November 2008 - Transpo - list.sfgreens.org

Re: [Transpo] [Sustain] Switch Meetings To Third Thursdays?
by Eric Brooks 19 Nov '08

19 Nov '08

I think we couldn't do the 20th for some reason, so I suggested we wait until next month and attend the Nov 13th clean energy conference instead. I was assuming this month was off, especially since we are having a discussion about energy issues tomorrow at the GM. cheers Eric Don Eichelberger wrote: > I suggest we meet this Thursday the 20th and decide what to do for the > future. > > Don > > Eric Brooks wrote: > >> I would be into either one. The third Tuesday would be the 18th this >> month. 2nd Thursday is the 13th. >> >> John-Marc Chandonia wrote: >> >>> On Thu, Nov 06, 2008 at 09:09:31AM -0800, Eric Brooks wrote: >>> >>> >>>> Now that the GM is meeting on the 4th Wednesday of each month, I >>>> think it would be really useful to us to switch our monthly meeting >>>> to each 3rd Thursday so that we can vote on action items and >>>> present them right away to the GM. >>>> >>> >>> Unfortunately, that would be the day after the CC meeting, so it would >>> be harder to get items agendized. How about the 3rd Tuesday or the >>> 2nd Thursday, so the CC has time to schedule items? >>> >>> JMC >>> >>> >> >> -- >> "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate >> themselves." – Che Guevara >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Sustainability mailing list >> Sustainability(a)sfgreens.org >> https://list.sfgreens.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainability >> >> > -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." – Che Guevara

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City Trying To Sneak New SOMA Fossil Fuel Plant Under Transbay Terminal
by Eric Brooks 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

Here we go again... I found out about this when the reporter called me for comments about it. Note that an empty promise of hydrogen is given, but that the plant will be built to run on fossil fuel... http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/High-tech_underground_power_plant_might_be_… High-tech, underground power plant might be built in SoMa *By John Upton <mailto:jupton@sfexaminer.com>* Examiner Staff Writer 11/17/08 Commuters catch their buses at the Transbay Terminal. City officials are developing plans for an underground power plant to service proposed high-rise buildings on the site of the current terminal. Cindy Chew/The Examiner *SAN FRANCISCO* -- As controversy rages about if a power plant should be built or rebuilt in southeast San Francisco, city officials have quietly been developing plans for a separate underground plant to service planned high-rise buildings in SoMa. Massive amounts of power will be needed for the planned 1,000-foot Transbay office tower and rebuilt Transbay Transit Center at Mission and First streets, and for the thousands of new homes and millions of square feet of office space expected to be built in the coming decades in the South of Market neighborhood. The privately owned and operated plant would be designed so it could eventually run on hydrogen fuel cells instead of fossil fuels, Environment Department building official Mark Palmer said. Hydrogen fuel cells are an emerging type of technology that can be recharged using renewable or non-renewable power. Waste heat from the plant would be trapped and used to warm water for a combined heating district, dramatically improving the plant's efficiency and eliminating the need for individual heating and cooling systems, which are often built on rooftops, according to Palmer. "Instead of having a boiler and an air-conditioning plant in every building in a certain district, you could build a central facility that would provide heating and cooling for all the buildings," Palmer said. Combined heating districts, which are common throughout the world, can double a power plant's efficiency by reducing the amount of heat that is wasted, according to Palmer. The districts also maximize useable space in new buildings. About 170 buildings in San Francisco are already heated and cooled using a similar network of steam created by non-electricity producing boilers at Jessie Street between 5th and 6th streets and near the corner of Post and Hyde streets, according to NRG Energy, which owns the system. The steam can be seen wafting up from city streets. Eric Brooks, chairman of the San Francisco Green Party's Sustainability Working Group, pointed to climate change and said The City should spend generously on a plant that runs on hydrogen cells that are recharged using renewable energy. "Building any fossil fuel power plant --- even if it's really efficient --- is a bad idea," Brooks said. A feasibility study, expected to be published within eight weeks, will determine how much power and heat will be needed by new SoMa buildings and whether it could be provided by a subterranean natural gas-burning power plant, according to San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Project Manager Mike Grisso. jupton(a)sfexaminer.com <mailto:jupton@sfexaminer.com> By the numbers 40 acres Former freeway land to be redeveloped around Transbay Transit Center 3,450 New homes planned in redevelopment area 6 million square feet New office space expected near Transbay Transit Center 1,000 feet Proposed height of Transbay Tower 800 feet Maximum proposed height for some buildings near the Transbay Tower 850 feet Height of the Transamerica building --- currently The City's tallest 2014 Expected opening of new Transbay Transit Center /Sources: San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, San Francisco Planning Department/ -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." -- Che Guevara -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." -- Che Guevara

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FW: Copy of Text Sent to Transition Website change.gov
by Martin Zehr 13 Nov '08

13 Nov '08

Transition Website: http://www.change.gov/page/s/yourvision Resource management of water needs to be developed at a bio-regional level where stakeholders can provide a balanced input. I recommend a review of the work of the Middle Rio Grande Water Assembly in the Albuquerque, New Mexico region. I worked as a representative of Urban Users in the process for 9 years. As a result of the efforts of an engaged community the Water Assembly, empowered and funded by the State Legislature, developed a 50 year water plan for the region. It provides a specific model for a bottom-up process that engages the entire spectrum of water-users. http://www.waterassembly.org Supplies and deliveries of new supplies of water remain an issue that can best be managed at the watershed level by those who would be impacted by such decisions. Proposals dealing with issues ranging from water quality to conjunctive management of surface and ground waters, and from establishing funding sources for water programs to increasing water supply and decreasing water demand have all been incorporated into the recommendations of the regional plan. Conservation of urban individual and large-scale users’ withdrawals, improving irrigation efficiency of agricultural users, and development of growth management in urban areas to integrate land use and transportation planning with water management are addressed by the plan and provide it with a holistic approach. http://www.waterassembly.org/archives/MRG-Plan/D-Rio%20Grande%20Plan/CH10-R… Stakeholder groups that provided input and review for the plan’s recommendations were defined as: Specialists; Managers; Agricultural, Cultural and Historical Users; Environmental Advocates; and Urban Users and Economic Development Advocates. These constituency groups provided self-defined structures that were represented in the Action Committee, the governing body of the Assembly. All constituency groups were given five representatives on the Action Committee. This provided for advocates of the various stakeholder interests to provide input into the writing of the plan, to review the recommendations being proposed and to provide representation of the various stakeholders in the decision-making process of the Water Assembly. There is a bill in Congress, S. 2842, Aging Water Infrastructure and Maintenance Act that begins the process of updating and upgrading public water infrastructure. There is some activity on the level of Western Governors that can increase the focus and establish priorities for Congress and the President. http://www.westgov.org/wga/initiatives/climate/index.htm Water in the West impacts on rural and urban economies alike and can result in regional conflict when not anticipated through sound planning and policy development. Water 2025 http://www.usbr.gov/water2025/ is one Federal level program initiated in an effort to address the myriad of matters that confront the Western United States. There remains a much larger task ahead in the areas of urban and rural conservation, water monitoring and measurement, agriculture, water quality, water storage to reduce evaporative losses desalination and transfer of water and public education. There have been regional droughts and water supply problems in various areas of the U.S., stretching from Georgia to Maine to California. What has been lacking in the past is the leadership and revenues of the Federal Government. A change in this can facilitate regional water planning in ways that reflect their priorities and address their concerns and needs. Martin Zehr

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Urge President-elect Obama to lead the way on global warming
by Eric Brooks 13 Nov '08

13 Nov '08

Greenpeace <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ghfYnWYKnEu8Easf7nwB…> November 12, 2008 Greenpeace video screenshot <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=360Q1ENTFbwGKTrKxyVB…>For eight long years, President Bush ignored global warming and turned his back on the rest of the world. After nearly a decade of inaction, there is precious little time left to stop the worst impacts of global warming. What President-elect Obama chooses to do now will impact me, you, and the entire planet for generations to come. That's why I asked Obama about his plans when I had the chance to speak to him on the campaign trail. Specifically, I asked him if he would attend the international global warming treaty negotiations happening this December in Poznan', Poland. By attending in person and laying out his vision for the world's approach to solving global warming, he can jumpstart his administration's efforts to tackle this critical issue. Check out the video of me and President-elect Obama >> <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=yeu0eO3MHlLynsXwtPgI…> The president-elect told me that he probably wouldn't go to Poland himself, but that he would be sending a representative. I'm happy that he's made this commitment, but the best way for him to demonstrate America's renewed dedication to stopping global warming is to go himself. Take Action NOW >> Urge President-elect Obama to personally attend the international climate treaty negotiations in Poznan'. <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=zxKdEPN9KajDPNcR1ByM…> Now is the time for America to show the rest of the world that we are back on track and that we're serious about tackling global warming. America should be a leader in implementing solutions like strict efficiency standards, aggressive investment in renewable energy, and a cap on global warming pollution. The climate talks in Poznan' are the perfect opportunity for us to rejoin the rest of the world in addressing the most urgent environmental crisis of our time. When we pass this planet off to our children, we have to be able to look them in the eye and say that we solved the most dire environmental crisis we have ever faced - otherwise, we'll be handing off a much different planet than we live on now. The path to a clean, sustainable future starts in Poznan' - let's make sure President-elect Obama is there to lead the way. For the future, Melissa Leonard Greenpeace volunteer <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=inDmTN2E7wVnJ6Ns3tKD…> 702 H Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20001 (800) 326-0959 It's time for leadership the whole world can believe in -- ask your friends and family to sign the petition, too! <http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BIW2gIsFA3qZLoPmh2…> -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." -- Che Guevara

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Clean Energy Caucus Instead Of Sustain/Transpo Meeting This Month
by Eric Brooks 07 Nov '08

07 Nov '08

Hi all, See below. Instead of having a Sustainability & Transportation Working Group meeting this month, why don't we just attend this caucus next Thursday night. Agreed? Eric B Local Clean Energy Alliance wrote: > Local Clean Energy Alliance Logo > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHClftjLz_0c8tcEjPRPQqAspBsH88dHrIAKE5Mu…> > > Locavolts Unite! > 2008 Bay Area Clean Energy Caucus > > > *Who Should Attend? > * > > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHDbznuIuwdtQ0KhC4J6vXkrf4fF12WcQvDK3aba…> > > Government: City Managers, Commissioners, Supervisors, Department > Heads, Environmental Staff and Agency Directors > > Business: CEOs, Business Owners, Labor Representatives, Chamber of > Commerce, Builders, Engineers, Energy Analysts and other professionals > > Civic: Executive Directors, Program Directors, advocates and leaders > of community based organizations for economic development, and social, > environmental justice > > Individuals: Anyone concerned and passionate about local, clean energy > > *Event Sponsors* Sun Light and Power Logo > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHAJ4jgzh5-InGTVXqqMi6_2Q3gUs-0st6BIVgHy…> > Bay Localize > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHD8DpVrdTFeJRy0LRpeV3DyyZld4ZVU9pxx7ImW…> > Local Clean Energy Alliance > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHCEYMwiWUm1SeeaHg7JMarLu2UmFnBoG5vhFTCE…> > Green Festival > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHB9C4g2GBYwkzrcqcQlOisGgY20DMLAUXYAN8Ig…> > San Francisco Sierra Club > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHCL6qALPucfU2MAg9ZZ_IywJ_1ZthrYO12jDANT…> > > > *Quick Links...* > Sun Light and Power > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHBgNg64tAyps7oSl_FfsdY6kFvZQGd1SnWebB_8…> > Local Clean Energy Alliance > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHDbznuIuwdtQ0KhC4J6vXkrf4fF12WcQvDK3aba…> > Green Festival > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHCEYMwiWUm1SUPP0y5EvIyZzOXu0T_ab0KbedlC…> > Bay Localize > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHD8DpVrdTFeJRy0LRpeV3DyyZld4ZVU9pxx7ImW…> > Solar Richmond > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHB9C4g2GBYwk-VLaEnSu5hUcu8oqNp6CBiGoJuz…> > > > > Greetings: > > We are excited to announce the first Bay Area Clean Energy Caucus! As > part of the Green Festival Solution Salon series, this Thursday > evening, 11-13 from 6-9pm, Bay Area local energy enthusiasts (also > known as Locavolts) will convene to discuss what's working in local > campaigns for clean energy including Community Choice, Energy > Efficiency, Solar Financing, and Green Jobs. > > This Caucus will be followed with a tour of Solar Richmond's facility > and live solar electric installation. > > We welcome you to peruse the schedule and look forward to having you > join the Caucus. > > Event Info: > November 13th, 6-9p > Freedom Hall at Glide Memorial Church > 330 Ellis Street (at Taylor) > San Francisco > (Four blocks from Powell St BART) > > $5-10 sliding scale. No one turned away for lack of funds. Every > person who attends The Bay Area Clean Energy Caucus will receive a > FREE admission ticket to the Green Festival! > > Sponsors: > Sun Light and Power > > Gfest > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHDbznuIuwdtQ0KhC4J6vXkrf4fF12WcQvDK3aba…>This > participatory event will roll out in two sections: The first half of > the evening will cover brief updates on clean energy initiatives in > the Bay Area. > > Speakers include: > > > * Ross Mirkirimi of the San Francisco Supervisors (invited) > > * Paul Fenn of Local Power on Community Choice > > * Ian Kim of the Ella Baker Center on Green-Collar Jobs > > * John Rizzo of the Sierra Club on clean energy in San Francisco > > * Kirsten Schwind of Bay Localize on local clean energy in the > East Bay > > * John Corcoran of Marin Clean Energy on clean-energy progress in > Marin > > Among many others... > > The second half of the evening involves facilitated topical and > regional breakout conversations. > > Breakout Topics 7:30-8:00pm > > * PG&E's history in fossil fuels and energy efficiency, > misinformation, and the media > > * Collaborating with unions and Redevelopment on workforce > development > > * Making sustainable energy affordable and accessible > > * Fighting Power Plants and LNG > > Breakout Topics 8:00-8:30pm > > * Improving Energy Efficiency and Home Performance > > * Building Power and Raising Money for Clean Energy > > * CCA implementation steps and strategies > > * AB32 Compliance for cities > > Food/refreshments will be provided. $5-10 sliding scale. No one > turned away for lack of funds. > > > > and on Friday morning, see Green Job Program Graduates in action at the: > > Live Green Collar Solar Install > Friday November 14th, 10am-12pm > 360 S 27th St, Richmond, CA > > Join Solar Richmond > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHB9C4g2GBYwk-VLaEnSu5hUcu8oqNp6CBiGoJuz…> > for a Live Solar Install in conjunction with... Ella Baker Center > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHCL6qALPucfU0VpLsKBrLFedC9S2lBscAX88VAH…> > and the Local Clean Energy Alliance > <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001P41knIKxEHDbznuIuwdtQ0KhC4J6vXkrf4fF12WcQvDK3aba…> > > > 10am - Welcome and short video, briefings on Solar Richmond, Richmond > Build, and Ella Baker Center's Green Jobs work locally and statewide > 11am - Travel to install site > 11:10am - Meet program grads and see them in action on the roof. > Mingle, take photos! > 12pm - Tour ends > > Meet SolarRichmondBUILD graduates, hear from Michele McGeoy of Solar > Richmond, Emily Kirsch and Aaron Lehmer of Ella Baker Center, and > David Room from Local Clean Energy Alliance. > > Please join us for this unique opportunity to see one of the nation's > leading organizations actively doing Green-Collar job training and get > a brief update from the Ella Baker Center on the latest developments > on Green Jobs funding and training in California and nationally as well. > > Please RSVP to: info(a)SolarRichmond.org or call 510.621.1719. Let us > know if you will need a ride from BART. Don't forget to bring your camera! > > ~ Solar Richmond, Ella Baker Center, & Local Clean Energy Alliance > > Green Festival > Vouchers > > Admission to this Green Week Clean Energy Caucus event includes a > voucher redeemable for a free one day festival pass to the Green > Festival. > > > Forward email > <http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1102308221896&ea=brookse32%40ai…> > Safe Unsubscribe > <http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?v=001dCD0S6IuBsZsZ1nHyZRddZhNJr7yt…> > > This email was sent to brookse32(a)aim.com by ingrid(a)baylocalize.org > <mailto:ingrid@baylocalize.org>. > Update Profile/Email Address > <http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?v=001dCD0S6IuBsZsZ1nHyZRddZhNJr7yt…> > | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe > <http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?v=001dCD0S6IuBsZsZ1nHyZRddZhNJr7yt…>^(TM) > | Privacy Policy > <http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp>. > > Email Marketing <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=events04> by > <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=events04> > > Local Clean Energy Alliance | 436 14th street, Suite 1127 | Oakland | > CA | 94612 > -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." -- Che Guevara

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Switch Meetings To Third Thursdays?
by Eric Brooks 06 Nov '08

06 Nov '08

Hi all, Now that the GM is meeting on the 4th Wednesday of each month, I think it would be really useful to us to switch our monthly meeting to each 3rd Thursday so that we can vote on action items and present them right away to the GM. For this month that would mean meeting on Thursday the 20th. Is everyone cool with this idea? cheers Eric -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." – Che Guevara

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