Compass

Without a Car in the World

Diane Meyer — “Without a Car” slide show from Orion Magazine on Vimeo.

Beneath the surface of the highways, thoroughfares, and traffic jams of Los Angeles is a widespread community of car-free people getting around town -- free of the expensive and obligatory DMV visits, insurance bills, and trips to the gas station.

Diane Meyer, a professor of photography at Loyola Marymount University, wanted to put a face on this community. Having been car-less for six months, she became intrigued with others like her who were navigating through an area synonymous with being behind the wheel.

 

Backed by a grant, she spent a year schlepping what felt like 100 pounds of camera equipment onto buses, approaching riders, and collecting their stories. When she finished, she had dozens of portraits, 100 stories, and 1,000 pages of transcribed interviews. Entitled "Without a Car in the World," the 2009 photo exhibition proved that the car-free community in the City of Angels was as diverse as the city itself.

"People got rid of their cars for financial reasons, but they found that their lives had improved in a lot of ways," she tells me. "Some felt they didn't have a choice. They didn't have a license, or they were handicapped -- they were probably more pessimistic about not having a car. But they were open to me, too, because they got to talk about the city's transportation problems. People were very open with talking to me."

Down With Coal! The Grassroots Anti-Coal Movement Goes Global

The article was co-authored by Bob Burton (CoalSwarm, Australia), Christine Shearer (CoalSwarm, U.S.), Cynthia Ong (LEAP, Malaysia), Jamie Henn (350.org, U.S.), John Hepburn (Greenpeace, Australia), Joshua Frank (CoalSwarm, U.S.), Justin Guay (Sierra Club, U.S.), Kate Hoshour (International Accountability Project, U.S.), and Mark Wakeham (Environment Victoria, Australia).

In the United States and Europe, the triple whammy of recession, cheap alternatives, and aggressive anti-coal campaigning has helped halt the expansion of coal use. Since 2004, plans to build more than 150 coal plants in the U.S. have been abandoned. In fact, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), a government agency that analyzes energy-related statistics, predicts continued stagnation or decline in coal-fired electricity generation in the U.S. and the European Union over the coming decades.

(In Thailand, 10,000 people call on their government to quit coal. Photo: Athit Perawongmetha of Greenpeace.)

Facing resistance to its longstanding rule in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, King Coal has redoubled ambitions elsewhere. According to 2010 projections by the EIA, coal consumption in the non-OECD world will increase by 23 quadrillion BTUs between 2007 and 2020. That's roughly the equivalent of today's entire U.S. coal-mining and coal-power sector, or approximately a thousand coal-fired generators, each 300 megawatts (MW) in size, spewing toxic chemicals into the environments and lungs of surrounding communities, and an equal number of million-ton-per-year coal mines.

While China struggles with the enormity of the pollution burden from its world-leading annual coal consumption, it is not the only hotbed of future coal-plant construction. Activists in India, for example, report that regulators gave the green light to at least 173 coal projects during 2010 -- nearly one plant every other day. In Southeast Asia, large Chinese utilities such as China Huadian are setting up shop to finance and build a slew of new coal plants. Meanwhile, new coal mines are being proposed in Australia and Indonesia, overwhelmingly for export sales. Countries from Mozambique to Mongolia, which have had little domestic need for coal, are now being hyped as the next big players in the global coal rush. (Photo: A 2,000-MW coal plant in Madhya Pradesh, India.)

In the fertile farming areas that support large rural populations in much of Asia, the new coal boom spells civil conflict, as fields are seized, villages are ordered to pack up and leave, and communities resist. For the U.S. coal movement, the 2,500 people who turned out to protest the Capitol Power Plant was a large number. In India or Bangladesh, marches and demonstrations of more than 10,000 people are not uncommon.

Getting a Solar Education

This article originally appeared on ICLEI USA's Local Action blog.

Earlier this month the City of Texarkana in Texas unveiled its new PV installation and proposed solar curriculum. Installed by Houston-based Alternative Power Solutions, the solar project consists of 24 panels on two ground-mounted installations and produces roughly 3727 kWh of energy annually -- enough to power the park's pavilion lighting and restroom facilities.

The $16,958 project was made possible through grant funding by the United States Department of Energy, an $8,000 rebate from municipal utility provider SWEPCO, and the support of the City of Texarkana. SWEPCO provided their rebate through their SMART Source Solar Photovoltaic Program, an incentive program designed to offset the initial costs of installing PV systems in residential and commercial buildings.

The City will use the Solar Education Station as part of a solar curriculum provided by the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project for students in grades 5 through 12. The solar curriculum will be integrated into existing science, social studies, math, language arts, and technology curricula to demonstrate the benefits and realities of solar and renewable energy use and its impact in a broad spectrum of areas.

What If Everything Ran on Gas?

Here's Nissan's latest ad for the all-electric Leaf. Pretty clever. Attentive viewers will notice the subtle swipe at the Chevy's Volt (0:45 mark), which is a plug-in hybrid that requires only periodic fill-ups at the gas pump.

Of course, the caveat with electric cars is the power's source. Electric cars are great, but electricity provided by coal is pretty unhealthy, too -- a point we've documented here time and time again. Auto makers know this. It's one reason why General Motors has been pumping up the renewable-energy angle so much lately, between posting profiles of Volt drivers who use solar, to announcing intentions of building the largest solar array in Southwest Michigan for the purpose of charging newly assembled Volts.

Visit the Sierra Club's Go Electric campaign to learn more.

Update: Plug-In America's site reacts to the ad by alluding to the similarities with its PSA series from last year -- which contains a gas-powered cell phone. Watch it here. (Plug-In America's PSA is a parody of Apple's old Mac vs. PC ad campaign.)

-- Brian Foley

Green Products Are Alive and Well

A recent New York Times article declared that the bevy of green consumer products introduced over the past five years is going the way of the buffalo and Circuit City, i.e. headed for extinction. It should be noted that normally, I consider the New York Times to be the best journalism around (along with ProPublica) so much so that I am happy to pay over three dollars a week to read it via iPhone.

Not surprisingly, this got a number of folks from the green movement -- including yours truly -- up in arms. Not only do I strongly disagree, but, to borrow not quite literally from Mark Twain, reports of the premature demise of green products have been greatly exaggerated.

In the story, the dramatic rise then decrease in sales of Clorox Green Works is cited as the most overwhelming proof of the Times' assertion. It is true that GreenWorks home products took off like a Roman candle when initially launched in 2008, and sales were down nearly 40 percent from that peak as of last year. (I should note here that Green Works has an endorsement from Sierra Club). Being very close to this subject at Sierra Club Green Home, I can tell you that indeed, consumers are spending less on elective premium priced green products as a result of the recession. If a green product does not offer marginal utility vs. a non-green competitive product that sells for less, odds are it will be second choice for a general public that is struggling with $4 gasoline and skyrocketing grocery prices.

Residents Flood This Week's EPA Mercury Hearings

People rally at the Philadelphia EPA hearing. Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Americans made their voices heard this week, turning out in huge crowds at three public hearings to demand Environmental Protection Agency safeguards from coal pollution.

In Philadelphia and Chicago on Tuesday, and Atlanta on Thursday, hundreds of people from all backgrounds showed up to speak at EPA's public hearings on its proposed mercury and air toxics safeguards. Mercury - which comes mostly from coal-fired power plants - can cause serious neurological and developmental problems in children, babies, and developing fetuses.

In all three cities, EPA saw and heard from moms pushing strollers, doctors, nurses, people of faith, anglers, and more. Busloads of people from neighboring cities and states came to support EPA's proposed safeguards, asking the agency to help protect public health with strong standards.

"As a mother, I am worried about the constant threat my children face from the pollution that coal-fired power plants put in our air and water," said Gretchen Alfonso, a Philadelphia mother two who testified on Tuesday.

"It makes me angry that, despite my best efforts at living a healthy lifestyle, my body and my children's growing bodies are being invaded by toxins from all angles."

In Pennsylvania, coal-fired power plants emit more than 15,500 pounds of toxic mercury every year. Even industry officials showed up to support the safeguards:

Bruce Alexander, environmental regulatory strategy director with Exelon Corp...called the proposed rule..."balanced, reasonable and long overdue."

"Some claim that the power industry is monolithic and that we all that that EPA has run amok," he said. "That is simply not true."

At the Chicago hearing over hours and hours of testimony from hundreds of people, EPA only heard two objections to the safeguards. Sierra Club organizer Becki Clayborn said the hearing room was packed all day thanks to the coalition making sure residents knew about the hearing, showed up, and got a chance to speak.

"People really enjoyed our baby buggy brigade - it was a march on a nearby corner for moms and kids supporting EPA's actions," said Clayborn.

The scene in Atlanta Thursday was very similar. Residents from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida and Kentucky traveled to Atlanta to demonstrate that there was clear public consensus for a strong safeguard against toxic air pollution. Of the more than 100 people who testified throughout the 11-hour day, the overwhelming majority asked the EPA to protect their health, and the health of future generations from pollution emitted by coal-fired power plants.

"It was inspiring to see people come from so far away," said Lev Guter, an organizer with the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign in Arkansas.

"The damage pollution like toxic mercury does to our health is without a doubt a major concern for many Americans."
  At noon, the crowd of activists marched down Forsyth Street to Vintage Barber Shop, where the Sierra Club and Environment Georgia hosted a press conference and mercury hair testing event. While Sierra Club President Robin Mann, Environment Georgia's Jennette Geyer and Atlanta pediatrician Dr. Yolanda Whyte spoke about the dangers of mercury, the nearly 100 local residents and visiting EPA witnesses got small snippets of hair taken so the hair could be tested for mercury content.  


"I think that the impressive turnout at this hearing and at the hearings around the country sends a clear message to the EPA, as well as the coal industry," said Erin Glynn, a Beyond Coal organizer working in Georgia.  "We don't want to subsidize coal company executive's bonuses by sacrificing our health.  In order to protect public health, EPA must finalize the mercury standard it has proposed."

Have you sent in your comment supporting EPA's mercury safeguards? Do it now!

-- Mary Anne Hitt, Director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign

Calling for Clean, Affordable Transportation Options

Yesterday members of the Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy delivered a petition signed by 66,786 people calling on Congress and the Administration to develop a transportation system for the 21st century that ends our dependence on oil, cuts pollution and provides clean, efficient and affordable transportation options.

The petition went to Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Chairman John Mica (R-FL) of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and President Obama to demonstrate that there is a growing chorus of Americans calling for more balanced transportation options - including transit, rail, biking and walking – to meet the needs of today’s communities.

The petition stated:
America needs a transportation system that ends our dependence on oil, cuts pollution, and provides clean, efficient, and affordable transportation options while putting the country back to work.

Yesterday Senators Barbara Boxer, James Inhofe, David Vitter and Max Baucus also released a joint statement outlining principles for Senate legislation on surface transportation. Americans are asking them to make smart transportation choices that will make a difference.

"With Americans suffering at the pump and one year removed from the worst oil spill disaster in our nation's history, it is time for Congress and the President to write a transportation bill that invests in smart transit options that break our dependence on oil," said Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club.

What Americans want from these investments are roads that are in good repair and safe for all users, opportunities to access efficient public transportation and trains, and safe, convenient routes for bicycling and walking.

You can take action now demanding the same.

Join the Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign to get involved in making sure our country invests in better transportation choices.

One Small Thing: Drive the Speed Limit

The amount of atmospheric carbon has skyrocketed. And world leaders are balking at doing anything about it. What can one person do? Not much -- unless a lot of people take part.

That's why once a week until Earth Day 2012, we'll post one small thing you can do to lessen your carbon footprint. Indicate that you're on board by liking and sharing the small thing. The goal is to get enough people participating that one small thing will turn into be a very big deal. Check out the previous small things here. This week's thing is:

#6. Speed Limit.

You can reduce your oil dependence by slowing yourself. Your fuel economy drastically declines the faster your drive above 60 mph. Excessive speed "can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town." Take the challenge of driving slower and share with us whether you notice any difference with the gas-tank needle.

This Week's Blogosphere Soup

A quick review of this past week's happenings in the blog world

The proposed Keystone XL Pipeline that would pump dirty tar sands oil from Canada through the Midwest was a big focus this week. For an update on the politics behind this asinine idea, click here. And check out Carl Pope's commentary:

This country has no shortage of controversial energy projects but the Keystone XL Scamline is in a class by itself. It has been and continues to be sold as a project that will increase supplies of Canadian tar sands oil in the United States. In fact, it is designed to reduce supplies of tar sands oil to Midwest customers. That's because the Koch Brothers and others who profit from tar sands oil are tired of the fact that gasoline in Missouri costs only $3.67 a gallon, while it is $4.07 in New York and $4.09 in California.

House Democrats are trying to figure out what's going on here. But the Koch Machine is on all cylinders:

Rep. Henry Waxman's attempts to find out if a proposed controversial Canada-to-U.S. Gulf Coast oil sands pipeline will benefit Koch Industries appears to have hit a dead end. At least for the time being. Representatives for billionaire brothers and oil magnates Charles and David Koch — major donors to GOP elections and influential conservative organizations — are evidently stonewalling the California Democrat about their possible financial interest in seeing the permit approved for TransCanada's proposed $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline.

Tell the Koch Brothers to get the Koch out of your gear -- your beloved camping, hiking, and biking gear.

Also floating in the blogosphere this week:

-- Solar is losing money in Michigan because of a "schizophrenic" property tax.

-- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is pulling the state out of a regional cap-and-trade program.

-- California considers banning harmful chemicals embedded in baby toys.

-- African land grabs and water conflicts.

-- Was Bob Marley's cancer preventable?

-- And lastly, we all survived last weekend's scheduled Judgment Day. Now the new day of annihilation is set for October 21. Mark your calendars.

-- Brian Foley

Bike Art Abcyclopedia: Helmets

-- Adrian Cotter