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Gov. Perdue's office announced today that nearly $40.5 million will be awarded to 35 communities in 28 counties for public water supply projects from the first-round distribution of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.

Triad area communities to benefit include: The village of Alamance, Green Level, and Elon (Alamance); Winston-Salem; and Gibsonville.

According to a state press release, funds will be awarded as 50 percent zero-interest loans and 50 percent principal forgiveness loans. In accordance with ARRA requirements, priority is given to projects that can proceed quickly, already have any required permits and have additional funding committed, if needed. Round Two funding applications will be due June 3.

Seventeen coal ash disposal sites in North Carolina pose serious health risks to nearby residents, according to a new analysis of 2002 EPA data. Those sites are in several counties, including Rockingham and Stokes counties.

Quick searches turned up stories by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Charleston Gazette in West Virginia. I was off yesterday so I didn't have time to do anything.

According to the report by Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice:

"An EPA risk assessment documents excess cancer risks of up to 1 in 50 for residents living near unlined ash ponds. The study also shows risks to fish and wildlife may exceed known safe levels by a factor of 1,000 or more. Risk estimates first identified in 2002 were blacked out by the Bush Administration in Freedom of Information Act responses."

And,

"The EPA‘s 2007 risk assessment shows that the disposal of coal ash, especially in unlined ponds, results in alarmingly high risks of cancer and diseases of the heart, lung, liver, stomach and other organs and can seriously harm aquatic ecosystems and wildlife near disposal sites. These risks are driven by exposure to toxic metals that leach from groundwater into drinking water, surface waters and sediment. Some of the sites evaluated by the EPA may no longer be active, but the Agency has warned that contamination from coal ash ponds will not peak until about 78 to 105 years after waste is dumped, while peak exposure from landfills may occur after even longer periods of time."

Earth Share of North Carolina has launched One Environment Network, a social networking site that aims to aid environmentally-minded employees in creating green teams to promote sustainable practices in their workplaces and daily lives. Unlike programs that exist to support sustainable business practices at the management level, the network is uniquely designed to support action at the employee level, by giving employees the structure and resources to inspire co-workers to adopt small changes that make a big difference, according to a press release:

"On the OEN web site, users will be able to download a step-by-step guide for starting a workplace green team, get ideas for workplace projects such as “A Plug for the Mug” – a campaign to reduce the use of disposable cups, register their team and provide a team profile for other workplaces to view. Users can also view videos, photos and articles on how green team projects have been implemented, and participate in discussion boards to share experiences, challenges and project ideas with other green teams across the state. In addition, the site includes a continuous newsfeed of articles on sustainable practices, and an updated calendar of volunteer opportunities with environmental non-profits in North Carolina."

The Biofuels Center of North Carolina announced this week the recipients of $2.8 million in grants for feedstocks research. N.C. State University got a chunk of the funds; the center awarded no grants to Triad-area entities.

Find a summary of the projects here. I found this one interesting:

"The Craven County Schools 'Farms to Fuels Program' will benefit the students of West Craven High School and Havelock High School, local farmers and community members with training in the development of renewable fuels using agronomics for oilseed crops such as canola as a winter cover crop. Students in agriculture and science classes will receive instruction, participate in hands-on training, visit fuel production facilities, and produce fuel to be consumed in a renovated bus and school tractor."

Leon's Beauty School will hold a RecycleRama fashion show competition with its eight Greensboro salons on April 19 - three days before Earth Day - as the school seeks ways to reduce its landfill waste. Participants must design costumes and hair pieces out of reused or recyclable materials, such as plastic bottles and newspaper.

Between the nine presentations will be announcements about how salons can cut back on waste, said owner Parker Washburn. The school's teachers are trying to find companies that manufacture recyclable shampoo and hair coloring bottles, she said.

"We deal with a lot of plastics," she said. "The beauty industry has been very slow to react to the greening of America."

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Earth Fare will offer a $100 gift card and other prizes to winners of a recycled arts contest that is taking place now through March 31. Details here.

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Following is another breakdown of the energy-related programs funded by the federal economic stimulus package, courtesy of the Congressional Research Service.

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I previously wrote about the development of international biofuels standards now underway. Here are the notes
from the January stakeholder meeting held in Durham.

Is adding a recycling incentive program to city operations a good idea when recycling markets are down and government budgets are tight? Sheldon Smith, the city's solid waste division manager, recognizes his challenges but he still hopes to get support for his RecycleBank proposal.

I wrote last year about Smith trying to present his idea during a City Council work session, but he was bumped off the agenda and never rescheduled. So Smith decided to change his approach and instead explain the proposal with a RecycleBank representative to members of the Greensboro Community Sustainability Council.

His idea is basically this: Pilot for six months at 10,000 single-family households a program that would reward people for increasing the amount of recyclable materials picked up by city haulers. RecycleBank helps sign up participating businesses that would offer coupons (up to $240 value per year per household) to participants based on how much they recycle.

According to Smith, it's a win-win for everyone: RecycleBank potentially gets a long term contract with the city to get fees based on the amount of additional recyclable materials collected. The city saves landfill disposal fees while potentially earning more money selling its recyclables. And the resident saves money at participating businesses.

Smith said he is thinking about getting regional grocery stores, such as Food Lion and Harris Teeter, on board, as well as locally-owned restaurants. (Any of you readers have suggestions for participating businesses?) He said the pilot should not cost the city anything if he goes with a community-based weight approach because no new technology would be needed. That means a whole route would be rewarded based on the total weight they achieve in recyclables. His dilemma is figuring out which households to select for the pilot.

"Do I go with the low participating areas to get them to recycle or do I say thank you to the ones who have been hanging in there with us?" Sheldon said. "I kind of want to do both."

I asked Smith if the program is worth it since the recession has lowered market demand for recyclables. He responded that the city still makes money off the materials it sells. The city has earned less than $10,000 a month for the past three months as opposed to an average of $30,000 a month before, he said.

But Smith added that it costs the city less to recycle (about $22 per ton) versus to send waste to the landfill ($41 per ton), and its current recycling contract doesn't expire until 2012. Plus, Smith believes recycling is just the right thing to do.

But will the city want to pay for a city-wide program once the pilot is over? Smith didn't have figures but the city would have to purchase the computer chips that measure the weight in each recycle bin as it is emptied by the city.

"I like the concept," Smith said. "I just don't know if the timing is the greatest."

You can hear the formal presentation for this next week. Check out the sustainability council's full agenda.

Looking for a green home? A new MLS service provides a global listing (with seven houses listed in North Carolina). ListedGreen.com is a member of Green America (formerly Co-op America), the U.S. Green Building Council and Global Green U.S.A.

Folks interested in N.C. agriculture can follow the state Department of Agriculture on its new blog and Facebook page.

Brian Higgins of Sustainable Greensboro has picked his board members. From a press release:

Sustainable Greensboro, a newly forming non-profit focused on incorporating principles of sustainability into business, government, institutional, and household decision-making processes by providing leadership and developing innovative programs, collaborative projects, and proactive solutions, is excited to present its initial Board of Directors. Lori Jarrett, Dianne Ziegler, Meggan Reagan, Jim Brooks, Rendell Richards, and Tim Knowles have accepted positions on the Board of Directors. Representing a broad cross-section of experience from business, marketing, financial management, landscape architecture, advocacy, non-profits, the board will be meeting frequently over the next two months to develop its initial strategic plan and secure funding....

[Lori Jarrett] is an entrepreneur who comes to the board with expertise in commercial software, strategic planning, growth and change issues, project management and music. Lori, who went through grade school in Greensboro, has been active in community issues since returning to the area in 1995. Dianne Ziegler, employed by Pfizer, Inc., is in the process of renovating a downtown building into a "green" home and retail space with the goal of of obtaining Platinum LEED certification. Meggan Reagan, a graduate of UNC Greensboro, works for Earth Fare, The Healthy Supermarket as their Community Coordinator engaging with non-profits across the community to help support their fund-raising and outreach efforts. Jim Brooks, a native of Greensboro, is president of Brooks Marketing and is active on the boards of the Natural Science Center and Greensboro Beautiful where he serves as curator of the Bog Garden. Rendell (Rendy) Richards has over twenty years of experience in finance and accounting, contracts and procurement, strategic planning, business development and project management with major companies and currently operates his own consulting company, CFO Options, LLC. Tim Knowles, a resident of Greensboro since 1986, is a licensed Landscape Architect working with Borum, Wade and Associates, P.A. whom has won numerous environmental improvement awards and been featured in several magazines for his work.

Higgins aims to have an action plan ready by June.

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.

Guilford County announced today the lay off of Rob Bencini, the county's director of community and economic development. Bencini had been working to implement green initiatives in the county. No word yet on what will happen to his draft "Green Guilford" proposal.

Check out this overview of the federal stimulus package that state energy Director Larry Shirley gave to lawmakers this week:

"In many instances funds will be distributed through existing formulas to programs with proven track records and accountability measures already in place.... Governors, mayors or others making funding decisions must personally certify that the investment has been fully vetted and is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. "

A new survey out by the National Restaurant Association ranks locally grown produce at the top of the list of "what's hot" in 2009.

Other trends that made the Top 20 (some of these made last year's list):

* Organic produce
* Nutritionally balanced children’s dishes
* Sustainable seafood
* Organic wine
* Free-range poultry/pork

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."

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:

Check this out.

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?

You may have noticed this blog has a new name and header. The reason: I have expanded my focus beyond Guilford County and the blog will become part of a wider initiative by the News & Record to document the "green" movement in the Triad.

We will soon launch a Web site called GoGreenTriad.com and my new column, Green Notes, will start running on Tuesday. The site and column will describe the various actions businesses, grassroots groups and government agencies are taking to transform the Triad into a region of communities that lead in the areas of energy self-sufficiency, food security, strong local businesses and environmental stewardship.

The site will launch in very basic form before the end of the month, and ultimately feature local news, how-to guides, videos, a community discussion forum, calendar of events, buying guide and directories of businesses and environmental organizations.

We hope these platforms will foster a comprehensive and lively public discussion about how to establish and reach the goals that have risen to the forefront of our national dialogue over the past few years. I will manage the site's content and invite the public to contribute related columns to the site. Those interested can best contact me at 373-7078 or morgan.josey@news-record.com.

Commission votes to keep Greensboro farmers market local; study finds commuter rail feasible for Greensboro and Burlington; Proximity Hotel earns top LEED certification; and Triad transit systems respond to increased demand.

Mayor Allen Joines announced today a "Go Green Winston-Salem" campaign that will feature events and forums Sept. 15-19.

Another way for government agencies to get in on the action: The N.C. League of Muncipalities' three-year "Green Challenge." The town of Mocksville joined last month.

Columnist Lorraine Ahearn ponders the politics of offshore drilling.

The city of Greensboro plans to green its buildings.

Columnist Jeri Rowe completes his series on nature and children.

Starting this Sunday, the News & Record will feature a three-part series I worked on this year about peak oil. I'm encouraging you all to take a look because you will likely hear more about it in the news from now on.

If you want a head start, take a look at this article.

In addition, Peter Kauber of Guilford Solar Communities will do a two-hour presentation on peak oil on July 12. Details:

What:    Guilford Solar July Program: "Peak Oil -- Theory
           and Evidence"
Where:  Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch Library,
           1420 Price Park Road
           Greensboro
When:   Saturday, July 12, 10 AM -- 12 Noon
Cost:     Free
Description:  Transportation is the lifeline of our current global and US economies.  Over 95% of our transportation is dependent upon the refined products of oil -- gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and bunker fuel.  As the price of oil sets new records weekly, the question naturally arises: Why is this happening?  One increasingly common explanation is that the rate of production worldwide of cheap, high-quality oil has peaked or will do so in the near future.  This is the "peak oil" hypothesis.  Guilford Solar's July program will explain the meaning of peak oil and will examine the evidence that supports it.  The presenter is Peter Kauber, who has researched the topic over the past four years.  Kauber was employed by Marathon Oil Company during the 1979-1981 "oil crisis" and thus brings a historical and industry perspective to the discussion.

Across the country, American Dreams are evaporating in so many ways and for so many reasons it is hard to keep count. I was just reading today in the New York Times about homeowners who have been foreclosed upon now finding it difficult to rent apartments (including one 43-year-old woman who is renting kitchen-less space on the third floor of someone's house). Then you've got the destroyed homes and businesses in the Midwest from the floods, mounting layoffs, and then, of course, $4 gas.

What does this mean? Rejection letters from landlords. Sleeping in cars. Staycations (not trips to Myrtle Beach and Disneyworld). Beans and rice for dinner. Unemployment checks. All with the background noise of peak oil, climate change and drought.

How's all that for a slice of humble pie? I'm certainly eating it. All those years in college racking up debt while aspiring to build a career, own several homes, take weekend retreats and summer vacations (hey, maybe even travel overseas!), and retire at 60 could have been better spent preparing to live in an "earn less, make do" world. A world where people explore the nooks and crannies of their towns and cities rather than jet-setting, where homeownership exemplifies a person's commitment to their communities rather than a path to riches. A world where I have a blue-collar back-up to my white-collar 9 to 5.

Pride (as in "We Americans deserve it!") may have gotten us far in the the 20th century, but it will do us a disservice now. Sharing, sacrifice, solidarity, cooperation and common sense, all those things we pay lip service too, will be the currency that gets us through these next years and decades. It means sharing a house, a car, a garden. Counting the full cost of things you buy from production to sale.  Creating miracles for yourself and other people instead of waiting for them to drop out of the sky. Seeing God work in darkness as well as light.  

Throwing hissy fits is not going to get us through this deal.

Did you know that African-Americans faced a higher immediate unemployment rate following the Middle Eastern oil embargos during the 1970s? Or that American families earning $10,000 or less per year spend 29 percent of their income on energy versus 13 percent for families with incomes between $10,000 and $25,000 and 4 percent for those earning more than $50,000?

Energy professionals and students from N.C. A&T State University gathered for a one-day conference on Thursday to discuss ways to overcome the vulnerability of minorities, particularly low income blacks, to climate change and environmental damage. The American Association for Blacks in Energy and the university co-sponsored the conference and the two hope to work together to provide internships and mentoring in the energy sector for engineering students.

Read more about the conference in Saturday's Monday's News & Record.

One of the reoccurring questions at the conference was the balance between innovation/technology and actual downsizing and sacrifice. For example, Carl Wilkins of Advanced Energy brought up the point that many newer model televisions use more energy than the older models and on top of that people just move the old tv to another room, not reducing energy consumption at all. Another issue is the paradox of energy efficiency in the fact that it can actually help increase consumption. So are we just kidding ourselves that Americans can actually have declining per capita energy consumption (let alone declining consumption as a population)?

One of the funnier points made was by Leslie Fields, director of environmental justice with the Sierra Club on how difficult it is to change the mindset of the American consumer:

"It is a huge disconnect," Fields said. "There is a disconnect in my own family. I'm a failed environmentalist. My brother drives an Escalade and he doesn't care what I think."

At lunch, Hilda Phinnix-Ragland of Progress Energy asked who in the room was driving an energy efficient vehicle. Only one person out of about 50 raised his hand (Read my reflection on that issue here). She asked who was conserving water? More hand went up, but there were several untouched glasses of water on the tables. Hello.

"We're so accustomed to heavy flows," Phinnix-Ragland said. "We expect to have water on the table whether we drink it or not."

But many at the conference aren't giving up hope. As Morry Davis of Peabody Energy Corp. cleverly put it: "There's no silver bullet. There's silver buckshot."

On a lighter note, UNCG had a strong turnout of about 175 people at the showing of Power of Community last night. After the showing, Joel Landau, owner of Deep Roots Market and former city council candidate, announced that he and others are working with Greensboro Mayor Yvonne Johnson to try to establish an environmental working group for city council. Let's hope for progress there.

Check out today's New York Times article about the U.S. Department of Agriculture issuing the nation's largest recall of ground beef (143 million pounds). It follows the airing of a scandalous undercover video showing workers abusing downed cows. How many times do you have to hear/see stuff like this before you just give up eating beef? 

Not necessarily, according to The Times (UK), The Daily Kos and the San Francisco Chronicle.