Green Notes

New domain name: dot eco?

Al Gore is supporting a move to introduce .eco as a top level domain. Makes sense to me.

More.

Dade to support Earth Hour 2009

A news release from Miami-Dade County:

Miami-Dade County announced today that it will officially support Earth Hour 2009, a global climate event led by the World Wildlife Fund. More than 240 cities around the world have already committed to go dark for one hour on March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., as tens of millions of people from all corners of the world unite in a call for global action on climate change.

“Miami-Dade County is doing its part for Earth Hour 2009,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez said.  “We want residents to know that we care about saving our natural resources and stand united in seeking to find solutions to climate change.”

During Earth Hour, Miami-Dade County will be turning off the lights for the Stephen P. Clark Government Center, Miami-Dade’s Courthouse, the County’s 140 and Hickman buildings.  Miami’s skyline will go dark for one hour as individuals, businesses, government buildings, schools and major landmarks turn off non-essential lighting in what will be the largest climate event in history.

Miami-Dade County is making it easier than ever for residents to make a difference.  With the County’s recently launched Going Green website, residents can learn about all things green such as the County’s new recycling program or take action by participating in the Biscayne Bay Clean up Day to help keep our beaches beautiful or have some good clean fun with one of the County's many Eco-Adventures.

Excellent news. Still, and call me cynical, I can't help wondering how much money the county is hoping to save.

Urban Development Boundary: Dade says 'Yes/No'

Fred Grimm's very funny column highlights the ridiculous position the county has taken in supporting developers who want to move the boundary. The opposition's expert witnesses were all county employees!

NOAA: New Study Shows Climate Change Largely Irreversible

Today's gloomy news:

A new scientific study led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reaches a powerful conclusion about the climate change caused by future increases of carbon dioxide:  to a large extent, there’s no going back.

The pioneering study, led by NOAA senior scientist Susan Solomon, shows how changes in surface temperature, rainfall, and sea level are largely irreversible for more than 1,000 years after carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are completely stopped. The findings appear during the week of January 26 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Our study convinced us that current choices regarding carbon dioxide emissions will have legacies that will irreversibly change the planet,” said Solomon, who is based at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo.

“It has long been known that some of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities stays in the atmosphere for thousands of years,” Solomon said. “But the new study advances the understanding of how this affects the climate system.” 

Read the rest here.

Florida to limit vehicle emissions

Gov. Crist is finally getting round to doing the right thing about limiting vehicle emissions. The Green Gov has lagged behind the governors of 14 other states.  Here's his statement:

“I commend the Environmental Regulation Commission for adopting a new emission standard for Florida’s vehicles. The new rule sets Florida on the right path toward significantly reducing our greenhouse-gas emissions and protecting the natural beauty that is so important to the Sunshine State’s economy.

“I am confident that future generations will applaud this step, as well as the many others that our state and people are taking to become more energy efficient, use more renewable energy, and provide business opportunities for the growing green technology industry.

“I look forward to the Legislature’s ratifying today’s rule during the upcoming session.”

California, under Republican Gov. Schwarzenegger, led the charge, only to be stymied by the political appointees at the EPA who refused to grant a waiver of the Clean Air Act needed for California to put its new standards into effect. No doubt, that will change under the new administration, but in the meantime, several years have been wasted while Californians continued to spew -- and breathe -- noxious greenhouse gases.

The LA Times explains the background in this story.

Bisphenol A: Is the FDA compromising babies' safety?

Three attorneys-general - from Delaware, New Jersey and Connecticut - are asking 11 manufacturers to stop using Bisphenol A in baby bottles. BPA is linked with a hormonal disruptions in girls and with cancer in adults. Consumer and environmental groups, such as Consumer Reports, have long advocated for its removal.

The FDA is in the process of deciding whether BPA should be banned, but it turns out that the chair of the panel that makes the decision, Dr. Martin Philbert, recently received a $5 million donation to a research center he directs in Milwaukee and neglected to declare it. The donor, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, is anti-regulation and considers BPA to be entirely safe. The FDA has launched a probe into the issue, but it highlights a significant problem with the process of addressing toxicity issues.

In August, The FDA, and presumably Dr. Philbert's panel, produced a draft assessment concerning the risks associated with BPA, which the Environmental Working Group has strongly criticised. The draft is up for review of Oct. 31, and the FDA will subsequently make its recommendations.

'COOL,' but flawed, food labeling in effect

An interim final rule for mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for meat, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, and several kinds of nuts is now in effect, but Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit consumer rights organization, says there's still a long way to go before consumers can be sure all imported food is sufficiently labeled.

The improvements were part of the 2002 Farm Bill, and COOL was supported by consumers and producers, "despite repeated attempts by the food industry to kill the program and delay its implementation," says FWW.

The problem, though, is that while the label for raw nuts, for example, must include the country of origin, once those nuts are roasted – “processed” – the requirement is dropped. It is, as FWW observes, “a massive loophole” that affects “over 60 percent of pork, the majority of frozen vegetables, an estimated 95 percent of peanuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts, and multi-ingredient fresh produce items such as fruit salads and salad mixes.”

It wrote to the UDSA about it today. Find the letter here.

The EPA updates its website; more user-friendly

Until now, the EPA's website has been boring and uninviting, yet it holds a wealth of information for consumers. With that in mind, it's updated the site to draw in regular folks looking for ways to green up their homes, save money on utilities and understand environmental issues. It's also interactive and localized. Check it out.

Public housing to go green?

HUD is urging public housing agencies to incorporate green construction practices in future projects. It defines them as "a systems-based approach to achieving sustainable buildings that incorporates environmental considerations into every phase of the building process – design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction/demolition."

It notes that green building:

· Lowers utility bills resulting in more affordable homes;
· Provides better indoor environmental quality;
· Yields higher resale prices;
· Preserves natural resources;
· Offers less national reliance on fossil fuels and reduced greenhouse gas emissions; and
· Improves the durability of building materials and structures.

It seems like a very positive move, but, alas, this is government so it's likely to be many, many years before anyone in South Florida benefits from this.

I'd love to be told otherwise.

Irradiated produce heading our way

The FDA has approved the use of irradiation for iceberg lettuce and spinach. It says it will kill off harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E-coli. It also says that while the irradiation is not mandatory, producers who choose to irradiate must label their produce clearly.

The FDA's website explains.