The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal: 11/01/2003

Sunday, November 30, 2003

Heaven's Bells:

If our picture is our world,
Does the sum of our minds' eyes weigh on the scales of fate,
Does the sound of tears and wailing ring true in your heart,
Or is it the sound of laughter,
Maybe still the sound of the small sigh you can not hold in,
When one you love reaches your arms?

Can you see whales and hear their song,
Trying to understand what is said in the eons,
Beneath rolling waves of grey white blue,
Will you remember the connection,
That souls of different shapes must share,
When the Bells of Heaven ring,
Is it above the sky or beneath the sea?

When angels stand before you,
Will you picture cold lonely places,
The thousand thousand sad poems that seem to reach you,
Or the one kind word that seems so small and foolish,
Until you look it in the eye and it calls your name,
What responsibility do you bear,
For the things your imagination chooses to see?

When you are the Albatross floating in the sky of dreams,
Do you float over beaches filled with visions of Normandy,
Or lovers lost between sand and blue and palm fronds,
Cold ice at the top of the world,
Or silent dead boiling seas.

Skies of black or blue,
Warm hand or cold point of spear,
Shackles or joyous choices,
Raucous creatures or barren sands,
Red of Mars and Venus,
Or Earth so blue and green,
Guard your visions well.

They are the key to Heaven's Bells.

AquarianM

By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 11/30/2003

Author's Comments:
How we collectively see the world has great weight
upon how the world is in our lives. Think upon that deeply.[/b]
_________________
Words are the mind's bridge - it's connection to the Universe. Love is the heart's bridge - it's connection to all other souls. Loving words can work miracles.

Saturday, November 29, 2003

All eyes on Russia as U.N. climate talks begin
U.N. climate talks get under way Monday amid evidence global warming may be accelerating and concern Russia could scuttle a key pact aimed at tackling the problem.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-28/s_10857.asp

Round-the-world balloonist looks to solar power for next challenge
Bertrand Piccard, pilot of the first balloon to fly nonstop around the world, announced Friday that he has a new goal: to complete the same exploit in a solar-powered plane.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-28/s_10851.asp

Friday, November 28, 2003

"Earth's Future Climate" by H Willis - Free E-book.

This book is for the person who wants to understand the complex issues surrounding global climate change, but who does not have an academic background to aid in that understanding. I wanted to level the playing field and provide a discussion on this subject that is not filled with scientific terminology that tends to be incomprehensible to the average person. To assist in that endeavor, there is an extensive glossary of terms. Further, much of the bibliography contains references to Internet websites. This will permit people without access to a university library to see what I saw when I conducted my research.

The other purpose of this book is to help people see through so much of the “hype” and personal agendas that currently surround any discussion of global climate change. I have tried to present a balanced discussion for both sides of the issue so the reader will have tools at his or her disposal to know what is true and what is not.

Henry Willis

(Available for free at: http://ww2.green-trust.org:8484/)

Thursday, November 27, 2003

National Audubon Society:
AUDUBON APPLAUDS BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO PROTECT AMERICA'S WATER

Project NatureConnect, Institute of Global Education:
New Environmental Education Book Enables People to Think in Balance with Natural Systems

U.S. products to carry new "made with renewable energy" logo
At the recent 8th National Green Power Marketing Conference, the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions introduced an initiative to place the Green-e logo on packages of consumer products manufactured by companies purchasing certified renewable energy.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-27/s_10599.asp

Wednesday, November 26, 2003

Global warming's sooty smokescreen revealed

Smoke is clouding our view of global warming, protecting the planet from perhaps three-quarters of the greenhouse effect. That might sound like good news, but experts say that as the cover diminishes in coming decades, we are in for a dramatic escalation of warming that could be two or even three times as great as official best guesses. http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/climate/climate.jsp?id=ns99993798

Great Lakes Daily News: 26 November 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium

Note: Daily News will not be published Nov. 27-28. Happy Thanksgiving!

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Millions could be spent to correct contaminated groundwater
----------------------------------------
The quest to replace a dwindling supply of contaminant-plagued groundwater
has been a costly and time-consuming concern for eight Green Bay, Wis.,
suburbs, but those municipalities aren't alone. Source: Green Bay
Press-Gazette (11/26)

$10M swath intended to cut off ash borer advance
----------------------------------------
Forestry officials desperately hope a $10-million project to raze as many as
70,000 ash trees in Chatham-Kent will stop the emerald ash borer's deadly
advance to London and the rest of Ontario. Source: The London Free Press
(11/26)

Judge halts water bottling operation
----------------------------------------
A Michigan judge on Tuesday ordered the company that produces Ice Mountain
bottled water to stop drawing water from a shallow aquifer in Michigan's
Mecosta County, saying the operation could damage the environment in
neighboring lakes, streams and wetlands. Source: The Holland Sentinel
(11/26)

EDITORIAL: Take action promptly to OK study of Lorain sewage plant move
----------------------------------------
For the city of Lorain, Ohio, hopes for a better future are riding on wise
development of its Lake Erie shoreline. Moving its sewage plant may be the
first step in a long line of improvements. Source: The Lorain Morning
Journal (11/26)

COMMENTARY: Preserve area's forests with wise management
----------------------------------------
An update on forest health conditions in the Great Lakes states is
especially important to ensure citizens are aware of the challenges facing
our national forests in the East. Source: Duluth News Tribune (11/25)

Canadian planners see gold in brownfields
----------------------------------------
Abandoned, derelict and badly contaminated industrial sites known as
brownfields -- there are an estimated 30,000 of them across Canada -- are
beginning to appeal to the pluckiest of developers and municipalities.
Source: The Globe and Mail (11/25)

Finned invader hits Lake Ontario
----------------------------------------
Biologists have discovered a grass carp, a dangerous invasive fish
originally from Eastern Asia, living in Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Don
River in Toronto. Source: The Globe and Mail (11/24)

Hydroelectricity viewed as boon for city's economy
----------------------------------------
Suffering from a budget shortfall, city leaders say hydroelectricity from
the Great Lakes could help boost Buffalo's economy in the future. Source:
The Buffalo News (11/24)

'Schooner' carries cargo of holiday spirit, legend
----------------------------------------
Milwaukee's Skylight Opera Theatre will sail into the holiday season with a
musical that combines the spirit of Christmas with local Great Lakes legend.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (11/23)

EDITORIAL: Aid for the lakes
----------------------------------------
Congressional legislation that would bring $6 billion to restore the Great
Lakes deserves widespread support. Source: The Toledo Blade (11/22)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html

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Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
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GreenBiz and BSR Launch New Online Business Resource on Climate Management
Two leading organizations have launched ClimateBiz.com, a free Web site to help companies address climate change in a way that aligns environmental responsibility with business success.
http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release-m.asp?objid=||D1D1366D000000F8FA167957597A4168

Energy Efficient Holiday Lighting Now Available
Two energy efficient options now offer consumers better ways to decorate their homes and businesses.
http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release-m.asp?objid=||D1D1366D000000F9150F9C60D3CCE1B5

Gray squirrels' faulty memories help forests, says study
CHICAGO — Gray squirrels' faulty memories turn out to be good for forests, but the nut-hoarding habits of their red cousins are not, U.S. scientists said Tuesday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-26/s_10791.asp

Judge orders halt to Ice Mountain bottling operation in Michigan
A judge ordered the company that produces Ice Mountain bottled water to stop drawing water from wells in a Michigan county on Tuesday, saying the operation has damaged the environment.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-26/s_10793.asp

House members urge Bush to retain Clean Water Act protections
Half the 435-member House, including 26 Republicans, wrote President Bush on Tuesday urging him to scrap his administration's efforts to change Clean Water Act regulations that could reduce the scope of waterways protected nationwide.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-26/s_10794.asp

Industry needs a push to build better cars
It's that time of year. Late fall means a crisp chill in the air, frost on the ground — and automakers rolling out their latest, largest creations.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-26/s_10788.asp

Tuesday, November 25, 2003

Great Lakes Daily News: 24 November 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Fish diet down in Diporeia die-off
----------------------------------------
One of the basic building blocks of the Great Lakes food chain, tiny
crustaceans known as Diporeia, is disappearing. Source: Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (11/24)

EPA to relax sewage treatment rules?
----------------------------------------
Conservation groups are criticizing a move by the Environmental Protection
Agency to relax sewage discharge rules. Source: Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (11/24)

Lake effect snow tied to global warming?
----------------------------------------
A recent study shows a possible link between global warming and lake effect
snow in the Great Lakes region. Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium
(11/24)

Active campaign keeps invading species out
----------------------------------------
Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources fights an uphill battle to
prevent non-native plants and animals from gaining a foothold. Source:
Duluth News Tribune (11/24)

E. coli levels dangerously high near water source for London, Ont.
----------------------------------------
Dangerously high E. coli levels surrounding a main London drinking water
source should not be ignored, a London water quality official says. Source:
The London Free Press (11/24)

Michigan fails to preserve wetlands
----------------------------------------
Michigan has lost hundreds of wetlands to development, land that is vital to
everything from providing homes for animals to preventing pesticides from
seeping into the groundwater. Source: The Detroit News (11/23)

Water pressures divide a Great Lake state
----------------------------------------
The invisible line that wraps around the Great Lakes, defining the watershed
known as the Great Lakes Basin, determines who is entitled to drinking water
from the Great Lakes. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (11/23)

Carps' damage could be huge
----------------------------------------
If silver and bighead carp get into Minnesota, they could have a profound
impact on the region's fishing and recreational industries. Source: Duluth
News Tribune (11/23)

Cross-lake ferry is nearly half built
----------------------------------------
Ship construction of the Muskegon-Milwaukee ferry is on schedule, Austal
officials said, and work is about halfway done. Source: Muskegon Chronicle
(11/23)

Weighing unsavory options to clean water supply
----------------------------------------
Beginning next month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency intends to
rigorously enforce the levels of radium in the public water supply. Source:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (11/22)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html

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Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
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Great Lakes Daily News: 25 November 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

FirstEnergy says Davis-Besse ready
----------------------------------------
FirstEnergy Corp. told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that its
Davis-Besse nuclear power plant is ready to restart, even as a grand jury is
investigating the company for possible wrongdoing in regard to the plant.
Source: Akron Beacon-Journal (11/25)

Ship fest turns out a wreck for Toledo
----------------------------------------
Toledo's tall ships festival is a tale of confusion, missing money, too much
security and too few festival goers, according to a newly released special
audit. But other lakefront cities that welcomed tall ships last summer are
hailing the events as a success. Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer (11/25)

Official: Restoration a tough sell
----------------------------------------
Explaining the benefits from a proposed $6 billion in federal funding for
water restoration programs in the Great Lakes region to Ohio farmers will be
a big task, an official with the Ottawa River Coalition says. Source:
Wapakoneta Daily News (11/25)

Smart growth gathering applauds W. Lafayette
----------------------------------------
West Lafayette and Tippecanoe County were among the Indiana communities
recognized as models for smart growth during the Indiana Land Use
Consortium's sixth annual conference last week. Source: The Star Press
(11/25)

Only one of six proposed plants is nearing completion
----------------------------------------
Only one of six natural gas power plants proposed for southwest Michigan has
been built, and four of those could be scrapped unless there is a market for
their electricty. Source: The St. Joseph-Benton Harbor Herald-Palladium
(11/25)

Taconite plant offer goes before judge today
----------------------------------------
Creditors have approved a cash offer for bankrupt EVTAC Mining Co., a deal
that could put more than 300 employees back to work producing taconite
pellets by Christmas. Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune (11/25)

EPA water office chief resigns
----------------------------------------
In an announcement that surprised environmental groups and U.S. EPA staff,
G. Tracy Mehan, the agency's top water official, said that he would resign
effective Dec. 29. Source: Engineering News-Record (11/24)

Ferry has high-tech gear for emergencies
----------------------------------------
Crossing Lake Michigan at 35 mph in six-foot seas sounds as gut-wrenching as
an amusement park thrill ride. But the owners of Lake Express high-speed
ferry service are promising a safe and comfortable ride in all kinds of
weather and sea conditions. Source: The Muskegon Chronicle (11/23)

Species survivors
----------------------------------------
Minnesota is working to keep out invasive plants and animals, but the global
economy means the 100-year-old battle will never end. Source: St. Paul
Pioneer Press (11/23)

Debate over lake trout crash lives on
----------------------------------------
Though a recently published study suggests that dioxin contamination was
reponsible for the decline of lake trout populations in the 1950s, many
remain skeptical about applying the study's findings beyond Lake Ontario.
Source: Wausau Daily Herald (11/23)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html

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Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
www.glin.net/forms/dailynews_form.html or send an e-mail message to
majordomo@great-lakes.net with the command 'subscribe dailynews' (minus
the quotes) in the body of the message.
TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send a message to majordomo@great-lakes.net with the
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SMALL WIND E-NEWSLETTER

December 2003
Issue No. 7, November 25, 2003

Editor: Larry Sherwood, Interstate Renewable Energy Council

The current Small Wind Newsletter is also available on the web at http://www.irecusa.org/smallwindenergy/e-newsletter.html. If you have trouble with the links in this e-mail message, try the web version of the newsletter.

Article summaries follow the Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NEWS
(1) FERC Denies Iowa Co-op Waiver – Orders Net Metering
(2) Illinois Wind Grants and Rebates
(3) Small Wind Installer Task Analysis Proposed
(4) Wisconsin Site Assessment Program
(5) Wisconsin Site Auditor Certification
(6) Public Renewables Partnership
(7) Upcoming Small Wind Events

INTERCONNECTION AND NET METERING
(8) Jacksonville (FL) Utility Offers Net Metering for Wind

INCENTIVES
(9) New Vermont Incentive

RESOURCES
(10) School Wind Energy Project Ideas
(11) Acoustic Tests of Small Wind Turbines

LINKS TO SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS
(12) Detroit News
(13) Enterprise (Brockton, MA)
(14) KXMC-TV (Minot, ND)
(15) Harwich (MA) Oracle
(16) South Bend Tribune

ABOUT THE SMALL WIND NEWSLETTER
Includes information on how to subscribe and unsubscribe.

NEWS

(1) FERC Denies Iowa Co-op Waiver – Orders Net Metering
In two strongly worded decisions, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) denied a request of an Iowa G&T cooperative to have a waiver of PURPA requirements and ordered the subsidiary distribution cooperative (Midland Electric) to offer net metering to a customer with a small wind generator. Full article.

(2) Illinois Wind Grants and Rebates
Illinois has both a grant and a rebate program for wind projects. Grant proposals are due December 22, 2003 and the wind rebate program will start around January 2004. Full article.

(3) Small Wind Installer Task Analysis Proposed
Renewable Energy Vermont (REV) proposes to facilitate the development of a Task Analysis for practitioners who specify, install and maintain small wind (i.e., 100 kW or less) power generation systems and equipment nation-wide. REV will partner with the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners to coordinate the development of the Small Wind Task Analysis. Full article.

(4) Wisconsin Wind Site Assessment Program
Small businesses and homeowners in Wisconsin have an innovative program to help them determine if wind power can meet their energy needs. The Wisconsin Wind Site Assessment Program provides low cost wind system consulting and site assessments for people who purchase their electricity from utilities who are participating the Focus on Energy program. Full article.

(5) Wisconsin Site Auditor Certification
Wisconsin certifies wind site assessors through a program administered by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. Full article.

(6) Public Renewables Partnership
The Public Renewables Partnership is an initiative to enable public organizations, co-operatives, and Tribal utility authorities to effectively integrate renewable energy into their power portfolios and business strategies. PRP's primary objective is to better inform utility decision makers about renewable energy technology options and potentials. Small wind is one of the renewable energy technologies that PRP promotes. Full article.

(7) Upcoming Small Wind Events
Listing of upcoming small wind events.

INTERCONNECTION AND NET METERING

Headlines from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s Connecting to the Grid web site.

(8) Jacksonville (FL) Utility Offers Net Metering for Wind
JEA (Jacksonville, FL) offers net metering for residential PV and wind generation systems up to 10 kW. JEA will install a meter that runs backward when a customer's system generates more electricity than the customer uses. Customers receive credit at the full retail rate for electricity generated by eligible systems. If a system generates more electricity than its owner consumes during a billing cycle, the customer pays only the basic charge for service, and the excess credit is carried forward to the following billing cycle. Full article.

INCENTIVES

New Incentives reported by DSIRE. The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy. To access state-by-state incentives and policies that promote wind energy technologies, click here and select "wind" from the drop-down menu.

(9) New Vermont Incentive
Launched on October 24, 2003, Vermont incentives are now available for qualifying solar electric, solar hot water, and small wind systems. Solar electric system and wind incentives for systems installed by a Vermont Solar and Wind Partner are $2.50/W up to 40% of total installed cost, not to exceed $12,500. For other installers, the incentive is set at $1.50/W up to 40% of the total installed system costs, with a maximum amount of $7,500. The program is expected to support the installation of approximately 120 to 150 new renewable energy systems in the state within a 12- to 24-month period. Full article.

RESOURCES

Click here for archived articles and links to Small Wind Resources.

(10) School Wind Energy Project Ideas for Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) Settlements
This two-page fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Energy provides a list of 10 school wind project ideas for Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) settlements. Some of the ideas on the list are appropriate for small wind systems. Full article.

(11) Acoustic Tests of Small Wind Turbines
Eight small wind turbines ranging from 400 watts to 100 kW in rated power were tested for acoustic emissions at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Rigorous test procedures based on international standards were followed for measurements and data analyses. Full article.

LINKS TO SMALL WIND IN THE NEWS

(12) Detroit News, November 20, 2003, Wind energy firm signs its first state customers. Full article.

(13) Enterprise (Brockton, MA), November 20, 2003. Turbine at new W-H approved. Full article.

(14) KXMC-TV (Minot, ND), October 25, 2003, Wind turbine planned. Full article.

(15) Harwich (MA) Oracle, November 18, 2003, Town officials weigh wind power’s possibilities. Full article.

(16) South Bend Tribune, November 18, 2003, It’s written on the wind. Full article.

ABOUT THE SMALL WIND NEWSLETTER

The Small Wind Newsletter is published electronically every month by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. The Small Wind Web Site contains news, resources, and links.

To subscribe, go to http://www.irecusa.org/smallwindenergy/newslettersub.html, fill in the subscription form, and then click on subscribe. There is no fee for subscriptions.

If you have comments or news items, please send them to Larry Sherwood.

Senate gives up on energy legislation for this year
The Senate dropped efforts Monday to pass energy legislation this year after repeated attempts failed to find the two additional votes needed to push the bill through Congress.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-25/s_10746.asp

Global warming could cause trouble in California in 20 years and other stories
California could be feeling the heat within 20 years, many scientists report through many publications. Global warming would primarily affect California through fire and water.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-25/s_10408.asp

Friday, November 21, 2003

Iceland Hydrogen replacing fossil fuels

Iceland intends to become the world's first hydrogen-based society, becoming fossil fuel free between 2030 and 2050.

"Black" vs. "Green" Hydrogen
Eight of the nation's leading environmental, consumer and public policy organizations have joined together in the Green Hydrogen Coalition to prioritize renewable sources of energy and to challenge the U.S. launch of a "black" hydrogen agenda calling for massive subsidies to the coal and nuclear industries to extract hydrogen. Read a statement of the coalition here.

Another environmental group joins the Green Hydrogen Coalition to support legislative policy that promotes a hydrogen economy based on clean renewable power sources instead of polluting fossil fuel and nuclear technologies. Very appropriately, they are called GRACE (Global Resource Action Center for the Environment)

Thursday, November 20, 2003

Trucking fleets, school districts and diesel vehicle owners in the metro Denver area now have a convenient local source of biodiesel, a renewable vegetable oil-based fuel that could produce significant new revenues for regional farmers. Blue Sun Biodiesel and Shoco Oil, Inc., held the grand opening of Denver’s first retail biodiesel fueling station on Friday, November 14 at Shoco Oil, 5135 E. 74th Avenue in Commerce City.

Click here for NBB news release

Great Lakes Daily News: 17 November 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Prairie plants rescued in farm's twilight
----------------------------------------
Only a tiny fraction of the original native grasslands of the Midwest
remain. But in recent years, there's been renewed interest in restoring the
old prairies and creating new ones. Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium
(11/17)

Debate over Superfund's future
----------------------------------------
For the first time in the Midwest, an old Superfund site has been declared
ready for reuse. But funding questions continue to cloud the future of the
toxic waste clean-up program. Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium (11/17)

Ann Arbor battles sprawl with greenbelt
----------------------------------------
Environmentalists scored a huge victory at the polls earlier this month,
when Ann Arbor, Mich., and its surrounding townships agreed to a tax to
preserve a belt of green space. Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium (11/17)

EDITORIAL: Play by the rules and end steel tariffs
----------------------------------------
Tariffs gave U.S. steel manufacturers a reprieve, but it's time to respect
global trade rules. Source: The Indianapolis Star (11/17)

Lamprey, fishermen not off hook yet
----------------------------------------
Whether the results of a study indicating that lake trout succumbed to toxic
chemicals in Lake Ontario can be applied to the other Great Lakes -
especially Lake Michigan - remains questionable. Source: Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (11/17)

Plaintiffs win a round in shoreline erosion legal battle
----------------------------------------
After years of watching Lake Michigan gobble up their shoreline property,
some Berrien County residents are moving closer to collecting damages from
the federal government for their losses. Source: The St. Joseph-Benton
Harbor Herald-Palladium (11/17)

Village pushes for new wetlands fill
----------------------------------------
Another controversial wetlands fill is being proposed a few hundred yards
from Lake Michigan - this time by Elk Rapids, Mich., officials. Source:
Traverse City Record-Eagle (11/16)

Gales, storm warnings led to chaos as ships sought shelter
----------------------------------------
Things are getting back to normal on the Great Lakes after last week's big
blow scrambled schedules and sent almost the entire Great Lakes fleet to
dock or anchor. Source: The Holland Sentinel (11/16)

Taft to pursue $6B for Great Lakes plan
----------------------------------------
Ohio Gov. Bob Taft is urging President Bush to help win congressional
support for a pair of bills that would provide the Great Lakes region with
an unprecedented $6 billion for water restoration programs. Source: The
Toledo Blade (11/15)

McGuinty takes steps to protect province's water
----------------------------------------
To help avoid a repeat of the Walkerton tragedy, Ontario's new environment
minister is setting up two key committees that will help the province
protect its sources of drinking water. Source: The Toronto Star (11/14)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html

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Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
www.glin.net/forms/dailynews_form.html or send an e-mail message to
majordomo@great-lakes.net with the command 'subscribe dailynews' (minus
the quotes) in the body of the message.
TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send a message to majordomo@great-lakes.net with the
command 'unsubscribe dailynews' in the body of the message.
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American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy:
Conference Energy Bill: The Glass Is Not Even A Quarter Full

Global Resource Action Center for the Environment:
GRACE JOINS NEW GREEN HYDROGEN COALITION TO CHALLENGE PRESIDENT BUSH'S LAUNCH OF IPHE

Sustainable Forestry and Certification Watch:
Exploring the Frontiers of Forest Certification

Natural Resources Defense Council:
America's Future Under the Energy Bill: More Polluted, Less Secure, says NRDC

Germany's retreat from nuclear energy beginsGermany switched off the first of its 19 nuclear power stations recently, launching what it calls the world's fastest withdrawal from atomic energy — but it's a policy that may still be reversed if the opposition takes power.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-18/s_10497.asp

EPA to propose easing rules for radioactive waste
President George W. Bush's administration is considering allowing low-level radioactive waste to be dumped at toxic waste sites and other facilities that currently aren't permitted to receive it.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-18/s_10499.asp

14 state attorneys general ask courts to block EPA rule change
More than a dozen state attorneys general sought to block the federal government Monday from implementing a rule change they argued would lead to more air pollution from the nation's power plants.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-18/s_10498.asp

Great Lakes Daily News: 18 November 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Coal-plant proposal faces new challenge
----------------------------------------
A group of environmentalists filed an appeal Monday to try to reverse the
permit issued for a coal-fired power plant in Elwood, Ill., arguing that the
state did not call for adequate pollution control measures. Source: Chicago
Tribune (11/18)

Smallmouth bass swimming ahead
----------------------------------------
The Ohio state legislature seems ready to replace the walleye with the
smallmouth bass as the official state fish, after years of throwing such
bills back in the lake. Source: The Morning Journal (11/18)

14 states file suit in attempt to block E.P.A. rules
----------------------------------------
New York, Illinois and Wisconsin were among 14 states that filed papers in
federal court Monday in an effort to stop the Environmental Protection
Agency from introducing a new rule that the states say will seriously weaken
the provisions of the Clean Air Act. Source: The New York Times (11/17)

Historic lighthouse lives on
----------------------------------------
The Selkirk lighthouse on Lake Ontario is not very well known as a vacation
spot. But some people find that once they visit they keep coming back.
Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium (11/17)

Michigan attempts to control urban sprawl
----------------------------------------
Land-use decisions have traditionally been local, but the state of Michigan
is planning to play a bigger role in an effort to concentrate development in
urban areas and stem sprawl. Source: The Jackson Citizen Patriot (11/16)

Mapping the way for ships
----------------------------------------
The Saginaw River shipping channel is filling in with silt, but preparations
are underway for a long-awaited dredging of the channel, which hasn't been
maintained to its authorized depth for 20 years. Source: The Bay City Times
(11/16)

'Ontario's West Coast' permanently polluted
----------------------------------------
Health officials have declared a string of Lake Huron beaches permanently
unsafe because of E. coli bacteria, making this the first new pollution "hot
spot" on Canada's side of the Great Lakes in nearly 20 years. Source: The
Ottawa Citizen (11/15)

As `public good' changes meaning, eminent domain battles heat up
----------------------------------------
Homeowners in a graying, blue-collar suburb that hugs Lake Erie on the west
end of Cleveland are fighting a proposal that would use the government's
power of eminent domain to obtain their property for private development.
Source: The Macon Telegraph (11/14)

Lake levels vary over the years
----------------------------------------
Lake Michigan water levels have falled by more than four feet since 1997,
their fastest drop on record, and could approach an all-time low this
winter. Source: WDNU-TV (11/14)

Lake trout limits may be adjusted
----------------------------------------
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources may relax lake trout
regulations for Munising Bay early next year, once sportfishing catch quotas
can be determined from computer models. Source: The Munising Mining Journal
(11/13)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html

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Global Resource Action Center for the Environment:
Proposed Energy Bill Favors Oil, Coal, and Nuclear Industries With Little Regard for Consumers and the Environment

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution:
New Theory on Seafloor Formation

Business, labor, NGOs, and government find common ground to promote corporate social responsibility
Americans remain deeply divided over globalization and, in particular, the roles and responsibilities of multinational corporations. Rarely can representatives of the business, NGO, labor communities, and government officials find common ground on even some of these issues.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-19/s_10321.asp

U.S. House passes energy bill with tax breaks
The U.S. House approved a broad energy bill Tuesday with $23.5 billion in tax breaks, despite complaints from Democrats that it would protect petrochemical companies from being sued for contaminating water in thousands of cities.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-19/s_10542.asp

South America's wild Patagonian glaciers are melting faster than in previous years, say scientists
When Borge Ousland and Thomas Ulrich trekked across the vast and wild Patagonian glaciers, they braved heavy snows and bitterly cold temperatures ? nothing to make them think the ice was melting beneath their feet.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-19/s_10511.asp

Great Lakes Daily News: 19 November 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Chemical spill reveals need for Lake St. Clair monitoring
----------------------------------------
Members of the Macomb/St. Clair Inter-County Watershed Management Advisory
Group want to take the lead in monitoring what goes into area waterways.
Source: The Macomb Daily (11/19)

Blackout report expected to blame Ohio utility
----------------------------------------
A report to be released Wednesday by a joint U.S.-Canadian task force names
an Ohio-based utility, FirstEnergy, as the chief culprit in North America's
worst blackout. Source: CBC News (11/19)

Volunteers to guard canal waters
----------------------------------------
Volunteers concerned about Brockport Creek have formed Erie Canalkeeper, the
109th alliance member of the national Waterkeeper Alliance, and the first on
the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
(11/19)

Sturgeon Bay considers possible uses for Canal Property
----------------------------------------
Sturgeon Bay, Wis., officials want to take another look at possible uses for
a unique wetland on Lake Michigan known as the Canal Property before moving
ahead with plans to preserve it. Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette (11/19)

East Tawas to explore cruise ship potential
----------------------------------------
Local officials have approved a grant application for a $53,000 study to
determine the feasibility of bringing cruise ships into Tawas Bay on Lake
Huron. Source: Iosco County News-Herald (11/18)

New York Sea Grant trolls for new anglers
----------------------------------------
New York Sea Grant has released "Sportfishing: A Study of Gender and Life
Stage Along New York's Eastern Lake Ontario Coast" and "Strategies for
Increasing Sportfishing Participation in New York's Great Lakes Region."
Source: The Syracuse Post-Standard (11/18)

Farmland and septic tanks undoing decades of Great Lakes cleanup
----------------------------------------
When politicians banned phosphates in detergents back in the 1970s, they
thought they had solved the big water pollution issue of the day -- but they
didn't fix the other source of chemicals that can spoil water quality: the
runoff from farmland and septic tanks. Source: The Ottawa Citizen (11/16)

Regional planning is key, sprawl expert says
----------------------------------------
Alleviating the ills of urban sprawl in metro Detroit will mean doing
regional planning - despite political turf battles - bringing jobs and homes
closer together, and investing in public transportation. Source: The Oakland
Press (11/6)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html

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Growing population drives the need for change
In the next 50 years, 2.6 billion more souls will be added to our little club called humanity. That's more people than were alive on the entire planet in 1950, and it will bring our population to nearly 9 billion. No doubt such an increase will put tremendous strain on our already-taxed natural resources, but what the future will look like still depends on choices we make today.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-11-20/s_10598.asp

Great Lakes Daily News: 20 November 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Two projects expected to enhance Belle Isle
----------------------------------------
Two projects that are expected to enhance the natural habitat at Belle Isle
will be announced by Recreation Department officials today. Source: Detroit
News (11/20)

Analysis due on low water levels
----------------------------------------
The United States Geologic Survey is scheduled to release as early as
tomorrow a detailed analysis of why Monroe County's groundwater levels have
been dropping over the last several years. Source: The Toledo Blade (11/20)

Upton seeks leniency on air standards
----------------------------------------
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton believes he has a solution to the problem of air
pollution that originates across Lake Michigan and winds up in southwest
Michigan. Source: South Bend Tribune (11/20)

New state park eyed
----------------------------------------
The largest undeveloped and unprotected tract of land remaining along
Pennsylvania's Lake Erie shoreline might become the first new state park
since 1975. Source: Erie Times-News (11/20)

Ohio company at heart of blackout
----------------------------------------
A Homer Simpson-like chain of errors at an Ohio power company triggered
events that plunged 50 million people into darkness Aug. 14, a U.S.-Canada
task force has found. Source: Toronto Star (11/20)

Property lines at issue in shoreline bill
----------------------------------------
Conservationists and residents who live along Lake Erie clashed yesterday
over a bill that tries to redefine the line between private property and a
doctrine that allows citizens to enjoy Lake Erie's shore. Source: The
Toledo Blade (11/20)

Large crowd turns out to remember the Edmund Fitzgerald
----------------------------------------
Jim Landwehr from the Speakers Bureau of the Wisconsin Marine Historical
Society gave the talk in conjunction with an Edmund Fitzgerald exhibit that
opened recently at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. Source: Manitowoc Herald
Times Reporter (11/19)

Manure's polluting effect unknown
----------------------------------------
Canada is boosting more high-intensity livestock farms -- even though the
government reveals it doesn't know how to keep manure from polluting more of
the country's shorelines. Source: Ottawa Citizen (11/17)

COMMENTARY: Lake Michigan fishing legacy a cause worth rallying around
----------------------------------------
Fishermen and biologists should compromise and consider current health, and
the history of Lake Michigan to decide when to allow fishing. Source:
Chicago Sun-Times (11/9)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html

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From The Green Guide:

Still the Sundance Kid

Robert Redford gets heated up about the Bush environmental agenda, clean energy, and more

Smart Shopper's Holiday Companion, FREE from The Green Guide

From The Green Guide Institute
Tuesday, November 18, 2003

The Melanesians and other peoples fast before they feast but we do the opposite, gorging on sweets at Halloween, stuffing ourselves at Thanksgiving, then filling up again at Christmas and Hanukkah meals, with double dipping as we visit different sets of parents. None of us may get any lighter this holiday season, but with a few careful food choices that won't bust the bank there are ways we may tread a bit more lightly on the earth.

Price is important. While organic can be expensive, The Green Guide's survey of New York markets (including Whole Foods, Fairway, and Food Emporium) shows that sometimes, as with sweet potatoes, brown rice and organic wines, prices are the same or quite close. As noted in a previous Green Guide article "Organic Food: Healthy Eating," to protect your health, and especially your children's, you can pick organic for those items, like apples, pears, spinach and potatoes, which have the heaviest pesticide loads. Then you can save your money by choosing conventional versions of other items. Of course, choosing organic also helps keep pesticides out of the environment and avoids the cruel conditions animals endure in massive factory farms (see "Looking For a Real Turkey?" also at www.thegreenguide.com).

So fill your holiday table with a bounty of organic foods everything from turkey and ham, to cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, fruits, breads and desserts using The Green Guide's downloadable Smart Shopper's Holiday Companion (see www.thegreenguide.com/doc.mhtml?=99&s=shopping), FREE through December 15th. It comes complete with price comparisons (organic vs. conventional) of all items on your list so that you can plan your menu to suit your budget. It's the season's smartest and the most delicious way to make a difference.

- For press passes to www.thegreenguide.com, contact amatei@thegreenguide.com

For more information, contact:

Paul McRandle
Senior Research Editor
The Green Guide Institute
PO Box 567, Prince Street Station
New York, NY 10012
pmcrandle@thegreenguide.com

Web site:

www.thegreenguide.com

Rejuvenating Our Innate Love of Nature Motivates Social and Environmental Activism

From Project NatureConnect
Thursday, November 20, 2003

"We cannot win this battle to save species and environments without forging an emotional bond between ourselves and nature as well - for we will not fight to save what we do not love." said
Stephen Jay Gould , the acclaimed nature writer, paleontologist and evolutionist at Harvard University. At Project NatureConnect, Dr. Michael J. Cohen, Director, offers that the Orientation Course described in the book he and 36 co-authors have just published entitled "The Web of Life Imperative" contains instructions and activities that help people discover, strengthen and wisely act from their inborn love of nature.

Cohen says "Contemporary society's conquest and suppression of our innate love of nature conditions us to disregard that love and feel frustrated about our powerlessness to improve our environmental relationships. That love is a vital force for strengthening our environmental relationships and our relationships with society and ourselves as well, for, as people, we are biologically and psychologically part of nature."

"Rejuvenating people's love of nature is a mainstay of our book and course, a subject that is seldom found, and too often demeaned as 'fuzzy thinking,' in educational curriculums and environmental efforts," Cohen notes. His course in Applied Ecopsychology is taught via the internet and that enables people in many walks of life to thoughtfully make sensory connections with authentic nature. They use that connection to help them rejuvenate their inborn love of nature into their consciousness and thinking. "The restoration of that power dissolves the apathy that saps the support we need to rectify our our most challenging environmental and social troubles, noted Cohen, who also wrote "Reconnecting With Nature" and founded the program of the National Audubon Society Expedition Institute in 1960.

To help people familiarize themselves with the course and its potential, Cohen has placed on the Internet the archives of student involvement in the course as it was, and still is, taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara. http://www.webstrings.org/webst111.html

A quote from the journaled message of a student to fellow students in the Project NatureConnect online degree program serves as an example of the course and book bringing hidden love for nature into action:

"What I got from this exercise on an experiential level is the interdependence of species of all kinds for good quality air, since it is a give & take beneficial relationship. While I was doing this exercise, I was sitting outside on a deck and connecting with the trees as I breathed in and out, and it felt very wonderful to be experiencing our mutual attraction to each other. I felt as though the tree was grateful for the air I was breathing out, just as I was for the clean air it was providing for me to breath in return. I became much more aware of the (love and) interrelatedness that we have for each other because we need each other.... Recently, I have been struggling with the air quality in our new apartment home, with all the pressed wood, new paint, linoleum, etc .and trying to "air" the place out during the day. To have stale, stuffy, smelly air indoor air to breath is almost as bad as not breathing at all because it is removed from nature's perfectly balanced life giving air! Every cell in my body protests, and when I am outside I breath very deep & cleansing breaths to try & make up for lost time outdoors. Another step I have taken is to fill my apartment with live plants which give so much and greatly improve the air quality."

Through books, CEUs, courses, and degree programs online, Project NatureConnect, at the Institute of Global Education and in cooperation with several universities, offers the public an easily accessible, nature-reconnecting preventative and recovery instrument. Anyone may easily learn and teach online or on-site its hands-on, sensory, unifiying process in local natural areas. The Project NatureConnect grant program subsidizes training in Applied Ecopsychology.

For further information visit the Project NatureConnect web site at www.ecopsych.com or contact Dr. Cohen: email Telephone: 360-378-6313.

For more information, contact:

Mardi Jones, Ph.D.
Public Information
Project NatureConnect
Post Office Box 1605
Friday Harbor, WA 98250
nature@interisland.net

Web site:

http://www.ecopsych.com

Friday, November 14, 2003

Now this is totally cool, a site that:

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) enters the 21st century committed to an equitable, reliable, and sustainable energy future. Energy efficiency and renewable energy sources are the cornerstones for building an energy future that protects the environment while addressing the energy needs of the nation's most disadvantaged citizens.

Electric utility restructuring, distributed generation, and rapid technological advances suggest that the new century will see a revolution in our energy infrastructure. The restructuring of the electric utility industry has led to a fundamental change in the relationships among providers, regulators, and consumers. Distributed generation technologies such as solar electric, wind, and fuel cells are emerging that allow consumers to generate their own electricity.

NCAT is working for energy solutions that meet low-income energy needs in an era of welfare reform. Energy will remain a key factor in providing low-income residents with comfortable, healthy, and safe housing. With future energy marketplace uncertainties, the need for weatherization and other energy assistance for the nation's low-income households will be greater than ever.

The Sustainable Energy Program operates projects in the areas of renewable energy, low-income energy, and affordable housing.

States Ramp Up Support for High-Efficiency Power Systems: Combined Heat and Power Gains Ground

From American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Wednesday, October 22, 2003

Two-thirds of the energy that feeds conventional power plants is wasted heat. Combined heat and power (CHP) systems can cut this energy waste in half by using both the electric power and the heat output. Several states, seeking to reduce power prices, improve the reliability of the power grid, and reduce air pollution, have developed policies to encourage CHP. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy today released an updated review of these policies in a new report, "State Opportunities for Action: Update of States' Combined Heat and Power Activities." An update of a 2002 ACEEE study, this report highlights new state activities supporting CHP, including interconnection standards, emissions regulations, and financial incentives.

"In the past year, many states have picked up the CHP policy torch and run with it," said Elizabeth Brown, co-author and ACEEE's Industry Research Assistant. "With rising concern over the availability and price of natural gas, CHP is an increasingly viable long-term power production option that is being considered at the state level. Soon-to-be-released analysis by the U.S. Combined Heat and Power Association indicates the CHP can reduce demand for natural gas through greater efficiency." States have the ability to tailor incentive programs to their specific needs, giving their programs a better chance of success. While not all programs will transfer across state boundaries, they provide useful examples from which other states can work.

CHP systems, sometimes known as cogeneration, generate electricity and thermal energy in a single, integrated system. These systems are more energy efficient than separate generation of electricity and thermal energy because heat normally wasted in conventional power generation is recovered as useful energy for thermal demand such as steam, process heat, or space heating and cooling. CHP systems can be employed in many commercial, institutional, and industrial facilities.

"State Opportunities for Action: Update of States' Combined Heat and Power State Activities" (by Elizabeth Brown and R. Neal Elliott) is available for free at http://www.aceee.org/pubs/ie032.htm.

For more information, contact:

Neal Elliott
Industry Program Director
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
RNElliott@aceee.org

Web site:

http://www.aceee.org

Greet the ghouls at your door with these greener goodies

From The Green Guide Institute
Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Halloween's not the turkey-and-tryptophan blowout Thanksgiving is, nor is it the consumerist apotheosis of Christmas and the other gift-giving holidays. But there's still plenty of unhealthy junk to eat and plenty of brand-name stuff to buy, even if these brands are Snickers, Hershey's, Payday. Here's the Green Guide's guide to a healthier, organic, (mostly) smaller-brand Halloween, with some household snack options tossed in at the end.

Apples

Apples aren't just the fruit of the Fall--they're the fruit of fall, and, with pumpkins, the fruit associated most with Halloween. (Does anyone bob for apples anymore?) Unfortunately, apples are pesticide intensive: among fruit they're second in contamination only to peaches, according to the Environmental Working Group. The average apple contains four pesticides after being washed and cored, but some apples have up to ten; some are carcinogens, can cause birth defects and hormonal changes, and can damage the brain and the immune, reproductive, and nervous systems. Of especial concern is the pesticide Guthion (azinphos-methyl), found in 56 percent of Washington state apples tested in 2000, and damaging to the brain and nervous system. In 2001, the EPA banned the use of Guthion on 28 crops and ordered a four-year phase-out on seven more, but gave apples and seven other crops at least a four-year reprieve. If you only have a limited budget for organics, apples might be the food to spend it on. Or look for the NutriClean label--it certifies low pesticide residue.

Tricks or Treats

The Green Guide provided its first online report on safer, healthier Halloween treats in the fall of 2002. Upon review, we found there are now more organic goodies for the goblins who come to your door, as listed here:

Chocolate: While it's hard for organic-buyers to find the kind of tiny candy bars sold everywhere for Halloween, you can splurge on full-sized bars. Green & Black's sells 20-gram bars in many flavors, including milk, dark, and white chocolate. Available at www.goodnessdirect.co.uk

Caramels: Madb's Delights, www.madbsdelights.com, offers diabetic-friendly, individually wrapped, organic caramels, sold by the pound.

Lollipops: Gold Mine Natural Food Company, www.goldminenaturalfood.com, sells various sized packs of organic lollipops, in flavors that include cherry, lemon, orange, raspberry, and strawberry.

Mints: St. Claire's makes organic mints (as well as organic licorice and cinnamon and ginger snaps): peppermint, wintermint, spearmint. You can buy 1.5-ounce tins in packs of 40 at www.mothernature.com.

Organic Snacks

There are also of plenty of organic choices for snacks around the house.

Chips: You can find many small-brand organics, but it's perhaps of special interest that Frito-Lay now makes organic snacks: "Organic" Tostitos corn chips and salsa, and "Natural" Lay's, Ruffles, and Cheetos (www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/hlth_chips-20.html).

Pretzels: Newman's Own Organics sells organic pretzels in a variety of shapes and flavors: salted, unsalted, and salt-and-pepper rounds; salted and salt-and-pepper sticks; sourdough Bavarian (www.newmansownorganics.com/food_pretzels.html).

Soy nuts: With fewer carbs and more protein than pretzels and chips, organic soy nuts are a great snack. Skeet & Ike's sells various flavors: sea salt, honey dijon, yoghurt & green onion, BBQ. (You can likely find unsalted soy nuts at your supermarket or health food store.) The company also sells organic wasabi peas, dried fruit, and rice and corn snacks (www.skeetike.com).

Nuts: Increasing evidence is pointing to the health value of nuts: their protein is good, and their monounsatured fat is good too, helping raise good cholesterol and lower bad. Avian Naturals sells unsalted organic mixed nuts, with or without peanuts. See www.aviannaturals.com/nuts.html

Snack bars: Betty Lou's sells organic, vegan, corn-, wheat-, and soy-free granola and fruit bars. See www.bettylousinc.com/store. Flavors include apricot, blueberry, apple current, and strawberry; the granola bar has a sesame flavor.

Dried fruit: Earthbound Farm sells organic raisins and dried plums in canister and, for raisins, snack boxes. Visit www.ebfarm.com/produce_driedfruit.html

By Sam Frank

For more information, contact:

Paul McRandle
Senior Research Editor
The Green Guide Institute
pmcrandle@thegreenguide.com

Web site:

www.thegreenguide.com

Incoming from ENN,

New Preserve Will Protect Lake Erie Shore (OH)

From Trust for Public Land
Thursday, October 23, 2003

SANDUSKY, OH, 10/20/03 - The Trust for Public Land, the Sandusky/Erie County Community Foundation, and Erie MetroParks announced today the near completion of a new 1200-acre East Sandusky Bay Preserve MetroPark along the Lake Erie shoreline. Located between Cleveland and Toledo, East Sandusky Bay is an extraordinary naturally functioning freshwater marsh near Cedar Point Amusement Park and an important stop over point along one of the largest bird migratory routes in the eastern U.S.

The Trust for Public Land will transfer two properties totaling 1,029 acres to become part of the larger nature preserve later this month. Erie MetroParks will manage the Preserve, part of which will be known as the Community Foundation Preserve at Eagle Point, in recognition of the foundation's generous support and leadership. The Nature Conservancy also played a role by making available the 956-acre Putnam Marsh for inclusion into the preserve.

Final funding for the preserve is expected to come from Federal, State, and private sources including the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. U.S. Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) secured $2.5 million in federal funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program to help protect the remaining properties.

"The East Sandusky Bay preserve is a jewel in our emerald necklace around the shore of Lake Erie," said Congresswoman Kaptur. "This initiative not only will enhance the quality of life, but also promote economic development through the burgeoning eco-tourism sector of our economy."

"The Great Lakes truly are a national treasure. Last year, my family and I visited a tract of land that was in danger of being developed," said Sen. DeWine. "The site retained its original splendor and we even witnessed a bald eagle take flight from its nearby nesting area. It is my hope that my children can experience this same natural wonder with their own grandchildren. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I was able to secure funding to protect properties that are adjacent to other conserved land. We have created a contiguous block of open space for wildlife habitat and public enjoyment."

The Trust for Public Land acted to prevent the property from being developed by working with local landowners and community leaders tosecure the properties and develop a long-term stewardship plan. The success is due in a large part to funding from the Sandusky/Erie County Community Foundation and partnering private foundations.

"This has been a highly effective private and public collaboration for the conservation of a natural treasure in Erie County," said John O. Bacon, Chairman of The Sandusky/Erie County Community Foundation. "Our Community Foundation has been proud to join the private landowners, individual donors, private foundations and the Trust for Public Land in partnership with Erie MetroParks and our concerned county, state and federal governmental officials to preserve permanently the irreplaceable natural beauty of East Sandusky Bay"

"This is an important new preserve that will not only provide our county residents with a world class location for bird watching, but something to draw tourists from around the country," added Kevin Zeiher, Erie MetroParks Commissioner.

The new East Sandusky Bay Preserve MetroPark is one of several key protected natural areas along the Lake Erie Shoreline including the Ottawa International Wildlife Refuge and the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. It is the intersection of two primary bird migratory routes, the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways, home to a pair of nesting American bald eagles, and an important year-round bird habitat.

"Lake Erie and its shoreline are incredible natural assets," adds Wolfe Tone, Ohio Project Manager for the Trust for Public Land. "The East Sandusky Bay Preserve MetroPark protects wildlife habitat and gives the public access to enjoy and appreciate the natural beauty of the bay."

Under the management of Erie MetroParks, the area will be available for scheduled recreational, educational, and interpretive programming opportunities such as bird watching and observation of the American Bald Eagle; waterfowl, wildlife, and wildflower identification; and wetland, forest, and meadow ecology.

The Trust for Public Land conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Founded in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has helped protect more than 1.4 million acres across the nation. In 2001, The Trust for Public Land helped protect the nearby 1,300-acre Edison Woods Preserve, which is the largest single conservation project in northern Ohio in decades.

Note to editors: To have a digital photo e-mailed to you, contact Tom Evers at the Trust for Public Land, (651) 917-2240, ext. 322 or tom.evers@tpl.org.

For more information, contact:

Tom Evers
Public Affairs Manager
Trust for Public Land

Also from ENN,

U.S. states sue federal government over greenhouse gases

Friday, October 24, 2003
By Nigel Hunt, Reuters

LOS ANGELES — Twelve states, including California and New York, filed petitions Thursday in federal court in a bid to force the Bush administration to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.

Several separate petitions were filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., asking it to review a decision by the federal Environmental Protection Agency that said it did not have the authority to regulate such emissions under the Clean Air Act.

The agency issued an opinion in August in response to a petition backed by environmental groups indicating it believed it did not have the authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the act.

"The U.S. EPA's decision that it has no authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and that these emissions technically don't even count as air pollutants is wrong, disturbing, and dangerous to Californians' health, environment, and economy," said California Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

California filed a petition on its own and 11 other states filed jointly: New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Rhode Island.

Three cities — Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia — joined the action along with a coalition of environmental groups including the Sierra Club, the National Resources Defense Council, and Friends of the Earth.

The current pollutants, designated as hazardous to human health and subject to EPA standards, are carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur oxides.

An EPA spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

"Put simply, the Bush administration's decision is an illegal, irresponsible sell-out of the people's basic right to clean air,' said Joel Reynolds, a senior attorney with the NRDC based in Santa Monica, Calif.

Global warming is thought to be caused by the atmospheric build up of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. The burning of fossil fuels in cars and power plants is a major source of carbon dioxide emissions.

The White House has sought voluntary cutbacks in emissions, arguing mandatory reductions could hurt the U.S. economy.

Source: Reuters

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Norah Jones, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt know "Where We Live"

From Earthjustice
Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Many of the world's most outstanding musicians have contributed tracks for a new benefit CD entitled "Where We Live - Stand For What You Stand On." The project, released for the holiday season, is being distributed globally through EMI and on EMI's Higher Octave label in North America.

Proceeds from the CD will support Earthjustice's Where We Live campaign to promote the universal right to clean air and clean water.

The benefit CD is a soulful collection of hard-to-find tracks that remind us about the importance of standing up for your rights, staying strong, and celebrating when ordinary citizens achieve victories in protecting the planet we live on. Artists include Mose Allison, Captain Beefheart, Rubén Blades, Bob Dylan, Michael Franti & Spearhead, John Hammond & Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Los Lobos, Maria Muldaur & Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, The Neville Brothers, Karen Savôca, Pops Staples & Ry Cooder, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Tina Turner & Robert Cray, Dan Zanes (with Lou Reed & the Rubi Theater Company).

"We are honored by the participation of these great musicians in support of the environment and public health," says Buck Parker, Executive Director of Earthjustice. "When people buy this CD they are helping Earthjustice clean up the air and water and provide a voice for people living with toxic pollution in their backyards." Earthjustice is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

"Everyone should be able to drink clean water and breathe clean air. Our health is directly linked to the health of the planet," Matt Marshall, Higher Octave founder said. "That's why so many artists have contributed such amazing music. We are extremely proud to be a part of such a worthwhile benefit project."

In the United States alone, more than 70,000 people die each year because of air pollution, and 40 percent of the nation's waterways don't meet basic water quality standards. Despite the urgent need for full enforcement, critical environmental protections are being reversed. Through its Where We Live campaign, Earthjustice has brought more than 50 cases to protect clean air and water in the United States. Earthjustice also works with international organizations to establish the universal recognition of the right to a clean and healthy environment.

For more information about the campaign, or to get copies of the CD visit: www.wherewelive.org

For more information, contact:

Brian Smith
Western/International Press Secretary
Earthjustice
Oakland, CA
bsmith@earthjustice.org

Web site:

www.earthjustice.org

Wednesday, November 05, 2003

New from the Environmental Law & Policy Center based in down town Chicago, IL:

Job Jolt Strikes Midwest

ELPC's newly released report, Job Jolt, shows that the Midwest stands to gain significant jobs and income by switching to renewable energy and increasing energy efficiency. The report shows a real boost for the Midwest: up to 210,000 new jobs and $20 billion in additional economic output across the 10-state Midwest region by the year 2020. Download the report. (.pdf file)

From ENN,

Wednesday, November 05, 2003
By Himangshu Watts, Reuters

MUPPANDAL, India — On the southern tip of India, the once-impoverished people of Muppandal village are thanking Varuna, the Hindu god of the wind, for blowing unexpected good fortune their way.

In the decade since the installation of the first giant power-producing windmill, towering above the palm trees with its whirring 80-foot blades, their lives have changed dramatically.

Incomes have risen and thousands of new jobs have been created as dozens of wind energy producers swarmed the village, the showcase of a $2 billion clean energy program in India, the world's fifth-largest producer of wind energy.

"In 10 years, my daily income has gone up to 450 rupees (US$10) from 45 rupees," said Koilpillai Gopal, a barber who has been able to convert his modest roadside kiosk into a glittering shop. "It is all because of the windmills."

In Muppandal, a hilly region where the wind races in from the Arabian Sea through gaps between the mountains, the price of land for a windmill has soared to 300,000 rupees ($6,620) from 40,000 in the early 1990s.

Electricity produced from wind is costlier than gas, thermal, or hydro-based units, but subsidies offered by the government through tax breaks, lower import duties on equipment, and cheap loans keep prices competitive.

With the subsidies, analysts say, the generation cost varies from...(Read on in: Clean energy brings windfall to Indian village)

Tuesday, November 04, 2003

WIND.ALERT FOR NOVEMBER 2003 FROM WINDPOWER MONTHLY

Here are your summaries of the top stories in the November 2003
issue of Windpower Monthly. For a descriptive list of this month's
full contents just go to http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current

-------------------------
A new dawn for India
Windpower Monthly, Vol 19, No. 11 2003
--------------------------
The increasingly liberalised policies of a government anxious to
plug the gap between electricity supply and demand are once
again pushing open the doors to a market of vast potential in India.
Opportunities for inter-state energy trading are appearing on the
horizon and a new breed of hard-nosed wind project developer is
emerging. Nearly two decades after India was hailed as the "new
California" of wind power, the industry is once again looking on the
country as one of the major world markets. The reason: ... (Go to
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current,#focus to read more
about this article)

-------------------------
Investment Grade
Windpower Monthly, Vol 19, No. 11 2003
-------------------------
They say money makes the world go round. Such is the pace of
wind development, that it's going to take about $110 billion to
make the next decade’s windmills spin around. Happily, a new
source of debt capital for projects has opened up with the
successful sale into the bond market of wind power's first large
scale portfolio financing. But while the "Investment Grade" rating
given to the portfolio signals a new milestone for the wind sector,
applauding a grand new era of financeability would be
premature.... Read the entire opinion column at
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/currentleader

-------------------------
First bond financing reveals financial markets get serious about wind
Windpower Monthly, Vol 19, No. 11 2003
-------------------------
Wind power station developers on both sides of the Atlantic have
broken new ground by dipping into the bond market to finance
their project portfolios instead of going to the banks. "We are
delighted with the receptivity shown by the market to this new,
unique financing opportunity," says the chief financial officer
behind the American deal. He adds that the transaction is
verification that wind generation is now viewed as more than a
niche business by the financial markets and the credit rating
agencies, making major project financing possible. Find out who
financed what and the volume of wind capacity involved in our
full report from the US and Britain in the November issue of
Windpower Monthly.

-------------------------
Proposals for fixes to British market uncertainty blocking project finance
Windpower Monthly, Vol 19, No. 11 2003
-------------------------
Uncertainty over the market value of wind power in Britain
beyond 2010 is now a serious barrier to raising finance for
project development, warns the country's wind energy
association. It is proposing a series of amendments to the
current market structure which should enable the signing of
long term contracts for green electricity and Renewables
Obligation Certificates. The proposals appear to be falling on
fertile ground in government corridors. Read about the
government's initial response in the November issue of
Windpower Monthly -- and about Britain's firm determination
to see 8000 MW of wind plant up and running by 2010.

-------------------------
Wind power 75 GW target will provide half of new European generation this decade
Windpower Monthly, Vol 19, No. 11 2003
-------------------------
With the industry's targets for installation of wind plant in
Europe being exceeded yet again, the European Wind Energy
Association (EWEA) has fleshed out new goals for installed
wind power capacity. By 2010, the association expects 75 GW
of wind plant to be supplying the electricity needs of 86 million
Europeans and meeting one-third of the EU's Kyoto commitment
to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In the current issue of
Windpower Monthly we report on the thousands of megawatt
EWEA expects each country to achieve within the next seven
years. Meeting the targets will mean that wind accounts for
50% of all new generating capacity built between now and 2010.

-------------------------
Japanese giant has global ambitions to become major market player
Windpower Monthly, Vol 19, No. 11 2003
-------------------------
One of the giants of Japanese industry is no longer content with
its wind division's role as a relatively minor player on the global
market. It is now aggressively gearing up to take what it sees as
its rightful place among the wind industry's heavyweights. The
company is so confident of increasing its market share both at
home and abroad that it expects to double its global wind turbine
sales. The growth will be in specific targeted markets. Read which
markets this giant is focused on in our company profile in this
month's Windpower Monthly.

-------------------------
Canada province of great potential eases wind door open with sizeable project
Windpower Monthly, Vol 19, No. 11 2003
-------------------------
A Vancouver Island wind power project of 58.5 MW is one of
16 winning bids out of 30 responses to a call for tenders that
will add 1800 GWh of green energy a year to British Columbia's
electricity mix and generate about C$800 million in private sector
investment. The Holberg project will be the province's first wind
power development. The contract for turbine supply looks to be
earmarked for one of the wind industry's top publicly traded
companies. For news of the runners and riders and possible
problems ahead get the current issue of Windpower Monthly.

-------------------------
Good wind power earnings in Massachusetts tempt townspeople further
Windpower Monthly, Vol 19, No. 11 2003
-------------------------
A single wind turbine is running so well in the town of Hull in
Massachusetts that citizens are looking warmly on a proposal
to add a second machine. The fact that the town is making an
unexpected profit on sales of green power has much to do
with the local enthusiasm. As we report in Windpower Monthly's
November issue, what started as an initial risk for the town has
become a money-spinning venture and an unlikely tourist
attraction.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

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Side Bar Links

Illinois Renewable Energy Association site

---------------
The AWEA's annual expo:
Global WINDPOWER 2004
McCormick Place
Chicago, Illinois, USA
March 28-31, 2004

I was there...
---------------

Dan Stafford - Publisher
Click on this pic to e-mail Dan.
WE WELCOME ENERGY STORY SUBMISSIONS!
Please note the E-mail link by the title of the webpage. Comments, stories, and article submissions are welcome. Any accepted submission entitles the submitter to a link on the Journal page included at the bottom of their submitted entry when published to the journal. The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal makes no claim as to the accuracy of submitted material. The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal neither endorses nor opposes opinions expressed in submitted material. Submitter must provide name, city, and state or country. The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal imples no promise to publish all submissions. Adult content will definitely NOT be published. Submitted material will be screened and appropriate entries published at the owner's discretion.

Safe, healthy, good for the economy, good for the environment, good for farmers, good for you, and just downright good produce:

State-by-state directory of farmers' markets

I strongly encourage those seriously interested in learning about the technology, players, politics, and issues of Wind Energy to spend time browsing the American Wind Energy Association website. They are the premier industry trade organization and have extensive resources available.
(www.awea.org)

Alpha Solar
Clean energy generation systems for off-grid living and environmental impact reduction.

The Great Lakes Information Network:

*PING*

The Distributed Resources & Green Power weBlog by Bruce Irving

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine,
P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit your question at www.emagazine.com;
or e-mail Earth Talk at earthtalk@emagazine.com.

OTEC News weBlog: Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

The Green Ocean Project: Using solar energy to distill water for agriculture.

Other weBlogs by Daniel Stafford:

The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

*Spell Book*

Affirmation Station

Remembering Mom

Save Hotel Baker

Uncle Harold's Farm

The First Church of Healing The Earth

The Empty Hand

Why I Publish This Blog:

"One thing that many people do not realize is that states like Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana,
and Michigan are sitting on a gold mine of wind energy potential. Or, more properly, next to the mine.
The Great Lakes are probably the area in the USA with the third largest inland wind energy potential.
Think of just the nickname for Chicago. "The Windy City". Milwaukee is even windier, I can tell you.
Why? Because they sit on the edge of a great flat area where there is both a land-water temperature
differential, and a large flat expanse of water that is comparably shallow.
Oilrigs certainly operate in deeper waters. And you won't have to construct transmission lines all the
way from the plains of Montana to put it to use.

The Great Lakes area has an opportunity to get the jump on wind energy's future, if that fact is
recognized and exploited. Wind energy means jobs for construction and maintenance workers, thousands
of them. Wind energy means leasing rights and extra money for family farmers struggling to make it on
agriculture alone. In most cases farmers can grow crops right up to the base of a windmill. The land
footprint has a small impact on total farm acreage. Wind energy also means freedom from fluctuating
fuel prices. Wind is free. The cost of a barrel of polluting oil can be raised or lowered drastically
based on fears or political whims. The potential gains are enormous. We've all seen the flow of good
manufacturing jobs out of the area. Well, they can't tell the wind to blow in another country so it's
more "convenient" or cheaper to produce. The wind is perfectly happy to whip up opportunities for us
right around here. Most of all, because we here in the Great Lakes region have the potential to have
a huge positive impact on U.S. energy industry emissions' contribution to global warming."