miles) of Arctic wilderness in the Nunavut Territory, including a globally significant Important Bird Area, by establishing three new National Wildlife Areas.”

The Canadian government is contributing $8.3 million to the effort. Prime Minister Harpter said, “This is a real demonstration of our commitment to protect our species and their incredible habitat in the North.” Too bad it’s not our North like ANWR.

Now watch how example works America. The article also stated that, “In another recent announcement, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, pledged to permanently protect 225,000 square kilometres (86,872 square miles) of boreal forest in the northern area of the province. Covering more than 20 percent of Ontario’s total land mass, the area to be protected is roughly the same size as the United Kingdom.” Outstanding!

The boreal forest is one of the largest undisturbed forest and wetland ecosystems. And it’s quite a carbon storage facility storing 186 billion tons. Quebec joined in the preservation program earlier in May pledging to protect “18,000 square kilometres (6,949 square miles) of forest and wetlands in 23 new conservation areas. Fifteen of these new conservation areas are in the boreal zone.”

Great for Canada. What about us selling off parcels of our national parks and forests to private ownership for the highest bid? We’re still not getting it.

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2008/2008-09-04-01.asp.

I went to Pontiac for Arts, Beats, and Eats Saturday night. I like that festival. The food is from restaurants, and there is good entertainment, and unusual art. Despite a bad economy there was a good many people and they were buying this may have been due to the evening hour after an afternoon of eating and imbibing however.

I’ve gone to this event about 6 times now and I noticed the green effort this year. Garbage was labeled trash or recyclables. There were people there to tell you what to throw where. When I looked in the recyclable barrel there was Styrofoam, plastic cups, like the one I was tossing, and plastic utensils. I soon found out the stuff was made out of sugar cane, corn, and potatoes. The guy told me vegetable oil also. The idea was no petro products even the plastic bags vendors used to wrap their wares. Pretty amazing. It looked and appeared to be just plastic.

Chrysler had some of their Global Electric Motor (GEM) E2 and E4 cars that either drew interest, criticism, or laughter. They are hybrids that use electric up to 35 mph and then get something like 50 mpg thereafter. I’m going by what my husband remembers.

The E2 is a two seater. It looks like a cartoon mini car that parking ticket officers drive. The E4 is a four seater of course, a tad more substantial. The price for the E2 began in the $5,000 range but by the end of the sheet jumped up to in the $14,000 range. This was cause for criticism. Then there were safety issues. It’s a bug.

Maybe the E2 is not for the highways of Michigan but getting around a crowded city where traffic is always a crawl, it might not be too bad. It’s more comfortable than a bike and comparable in price to a Harley. If traffic only crawls the danger issue is reduced. As for parking—it’s a bug.

http://www.gemcar.com/

As a Democrat, I couldn’t be happier with this pick. I had to laugh when it was said her campaign for governor was run on “ethics.” OMG!

Wait until the large environmental groups disclose her ethics.  For example Rodger Schlickeisen of Defenders of Wildlife issued this statement already about Palin’s destructive environmental policies:

“Sarah Palin, whose husband works for BP (formerly British Petroleum), has repeatedly put special interests first when it comes to the environment. In her scant two years as governor, she has lobbied aggressively to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, pushed for more drilling off of Alaska’s coasts, and put special interests above science. Ms. Palin has made it clear through her actions that she is unwilling to do even as much as the Bush administration to address the impacts of global warming. Her most recent effort has been to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the polar bear from the endangered species list, putting Big Oil before sound science. As unbelievable as this may sound, this actually puts her to the right of the Bush administration.”

To be to the right of the Bush/Cheney regime is a scary thought. That’s pretty far out there. Sarah Palin is a scary thought for wildlife. Alaska’s predatory management program is barbaric. I recently blogged about 14 wolf cubs shot in the head on the spot after an illegal stakeout by Alaskan Wildlife Agency employees? Bears have been added to the predatory list now. Funny how wolves and bears have always been a part of the Alaskan landscape, but now they are intolerable. Animals in Alaska do not have a friend at the governor’s house.

I don’t think Sarah likes living things as much as money. That will come out sooner or later. Cruelty is not a nice trait to see in a woman. 

An article in the New York Times stated:

The technology [compressing and storing air] has been around for decades, though the only major plant in the United States opened in Alabama in 1991. Another plant was built in Germany in the 1970s. But compressed air storage is getting a fresh look because so many windmills have been built across the country in recent years, and energy producers are increasingly looking for ways to avoid building power plants that rely on expensive oil and natural gas.

Who knew? And this is supposed to be old hat? I hope it’s stored way down below because compressed air reminds me of the movie No Country for Old Men. That little tank of compressed air was mighty powerful to say the least.

I don’t know about this technology. There certainly are plenty of abandoned mines and old gas lines to use. Perhaps if the alternative energy industry ever gets fully loosed, we will see improvement upon improvement so that wind technology no longer involves huge, noisy turbines that don’t always produce energy. Look at mainframe computers of yesterday compared to the laptop of today. It’s a matter of getting started. Once the ball starts rolling, improvements are inevitable, especially for wind power, which increased five fold between 2000-2007. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/nyregion/26wind.html?_r=2&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin.

Another county in Michigan is looking to acquire additional tracts of land to add to one of its county parks. The bid to keep 91 acres of dune land adjacent to Meinert County Park is ongoing thanks to the Land Conservancy of Western Michigan.

According to the Muskegon Chronicle, “It’s the same organization that recently helped raise money to secure the purchase of a 68-acre natural area in Laketon Township, including Lost Lake, so it can be added to Muskegon State Park.”

The Land Conservancy is picking up where the Trust for Public Land bailed. All involved are hoping to get a grant to cover about 70% of the cost of the purchase from Michigan’s DNR. “Officials from the Land Conservancy also made a presentation to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund board last week, featuring information about the property and its intended use.”

Besides grants, the property is being reappraised. There are efforts to raise local contributions because many in the area do not want to see that land developed. And the two different families who have put the 45 and 46 acre parcels up for sale may drop the price to see the land protected as part of Meinert Park.

It’s great to see locals doing something to conserve beautiful untouched land in their area. The article says,  “The land, on the southeast border of Meinert Park, is completely undeveloped. It’s rugged and hilly in spots, has lots of wildlife, and includes a lake and many existing hiking trails.”

http://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1219761913189040.xml&coll=8

Owen Lutz bequeathed his Victorian era Farmstead property of 300 acres to Livingston County to help preserve the wild places he loved so much. It is located a half-mile north of Cohoctah Road, near Lutz Rd. in Deerfield Twp. The property was just dedicated last week.

The county is going to try to keep the area as original as possible but still accessible to the public who can walk along trails of wood chips and enjoy nature as Owen had intended.

I hope this dedicated land never faces the threat of slant oil drills like the Mason Tract, another wilderness area dedicated by the head of the Mason family. Mr. Mason, an auto industrialist, donated the land to preserve the experience of the river and the wild, that is, until an upper Michigan utility company started to build a road near the Mason Tract area with the intention of drilling for oil there. If Earthjustice hadn’t intervened, the area would have been ravaged. Considering it has some of the best trout fishing in the lower 48 states, that would have been a travesty. And an irony, when we consider it was the express desire of the person dedicating the land that it remain a sanctuary against development of any sort.

Meanwhile, thank you Own Lutz for loving nature enough to hopefully preserve it forever.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080824/NEWS05/808240394/1007/NEWS05

In yesterday’s Free Press was a giant one-page ad about the Heat Surge Fireless Flame unit. It supposedly looks like a real fireplace that gives off instant heat with no chimney, no vents, no wood, and no smoke and runs on pennies of electricity no more than a coffee maker. The ad was a call for the public to call within 48 and qualify for a home heating bill relief instant rebate.

It looks like the heaters cost $250.00, but add the Amish mantle and it’s $500.00. The rebate kicks the price back down to $250.00. I wondered if they work. My 48 hours is running out. I’ve already got my methods for cheap winter heating bills, but if I can do more I will. This looked like the perfect way to get away from expensive gas bills in the winter for pennies of electricity. And I would like what looks like a small fireplace in my living room, or roll it into the bedroom, or whatever room. I felt like the pledge to go electric might not be that far off with inventions like this, until I read a review on MacCompanion. It was pretty comprehensive and disheartening.

Not worth the money. Read the review for yourself: http://www.maccompanion.com/macc/archives/February2008/Greenware/Roll.htm.

There is another electric heater, the Eden Pure, that’s touted to be like warm sunlight. Non-drying like furnace heat, the radiant heat from an Eden Pure warms the air without removing a lot of moisture. Baloney. It’s a heater too. It got an exceptionally bad review and ended up at the bottom of the list out of 20 heaters. http://www.wcpo.com/content/news/localshows/dontwasteyourmoney/story.aspx?content_id=7527da3d-ad3f-423a-933a-e5dcde00b12f. Shoot, I was enticed by the ads for this too.

It looks like there is no new miracle for home heating yet. Thank goodness for reviews and the Internet because the hype on some of this stuff can be costly to consumers.

Marvin Odum, the new president of Shell Oil, the second largest oil company, said that Shell would be investing big in alternative energy today on ABC news. How big is big? More than their reported net profits of $27 billion. Incredible. I did a blog that did the math for the percentages that have been offered up by the top 5 oil companies in the recent past. It didn’t amount to a hill-of-beans compared to net profits.

But Shell is stepping up to the plate with the largest investment in alternative energy so far by the oil industry. Odum said it was historic. I would say so. Shell will invest $35 to $36 billion dollars yet in 2008.

Yesssss!  With this mindset, and example, we may just clean up yet.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5632698&page=1 

Americans may be looking at 4-day workweeks soon in efforts to offset energy costs. Both Utah and Idaho’s state employee are on 4 tens. Some good things are happening as a result of the energy crisis. Not only are workweeks getting shorter, but employees are also allowed to work from home more and more. This can be good. This can be bad.

I can weigh in on the shortened workweek.  I worked 4 ten-hour days back in 1984. The extra two hours were split between morning and afternoon. My schedule started an hour earlier and ended an hour later than usual. So the bad thing was getting up earlier and getting home later. With longer hours, you might be a little more tired at days end also so after-work-projects aren’t likely to happen. But if you’re running your kids around most evenings anyway, this shouldn’t be a problem.

The real problem with 4-day workweeks is latch key kids. If working parents can tackle this problem then the rest of the attributes for working 4 tens are all positive. For one thing, your car is spared the trip. If you don’t use that up running all over town on Friday, then it’s a plus. It was reported that Utah figured all of its employees collectively saved $100,000 in gas money by not working on Friday. One woman said she only saved $72.00 for gas money during the month but finds the extra time spent with her kids invaluable.

From an employer’s point of view, a successful switch to 4-day workweeks depends on associated companies that work a 5-day workweek. Back in the early 90’s I actually worked a 3-day workweek for the same salary as 5 days.  I negotiated that by showing all the work I was doing that really belonged to others on the payroll. I got my way, a 3 day work week with Tuesday’s and Friday’s off, because I was able to show I was not only doing all of my duties in 5 days, but a bunch of other people’s also. Since I was a purchasing agent, and did payroll the 3-day problem came up. Tuesday was a slow day at work, and well Fridays, let’s get real here. I told my employer quite frankly that not much of anything would get purchased on a Friday anyway. Most of those orders will not hit someone’s desk until Monday. You’re not likely to get a sales rep to come around on Friday either. It’s like Friday “work” days dissolve somewhere around noon for quite a lot of professions. Most things are stalled until Monday because someone is usually missing on Friday. My employer acknowledged this. He was notorious for disappearing on Fridays. Monday and Friday off would have been sweet but that would have been pushing the envelope. I acknowledged that I needed to be there for payroll on Mondays. The best thing was when the company decided I needed to work 40 hours again. My wages almost doubled.

Like ABC news stated this morning, now is the time to negotiate for shared hours, shorter workweeks, and/or working from home. I did it when there was no energy crisis, late 80’s and early 90’s. A good employer should have no problem paying for a job well done regardless of the time involved. If you have a job that doesn’t involve other associates on 5 day work weeks, you’ve got a good case for a 4 day workweek. Prove you work faster and more efficient than most and you’ll probably get your way. It’s win win right now.

Once you get used to 4 days, and really using that Friday in an organized way so you can kick back on Saturday AND Sunday, you’ll probably find you do much less running around altogether. The solitary time away from the rat race is priceless. It might be good for America to learn to relax and quit all the running around. It would certainly be good for the environment.  

Taking a cue from Germany, Oregon is installing 594 solar panels along the highway at Interstates 4 and 205 interchange in Tualatin, Oregon. I blogged about Germany’s efforts at installing a double row of solar panels along the autobahn. Finally, someone over here realizes the potential for using that wasted right of way.  http://www.blogsmonroe.com/world/2007/10/31/germany-jump-starts-alternative-energy-push/.

According to an ENS Newswire relative to Oregon’s solar panel installation, “Electricity for the highway interchange is provided by PGE or Portland General Electric and the added solar power will be handled through a net metering arrangement. The solar panels will produce electricity during the day, supplying power onto the PGE grid, and PGE will return an equivalent amount of power at night to light the interchange.” Good deal. Whatever energy can be saved or used should be.

Oregon has a pretty rough RPS or Renewable Portfolio Standards that requires the state to supply 25 percent of its electricity needs from new renewable sources by 2025. Michigan’s energy bills that got watered down by the Senate included an RPS that was moderate in comparison. I think it was 10% alternative energy by 2015. We don’t have much of anything right now in Michigan and this is just the latest at how far behind we are falling in the game of showing a respectable RPS to entice future companies and job commitments to our state. It’s important if we’re going to compete with states that are planning bigger reductions in fossil fuel use at a quicker rate.

Read more about the Oregon’s solar highway: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2008/2008-08-09-091.asp