Our Planet newsletter by E - The Environmental Magazine
Week of March 20, 2005

Senate Approves ANWR Drilling: So Now What?
Millions of Americans were shocked to find out last Wednesday that their Senators had approved oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) by a vote of 51-49. Knowing they didn't have the 60 votes needed to prevent a filibuster, pro-drilling Senators tacked the drilling provision onto the filibuster-proof budget resolution proposal for 2006.
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U.S. Against Sustainability Requirements for Rainforest Timber
Despite backing from the majority of the G8 nations currently meeting in Derby, UK, the United States is opposing a British proposal calling on industrialized nations to combat illegal logging in the world's threatened rainforests by banning the purchase of timber harvested in unsustainable manners.
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The High Cost of Free Parking
"Free parking," it’s a lovely phrase, isn’t it? Since so many of the things we do are not free, it’s great that at least we can stow our vehicles at no cost, right? Well, actually, we are paying dearly for parking, according to a new book by David Shoup, a professor at UCLA. By Jim Motavalli
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Stalking Fuel-Cell Stocks
Will the High Profits Return?
A mere four years ago, fuel-cell stocks were the toast of NASDAQ, with millions of individual and institutional investors driving share prices through the roof. But cut to the present and Ballard’s stock is down from an all-time high of $140 per share in 2001 to just $6 and change these days. By Roddy Scheer
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Freecycling: Waste Not, Want Not
Thanks to an international network of local volunteers, now there’s a cheap and convenient place to dispose of useful junk while promoting re-use: the Internet. Freecycle.org is a website that links people who want to discard household belongings to people in their area who want or need them. The only rules: everything offered must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages-sorry, no bongs or porn. By Miranda Spencer
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Week of 3/20/2005
Dear EarthTalk: Which types of household products are most likely to cause chemical sensitivities?

Dear EarthTalk: How can I recycle my outdated computer equipment?
Go to this week's EarthTalk

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New EPA Mercury Rule Omits Conflicting Data
By Shankar Vedantam
The Washington Post

Tuesday 22 March 2005

Study called stricter limits cost-effective.

When the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a rule last week to limit mercury emissions from U.S. power plants, officials emphasized that the controls could not be more aggressive because the cost to industry already far exceeded the public health payoff.

What they did not reveal is that a Harvard University study paid for by the EPA, co-authored by an EPA scientist and peer-reviewed by two other EPA scientists had reached the opposite conclusion.

That analysis estimated health benefits...(Full Story)

Fill 'Er Up With Soybeans

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Story last updated at 1:46 AM on Mar. 24, 2005

By: By Jim Hightower
MinutemanMedia.org

http://www.yankton.net/stories/032405/opEd_20050324002.shtml

I'm talking about a clean-burning alternative fuel called BioWillie that Willie Nelson is helping to market through a new company called Willie Nelson Biodiesel. What is it? It's essentially vegetable oil, mainly soybean oil, though the used frying oil from Dunkin Donuts or Sid's Greasy Spoon also works.

ExxonMobil and the like don't want you knowing this, but if you take veggie oil and process it slightly to remove the glycerin (which, by the way, is what soap is made of) you have a ready-to-go fuel for diesel engines. Whether you have a diesel pickup truck or a Mercedes, it'll run on this stripped down veggie oil without requiring any modification to the engine. Just tank up and go!

Willie has been tanking up his tour buses with it for some time. There's nothing new or complicated about the concept -- French inventor Rudolf Diesel's original engines ran on vegetable oils.

So Nelson and partners are going back to the future, working with truck stops and convenience store chains to market the veggie-based fuel under the BioWillie brand. The fuel's average price is $1.79 a gallon, and while the major concentration of biodiesel pumps is in the Midwest, Nelson hopes to spread it from sea to shining sea.

Exxon tells us to put a tiger in our tanks, but BioWillie suggests beans. Not only do you get a fuel that is better for your engine at a competitive price, but biodiesel also is much better for the environment, it can be an economic boon for America's family farmers, and your exhaust fumes can smell like donuts! Oh, and Willie notes that there's one more big plus -- we can put "farmers back on the land growing fuel and keep us from having to start wars for oil."

Rep. Denis Kucinich is preparing legislation to help develop of this new biodiesel industry for America. For information, call (202)-225-5871.

Jim Hightower is the best-selling author of "Thieves In High Places: They've Stolen Our Country And It's Time To Take It Back," on sale now from Viking Press.

Hybrids rev up for annual auto affair
Published: March 23, 2005, 4:00 AM PST
By John G. Spooner
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

With Americans smarting from soaring gasoline prices, automakers are looking to get maximum mileage out of hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles at this year's New York International Auto Show: Click here for the full CNET story.

Ecology Center Annual Meeting & Upcoming Events

Ecology Center Presents: "Clean Environment and Good Jobs"

I'd like to invite you to the annual membership meeting of the Ecology Center, with keynote speaker Bracken Hendricks of the Apollo Alliance, will take place on Sunday, April 3, 2005, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 Dixboro Road, in Ann Arbor.

The Apollo Alliance is a broad national coalition of labor, environmental, business, urban, and faith communities in support of good jobs and energy independence. Their New Apollo Project is a ten-point plan for diversifying our energy sources, making America less dependent on imported oil and making energy less polluting. The organization has been featured repeatedly in the national press.

The Ecology Center annual meeting also includes program reports, environmental awards, election of the Center's Board of Directors, and presentation of the annual Herbert L. Munzel Award for Environmental Activism. The meeting is open to the general public, and admission is free.

*************************

Other Upcoming Events....Mark Your Calendar!

April 20 - Whole Foods 5% Day
Help the Ecology Center by going grocery shopping!  Whole Foods Market at 3135 Washtenaw Ave. in Ann Arbor will donate 5% of their sales from April 20th.  The Ecology Center will be in the store from 11am-7pm with an information table and fun Earth Day activities.

April 22 - Dance for the Earth Benefit Concert for the Mary Beth Doyle Memorial Fund
Join us for live music, dancing, food, Earth Day costumes, and more at Downtown Home & Garden at 210 S. Ashley in Ann Arbor.  Tickets are $25 plus cash bar.  All proceeds benefit the Ecology Center's Mary Beth Doyle Memorial Fund. 8:00-11:00pm.

April 24 - Earth Day Festival at Ann Arbor's Farmers Market
The public is invited to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Earth Day with free entertainment, live animal demonstrations, displays and hands-on activities for all ages.  Exhibit areas will feature alternative energy ideas, non-profit environmental organizations, area artisans and vendors of Earth-friendly products. 12:00-4:00pm.

June 26 - EcoRide bike-a-thon fundraiser
Ride one of the five routes starting and finishing from Greenhills School in Ann Arbor, then join us for great food, bike-related demos, music, raffle and more.  Collect pledges and qualify for great prizes!  Volunteer and Business Sponsorship opportunities are available, too.

For more information on Ecology Center events or how to become a member, please visit our website at www.ecocenter.org or contact me at (734) 761-3186 ext. 110 or stephanie@ecocenter.org.

Thanks for your support!

Stephanie Feldstein
Development Director
Ecology Center

*************************

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Great Lakes Daily News: 17 March 2005
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/


Ohio's bald eagle population growing
----------------------------------------
Ohio's bald eagle population continues to grow with 116 active nests identified so far this year, according to wildlife biologists with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Source: The News Democrat (3/17)


Farmer refuses ash tree removal
----------------------------------------
State officials are trying to reach a man who refused to allow them to cut down over 4,000 ash trees on his property. Source: The Detroit News (3/17)


Betting the barn on fish
----------------------------------------
Supporters of fish farming hope that the University of Wisconsin-Superior's nearly completed Aquaculture Demonstration Facility will help the industry grow. Source: Duluth News Tribune (3/16)


Port authority gets $600,000 from Ottawa for security
----------------------------------------
The Toronto Port Authority received $600,000 from the federal government yesterday as Ottawa handed out $2.3 million to Ontario ports and facilities to improve security. Source: The Toronto Star (3/16)


Forest officials lament cut trees
----------------------------------------
The Lake County Forest Preserve District is suing a Highland Park couple for $714,000, contending they felled 32 trees on district property to improve the view from their Ft. Sheridan home. Source: Chicago Tribune (3/16)


Pipeline projects could boost local jobs
----------------------------------------
Construction of a 65-mile water pipeline from Manitowoc to Brown County could have a significant impact on the local economy, say contractors seeking to bid on the first local portions of the project. Source: Green Bay Press Gazette (3/16)


St. Lawrence Seaway prepares to open March 25
----------------------------------------
The St. Lawrence Seaway is set to open on March 25 to move grain, iron, steel and other bulk cargo from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, an official said on Wednesday. Source: Reuters (3/16)


Study seeks to save dune
----------------------------------------
A well-known sand dune near Holland State Park that offers views of Lake Michigan and surrounding areas will be studied this summer to find ways to preserve it. Source: The Grand Rapids Press (3/16)


Pilot pay quest gains federal approval
----------------------------------------
A quest of several years by Great Lakes vessel pilots finally paid off for the group with announcement of a pay settlement raising pilot fees by an average 20 percent. Source: The Soo Evening News (3/16)


City tries to avoid being bird death trap
----------------------------------------
Many birds attempting to migrate through the Great Lakes area are no match for the glass and steel jungle of downtown Chicago. Source: Chicago Tribune (3/13)


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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UW-Madison News Release--Nanobacteria

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3/17/05

CONTACT: Robert J. Hamers, (608) 262-6371, hamers@chem.wisc.edu; Joseph D. Beck, (608) 262-9081, jdbeck@wisc.edu

NOTE TO EDITORS: MPEG movies are available at: http://www.news.wisc.edu/newsphotos/hamers.html

HARNESSING MICROBES, ONE BY ONE, TO BUILD A BETTER NANOWORLD

SAN DIEGO - Taking a new approach to the painstaking assembly of nanometer-sized machines, a team of scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has successfully used single bacterial cells to make tiny bio-electronic circuits.

The work is important because it has the potential to make building the atomic-scale machines of the nanotechnologist far easier. It also may be the basis for a new class of biological sensors capable of near-instantaneous detection of dangerous biological agents such as anthrax.

The approach, reported here today (March 17, 2005) at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, suggests that microbes can serve as forms for complicated nanoscale structures, perhaps obviating, in part, the need for the tedious and time-consuming construction of devices at the smallest scale.

The work is also scheduled to appear in the April issue of the journal Nano Letters.

"One of the great challenges of nanotechnology remains the assembly of nanoscale objects into more complex systems," says Robert Hamers, a UW-Madison professor of chemistry and the senior author of the new reports. "We think that bacteria and other small biological systems can be used as templates for fabricating even more complex systems."

Toward that end, Hamers and his UW-Madison colleagues Joseph Beck, Lu Shang and Matthew Marcus, have developed a system in which living microbes, notably bacteria, are guided, one at a time, down a channel to a pair of electrodes barely a germ's length apart. Slipping between the electrodes, the microbes, in effect, become electrical "junctions," giving researchers the ability to capture, interrogate and release bacterial cells one by one. Built into a sensor, such a capability would enable real-time detection of dangerous biological agents, including anthrax and other microbial pathogens.

"The results here are significant because while there has been much attention paid to the ability to manipulate nanoscale objects such as nanotubes and nanowires across electrical contacts, for many applications the use of bacterial cells affords a number of potential advantages," Hamers says.

For example, capitalizing on the complex topography of the bacterial cell surface and microbial interactions with antibodies, scientists could potentially construct much more complex nanoscale structures through the natural ability of cells to dock with different kinds of molecules. Such a potential, Hamers argues, would be superior to the painstaking manipulation of individual nanosized components, such as the microscopic wires and tubes that comprise the raw materials of nanotechnology.

"We spend a lot of time making tiny little nanowires and things of that sort, and then we try to direct them in place, but it is very hard," says Hamers. "However, bacteria and other biological systems can be thought of as nature's nanowires that can be easily grown and manipulated."

In the series of experiments underpinning the new Wisconsin work, the group showed that it is possible to capture cells along an electrode and then direct them down a narrow channel that acts as a conveyor. Small gaps in the electrical contacts along the conveyor serve as traps that can hold single bacterial cells while their electrical properties are measured. Once the microbial interrogation is completed, the live cell can be released.

"You can measure and release them at your leisure," explains Beck, the lead author of the Nano Letters paper and a UW-Madison postdoctoral fellow.

He says the chemicals naturally expressed on the surface of the bacterium could be wired in a way that would be the basis for a real-time biological sensor, a device that could be seeded in airports, stadiums, railway stations, skyscrapers, mailrooms and other public areas to sniff for dangerous biological agents that might be used in a bioterror event.

The device could be constructed, according to Beck, utilizing the natural features bacteria and other microbes use to sense their environments. The wired bacterial cells, coupled with modern microelectronics, would have the ability not only to detect dangerous agents (anthrax spores, for example) but they then could sound the alarm and call for help.

"You could even engineer bacteria to have different surface molecules that you could capitalize on," says Beck.

For instance, it may be possible, the Wisconsin scientists say, to attach microscopic gold particles to the shell of the bacterium, making it more like a nanoscale gold wire.

Hamers believes the new work could be the basis for bringing nanotechnology and biology together in unprecedented ways.

Moreover, the ability to routinely and easily capture and analyze individual microbes will have implications for conventional biotechnology as well. For example, chemical modifications to the electrode traps might make it easier for scientists to retrieve specified cells from a complex mixture.

The work by Hamers' group was funded by the National Science Foundation. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization that manages UW-Madison intellectual property, has applied for patents for the technology.
###
- Terry Devitt, (608) 262-8282, trdevitt@wisc.edu

****************************************************
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news release system, please send an email to:
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University Communications
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500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Phone: (608) 262-3571
Fax: (608) 262-2331

An inventor at heart

March 17, 2005, 4:00 AM PT
By Richard Shim
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

http://news.com.com/An+inventor+at+heart/2008-1041-5621414.html?part=dht&tag=npro&tag=nl.e703

Considering the ubiquity of the photocopier, it may be hard to believe that five decades back investors pooh-poohed the invention as too complicated to ever be affordable.

But thanks to Robert Gundlach, who played a central role in creating the photocopier, the machine is a common business tool in offices around the world.

Which of your patents are you most proud of?
Grundlach: Probably my most recent patent, which was issued on my wife's birthday last year. My mission in life now is to reduce global warming and my most recent patent can help that. It's possible to keep homes warm with water-based heat pumps....(Full article linked above)

Illinois Wind Maps This map of Illinois shows the wind resource at all levels. (click to enlarge) This map of Illinois highlights the best areas suitable for utility-scale wind energy development. (click to enlarge) New wind resource maps of Illinois have been produced by the Department of Energy's Wind Program and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The new information shows that Illinois has at least 3000 MW more in potential wind capacity from "good" wind resource areas than earlier estimated.[1] In addition, the maps show scattered areas of good wind resource (class 4, or 15.7 - 16.8 mph) in central and northern Illinois. The new Illinois wind maps can serve as prospector's maps for wind developers. At least 5 prime wind zones are identified (SE of Quincy, Bloomington area, north of Peoria, Mattoon area, and between Sterling and Aurora), as well as other potential sites, especially in northern Illinois. This new information is presented in two formats. Both formats show the wind resource, using NREL's standard wind power classification system, in relation to transmission lines and major cities. Version 1 shows the wind resource at all levels throughout the state, and Version 2 highlights the best areas suitable for utility-scale wind energy development. The wind potential from these windy lands is about 3000 MW of installed wind generation capacity. In a class 4 wind regime, the annual average output of a wind power plant is typically about 25% of the installed capacity. The class 4 areas represent about 0.4% of Illinois' land and are largely rural agricultural areas. Because of likely advances in technology and the significant incentives available in Illinois, a number of additional areas with only slightly lower wind resource (class 3+, or 14.3 - 15.7 mph) may also be suitable for wind development. These class 3+ areas highlighted on the map of best areas represent an additional 6000 MW of wind potential. The total amount of class 4 and 3+ lands combined is about 1800 square kilometers (1.2% of Illinois' land area), and the wind potential from these areas is about 9000 MW. Each square kilometer may support about 5 MW of installed wind capacity. All urban and environmentally-sensitive lands (state parks, wildlife refuges, etc) have been excluded in estimating the wind potential. [1] According to the previous information for Illinois (the 1987 Wind Energy Resource Atlas of the United States and the 1991 report An Assessment of the Available Windy Land Area and Wind Energy Potential in the Contiguous United States ), Illinois had essentially zero potential in class 4 and above wind areas. The new information shows that Illinois has at least 3000 MW more in potential wind capacity from "good" wind resource areas than earlier estimated. If you have difficulty accessing NREL wind maps on this site because of a disability, please contact us in writing or via telephone and we will work with you to make the information available. Contact: Julie Cardinal, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401, Phone: 303-384-7019. Printable Version

Windmills in Lake Michigan Wind farms along the shores of Lake Michigan could produce a lot of electricity and a lot of opinions. By Kathleen Schmitt
Wind farms have sprouted up across the United States on open farm fields and on windy hilltops. Now energy developers are looking at windswept coastlines, including some in the Great Lakes. Mike Klepinger is an extension specialist with the Michigan Sea Grant program and he works with coastal communities on development issues. Klepinger says the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently produced a new map of Michigan's wind resources. The map shows a lot of good locations for wind power development, and most are along the Lake Michigan shoreline. "In fact, the shore areas are the most likely to be developed in wind energy -- and the offshore areas -- simply because there's no tree cover; there's no terrain to get in the way of the wind, and the long open areas provide a nice long fetch for sustained wind power generation." Klepinger says if the wind business picks up, coastal communities might find some economic benefit to developing their energy resources. He says there's also a high likelihood that people will disagree about if and how to do that. "It's going to be of interest to local people when wind energy developers come along and want to develop the wind resource, so we're going to try to help communities have civil discussions and really understand all of the issues that go along with energy development projects." The first offshore wind farms in the U.S. have been proposed along the East Coast off Cape Cod and Long Island. Klepinger says coastal landowners are divided over the proposals. Some welcome the idea of clean energy from the wind turbines. Others are concerned about the impact on wildlife and scenery.
Script for Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Additional Information: Michigan Wind Energy Resource Maps, Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth U.S. Department of Energy: State Wind Resource Maps "Michigan Wind Resources" presentation by National Renewable Energy Laboratory available as a PDF document

Source: http://ewradio.org/program.aspx?ProgramID=3948

[wind.alert] March Wind.Alert from Windpower Monthly

WIND.ALERT FOR MARCH 2005 FROM WINDPOWER MONTHLY

As you requested, here is a taste of the top news stories and
special opinion pieces just published by Windpower Monthly.
The text-bites below are quick summaries of a small selection
of articles in the latest issue of Windpower Monthly and on
our web site.

You signed up for this newsletter at
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/alert; see below for
unsubscribe or address change information. For the full list
of our extensive news coverage, see:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current

A SELECTION OF NEWS HEADLINES FROM OUR TOP STORIES

* America up against wind turbine shortage as demand outstrips
 industry's willingness to meet it
* Welcome turning point in United States for transmission rules
 and connection of wind power
* British Renewables Obligation effective but unnecessarily
 costly says National Audit Office
* Top bosses at GE Energy depart as wind unit absorbed in
 energy division

For abstracts of these selected stories, see:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/currentabstracts

If you want an edge on this fast-growing global industry, there
is no better source of authoritative news, views and analysis
than Windpower Monthly. For delivery of the magazine to
your desk 12 times a year, subscribe now at:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/subs
Interested in a corporate subscription for your company?
Contact our sales manager Anne-Marie Howe at
sales@windpower-monthly.com

FOCUS COLUMN -- ONLINE-ONLY

* Wind market status 2005 -- Global wind power generating
capacity grew by about 7900 MW in 2004, 300 MW less than
added a year earlier. The grand end-2004 total is 47,400 MW,
give or take a megawatt or two. The March issue of Windpower
Monthly once again contains our annual round-up of the status of
the world's wind energy markets. Despite a dip last year in the
annual rate of new installations, wind power's compound annual
growth rate for the past five years remains at an impressive...
For free access to the rest of our online focus column, go to:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current,#focus

OPINION COLUMN --  FROM THE MAGAZINE

* Seen from on high
Putting together our special status issue each winter is a
monumental task. It involves all the correspondents (currently
19) and is enough to drive editors to drink. The main message
is that 2005 is going to be a cracking good year -- at least for
land based development. Offshore, the tenor of our reporting is
not as upbeat. There are plenty of grandiose plans, but
precious little construction activity on most of them. What
seems to be happening is a long drawn out waiting game.
Investors in ...
For free access to the full editorial opinion column drawn from
the pages of the magazine, go to:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/currentleader

For the full picture, including access to the extensive online
article archive from 1994, subscribe now at:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/subs

Advertise to a quality audience via Wind.Alert or Windpower
Monthly. For more information, contact
advertising@windpower-monthly.com

For wind power technology facts and figures check out
WindStats:
http://www.windstats.com

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

Subscribe to this free service at
http://windpower-monthly.com/alert

All contents (c) Windpower Monthly 1985-2005

============================================
Windpower Monthly News Magazine
mail@windpower-monthly.com
http://www.windpower-monthly.com

[wind.alert] February Wind.Alert from Windpower Monthly

WIND.ALERT FOR FEBRUARY 2005 FROM WINDPOWER MONTHLY

As you requested, here is a taste of the top news stories and
special opinion pieces just published by Windpower Monthly.
The text-bites below are quick summaries of a small selection
of articles in the latest issue of Windpower Monthly and on
our web site.

You signed up for this newsletter at
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/alert; see below for
unsubscribe or address change information. For the full list
of our extensive news coverage, see:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current

A SELECTION OF NEWS HEADLINES FROM OUR TOP STORIES

* Proposed high charges for Scottish power transmission
 slammed by renewables group
* Spain's Ecotécnia sets ambitious foreign targets for wind
 turbine supply
* Lawsuits loom in Germany and EU over Vestas wind turbine
 service monopoly
* New Australian legislation hotly debated as wind development
 looks likely to stall
* US developers cite 1970s legislation in push for purchase
 contracts

For abstracts of these selected stories, see:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/currentabstracts

If you want an edge on this fast-growing global industry, there
is no better source of authoritative news, views and analysis
than Windpower Monthly. For delivery of the magazine to
your desk 12 times a year, subscribe now at:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/subs
Interested in a corporate subscription for your company?
Contact our sales manager Anne-Marie Howe at
sales@windpower-monthly.com

FOCUS COLUMN -- ONLINE-ONLY

* Danger on the horizon in Australia
Australia has long been seen as one of the key emerging
markets for the wind power industry and in recent years has
lived up to that reputation. The federal government's Mandated
Renewable Energy Target (MRET) has been the major driving
force behind the country's wind development with the
installation of 380 MW from virtually nothing prior to the
legislation's introduction a few years ago. Last June the
government refused to increase MRET or enhance the
legislation for the foreseeable future. As a result...
For free access to the rest of our online focus column, go to:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current,#focus

OPINION COLUMN --  FROM THE MAGAZINE

* The CO2 smokescreen
The European Commission is to present its proposal for a
European climate strategy, aster which state leaders will
decide on the EU's climate targets. In this backdrop of
idealism, that should be good news to the wind industry,
the focus could hardly be more timely...
For free access to the full editorial opinion column drawn from
the pages of the magazine, go to:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/currentleader

For the full picture, including access to the extensive online
article archive from 1994, subscribe now at:
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/subs

Advertise to a quality audience via Wind.Alert or Windpower
Monthly. For more information, contact
advertising@windpower-monthly.com

For wind power technology facts and figures check out
WindStats:
http://www.windstats.com

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

Subscribe to this free service at
http://windpower-monthly.com/alert

All contents (c) Windpower Monthly 1985-2005

============================================
Windpower Monthly News Magazine
mail@windpower-monthly.com
http://www.windpower-monthly.com

Earth Policy News - Learning From China

Eco-Economy Update 2005-2
For Immediate Release
March 9, 2005

LEARNING FROM CHINA
Why the Western Economic Model Will not Work for the World
www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2005/Update46.htm

Lester R. Brown

Could the American dream in China become a nightmare for the world? For
China's 1.3 billion people, the American dream is fast becoming the
Chinese dream. Already millions of Chinese are living like
Americans--eating more meat, driving cars, traveling abroad, and otherwise
spending their fast-rising incomes much as Americans do. Although these
U.S.-style consumers are only a small fraction of the population, China's
claims on the earth's resources are already becoming highly visible.

In an Eco-Economy Update released in February, we pointed out that China
has replaced the United States as the world's leading consumer of most
basic commodities, like grain, coal, and steel. Now the question is, What
if consumption per person of these resources in China one day reaches the
current U.S. level? And, closely related, how long will it take for
China's annual income per person of $5,300 to reach the 2004 U.S. figure
of $38,000?

During the 26 years since the far-reaching economic reforms of 1978,
China's economy has been growing at a breakneck pace of 9.5 percent a
year. If it were now to grow at 8 percent per year, doubling every nine
years, income per person in 2031 for China's projected population of 1.45
billion would reach $38,000. (At a more conservative 6 percent annual
growth rate, the economy would double every 12 years, overtaking the
current U.S. income per person in 2040.)

For this exercise we will assume an 8 percent annual economic growth rate.
If the Chinese consume resources in 2031 as voraciously as Americans do
now, grain consumption per person there would climb from 291 kilograms
today to the 935 kilograms needed to sustain a U.S.-style diet rich in
meat, milk, and eggs. In 2031 China would consume 1,352 million tons of
grain, far above the 382 million tons used in 2004. This is equal to two
thirds of the entire 2004 world grain harvest of just over 2 billion tons.
( See data at www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2005/Update46_data.htm

Given the limited potential for further raising the productivity of the
world's existing cropland, producing an additional 1 billion tons of grain
for consumption in China would require converting a large part of Brazil's
remaining rainforests to grain production. This assumes, of course, that
once they are cleared these soils could sustain crop production.

To reach the U.S. 2004 meat intake of 125 kilograms per person, China's
meat consumption would rise from the current 64 million tons to 181
million tons in 2031, or roughly four fifths of current world meat
production of 239 million tons.

With energy, the numbers are even more startling. If the Chinese use oil
at the same rate as Americans now do, by 2031 China would need 99 million
barrels of oil a day. The world currently produces 79 million barrels per
day and may never produce much more than that.

Similarly with coal. If China's coal burning were to reach the current
U.S. level of nearly 2 tons per person, the country would use 2.8 billion
tons annually--more than the current world production of 2.5 billion
tons.

Apart from the unbreathable air that such coal burning would create,
carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning in China alone would rival those
of the entire world today. Climate change could spiral out of control,
undermining food security and inundating coastal cities.

If steel consumption per person in China were to climb to the U.S. level,
it would mean that China's aggregate steel use would jump from 258 million
tons today to 511 million tons, more than the current consumption of the
entire Western industrialized world.

Or consider the use of paper, another hallmark of modernization. If
China's meager annual consumption of 27 kilograms of paper per person were
to rise in 2031 to the current U.S. level of 210 kilograms, China would
need 303 million tons of paper, roughly double the current world
production of 157 million tons. There go the world's forests.

And what about cars? If automobile ownership in China were to reach the
U.S. level of 0.77 cars per person (three cars for every four people),
China would have a fleet of 1.1 billion cars in 2031--well beyond the
current world fleet of 795 million. The paving of land for roads,
highways, and parking lots for such a fleet would approach the area now
planted to rice in China. The competition between automobile owners and
farmers for productive cropland would be intense.

The point of this exercise of projections is not to blame China for
consuming so much, but rather to learn what happens when a large segment
of humanity moves quickly up the global economic ladder. What we learn is
that the economic model that evolved in the West--the fossil-fuel-based,
auto-centered, throwaway economy--will not work for China simply because
there are not enough resources.

If it does not work for China, it will not work for India, which has an
economy growing at 7 percent per year and a population projected to
surpass China's in 2030. Nor will it work for the other 3 billion people
in the developing world who also want to consume like Americans. Perhaps
most important, in an increasingly integrated global economy where all
countries are competing for the same dwindling resources it will not
continue to work for the 1.2 billion who currently live in the affluent
industrial societies either.

The sooner we recognize that our existing economic model cannot sustain
economic progress, the better it will be for the entire world. The claims
on the earth by the existing model at current consumption levels are such
that we are fast depleting the energy and mineral resources on which our
modern industrial economy depends. We are also consuming beyond the
sustainable yield of the earth's natural systems. As we overcut, overplow,
overpump, overgraze, and overfish, we are consuming not only the interest
from our natural endowment, we are devouring the endowment itself. In
ecology, as in economics, this leads to bankruptcy.

China is teaching us that we need a new economic model, one that is based
not on fossil fuels but that instead harnesses renewable sources of
energy, including wind power, hydropower, geothermal energy, solar cells,
solar thermal power plants, and biofuels. In the search for new energy,
wind meteorologists will replace petroleum geologists. Energy architects
will be centrally involved in the design of buildings.

In the new economy, the transport system will be designed to maximize
mobility rather than automobile use. This new economy comprehensively
reuses and recycles materials of all kinds. The goal in designing
industrial processes and products is zero emissions and zero waste.

Plan A, business as usual, is no longer a viable option. We need to turn
quickly to Plan B before the geopolitics of oil, grain, and raw material
scarcity lead to political conflict and disruption of the social order on
which economic progress depends.

# # #

Additional data and information sources at www.earth-policy.org or contact
vjimenez@earth-policy.org
For reprint permission contact rjkauffman@earth-policy.org

For a detailed discussion of this new economic model, see Eco-Economy:
Building an Economy for the Earth, Plan B: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress
and a Civilization in Trouble (both available for free downloading at
www.earth-policy.org/Books/index.htm), and the Eco-Economy Update "A Short
Path to Oil Independence" www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update43.htm

Earth Policy News - OUTGROWING THE EARTH: China's Harvest Decline

Coming this February …

OUTGROWING THE EARTH: THE FOOD SECURITY CHALLENGE IN AN AGE OF FALLING
WATER TABLES AND RISING TEMPERATURES by Lester R. Brown (W.W. Norton &
Co.)

>From Chapter 8: Reversing China’s Harvest Decline

The phenomenal rise in China’s grain production from 90 million tons in
1950 to 392 million tons in 1998 was one of the great economic success
stories of the late twentieth century. But in 1998 production peaked and
turned downward, falling to 322 million tons in 2003. As noted in Chapter
1, this drop of 70 million tons exceeds the entire grain harvest of
Canada. Thus any attempt to expand the world grain harvest enough to
rebuild depleted world grain stocks starts with reversing the decline in
China.

Virtually all of China’s production decline of nearly 18 percent from 1998
to 2003 is the result of a 16-percent shrinkage in grain area. Several
forces are at work here, as described in Chapter 5. Cropland is being
converted to nonfarm uses at a record rate, including industrial and
residential construction and the paving of land for roads, highways, and
parking lots. With deserts expanding by 360,000 hectares (1,400 square
miles) a year, drifting sands are covering cropland in the north and west,
making agriculture impossible. The loss of irrigation water is also
reducing the harvested area, particularly of wheat, which is grown in the
northern, drier regions of the country.

In 2004 China’s improved grain harvest, lifted by a substantial rise in
the rice support price and unusually favorable weather, was expected to
regain 21 million of the 70-million-ton-drop of the preceding five years.
Even with this projected production increase, China’s harvest in 2004 will
still fall short of consumption by 35 million tons. And there are several
worrying trends that undermine the hope that the harvest will rise
consistently again anytime soon.

To read the entire chapter, go to
http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/Out/Contents.htm

Earth Policy Institute
1350 Connecticut Ave., NW, Ste 403
Washington, DC 20036
T: (202) 496.9290
F: (202) 496.9325

UW-Madison News Release--Climate change brings health risks

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2/21/05
CONTACT: Jonathan Patz, (608) 262-4775, patz@wisc.edu

CLIMATE CHANGE TO BRING A WAVE OF NEW HEALTH RISKS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Climate change will not only bring about a warmer world, it is also very likely to set the stage for an unhealthier one.

As a result, governments and health officials need to begin to think about how to respond to an anticipated increase in the number and scope of climate-related health crises, ranging from killer heat waves and famine, to floods and waves of infectious diseases.

That, in a nutshell, was the message delivered to scientists Feb. 20 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) by Jonathan A. Patz, an authority on the human health effects of global environmental change.

As the world's climate warms, and as people make widespread alterations to the global landscape, human populations will become far more vulnerable to heat-related mortality, air pollution-related illnesses, infectious diseases and malnutrition, Patz says.

"We are destined to have some warming," says Patz, a professor of environmental studies and population health studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

But it won't be a gradually warming world that triggers future health crises, says Patz, a scientist based at the UW-Madison Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment. It will be a dramatic increase in severe weather events - major storms, heat waves, flooding - triggered by a shifting global climate that will wreak most of the human health havoc.

"Averages don't kill people - it is the extremes," Patz explains.

The issue, Patz says, is how are we going to adapt? If we don't do something to mitigate the potential human health effects of climate change, the world, beginning at the local and regional level, will begin to experience climate-related catastrophe.

"In the face of climate change, what are the adaptive measures at many and variable scales that we can take to reduce the health impact of climate change? That's what we need to be thinking about," he says.

The Wisconsin scientist suggests we may already be seeing the health consequences of a warmer world: The heat wave that struck Europe in the summer of 2004 claimed an estimated 22,000-35,000 lives, mostly the infirm, elderly and poor.

"That event was so far out of the normal climate range that one analysis pegs it as a signal of climate change," Patz explains. "So what are we going to be adapting to? It won't be creeping temperatures. What we may see is an increased frequency of these extreme events."

Moreover, as temperature regimes change, weather patterns will be altered and increased rainfall will facilitate the spread of waterborne and food-borne disease. And increased local rainfall also will make life easier for the insects and animals that carry some human diseases.

One strategy to mitigate future climate-related health problems, according to Patz, would be to develop and use climate forecasts and warning systems to avert disease and adverse health outcomes.

Such tools are already coming into play. Strong El Nino events, for example, tend to trigger heavier rainfall in the American southwest, setting the stage for rodent population booms and increased risk of exposure to hanta virus, a sometimes deadly disease transmitted through rodent urine and droppings.

Such events can be predicted with confidence, and if higher risk is forecast, people can prepare by mouse-proofing their homes and taking other measures to minimize contact with the source of a serious disease.

"The key will be early detection, warning and responding to threats," Patz says.

In urban areas, steps are already being taken to mitigate the effects of warmer climate and the "heat island" effect created by cities. Rooftop gardens are being encouraged by, among others, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and creating more reflective surfaces by painting rooftops white and using reflective materials in paving projects may reduce overall warming.

It will be important, says Patz, to avoid maladaptation. Increased use of air conditioners, for example, will provide immediate relief and is an important protection during an acute heat event. But the fossil fuels burned to generate the electricity to drive those air conditioners, as well as over-dependence on electric power grid functioning could potentially exacerbate the problem.

"Short-sighted fixes must be avoided," Patz says.

Improving deficiencies in such things as watershed protection, infrastructure and drainage systems would ease the risk of water contamination events. At present in the United States, a developed nation where most people have access to treated water, as many as 9 million cases of waterborne disease are estimated to occur each year.

With climate change, those numbers are likely to go up, says Patz, unless significant steps are taken to minimize the likelihood of sewage overflows and other weather related events that contaminate water supplies.

###

- Terry Devitt, (608) 262-8282, trdevitt@wisc.edu

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University Communications
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Madison, WI 53706

Phone: (608) 262-3571
Fax: (608) 262-2331

UW-Madison News Release--Magnetic wires scatter light

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3/14/05
CONTACT: Anne Bentley, (608) 262-6711, akbentley@wisc.edu


IN SOLUTION, TINY MAGNETIC WIRES SCATTER LIGHT

SAN DIEGO - Maneuvering external magnets, scientists can command the direction in which light bounces off tiny, magnetic wires that sway like matchsticks in thick, slow-moving solutions.

Announcing her finding here on March 13 at the 229th meeting of the American Chemical Society, University of Wisconsin-Madison materials chemist Anne Bentley described how suspended nickel wires - each 200 times thinner than a human hair - could one day serve as magneto-optical switches. The switches could aid in fields such as photonics, where light, rather than electricity, relays information.

"In a broader sense, it is also helpful to study how these wires behave in wet situations because if they are ever medically used, there is little inside our bodies that's dry," says Bentley, who suspended her wires in several types of fluids and found that the light-directing phenomenon was most consistent when she used "molasses-like" liquids such as glycerol.

"Another advantage that ‘magnetic fluids' may have over other light-directing devices, such as mirrors, is that fluids can easily take various shapes," Bentley adds.

Bentley calls her microscopic wires "nanowires" after nanotechnology, the booming, cutting-edge science of small. The "nano" in nanotechnology derives from the nanometer, which is equivalent to a billionth of one meter. Several types of nanoparticles are already in use, in products such as sunscreens and inkjet printer ink.

But in the fledgling realm of nanowire research, Bentley is one of only a few scientists worldwide who is studying the properties of nickel nanowires. Other nano-scale structures under investigation include, for instance, non-magnetic carbon nanotubes.

Nanowires have not yet ventured outside the research arena, but researchers believe they will one day become critical components in ever-shrinking electronic circuits. Nickel nanowires, for instance, could play a key role in storing information, says Bentley. In particular, scientists could use external magnets to dictate the orientation and position of magnetic nickel nanowires within complex and tiny electronic systems. Without such control, says Bentley, working with nano-scale circuit parts could be like "trying to put Legos together with oven mitts on."

###

- Paroma Basu, (608) 262 9772, basu1@wisc.edu

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Madison, WI 53706

Phone: (608) 262-3571
Fax: (608) 262-2331

UW-Madison News Release--Biofilm research

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3/14/05
CONTACT: Helen Blackwell, (608) 262 1503, blackwell@chem.wisc.edu

TO CONTROL GERMS, SCIENTISTS DEPLOY TINY AGENTS PROVOCATEURS

SAN DIEGO - Aiming to thwart persistent bacterial infections and better control group behaviors of certain microorganisms, scientists are creating artificial chemicals that infiltrate and sabotage bacterial "mobs."

Reporting the work here on March 13 at the 229th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry professor Helen Blackwell described the ongoing construction of a new class of molecules that conduct such chemical warfare.

Targeting natural signaling mechanisms in bacterial cells, Blackwell aims to ultimately control the formation of biofilms, goo-like amalgamations of bacteria that are widespread in nature and have serious implications for agriculture and human health. Biofilms form the green slime on rocks, the plaque on human teeth and the slippery film on ship hulls. If a single cell were analogous to one man, biofilms would be the "bacterial equivalent of mob mentality," says Blackwell.

In the realm of health, biofilms are at the root of growing numbers of tenacious, and sometimes fatal, hospital infections, says Blackwell. Indeed, a U.S. National Institutes of Health study last year reported that almost 80 percent of bacterial infections are in the biofilm forma.

Biofilms can often constitute several species of bacteria and can be both harmful and beneficial. In one role, biofilms can coat plant roots and symbiotically aid ecological processes such as nitrogen fixation. But at the darker end of the scale, biofilms can form infection-inducing layers on implanted medical devices and cause deadly lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients. Biofilms have long baffled researchers because of their stupefying capacity to behave like a "super-organism" that vetoes the normal characteristics of a bacterial cell in favor of new group behaviors. "It's amazing that such simple organisms as bacteria can form these super-colonies that work together in such sophisticated ways," says Blackwell.

Scientists have learned that bacteria sense each other and the overall density of their colony by continuously exchanging small molecules and peptides - a process known as quorum sensing. Past a certain density threshold, the colonies unite to initiate group behaviors, such as biofilm formation.

Attempting to manipulate quorum sensing in both plant and animal bacteria, Blackwell and her team are designing new compounds that mimic acylated homoserine lactones (AHLs), a natural molecule that is used by more than 50 species of bacteria to "talk." Researchers have so far studied around 15 variations of AHLs. In particular, the UW chemists are synthesizing molecules that interact with a specific class of proteins that are linked to AHLs and are critical in quorum sensing.


"We want to design molecules to confuse bacteria so they can't sense their neighbors," says Blackwell, "but some types of quorum sensing are beneficial, so we are simultaneously searching for compounds that selectively turn on group behaviors."

Using new combinatorial chemistry techniques, Blackwell and her team are screening through hundreds of molecules at a time. The researchers have so far unveiled three promising organic compounds that seemingly quell bacterial signaling.

###

- Paroma Basu (608) 262 9772, basu1@wisc.edu

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news release system, please send an email to:
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University Communications
University of Wisconsin-Madison
27 Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Phone: (608) 262-3571
Fax: (608) 262-2331

Doug Moss

*******************************************************
***Week of 3/13/05 EARTH TALK installment***
*******************************************************

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: Are there any healthy alternatives to sugar? -- Andrew Young, New York, NY

Perhaps since the diet crazes of the 1970s, Americans have been looking to cut back on their intake of sugar. And doctors couldn't be happier, as they consider the prevalence of sugar in our society a root cause of numerous health problems, including the recent trends in obesity and adult onset diabetes.

By far the most commonly used sugar alternative today is aspartame. Most diet sodas contain aspartame, and it is the main ingredient in artificial sweeteners Equal and Nutrasweet, among others. But aspartame itself has been linked to a host of health problems, including Parkinson’s disease, anxiety attacks, depression, and brain tumors. A recent report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services listed 90 documented symptoms associated with aspartame exposure. And according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), aspartame accounts for 75 percent of reported adverse reactions to food additives.

Honey, another popular sugar substitute, contains vitamins C, D, E and B-complex, as well as traces of amino acids, enzymes and minerals. However up to 50 percent of these nutrients are lost, unfortunately, when honey is commercially processed. Also, honey is high in calories and is absorbed by the body in much the same way sugar is, so it’s not good a good choice if you are diabetic.

Luckily for those with cravings for sweets, several healthy alternatives to sugar do exist and can be found at most natural foods markets if not in mainstream supermarkets which increasingly have natural foods sections. For a taste similar to honey with fewer calories, agave nectar--made from the Mexican agave plant--is a good choice. Agave nectar is a fruit sugar, which absorbs more slowly into the bloodstream and is suitable for diabetics. It has a light, mild flavor with a thinner consistency than honey. One organic brand is Colibree. Another comes from Sweet Cactus Farms and can be ordered from their website online.

For baking, date sugar is a good alternative to conventional sugar. Actually consisting of finely ground dates, it contains all the fruit’s nutrients and minerals. Date sugar isn't highly processed, and it can be used cup-for-cup as a replacement for white sugar. Also good for baking is xylitol, which sounds like a chemical but is actually birch sugar. Unlike conventional sugar, xylitol is actually reported to fight tooth decay, and has fewer calories. Both date sugar and xylitol are suitable for diabetics and others who are sugar sensitive.

Another sugar alternative--and one that has grown in popularity in recent years--is stevia, which comes from the stevia leaf in Paraguay. It is about 300 times as sweet as sugar, but has no calories. The FDA considers stevia a dietary supplement, because in its unprocessed form it is very nutritious, containing such vitamins as magnesium, niacin, potassium and vitamin C. But Japanese drink manufacturers have been using stevia as a sweetener for more than 30 years. Because stevia is so concentrated, it is best used as an additive to drinks, cereals or yogurts, and not for baking, as it doesn't have enough bulk.

CONTACTS: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, (888) INFO-FDA, www.fda.gov; Colibree, (866) 635-8854, www.agavenectar.com; Sweet Cactus Farms, (310) 733-4343, www.sweetcactusfarms.com.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.

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EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: What is “geothermal” heating and cooling, and how is it environmentally friendly? -- John Moran, Cranston, RI

Geothermal (sometimes called “geoexchange”) heating and cooling is a technology that relies primarily on the Earth’s natural thermal energy, a renewable resource, to heat or cool a house.

In winter or in colder climates, the Earth’s natural heat is collected through a series of pipes, called a loop, installed underground or sometimes in a pond or lake. Water circulating in the loop carries the heat to the home where an indoor system using compressors and heat exchangers concentrates the Earth’s energy and releases it inside the home at a higher temperature. In a typical system, duct fans distribute the heat to various rooms. These systems can also provide all or part of a household’s hot water, according to the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, a trade organization.

In summer or in warmer climates, the process is reversed in order to cool the home. Excess heat is drawn from the home, expelled to the loop, and absorbed by the Earth. Thus the system is providing cooling in much the same way that a refrigerator keeps its contents cool--by drawing heat from the interior, not by injecting cold air from the exterior. The only additional energy that these systems need, other than the heat from the Earth’s surface, is a small amount of electricity to power the pumps that circulate the collected heating or cooling throughout the home.

“It’s a truly renewable system requiring a minimal amount of energy,” says Lisa McArthur of the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association, another trade group. “The temperature underground is constant year round (low 40s in the northern U.S. to the low 70s in the South). If a home needs to be heated in the winter or cooled in the summer, the energy source is in one’s own backyard,” she says.

Depending upon the size and quantity of pumps needed, homeowners can expect to pay a few thousand dollars more for installation than for a conventional fossil-fuel system. But with geothermal, homeowners enjoy reduced energy bills, high reliability and long life. “There is always initial sticker shock, but our clientele is more concerned with the environment and long-term use rather than the initial bottom line,” says Scott Jones, a sales manager at ECONAR, a Minnesota-based heat pump producer.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, geothermal technology can reduce energy costs up to 60 percent compared to traditional furnaces. This means that a geothermal unit will pay for itself in two to 10 years. Subsidies and tax incentives, which vary from state to state, can make the systems even more affordable. Homeowners can check with the free online Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy to see if their state provides any such incentives.

CONTACTS: Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, www.geoexchange.org; International Ground Source Heat Pump Association, www.igshpa.okstate.edu; ECONAR, (763) 241-3110, www.econar.com; Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy, www.dsireusa.org.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.

EarthTalk
Questions and Answers About Our Environment
A Weekly Column
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Doug Moss

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***Week of 3/6/05 EARTH TALK installment***
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EARTH TALK

From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: What are “energy efficient mortgages” and how do I qualify for one?
-- Matt Hoffman, Seattle, WA

A movement is afoot among real estate lenders to offer special mortgages and other incentives designed to reward energy efficiency and green-friendly building and restoration. Borrowers planning to purchase new energy efficient homes, as well as those looking to do ecologically motivated renovations on older homes, can take advantage of such programs to increase their mortgage amounts while offsetting construction costs.

Fannie Mae, the Congressionally chartered company that works with lenders to back mortgages for low and moderate income Americans, is the prime mover of “green” mortgages through its Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) program. To qualify for the program, homeowners must either buy a new energy efficient home, or commit to upgrades of an existing home as recommended by an inspector certified through the Home Energy Rating System (HERS).

Such HERS inspections can run as much as $400, but the projected savings from energy efficiency are considered part of the borrower’s income and can help homebuyers qualify for larger mortgages. By increasing borrowing power, the EEM allows homeowners to fold the costs of energy efficiency into the total mortgage amount. Factors such as window efficiency, heating and cooling system efficiency, wall-to-window ratios, insulation levels and local climate -- even the solar orientation of the home -- determine a home’s HERS rating.

In a home that needs energy improvements, the HERS report will suggest specific improvements and estimate both the cost of the improvements and the expected energy savings. The cost of the energy improvements can be included in the homeowner’s mortgage, but is limited to 15 percent of the home’s value.

A borrower opting for new construction can qualify for an EEM if the home in question is to be built according to guidelines set by the Energy Star Builder Option Program, a project of the Environmental Protection Agency to encourage energy efficient building and design. Once construction on the new home is complete, a HERS inspection is conducted to determine the home’s energy efficiency, which will in turn dictate the specific terms of the EEM.

Eligible borrowers can obtain an EEM backed by Fannie Mae with as little as a three percent down payment. Detailed requirements for EEM qualification are available on the Fannie Mae website, which also posts a list of participating lending institutions from coast-to-coast.

CONTACT: Fannie Mae, www.efanniemae.com.

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 us at: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

*****************************************************************************************

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: What are the environmental impacts of our voracious appetite for coffee?
-- Augie Dent, Capitola, CA

According to the Specialty Coffee Association, Americans alone consume some 300 million cups of coffee every day. Globally, coffee is second only to oil in terms of dollars traded, and it has a tremendous social and ecological footprint, particularly in regions of the world that also host some of the planet’s greatest, and most threatened, biodiversity.

Prior to the 1960s, most coffee was grown under the shade canopies of other plants in conditions not unlike natural tropical forests. These traditional coffee plantations harbored a wide range of plant diversity, and therefore provided valuable habitat for large numbers of migratory birds and other wildlife. The abundant flora and fauna also helped keep pests in check while providing a wide range of natural nutrients for the soil.

But over the last four decades, the growing popularity of coffee began to dictate the need for greater production, and coffee growers started clearing their land in order to grow higher yield coffee that thrives in direct sunlight. While financially productive, this sun-grown coffee takes a heavy toll on the environment, on wildlife, and on workers’ health by eliminating the surrounding biodiversity and requiring heavy use of toxic fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides.

Among others, the Starbucks chain of coffee shops has been a recent innovator in trying to turn the situation around. In 1998 the company formed a partnership with Conservation International, a leading environmental non-profit, to encourage sustainable, shade-grown coffee production while also ensuring that small farmers and agricultural co-ops earn a living wage for their labors, a concept known as “fair trade.” Starbucks’ Organic Shade Grown Mexico, Decaf Shade Grown Mexico, and Conservation Colombia coffees are all grown in an ecologically sound manner that protects the surrounding natural environment and respects the economic needs of farmers.

Shade-grown brands are also becoming more widely available to those more inclined to brew their coffee at home. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo website features a handy listing of “bird-friendly” coffee retailers (that is, bean sellers committed to shade-grown coffee only), searchable by zip code. The organization Rainforest Alliance, which also works to get the word out about coffee’s big footprint, certifies several brands, including Oriole Blend and Columbia Mesos de los Santos. And the website Coffee Review lists Green Mountain, Kaldi’s, Thanksgiving Coffee, New Harvest, Kaffe, Café Campesino and Coffee Tea Etc. as coffees that top the list in terms of pairing excellent taste with environmentally-responsible growing practices. Many of these brands are available at organic food specialty stores and at natural foods supermarkets like Whole Foods and Wild Oats.

CONTACTS: Starbucks, www.starbucks.com; Conservation International, www.conservation.org; Coffee Review, www.coffeereview.com; Smithsonian National Zoo “Bird-Friendly” Coffee Finder, www.nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationandScience/MigratoryBirds/Coffee/; Rainforest Alliance, www.rainforest-alliance.org.

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 us at: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

EarthTalk
Questions and Answers About Our Environment
A Weekly Column
******************************************************
c/o E/The Environmental Magazine
***A nonprofit publication***
28 Knight Street, Norwalk, CT 06851
PHONE: (203) 854-5559/(X106) - FAX: (203) 866-0602
E-mail: earthtalkcolumn@emagazine.com
******************************************************
Mail: P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881 U.S.A.

Doug Moss
Publisher & Executive Editor
*******************************************************
***Week of 2/27/05 EARTH TALK installment***
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EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: Are there safe herbal alternatives to common pain and headache medications? -- Dylan Baker, Seattle, WA

From lower back problems and migraines to the stings of cuts, bruises and more serious injuries, persistent pain sends most of us running to the doctor--and then the pharmacist--for a quick fix. Often that relief comes in the form of a potent pain pill, such as OxyContin or Percocet. But those drugs exact a price, over and above their financial cost, to work their magic. For one, they can be highly addictive. And many have serious side effects ranging from drowsiness to ulcers to kidney and liver damage.

New research shows that many of these powerful pharmaceuticals are also no friends to the environment. When they are eliminated from our bodies and flushed down the toilet, they make their way into our waterways and dissolve into microscopic particles. Fish and wildlife living in and near streams polluted by these compounds can develop health problems. So can human beings who drink the water from public water supplies whose treatment methods are not sophisticated enough to screen out the particles.

Given those risks, millions of American families have turned to herbal pain remedies. Pain relief patches are among the hot new products on display at natural foods markets. Some, such as the Tiger Balm patch, contain the herbs camphor and oil of clove, which are absorbed through the skin. These herbs, originally used in Chinese medicine, have anti-inflammatory properties to ease back pain and muscle aches.

Arnica, also known as “leopard’s bane,” is especially effective in reducing pain from arthritis, burns, ulcers and eczema, and is also used to treat acne. It has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities that reduce pain and swelling and accelerate wound healing. According to the American Botanical Council, arnica is one of the most popular herbs used by homeopathic practitioners for pain.

Meanwhile, several research studies have shown that capsaicin, an extract of cayenne pepper, can offer significant arthritis pain relief when used as a topical cream. Turmeric, a natural anti-inflammatory and immune booster, is also well known as a pain reliever for arthritis pain. And feverfew is a useful herb for reducing migraine headache pain. Herbalists have relied on it since the Middle Ages.

Since herbal remedies are not as strictly regulated as conventional drugs, it is important to consult a reputable naturopath or homeopath before using them. For example, despite its benefits, arnica can raise blood pressure and therefore may be undesirable for some people. Also, research shows a wide variation in purity and quality among the herbal offerings on the market, so it is also important to choose a reputable manufacturer. Websites such as MotherNature.com and MedicinePlants.com are good sources, as are the herb and supplement sections in Wild Oats, Whole Foods and other natural foods markets.

Regardless of where you obtain herbal medicines, be aware that many herbs can interact with other medicines, so you should check with your medical doctor before using them. Also, as with conventional medicines, it may also be unwise to take herbal treatments if you are pregnant or trying to conceive.

CONTACTS: American Botanical Council, www.herbalgram.org; MotherNature.com, www.mothernature.com; MedicinePlants.com, www.medicine-plants.com.

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 us at: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

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EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that furniture is a major contributor to indoor air pollution?
-- Jon Kaplan, Brooklyn, NY

Many toxic materials are used throughout traditional furniture-making processes. The paints, varnishes and waxes commonly employed can release the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are known to decrease indoor air quality. One of the most common VOCs is formaldehyde, which is used in glues for particleboard. It is also added to paints as a preservative and to upholstery to give it a permanent-press quality. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, formaldehyde emissions can cause eye and throat irritation, allergic reactions, and possibly cancer.

In addition to “off-gassing” chemical pollutants, some furnishings are made of absorbent materials that make them “sinks” for other pollutants. For example, textured fabric surfaces such as draperies, upholstered furniture and carpeting can absorb and then re-release pollutants into the air. Besides absorbing the VOCs from adhesives and paints, these furnishings can collect dust mites, bacteria and fungi, especially in areas of high humidity, leading to a wide range of allergic reactions.

Luckily for those sensitive to indoor air pollution, many toxic-free alternatives to traditional furniture exist. For instance, California-based Tamalpais NatureWorks uses toxic-free finishes on its clean-lined furniture. The company uses paints, stains and waxes from BioShield, which makes its products out of citrus peel extracts, essential oils, tree resins, bee waxes and natural pigments.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts-based Furnature is one of a handful of companies using organic upholstery. The company started making furniture for chemically sensitive people more than a decade ago. And online retailer Green Culture offers a wide selection of eco-friendly beds and mattresses, nightstands, tables, dressers and armoires.

Hemp, a durable fiber that is six times stronger than cotton and very low in pesticide residues, is also occasionally employed in “green” furniture. Bean Products of Chicago uses hemp upholstery on its chairs, ottomans, couches and beds, and employs an air-blasting process to soften the otherwise tough fabric.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering regulating products like furniture with regard to indoor air pollution through a pilot program called the Environmental Technology Verification Project. The agency is creating guidelines for manufacturers to follow voluntarily with the hope that more stringent mandatory regulations can be avoided.

CONTACTS: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, www.cpsc.gov/; Tamalpais NatureWorks, www.tamalpais.com; Furnature, www.furnature.com; Bean Products, www.beanproducts.com; EPA Environmental Technology Verification Project, www.epa.gov/appcdwww/iemb/etv.htm.

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 us at: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

EarthTalk
Questions and Answers About Our Environment
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