Iowa Global Warming

By Perry Beeman, Des Moines Register

Environmentalists expect to spend most of the legislative session trying to fend off budget-cutters rather than attempting to push through new programs to protect air and water.

Several environmental officials say the environment probably will get even less attention than usual given the budget crisis and an election looming.

Rep. Donovan Olson, a Boone Democrat who leads the House environment committee, said: “We won’t be creating any new programs and we won’t be allocating any new state dollars. So that really limits our action for our next session. We just won’t be doing that much.”

Marian Gelb of the Iowa Environmental Council, a nonprofit coalition of green groups and individuals, and Richard Leopold, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, agreed. Leopold described the coming session as “pretty meek and mild.”

Here’s what’s likely to come up:

Climate

By the end of this year, a state task force will submit a firmer set of recommendations for cutting greenhouse gases to fight climate change. There’s also work to look more closely at benefits and costs of various actions.

Little action is expected in this Legislature, except setting the scene for votes in the next one.

But Neil Hamilton, a professor at Drake University who attended the recent Copenhagen climate talks, said Iowans should pursue many climate-related actions because they help the environment in a broader sense.

Some plantings do a good job of sweeping heat-trapping carbon from the air, but also reduce soil erosion.

Renewable energy sources such as wind can help diversify the energy mix, reduce dependence on foreign oil, and, yes, limit carbon dioxide emissions, Hamilton added.

“This really is an economic question” as much as an environmental one, he said.

Livestock

Adam Mason, state policy organizing director for the nonprofit Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, said CCI members will pressure Gov. Chet Culver to make good on his campaign pledge to push for local control of livestock confinements.

“If Culver expects to be around more than one term, we need to see something out of him,” Mason said. “I’m going to hammer away that he campaigned on that.

“This is an issue that resonates, and it’s one that will come up again in November.”

Erin Seidler, Culver’s spokeswoman, said, “The governor is committed to local control for livestock confinement, but unfortunately there hasn’t been consensus in the Iowa Legislature to get it done.”

The local-control legislation has been so controversial among lawmakers that leaders have declined to even have a floor debate. In addition, Democratic leaders in the Legislature at times have been at odds with Culver, a fellow Democrat.

CCI also wants the state to set bigger buffer zones between confinements and homes, for example. And the group wants permit requirements to extend to even smaller livestock operations.

The chances of any of that happening: slim.

“Realistically, it’s probably not going to move this year,” Mason said.

Sen. Donovan Olson, a Boone Democrat, said lawmakers are so divided on the local-control issue that advocates would be better off looking for some way to gain ground in an incremental way, short of the full-fledged yielding of power to local authorities.

Trails and more

The Iowa Environmental Council and other organizations are pushing to prevent cuts to the Resources Enhancement and Protection program, which has been pulling in a record $18 million from gambling receipts the past few years. That still is short of the $20 million authorized by legislation.

The program pays for trails, public land and historic preservation, for example.

“We’re going to work hard to keep REAP funded,” Gelb, of the Iowa Environmental Council, said. “It’s realistic to expect it is going to take a hit. We’ll make an effort to keep that as small as possible.”

Leopold, the DNR director, said he hasn’t heard of specific plans to cut cash for the program. However, with 10 percent cuts spreading across state government, a small cut is possible, he added.

Air quality

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Environment Council both support legislation, introduced in the last session, that would ban open burning in cities and immediately surrounding areas.

Neither thinks it will pass. The move is designed to protect asthmatics and others from lung damage.

“Realistically, I don’t think they are going to give it time,” Leopold said.

Also in the air: legislation that would limit the idling of diesel trucks.

Long-term financing

Voters will cast ballots in November on a measure that would devote 0.375 percent of any future sales tax increase to natural resources projects.

A $2.5 million public campaign is expected to begin this summer. Lawmakers are expected to consider legislation that would lay out how the estimated $150 million a year would be distributed from a constitutionally protected account.

The money won’t be available unless voters approve the measure, and lawmakers later vote to increase the sales tax.

Story is here

Color this Family Home Green 

By Reid Forgrave (Des Moines register)

When Porsche Walker looks at her new Habitat for Humanity house not far from the Forest Avenue library in Des Moines, she sees it as something special. It’s a home the 21-year-old single mother can use to create a comfortable atmosphere to raise her two daughters.

But when environmental advocates look at Walker’s new house – which could become the third house in the state with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification – they see it as special for a different reason: It shows “going green” is possible, even for those with a lower income

“When you look at it, you can’t really tell,” Walker said. “But when I was at the house dedication, some people who were totally about the environment were there. I was like, ‘I guess I’m going green, too.’ ”

LEED certification is a process that gives a green stamp of approval on a building project. The first such certification program used nationwide, LEED provides an independent review of building projects, ensuring they are environmentally responsible, profitable, and a healthy place for people who are both building the structure and then living or working in it.

Walker moved in last month. Her boxes aren’t all unpacked yet. She has started noticing the little things that make her house environmentally special: the fact that she doesn’t have to blast her furnace to stay warm in the winter, that the light bulbs are all compact fluorescent, that there’s an extra 6 inches of insulation to keep the house airtight.

“You can do this whole green thing in an affordable way,” said Lynnae Hentzen, executive director of the nonprofit environmental organization Iowa Center on Sustainable Communities. “The biggest lesson is that it’s certainly attainable for anyone. If an organization like Habitat can integrate this into its building practices, it’s replicable. Any contractor should be able to embrace these practices for their clients.”

LEED certification is an intensive checklist-based program in which all the contractors building a home collaborate to make sure the house is built with a certain number of environmentally friendly, sustainable techniques. LEED certifications come with certain levels. Silver is the lowest, then gold, then platinum. Walker’s house got the silver certification.

It’s a practice that’s gained a foothold among commercial buildings, but is only now becoming popular for homes.

“There’s just so much they take into consideration,” said Erin Wiggins, a rater for Cenergy, a company that does energy efficiency consulting for new construction and existing homes, including Walker’s house. “It’s not just the house. It’s the land development, the direction it faces, what type of seeding, did you pour concrete or use open pavers, all sorts of stuff.”

For Walker’s house, a number of sustainable techniques were used to score points for the LEED certification checklist:

- All appliances are Energy Star, meaning they meet efficiency standards.

- Products that go into the house, from the caulk to the glue to the sealants, are low-emissions, which helps with indoor air quality.

- The house was aired out 48 hours after construction was completed in order to disperse odors related to construction.

- During construction, contractors had to reduce the amount of waste. All the material that left the construction site and headed to a landfill, a recycling center or for reuse had to be weighed and tallied.

- Deeper-than-normal, two-by-six framing in the house means there is more room for insulation to cover the walls of the home.

- The insulation used is all low-formaldehyde.

“Lots of people look at the face of the house and that’s what’s important,” Wiggins said. “They don’t look under the walls. As soon as we cover the walls, we’ve covered up just about every energy-efficient element of the home.”

Habitat officials didn’t have a dollar figure for how much more the LEED construction cost, but they said it wasn’t much. Energy savings should make up the difference.

“They did not spend money on granite counter tops,” Wiggins said. “That money went into making this house more sustainable.”

For Porsche Walker, she’s just excited to raise 2-year-old Justyce and 1-year-old Davinity in a house of her own.

Walker was raised by her grandmother since she was 2 weeks old, as her mother was in and out of prison. It hasn’t been easy for her to get ahead. She works two jobs – in the annuities department at Principal Financial Group, and on weekend nights as a receptionist at Elsie Mason Manor downtown – while studying for her master’s degree at William Penn University.

The best part of her new Habitat for Humanity home is that it’s only two blocks from her grandmother’s home. And it will save her money going forward on energy bills. “When you think about it, everything is going to be cheaper with my bills, too,” Walker said. “That’s important. If you’re struggling already, why would I want to get into something that’ll give me new debt?”

Full story here

The climate talks in Denmark produced serious talk among top carbon emitters about doing something, but little action that will directly affect Iowa, observers here say.

What happens next could affect everything from Iowa weather to how much the state’s residents pay for electricity.

Iowans who watched the Copenhagen Accord take shape from the ground in Denmark found important symbolism in President Barack Obama’s steps to move the United States into the middle of the discussions. They also point to real meat in an agreement of nations to spend $100 billion a year by 2020 for aid to poor countries and to countries facing the biggest climate-related effects.

But the agreement contained no hard targets for reducing heat-trapping greenhouse gases or specific emissions-reducing measures.

“It’s a beginning,” said Andrew Snow of the Environmental Law and Policy Center, a nonprofit group. “It’s a very positive thing considering ourselves and others were worried they wouldn’t reach a deal at all.”

Read the rest of the story here.

You can make a difference. Learn from those taking successful action in the city with urban food systems. Get inspired, ask questions, connect with others, and take action — at your child’s schools, at your church, in your neighborhood, at your local food pantry, with your service organization, or in your own backyard.
 
Iowan keynote speakers include author, Debra Landwehr Engle, and landscape architect and Olmstead Scholar, Jason Grimm. Other panelists and workshop leaders sharing resources will be representing: the City of Des Moines, Food Bank of Iowa, Farm to School, Table to Table, Master Gardeners, Des Moines Area Religious Council, and more.
 
We are excited to offer a box lunch if needed (contact us with dietary preference).  We also want to invite you to instead bring a Fresh, Local dish of choice if you want to take part in a pot-luck highlighting what Iowa has to offer.
 
The first 30 to register get a FREE gift from Yes! Magazine from their “Food for Everyone” issue #49.  Registration is limited to the first 100 due to space.  Stay tuned because we are working on MORE BONUSES that will exponentially increase your ability to make a difference when it comes to ending hunger in your community.

 
Hosted by Food & Faith: A Call to Action and Urban Ambassadors. Register online at IowaTix.com for only $15 (plus fees) / $20 door.
Email adam@urbanambassadors.org, or call (515) 491-0706.
Visit www.UrbanFoodDSM.ning.com for schedule, speaker bios, and available workshops.

Saturday, January 30, 2010 9am-4pm                                                                                                                                                   Location: Walnut Hills – United Methodist Church
Street: 12321 Hickman Rd
City/Town: Urbandale, IA 50323-1810

Ten central Iowa cities are applying for up to $25 million in federal grant money to create jobs and bring more energy efficiency to homes, businesses and government buildings.

The money would supplement federal programs like Energy Star and contribute to efforts to curb climate change.

“Our region has an opportunity to be part of a program that would bring energy-efficiency improvements to thousands of local homeowners and businesses,” said John Konior, assistant city manager in Urbandale. He is overseeing the grant application.

“This would provide for major revitalization of neighborhoods and businesses; create new energy service, home improvement, construction and related service jobs; and provide a model that could be continued after the 36-month grant period.”

The cities involved are Altoona, Ankeny, Carlisle, Clive, Des Moines, Johnston, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights.

The grant is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy under the economic stimulus passed early this year. Konior said the cities should hear back in late February or early March.

Local schools and colleges would train contractors, and private lenders would provide additional financing. Retrofitting homes can reduce energy use by up to 40 percent, according to a report from the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

President Barack Obama told business and labor leaders at a jobs summit last week that he strongly supports job-creation efforts that would bring more energy efficiency to homes and buildings. Obama said incentives like those used for “cash for clunkers” – the program intended to help people purchase more-fuel-efficient cars – could “get contractors working again and generate more private activity.”

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie attended the jobs summit. He urged Obama to make more direct federal funding available to metropolitan areas and encourage private lending to add environmentally friendly, or “green,” jobs.

“We need to create value in our cities and programs geared toward energy efficiency to instill that value. It saves energy, it saves the environment, it improves public health and it creates new jobs,” he said. “We also need to sell the benefit and show the benefit to the private sector so there’s long-term, lasting benefit.”

Global leaders have gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the two-week U.N. Climate Change Conference, which began Monday. The White House announced last month that Obama plans to offer to cut U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.

Konior and other metro-area leaders say efforts to limit global warming need to happen at the local level.

“Wind farms are great, but the bigger payoff is energy efficiency,” said David Osterberg, director of the Iowa Policy Project, a nonprofit founded in 2001 that produces research on the Iowa economy and energy and environmental policy “Every bit of this will be lasting, because 36 months down the road your energy bill will still be lower and MidAmerican will still be using less coal. And with 10 cities participating, that will have a significant impact that can be measured. This is the smart part of the stimulus program. It provides jobs that moves us to a different kind of country.”

Full story Here

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie traveled about 4,500 miles to attend the international climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

He was surprised to see the summit turn into a meeting about economics as much as, if not more than, the environment.

“It sounded like the discussions kind of left hanging the substantive agreement on (carbon) reduction amounts, and switched to economic issues, which I think diverted attention from what the problem is, the science of it, and how they’re going to resolve that,” Cownie said Saturday, less than a day after his return.

His trip was sponsored by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, an international group that addresses sustainability issues. Cownie serves on the organization’s board of directors.

Cownie left Denmark on Friday at roughly the same time President Barack Obama arrived to help broker a deal at the 193-nation conference.

Since arriving back in Iowa, Cownie has not examined the details of the agreement forged in the closing hours of the two-week summit.

Negotiations produced the nonbinding “Copenhagen Accord” that pushes for significant cuts in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to global warming, and new cooperation between rich and poor nations. U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer told reporters after the conference that the nonbinding agreement was an “impressive accord,” but “it’s not an accord that is legally binding” or “pins down industrialized countries to targets.”

The summit was the subject of intense protests from throngs who criticized leaders at the summit for not going far enough to curb pollution blamed for climate change.

“I think there’s a huge argument to be made in favor of that – that we need to do more now, because the longer you put it off and the more emissions you put into the atmosphere, it leaves more to do in the future,” Cownie said.

Since joining the City Council in 2002 and becoming mayor in 2004, Cownie has pressed to increase the number of hybrid vehicles in the city’s fleet, expand energy efficiency in city buildings, and plant more trees, among other environmental initiatives.

The U.N.-led talks on a climate change treaty will resume next year in Mexico City.

Story here

As world leaders and their delegates trod the carpet thin at the United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen last week, one environmental solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was literally under their feet.

The 215,000-square-feet carpet at the Bella Center that hosted most of the U.N.’s official events was made using Ingeo, a bio-fibre derived from corn sugars.

According to French manufacturer Sommer Needlepunch and Natureworks LLC, the provider of Ingeo, in shunning oil-based products the carpet saved the emissions equivalent of driving an average car 68,869 miles (110,834 kilometers).

It is one small step in a bioplastics and biofibers industry that is fast developing new alternatives to oil-based polymers and turning them into everything from food packaging to fashion outfits, cell phone casings and medical implants that dissolve inside the body.

Bioplastics are not new.

Henry Ford theatrically swung an ax to show the dent resistance of soy-based car doors at Ford in 1940, when the infant science was called “chemurgy.

Full Story Here!

Environment Iowa released a report Wednesday stating that the number of Iowa citizens using public transit rose by 5 percent between 2007 and 2008. Eric Nost of Environment Iowa explains that the gasoline saved by this increase was equivalent to that used by 15,300 vehicles.

The report also states that this switch to public transit reduced global warming pollution by 80,000 tons. The Environmental Law and Policy Center’s own Andrew Snow explains that the increase in ridership is just another reason that funding should go towards public transportation, rather than new highways.

“In a time when there are serious constraints on our state budget, investing in public transit and rail systems is a very cost effective investment that helps create economic development opportunities and increases the quality of living for all Iowans,” Snow said.

Read more here.

Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council released a report Monday stating that countries that switch to clean energy technology will create more jobs than countries that stick with dirty technologies, like coal. They state that 2.7 million more jobs could be created within the power sector in the next twenty years.

The report “Working for the Climate” was released because of the Group of 20 meeting in Pittsburgh next week. The groups hope to show the countries involved that clean technology can benefit their economies.

According to the report, 11.3 million people could be working in the power sector by 2030 if changes are made to technology, compared to the 8.6 million that will be without those changes.

Read more here