August 2009 - Sustainability - list.sfgreens.org

[Sustain] State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference Sept 29, 30, October 1
by Martin Zehr 27 Aug '09

27 Aug '09

September 29, 30 & October 1, 2009 Oakland Marriott at City Center, Oakland Home Sponsors Schedule Registration Venue Hotel Info Call for Posters Poster Session Students Volunteers Drug Disposal Jean Auer Award CCMP Awards Contacts The State of the Estuary Conference provides a biennial assessment of the ecological health of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. This conference will bring the latest information about the estuary's changing watersheds, impacts from major stressors, recovery programs for species and habitats, and emerging issues. This year's theme "Our Actions, Our Estuary" reflects the ownership and responsibility we share in sustaining a healthy estuary. It also recognizes that individual actions make a difference. Our speakers and panels will discuss the Estuary's current and upcoming challenges, especially climate change and sea level rise, to help us identify new actions needed to anticipate and respond to the likely changes in the years ahead. How can we build resiliency from the ground up, city by city? What will the impacts of climate change and other stressors be on the Estuary's fish and wildlife and how can we help mitigate for those impacts? And how can we better engage Bay Area communities in the future of the Estuary? The late afternoon poster session receptions offer an opportunity to talk informally with those involved in current research and restoration activities. Poster Abstract submissions are now closed. Register Online - Early Bird Deadline September 4th The Conference Program is now Available - NEW! Hotel Reservation Information is now available – New! No Drugs Down the Drain – Bay-Friendly Medicine Disposal at Conference – New! New information will be posted on this web site as it becomes available. For additional information, please contact the San Francisco Estuary Partnership at 510-622-2398. To return to the SFEP home page click here.

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[Sustain] Alert: Email To Keep Nukes Out Of Senate Climate Bill
by Eric Brooks 26 Aug '09

26 Aug '09

*Nuclear Information and Resource Service* <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ckHOXGyi822O4fWeSepjv…> _*YOUR*_* SENATORS ARE CRITICAL!* *TAKE ACTION NOW FOR A STRONG CLIMATE BILL, * * AND AGAINST TAXPAYER BAILOUTS OF THE* * NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY!* August 26, 2009 Dear Clean Energy Advocate, I'm writing because you live in a state where one or both of your Senators is considered critical. Critical to passing a strong climate bill, and critical to making sure the climate bill does not turn into a bailout of the nuclear power industry. Senate Environment Committee chair Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) intend to introduce the Senate climate bill shortly after Labor Day. The Committee is expected to begin its work soon thereafter. It is essential both that the Senate climate bill be much stronger than the House version (and NIRS was one of 300+ groups that sent a letter to Boxer today urging a stronger bill) and that the Senate bill not include a taxpayer bailout of the nuclear power industry. **Because your Senator(s) is on our key votes list, **please send a letter to them now here* <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=RgZOzBpBbj8UIK%2F6f4Y…>*.* **And, for the first time, we've set it up so you can send a fax to your Senators if you'd like (just check the box that says "send fax"). This is even more effective than e-mail. /But we have to pay for these faxes!/ So, if at all possible, please make a small donation to help us cover the cost of these faxes <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=PMrHd9Ex5YoFD0QUf%2F8…>.* It will be very difficult to get 60 votes in the Senate to pass any sort of climate bill. And some Senators are arguing that adding billions of dollars of new taxpayer loan guarantees and other subsidies for the nuclear industry will help get the votes needed for passage. _But this is a ruse:_ the Senators who most want to spend billions of your money on new nuclear reactors aren't going to vote for a climate bill anyway. And, because nuclear power is the most expensive, least effective means of reducing carbon emissions, a bill saddled with billions of dollars of nuclear subsidies would no longer be a useful or strong climate bill. Indeed, such a bill should be defeated and the Senate forced to try again. Because the vote margin will be so close, we need to both support and keep up the pressure on those Senators who don't want nuclear subsidies. If their votes for a climate bill are in jeopardy because of nuclear bailouts, then these bailouts become less likely. *That's why it's important for all of us to take this next step, and e-mail and/or fax your Senators now. <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=DK1FsjSt7dM3GgMkrbwO5…>* *And **please help us pay for all these thousands of faxes here* <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2F8HU%2FywFzsnBhhrvG…>*.* Not everyone on our list is receiving this Alert; only those of you in states where at least one of your Senators is a critical vote. And because /your/ Senator(s) is critical, so is /your/ action. Please act today. Thanks for all you do, Michael Mariotte Executive Director Nuclear Information and Resource Service nirsnet(a)nirs.org <mailto:nirsnet@nirs.org> www.nirs.org <http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=7vKV%2BZ1DJKvVTiRsfh8…> P.S. If you're on our snail mail list, you'll soon be receiving postcards for your Senators. Please fill those out and send them back to us as soon as you can. And if you'd like postcards for your friends and colleagues to fill out, or to use at information tables at concerts, conference and the like, let us know: nirsnet(a)nirs.org <mailto:nirsnet@nirs.org> And don't forget, it's not too late to visit your Senators district offices while they're still back home. Many are still holding town hall meetings you can attend. While many of these are oriented toward health care reform--clearly a crucial topic--how about going and asking about the health of the planet as well? ------------------------------------------------------------------------

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[Sustain] [Fwd: [G-I-wg] First Petition of the Petition Season]
by Don Eichelberger 23 Aug '09

23 Aug '09

Here is a new petition in circulation which tries to require 2/3 vote to implement Community Choice or spend any public money to implement public power. Looks like something we need to be concerned about. Don

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[Sustain] News: Monitor Triggers PG&E Nuclear Reactor Shut-Down
by Eric Brooks 14 Aug '09

14 Aug '09

http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=105378318 Online monitor prompts shutdown of reactor at Diablo Canyon: Bushing identical to one that failed last year and caused a fire will be inspected David Sneed Aug 14, 2009 (The Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Operators at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant shut down the facility's unit 2 reactor Thursday to inspect and possibly repair a transformer bushing. An identical component on the same unit failed a year ago, causing an explosion and fire. The reactor was shut down at 1 p.m. Thursday after an online monitoring system identified a possible problem with the bushing, said Emily Christensen, PG&E spokeswoman. The shutdown will enable workers to conduct an in-depth inspection and make repairs if needed. Each of Diablo Canyon's two reactors has three transformer banks, which feed electricity generated by the plant into the electrical grid. The bushing connects the transformer to the high-voltage transmission line. A bushing on a different transformer bank of the same unit exploded in the middle of the night in August 2008 with enough force to break nearby windows. Insulating oil caught fire. No one was injured in that accident, but it caused the unit to be shut down for 20 days while repairs were made. Operators do not know how long this shutdown will last because they do not yet know whether repairs will be needed, Christensen said. The other unit continues to operate at full power. Reach David Sneed at 781-7930. -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." – Che Guevara

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[Sustain] Alarming Report On Genetic Modification For Fuel Production
by Eric Brooks 11 Aug '09

11 Aug '09

Hi all, GeneWatch UK has just released a new report on the many proposed uses and dangers of using genetically engineered organisms to produce biofuels. Perhaps the most alarming section of the report is on the possibility of genetically modified micro-organisms being developed to be particularly aggressive at breaking down the crucial protective cellulose skeletal structure in plants. The report notes that these aggressive traits would be very useful to naturally occurring plant disease microbes, and it is quite possible that those aggressive cellulose decaying traits could be transfered to such wild microbes and therefore trigger extensive and more rapid plant die-offs. If such modified organisms were then to spread extensively in the wild planet-wide, they could trigger a mass rapid collapse in plant species. Such a mass die-off would vastly increase CO2 in the atmosphere, and conceivably could even result in a total collapse of virtually all life on the planet due to a catastrophic meltdown in the survival of plants. To read a four page summary of the report go to: http://www.genewatch.org/uploads/f03c6d66a9b354535738483c1c3d49e4/Biofuels_… To look over the full 72 page report go to: http://www.genewatch.org/uploads/f03c6d66a9b354535738483c1c3d49e4/Genewatch… peace Eric -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." – Che Guevara

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[Sustain] More Biofuel Madness In SF (This Time Algae)
by Eric Brooks 05 Aug '09

05 Aug '09

Hi all, I regret to report yet another tale of biofuel madness from San Francisco; this time regarding algae. The story below (which actually naively promotes as good, an incredibly dangerous and frankly ridiculous idea) highlights just how much of a Frankenstein's monster algae based biofuel will become if we let it proceed any further. (Also note my public response comment at the end, for a concise blurb with which to challenge the nonsense proposed in the article..) http://www.sfbg.com/printable_entry.php?entry_id=8950 <http://www.sfbg.com/printable_entry.php?entry_id=8950> The algae solution /GREEN CITY: The San Francisco Bay may soon host a dramatic new environmental project/ By Gabrielle Poccia The San Francisco Bay may soon host a dramatic new environmental project that backers say could solve three problems at once: clean wastewater, remove carbon from the atmosphere, and produce biodiesel fuel. Yet it's gotten remarkably little attention. "For the most part, people are just ignoring me," says Jonathan Trent, a researcher at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, who is one of the driving forces behind the project. The new technology Trent and his colleagues have created is called OMEGA (Off-shore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae). The idea is to grow large colonies of freshwater algae in what amounts to large plastic bags floating in the bay. Wastewater from local sewage plants and carbon sequestered from power plants would provide food for the algae, which then produce oxygen and freshwater along with an oil that can be refined into fuel. The OMEGAs are giant semi-permeable membranes; the design allows freshwater in but keeps saltwater out. Using algae for biofuel isn't new --- there are a number of algae farms on land. But they require large amounts of real estate and fresh water and enough electricity to keep the water moving. In this case, light from the sun provides the energy, and the motion of the waves stirs the algae around. Trent is looking at ways to collect the freshwater that gets released by the OMEGAs --- potentially another major breakthrough for a state desperately short of water. Trent has shopped his project all over the world and many countries have showed interest, but he believes San Francisco is the perfect fit. "The people of San Francisco really have an enlightened attitude and are aware that something needs to be done to fix the problems we've created," he told us. "It's a great place to demonstrate to the world that this is a feasible technology." The OMEGA project still faces political hurdles. Trent recently survived an internal audit. And U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) has been critical of federal spending for biofuel projects. But the scientist isn't discouraged. "Actually I'm glad we have been audited," he said. "I've been able to get attention and show that not only does our system not use water, it actually produces clean water." On July 29 the project received approval for an $800,000 grant from the California Energy Commission. According to Trent, the approval for the grant was ready for approval months earlier, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to put it on hold because of the budget crisis. The CEC grant is coming just in time. A previous grant, from Google, was due to run out at the end of September. "We're optimistic that if people see that the CEC has invested, maybe others will want to invest," Trent said. "But we need more than just financial resources --- we need brain power as well. The next step is to find engineers to really make this a workable option." Trent would like to get a working model up and running within the next 18 months and hopes to see a full-scale operation in place in five years. San Francisco may be the first city to host OMEGA. San Francisco Public Utilities Commission staffers have met with Trent and are cautiously optimistic. "Although it is just at the preliminary stages of discussion, it doesn't dampen our excitement about the project," said Tyrone Jue, spokesperson for the SFPUC. "We have to know what good we will get out of it and if it is feasible in this area." Environmentalists caution that it's far from a perfect solution to the planet's problems. Sierra Club staffer John Rizzo notes that "biofuels themselves are not a good solution. It's a good bridge, but they are still burned and create carbons that are bad for the planet." In the short term, however, it sure beats drilling for oil off the California coast. Wednesday August 5, 2009 ( 1 comment | Comment on this article <http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=8950&catid=&volume_id=398&issue_id=4…>) *brookse* on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 11:18 PM You have got to be kidding... You are actually asking readers to believe that covering the bay with giant plastic bags, filled with sewage and genetically engineered algae (yes - genetically engineered - just do a good web search on algae biodiesel and you'll discover this little inconvenient reality); bags which also separate salt from the baywater leaving it unnaturally saline and therefore deadly to wildlife; bags which of course will end up leaking their toxic genetically engineered soup into the bay; you are seriously asking us to believe that this is actually a good thing... Readers, for the straight story about the incredible screwed-up-ness of the recent biofuel craze and how it is drastically messing up our planet even more quickly than global warming, go to the Biofuel Watch web site at: [link] <http://biofuelwatch.org.uk/> Eric Brooks San Francisco Green Party Sustainability Working Group *Comment on: The algae solution* In order to comment on an article, you must *Log In.* <http://www.sfbg.com/reg/login.php?_return=/entry.php?entry_id=8950>

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