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I recently learned that a few N.C. cities will join hundreds across the globe in turning off the lights for Earth Hour on March 28: Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Lincolnton and Asheville, as well as Triad Air Awareness. Now, I'm trying to find out what buildings in those cities will go dark at that 8:30 p.m. hour.

Earth Hour is an annual symbolic event in which communities demonstrate their commitment to finding solutions for climate change.

Update: Winston-Salem facilities manager Randy Rogers responded that city employees will turn off all non-essential lighting at City Hall and the municipal building. His department has also distributed information to other city departments encouraging them to do the same.

Maggie Ullman with the city of Asheville's sustainability office said she is recommending that the city shut off outdoor spotlighting on City Hall and the Council will make a decision next week.

A sampling of what's happening across the state:

Appalachian State University in Boone plans to start installing a 100-kilowatt wind turbine on its campus in April. This turbine will be the largest in the state and the student-led Renewable Energy Initiative (REI) will hold an information session about it for the community next week.

From a press release:

The project was conceived and coordinated through the student-led ASU REI. Funding for this project comes in part from a 5$ (sic) per semester student fee that is allocated towards bringing renewable energy to ASU campus. This particular project is also co-funded by New River Light & Power. Additionally, the ASU senior class of 2009 has decided to allocate its senior class gift fund towards the turbine project. Installation is set to begin around April 1st, 2009.

Also, the Nature Conservancy and a corporate partner will announce next week a major gift to research climate change adaptation in coastal North Carolina. A 2008 study by the University of Maryland identified North Carolina’s coast as one of the country’s most vulnerable areas to climate change. The Conservancy research will explore ways to make the coast more resilient to rising sea levels, according to a press release.

From the University of Maryland report:

In addition to their impacts on property, sea level rise and more intense hurricane activity will hurt the tourism industry in North Carolina. Costs to tourism include losses of beach area due to sea level rise and decrease in demand for beach trips due to more unpredictable weather patterns. These costs also include losses to area businesses because of decreases in tourism. Estimates suggest that the present value of the welfare costs to beach recreation inflicted by an increase of 46 cm (18 inches) in sea level by 2080 could be as high as $10.6 billion, assuming a 2 percent discount rate (Bin et al. 2007).

Other revenue losses could occur in the fishing sector of the economy. Recent estimates
suggest that aggregate consumer welfare losses for anglers in North Carolina could
amount to $17 million per year by 2080 (Bin et al. 2007).

One proposed method to protect coastal infrastructure from rising sea levels is building a seawall or bulkhead along the coast... For North Carolina’s 301-mile coast, building such a structure would cost the state $1.89 billion (NC Department of Commerce 2008).

The Conservancy and its partners have an interest in this type of research because of its large investment in preserving coastal property -- more than half a million acres in northeastern North Carolina.

Robert Powell, one of the panelists speaking at tonight's National Teach-in on Global Warming, will discuss the greenhouse gas inventory being completed as part of the city's Cool Cities initiative.

It turns out the Greensboro community emitted more than 6 million tons of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide equivalent) in 2007, according to a draft report I received. The largest emitters: The commercial and residential sectors, followed by transportation, industrial and waste, in that order. This amount does not yet include emissions by city government operations; that part of the report should be complete next week.

I have yet to talk with Mr. Powell in detail about what he sent me; that will happen either before or at the teach-in.

Update: I spoke with Mr. Powell this afternoon and he explained that the report does actually include city operations emissions, but does not break them out (expect that the city government percentage to be small, less than 5 percent). Powell, co-chairman of the city's Community Sustainability Council, works with N.C. A&T's Center for Energy Research and Technology and a research associate there conducted the inventory for the whole city. The city of Greensboro is conducting its own inventory and should have the data ready soon.

"I'm comfortable that we've got some basic numbers but I would still say the numbers are preliminary," Powell said.

Powell said the Community Sustainability Council will next research the details of Greensboro's energy usage to determine what sectors to target and how. The advisory group will meet on Monday at 1 p.m. in the conference room on the Plaza Level of Melvin Municipal Office Building. There, members will start the process of creating a local action plan to be presented to City Council this summer.

Sierra Club has released a summary of the 2008 efforts of North Carolina cities and counties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of the Cool Cities initiative. The Sierra Club, which has pushed governments to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, will be holding a Cool Cities workshop on Jan. 24 for those working to address climate change in their communities.

Keep in mind that two climate change events are planned for Greensboro in February.

I just found this out today, but apparently a national energy forum is taking place on Wednesday and Thursday. It's free and online.

Details from a press release:

WHO: Fortune 500 CEOs, COOs, CFOs, public policy leaders, sustainability & energy experts & innovators of energy products & services.

WHAT: www.VirtualEnergyForum.com, a free online-only conference, brings together 5,000 Fortune 500 executives, public policy leaders & energy innovators in an innovative interactive format. Live video presentations by energy experts, with questions answered real-time.

Topics: Obama administration, federal funding, municipal or public works, green building, energy-efficient technologies, sustainability, alternative energy, clean technologies, and manufacturing.

WHEN: Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST.

WHERE: Entirely online at www.VirtualEnergyForum.com. Register and Login Dec. 10-11 to attend this live, interactive event, from the ease of your PC. To view coverage of the last Virtual Energy Forum by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, or to view the complete list of speakers and agenda, visit www.VirtualEnergyForum.com.

WHY: President-elect Barack Obama pledged on Dec. 6 to launch the biggest public works program since the construction of the interstate highway system in the 1950s. The estimated $700 Billion plan is projected to include a push to make federal buildings more energy efficient.

The Virtual Energy Forum includes speaker sessions that address this topic, including:

· Mike Kearney of Siemens Building Technologies, speaking on "Practical Strategies to Green Existing Buildings" on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

· Kevin Kampschroer, US General Services Administration, "Making the Federal Green Building a Reality" on Thursday at 5:15 p.m.

· Public sector keynote speakers at the event include:

o The Honorable James T. Kelliher, Chairman of the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

o The Honorable Ed Markey, US House Select Committee on Energy Independence

o Kathleen Hogan, US Environmental Protection Agency

o Paul P. Bollinger Jr., United States Army

o Kevin W. Billings, of the United States Air Force.

This sounds interesting and I will try to check it out this week.

Don't expect too much change on climate change in 2009. That's the gist of news reports coming out of the United Nations conference taking place in Poland.

(Photo courtesy of Greenpeace International)

Following are recent field reports forwarded to me from Greenpeace campaigner Eva Erbskorn attending the conference. From today:

"Today, countries met again to discuss their long-term vision for a climate solution. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration once again revealed their deep ties to industry with a proposal to dump money into nuclear energy and coal technology. While it was disappointing to hear, it was not surprising that an administration known for its close ties to the oil industry was now trying to pass off dirty, expensive coal and nuclear as a global solution to climate change.

Thankfully, the American people have made it clear - we are ready for
change. We know that investments in truly clean energy like wind and
solar will cut global warming pollution and create good, high paying jobs.

Americans and people the world over are looking forward to the start of
the Obama administration. It's exciting to think that our leaders will
finally help us break our addiction to fossil fuels and bring forward a
clean energy economy."

Supporters of President-elect Barack Obama are coming together on Dec. 13 and 14 to discuss what ideas they have. His transition team will be collecting the feedback and is encouraging people to sign up to host or attend a "Change is Coming" house meeting.

This would be a good opportunity for the public to talk about the challenges the country is facing in the areas of energy and the environment and brainstorm ways to address it on the federal level (although individual and community action might be the most effective in the long run).

Check out Obama's agenda concerning these matters and let me know if you host a meeting next weekend. Three meetings are already listed for Greensboro.

Speaking "United Nations" and "Poland" in the same sentence is likely to draw yawns from North Carolinians far removed from the deliberations of international law, security, economic development, and social equity that occur at various conferences and events throughout the world.

But some people are closely following the UN climate talks occurring this week in Poland as momentum builds on the grassroots level around concerns about global warming. I received this dispatch today from two Greenpeace USA campaigners, who are attending the conference and providing updates to the media:

The national Interfaith Power & Light organization is sponsoring a contest in 2009 to motivate faith congregations to lower their carbon emissions. Those that enter by Dec. 31 of this year and compete during the next year will be eligible to win $5,000 in cash prizes. Find out more here.

Other events:
* The Solar Energy Research Center and the Research Triangle Energy Consortium will hold a symposium on next generation photovoltaics and solar fuels in January at UNC Chapel Hill.

* The N.C. Sustainable Energy Association will begin taking early bird registrations for a February energy forum called "Making Energy Work."

* Clergy and laity can register for a "Caring for Creation" conference in March at Lake Junaluska Retreat Center. Find out more here.

Update: The Oil Drum will be providing a series of analyses and commentary on the World Energy Outlook. The Oil Drum is a superb collaborative energy analysis site so I encourage you to check it out.

The International Energy Agency released its much-anticipated, exhaustive (and leaked) 2008 World Energy Outlook today. The major concern? Constrained investment in a global recession will prevent companies from providing oil when we really need it.

Find the executive summary here and an easily digestible fact sheet here.

From the Financial Times:

"The organisation found that even with investment, the fields were declining at 6.7 per cent and that this rate was accelerating. That means that 45m barrels a day would have to be found and produced in the coming 22 years even if world demand remained completely unchanged. As it stands however, the IEA expects demand to rise from 85m bpd in 2007 to 106m b/d in 2030, making the challenge that much greater....

Many of the most sharply declining fields lie in developed countries, including in areas such as the North Sea and Alaska. This means the west will become less and less of a player in terms of production, while Persian Gulf countries become more important.

The west’s declining importance applies to its role not just as a supplier of oil but a customer. "We think OECD oil demand has peaked,” Mr Birol said, adding: “The OECD countries’ role in the energy world is becoming less and less important.”

Obviously, oil supplies are not our biggest problem right now, what with demand tanking and prices at roughly $60 per barrel. But what happens when demand picks back up?

Oh, and if you still have time after reading the IEA report, check out what the U.S. Government Accountability Office has to say about when we will see widespread carbon capture: No time soon.

Good summaries of carbon sequestration here and here.

Get this. A new vocabulary word for the climate change aware has popped up in recent news articles. "Carborexic" -- short for carbon or energy anorexic, describes people "obsessing over personal carbon emissions to an unhealthy degree, the way crash dieters watch the bathroom scale."

A quote from Australia's The Daily Telegraph:

Head of the University of Sydney Anxiety Disorders Clinic Dr. Mairwen Jones had seen an increase in patients suffering from climate change-related obsessive compulsive `checking' disorders.

She explained that some patients had begun checking their gas and power meters constantly to monitor their usage, while others worried about their petrol consumption and their car's odometer reading.

"A person who says: 'I constantly check the tap', now it's not that they're worried about a flood, but they say 'I don't want to waste water with elevated temperatures and drought, and I'm worried about my impact on the environment.''

Huh?

And The New York Times article says one man who might be carborexic drives his car on waste vegetable oil and has no heating or air conditioning units in his condo. Where does he live? Culver City, Calif., where the average highs reach 81 degrees and the lows 46 degrees, according to Weather.com. Yeah, he sounds like the poster child of irrational behavior.

It's possible there are people whose obsessive compulsive behaviors manifest themselves through energy-related actions, but I don't believe those examples were given in the stories cited. The National Institute of Mental Health defines obsessive compulsive disorder as "an anxiety disorder and is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors such as handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these so-called 'rituals,' however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety."

Now, I'm not a clinical psychiatrist or psychologist, but it seems to me that an example of energy-related OCD behavior is obsessing over a particular setting on the thermostat (i.e. setting it on only odd-digit numbers like 59 degrees or 61 degrees) or some other type of irrational behavior that has no inherent value. People experimenting with lifestyle changes brought about by environmental or energy concerns does not in and of itself signify mental illness.

By the way, you'll find a couple responses to the term "carborexic" here and here.

Now, let's be honest. Lifestyle changes or temporary experiments such as tracking your garbage for a year or eating a 100 Mile Diet, can be a source of conflict in the home if spouses and relatives don't agree. That's the case with any change or big decision, such as starting a business or moving in an in-law. Therapy might be needed in some cases. The difference here is in what's considered culturally accepted or mainstream.

But I think the articles missed an opportunity to generate discussion about the underlying cultural and economic changes occurring across the country. People frequently refer to the Great Depression when talking or writing about our current financial crisis. Let's not forget that during the depression people were quite obsessive about what they used and the money they spent. They had to be.

Even now, families experiencing financial difficulty are trying to figure out how to stretch their dollars and imbue with dignity sacrifices they have to make. I recently heard on an NPR program that one disabled women's funds are so tight that she has gone to eating only two meals a day. And if a family is energy/environmentally conscious and broke, they might be doing a host of things, including setting their thermostat as low as they can tolerate, using fans instead of AC, and reusing plastic bags. All of a sudden, frugal is back in style.

What do you think? Do you think energy obsession is becoming more of a problem? Do you see evidence of this among friends and family in the Triad?

Faith groups in this area increasingly have the desire to reduce the environmental impacts of their buildings and members lifestyles, but they don't necessarily have the know-how.

A new Greensboro organization has stepped up to educate the more than 400 congregations in the city about energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation and other practices. Environmental Stewardship Greensboro (ESG) has met for less than two years but has already accomplished a great deal, most recently creating a "Cool Congregation" certification initiative. The program provides an outline of steps congregations can take to expand environmental awareness and action among members and the wider community. Steps include outdoor worship services, nature walks, use of organic and Fair Trade products, rain barrel installation and carpooling.

In the past, ESG has partnered with the Glenwood Neighborhood Association to purchase rain barrels for residents and organized studies of Thomas Berry's "The Great Work." On Nov. 21, the group will hold its first fundraiser by inviting Walkin' Jim Stoltz to hold a concert at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. (Note: I have attended some of the meetings as a representative of Presbyterian Church of the Covenant.)

For more information about Cool Congregations or the upcoming concert, call Tom Clary at 292-6283 or e-mail Annette Green at AnnetteZG AT hotmail.com; Eric Hoekstra at HoekstraEB AT yahoo.com; or Nelson Stover at StoverN AT bellsouth.net.

This Saturday, from 10-11:30 a.m.: Guilford Solar Communities will feature passive solar design.

Where:  Barn Kitchen Meeting Room, Guilford County Agricultural Center,
             3309 Burlington Rd., Greensboro, NC 27405. (Nearest cross
             street is Huffine Mill Road.)

Description:  This month’s presentation will be about Passive Solar Design. Passive Solar is the system of making use of the sun’s energy without mechanical devices.  It’s a system that was already used by the native Indians, but was “forgotten” in the modern world due to the availability of air-conditioners and heaters.  Passive solar principles are now slowly making a comeback in buildings in the U.S.
 
Presenter:  Michiel VanderSommen.  For more information, contact Michiel directly, at 558-4405.

Also on Saturday, from 2-4 p.m.: “Take Action Tour” on climate change at the Museum of Natural Science in downtown Raleigh. Will include the following topics: setting a reduction goal for carbon dioxide emissions, adapting to climate change, clean cars, and ways you can make a difference. Please RSVP. Click here for more information.

On July 31: Greening Your Events & Parties (from Piedmont Environmental Alliance). Planning a wedding, conference, race or festival?  Or, maybe just a backyard BBQ?  Events and parties typically generate a lot of waste.  Learn how to make your events eco-friendly, perhaps even zero waste.  Reduce, reuse, recycle, compost – we will provide lots of suggestions, alternatives and local sources for greening your event. Join the alliance on Thursday night, July 31st, for its quarterly Environmental Exchange.  More details in the coming weeks. 

In the news: Ten Thousand Villages, with local stores in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, was recognized this month as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by The Ethisphere Institute and Forbes Magazine.

The Rev. Canon Sally Bingham, president and founder of Interfaith Power and Light, asked as much during the closing keynote addresses at the conference on faith, spirituality and environmental stewardship, I attended with almost 300 others in Salisbury last week. With all the work to do globally regarding climate change, it seems the pace of change on the government, business and community level is mighty slow.

But Bingham and other presenters made the case that people of faith have much to contribute to the transition away from a carbon-based society to one that relies on conservation, efficiency and renewable energy to meet its needs. I left quite inspired to do as much as I can personally and professionally in Greensboro.

Bingham said: "I think we are at a point where enough people have realized we are destroying ourselves.... I see a wonderful horizon. It may get worse before it gets better but I believe it will get better."

To which Gary Gardner, senior researcher of the Worldwatch Institute, responded: "I don't think we should underestimate the challenge that is before us. The challenge is huge."

Highlights from the conference (pictured below is Dr. Samuel Dansokho, an associate professor at Hood Theological Seminary, who gave a presentation):

Gardner said humans need a new understanding of progress, one that is not based on material consumption and lack of boundaries. He said religion can spiritually ground people to find their self-worth in something other than wealth generation.

Matthew Sleeth, an evangelical Christian who gave up his career as an ER physician to preach a green message, said that churches are starting to open up to the message of being better stewards of their natural resources. One session he gave was on observing the sabbath, both as a way of taking care of one's health and also as a way of reducing material and energy consumption. Sleeth said on Sunday, he and his wife only drive to church. They take walks and don't require anyone else to work on that day, for example, by ordering takeout.

"I don't think God intended our lives to be one long run-on sentence," Sleeth said.

Erik Assadourian of the Worldwatch Institute listed 10 ecological ethical choices for people to follow in their daily lives: right diet, just livelihood, active political engagement, life of service, mindful consumption, family for all families (population control), renewing life rituals (and planning green versions of funerals, weddings, etc), preparing for a changing world, spreading community and shifting perspective. Assadourian said he doesn't see any reason why a coffee shop can't use reusable items, compost its waste and provide locally-produced products, such as garden produce, etc. (Sounds like a business idea!)

Of course, a lot more happened, but I think you get the point. If you are interested in any particular session, I will try to provide more information. Also, the Center for the Environment plans to some video of the keynote speakers online.

N.C. Policy Watch: "Seventy-five percent of North Carolina voters favor the state taking action now to reduce global warming pollution, according to a recent statewide survey by Raleigh-based Public Policy Polling.  The poll, commissioned by Environment North Carolina, also shows that voters support the Clean Cars Program—one way of reducing global warming pollution—by a three to one margin."

Guilford County Rep. Pricey Harrison to the rescue: She is pushing for clean car legislation. Harrison is co-chairwoman of the Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change.

Check out this video on TED.com, an updated talk on climate change by Al Gore. He argues for a global mobilization toward a low-carbon future and says, "We now have a culture of distraction. But we have a planetary emergency."

Also, a global campaign to stop global warming, founded by Gore.