Slides shown during the Lopez Island Sustainability Collaborative Potluck/Pizza Fest, March 22, 2012. The slides are an output from the "Islands and Sustainability" class of Monterey Institute of International Studies, providing snapshots of the students’ visits and meetings with different community members and places around the islands as well as presenting some selected findings from that week.
For more info on the class and class project focusing on Lopez Island, go to: http://blogs.miis.edu/resilientcommunities/
Forum for discussion, news and updates by Islands Energy Coalition
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Graduates seek to find out how Lopez can be more sustainable
by Chom and Chris Greacen
What resources are required to sustain the economy and residents of Lopez Island and what would the future of Lopez look like if we were to continue “the business as usual” vs. to become more sustainable? These are the questions that a group of eleven graduate students from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California is seeking to help our community find answers to.
A few Islands around the world have been in the forefront of humanity’s push for sustainability and lower resource consumption. Islands offer unique opportunities as “petri dishes” for global resource sustainability because boundaries are particularly easy to draw (they’re surrounded by water, after all) and because energy and other resources are typically higher in cost than on the mainland, increasing the relative attractiveness of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other home-grown options. While the Danish island Samso provides an amazing precedent on the energy front – from heavy dependence on imported coal electricty to 100% local renewable energy – there are as yet no populated islands in the USA that have achieved a zero-net energy goal. As Samso discovered, the switch to sustainability created a huge boon to the local economy, as the island is now a mecca for tourists interested in the environment. (We don’t mean to imply that Samso should be model for Lopez, but this example does illustrate some of the potential for sustainability working hand-in-hand with a thriving local economy).
The graduate students, taking a class taught by Lopez residents Chris and Chom Greacen, are working together on a hands-on class project focusing on Lopez Island. They will document baseline energy and resource consumption, and explore plausible scenarios for the future. The class has been meeting since early February with classes convened via internet video. Students are split into three groups, with the first focusing on electricity & heating, the second group on transportation, and the third on agriculture, food, water and waste. Their final report, to be completed in June, will be posted online on the Islands Energy Coalition website (http://islandsenergy.wordpress.com/).
The students will be on Lopez from 17 to 22 March gathering data, learning from Lopezians, and discussing initial findings. The class trip will culminate in a “Lopez Sustainability Collaborative and Potluck/pizza Fest” event at the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts on Thursday 22 March from 5:30pm to 8pm.
The event will be family-friendly and interactive with multiple media and opportunities for all to participate in different ways. All are welcome. - those interested in or curious about our island’s future (or specific issues such as transportation, energy, food/agriculture, waste and materials) -- those who simply enjoy good food and good company.
Please bring a dish to share and your own table settings. We will provide Donna Hasbrouck’s famous cob-oven pizza.
Time is ticking on Cherry Point coal export terminal
By Sophie Williams
The Salish Sea may soon become home to the largest coal export terminal in North America. Tucked in the busy Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve between two oil refineries and an aluminum smelter, the Gateway Pacific Terminal will export 54 million tons of coal and 6 million tons of other dry bulk materials annually.
To build the Gateway Pacific Terminal, the Seattle-based company SSA Marine needs development permits from the Whatcom County Council, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers. Before it can be permitted, the project must undergo a full environmental review, led by Whatcom County and the Washington State Department of Ecology, to provide the public and the permitting agencies with a clear understanding of its environmental, health and economic consequences.
The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a study of the projects impacts and the “reasonable alternatives” that could minimize its adverse effects. Reasonable alternatives could range from wetland mitigation to a recommendation of ‘no action.’ In this case, it’s worth keeping in mind that a much smaller export terminal was approved by Whatcom County in 1997, so ‘no action’ still allows SSA Marine to build at Cherry Point, albeit at only 15% of the cargo volume and with less than a third of the shipping traffic.
The first step of the EIS process is to determine the scope of the study. Scoping, which will begin for the Gateway Pacific Terminal in June of 2012, is a chance for the public, tribes, citizen groups, local government, and state and federal agencies to advocate for the impacts and geographic areas they want to be included. The State Environmental Policy Act requires that the EIS team consider environmental impacts from the source of material (the coal strip mines of the Powder River Basin) to its destination (Asia’s coal burning power plants).
Though the communities around Cherry Point may bear the brunt of the terminal’s environmental impacts, the San Juans will also feel its effects. Millions of pounds of coal dust will be lost from the terminal to the marine environment and the surrounding wetland every year. The 487 bulk carries visiting the terminal annually, among the largest in the world and many carrying upwards of 10,000 tons of bunker fuel oil, will add further pollution. Both bunker fuel and the hydrocarbons in coal dust are lethal to the eggs and larvae of many fish, including the herring that spawn at Cherry Point. Large ships also often carry invasive aquatic species in their ballast water, which could wreak further havoc on the marine ecosystem.
To make the terminal’s impacts on the San Juans part of the decision making process, our waters and waterways must be within the scope of the EIS. Take a hard look at the Gateway Pacific Terminal project proposal. If you have concerns, the EIS scoping is your chance to make your voice, and the voice of the islands, heard.
What can the Salish Sea gain from the Gateway Pacific Terminal, and what does it have to lose?
To be notified of actions by Whatcom County Planning and Development Services regarding Gateway Pacific Terminal, send an e-mail to pds@co.whatcom.wa.us with “GPT Subscriber List” in the subject line.
There is a pre-scoping meeting to explain the scoping process on March 20, 6-8pm, in the Bellingham High School theater, 2020 Cornwall Ave.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Coal cargo terminal at Cherry Point raises concern
(From Islands Weekly, http://www.islandsweekly.com/news/138783389.html)
By Phillip Holder
The San Juan Islands face a significant increase in large cargo ship traffic under a proposal to build the largest yet coal terminal in North America at Cherry Point, near Ferndale. Annually, ships measuring up to three football fields in length will make over 950 passages (nearly three per day) transporting tens of millions of tons of Wyoming coal to China.
SSA Marine/Carrix (owned 49 percent by Goldman Sachs), Peabody Coal, and BNSF railroad want to move 48 millions tons of coal annually, from Wyoming's Powder River Basin strip mines on publicly owned lands, to a 350 acre coal terminal to be built northwest of Bellingham. Carried by up to 18 uncovered trains a day, each up to 1.6 miles long, the coal would be piled at Cherry Point. To prevent spontaneous combustion, the coal will have to be turned over regularly with huge front-end loaders – creating significant dust. From the coal terminal, the coal will be loaded on Capesize — too big for Panama Canal passage — and Panamax ships, and transported through the Salish Sea for burning by power plants in Asia. The ships would return empty of cargo, each carrying up to 17 million gallons of Asian ballast water, to be released before coal reloading at Cherry Point.
Proponents tout that jobs will be created at Cherry Point, and say that the proposal will help the trade balance between the U.S and China. But some on the islands and the mainland wonder whether the overall costs of this scheme actually exceed the benefits, and point to several potential impacts on communities, businesses, and the Salish Sea ecosystem.
“In the San Juan islands, 95 percent of the herring that is available to be eaten comes from the shallows around Cherry Point,” said Russell Barsh, director of Kwiaht, the Lopez-based Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish Sea. “Cherry Point is the last remaining spawning area that hasn't been severely impacted by people, and a coal terminal there would have a huge negative impact. Herring is the basis for marine life in the central Salish sea, and we don't have enough as it is to support seals, dolphins, salmon, and sea birds.”
Barsh also raises concerns about increased shipping traffic,
“There's too many close passes and close misses,” he said. “With so many of these huge ships navigating our waters, it's only a matter of time before there's a major accident, and the consequences to sea life would be extremely high.”
Other potential problems include:
-loss of tourism, customers, business revenues, and jobs, and damage to the islands' quality of life
-delays of ferry and private marine transportation; safety hazards to small fishing, commuter, recreational, and tour boats;
- spillage of coal, oil and/or fuel from vessel mishaps
- traffic delays at “at-grade” rail crossings on mainland traffic routes connecting to marine transportation to the islands
- substantial taxpayer revenues required to mitigate these impacts.
SSA Marine is required by federal and state law and Whatcom County regulations to obtain several permits from federal, state, and local government agencies. The permitting process will include preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement under state and federal laws to address the impacts of the project. The initial step in preparing an EIS is called "scoping." During the scoping phase, members of the public can raise issues they believe need to be studied. The scoping period has not yet been announced but is expected sometime this spring.
"The whole situation is very interesting to me. Enduring impacts from natural resource exports to other countries is perhaps an unfamiliar phenomenon for the U.S. but it is very commonplace in developing countries,” said Chom Greacon, a member of the Islands Energy Coalition and an international energy consultant. “A difference here is that much of China's hunger for coal (75 percent of energy demand is from the industrial sector) is driven by exports of consumers goods to countries around the world, including the US. So in a way, consumption in the U.S. is partially responsible for the demand for coal extraction and export. It's certainly crucial to consider the impacts of the coal train but also important to connect the issue to a more personal level."
Lopez residents can hear details and ask questions at the “Ships, Spills and Sea-Level Rise - Coal Hard Truth” forum, moderated by Matt Krogh, North Sound Baykeeper with RESources for Sustainable Communities on Tuesday, Feb.7, 6 - 8 p.m., Lopez Center for Community and the Arts.
On Thurs. Feb. 9, a similar forum will be conducted on San Juan, Feb. 9, Friday Harbor High School Commons, 6 p.m.
(Chris Greacon and Doug Poole of the Islands Energy Coalitions contributed to this article.)
By Phillip Holder
The San Juan Islands face a significant increase in large cargo ship traffic under a proposal to build the largest yet coal terminal in North America at Cherry Point, near Ferndale. Annually, ships measuring up to three football fields in length will make over 950 passages (nearly three per day) transporting tens of millions of tons of Wyoming coal to China.
 |
Photo/ Paul K. Anderson A coal train passes along the Bellingham waterfront. |
SSA Marine/Carrix (owned 49 percent by Goldman Sachs), Peabody Coal, and BNSF railroad want to move 48 millions tons of coal annually, from Wyoming's Powder River Basin strip mines on publicly owned lands, to a 350 acre coal terminal to be built northwest of Bellingham. Carried by up to 18 uncovered trains a day, each up to 1.6 miles long, the coal would be piled at Cherry Point. To prevent spontaneous combustion, the coal will have to be turned over regularly with huge front-end loaders – creating significant dust. From the coal terminal, the coal will be loaded on Capesize — too big for Panama Canal passage — and Panamax ships, and transported through the Salish Sea for burning by power plants in Asia. The ships would return empty of cargo, each carrying up to 17 million gallons of Asian ballast water, to be released before coal reloading at Cherry Point.
Proponents tout that jobs will be created at Cherry Point, and say that the proposal will help the trade balance between the U.S and China. But some on the islands and the mainland wonder whether the overall costs of this scheme actually exceed the benefits, and point to several potential impacts on communities, businesses, and the Salish Sea ecosystem.
“In the San Juan islands, 95 percent of the herring that is available to be eaten comes from the shallows around Cherry Point,” said Russell Barsh, director of Kwiaht, the Lopez-based Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish Sea. “Cherry Point is the last remaining spawning area that hasn't been severely impacted by people, and a coal terminal there would have a huge negative impact. Herring is the basis for marine life in the central Salish sea, and we don't have enough as it is to support seals, dolphins, salmon, and sea birds.”
Barsh also raises concerns about increased shipping traffic,
“There's too many close passes and close misses,” he said. “With so many of these huge ships navigating our waters, it's only a matter of time before there's a major accident, and the consequences to sea life would be extremely high.”
Other potential problems include:
-loss of tourism, customers, business revenues, and jobs, and damage to the islands' quality of life
-delays of ferry and private marine transportation; safety hazards to small fishing, commuter, recreational, and tour boats;
- spillage of coal, oil and/or fuel from vessel mishaps
- traffic delays at “at-grade” rail crossings on mainland traffic routes connecting to marine transportation to the islands
- substantial taxpayer revenues required to mitigate these impacts.
SSA Marine is required by federal and state law and Whatcom County regulations to obtain several permits from federal, state, and local government agencies. The permitting process will include preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement under state and federal laws to address the impacts of the project. The initial step in preparing an EIS is called "scoping." During the scoping phase, members of the public can raise issues they believe need to be studied. The scoping period has not yet been announced but is expected sometime this spring.
"The whole situation is very interesting to me. Enduring impacts from natural resource exports to other countries is perhaps an unfamiliar phenomenon for the U.S. but it is very commonplace in developing countries,” said Chom Greacon, a member of the Islands Energy Coalition and an international energy consultant. “A difference here is that much of China's hunger for coal (75 percent of energy demand is from the industrial sector) is driven by exports of consumers goods to countries around the world, including the US. So in a way, consumption in the U.S. is partially responsible for the demand for coal extraction and export. It's certainly crucial to consider the impacts of the coal train but also important to connect the issue to a more personal level."
Lopez residents can hear details and ask questions at the “Ships, Spills and Sea-Level Rise - Coal Hard Truth” forum, moderated by Matt Krogh, North Sound Baykeeper with RESources for Sustainable Communities on Tuesday, Feb.7, 6 - 8 p.m., Lopez Center for Community and the Arts.
On Thurs. Feb. 9, a similar forum will be conducted on San Juan, Feb. 9, Friday Harbor High School Commons, 6 p.m.
(Chris Greacon and Doug Poole of the Islands Energy Coalitions contributed to this article.)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Leave the Car at Home……Catch a LIFT!
By Scott Finley
It was a lively discussion that ensued following the first in the Locavore’s film series in November. Inspired by the movie “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil,” the group brainstormed ideas for becoming a more sustainable and energy efficient island and reducing our carbon footprint.
Personal carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions you contribute to the environment. Your carbon footprint may be a size EEE Sasquatch, or if you have followed some of the advice given previously in this column, you may have reduced it to a size 3 ballet slipper. You can reduce your footprint by insulating your house, growing and eating local organic food as well as changing your transportation habits.
Transportation makes up more than one-quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The average American household burns over 1,000 gallons of gasoline and emits 21,000 pounds of CO2 annually from its 1.85 vehicles, and spends nearly a fifth of its income doing so. “Living Well, Living Green,” the useful booklet produced by Transition Fidalgo and Friends, lists several ways to reduce the amount of driving we do: Combine errands in one trip, keep your car tuned and tires inflated, and leave the car at home and hop on a bike, walk or carpool.
The after-film discussion group pounced on the idea of reducing emissions by ride sharing. A culture of hitchhiking has been in place on the islands for years, and it could be expanded at little or no cost. Most of us traveling from one point on the island to another do not mind pulling over to pick up a passenger, nor do we mind riding in another’s car.
Ron Metcalf has recently started “hitching” rides, following up on a New Years resolution, and has found it efficient and convenient. He usually gets picked up by the first car passing by, and has discovered an additional benefit. Says Ron, “the best part of doing this is that I get to spend time with those I already know and meet those I don't.”
The discussion group formed an impromptu committee calling itself Lopez Island Free Transit, or LIFT, committed to expanding island transportation options. The group’s first strategy, dubbed “Thumbs Up!” is to expand and facilitate our existing ride share system. The decal (shown above) with the thumb logo can be affixed to your car window, indicating your participation in the program. The plan also calls for larger logos to be displayed in safe areas, or “thumb stops,” at key transportation hubs, like the Village, Hummel Lake, school, ferry terminal and airport, so those needing a ride will have a predictable place to get picked up.
You will be able to pick up a decal in a few weeks – it will be announced in the Islands Weekly. Look for fellow travelers at Thumb Stops. And next time you leave the house to run an errand or catch the ferry, leave the car at home. Save some fuel, reduce emissions. Go Thumbs Up and catch a LIFT!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Green dreams of biofueled ferries
By Sophie Williams
In 2007 the state passed a clean energy bill with the hopeful mandate to meet 100% of publically owned vehicle fuel needs with biofuel and electricity by 2015. After the ferries missed their 2009 20% biofuel benchmark the target was lowered to 5%. A WSF pilot study has demonstrated the feasibility of increasing biodiesel content to at least 20%.
At first glance, the push to increase biofuels may look like sound environmental policy. After all, plants are a renewable resource and the carbon dioxide they take out of the atmosphere as they grow should be equal to the amount released when they burn. Unfortunately, most of our biofuels currently come from corn, sugar beets, soybeans and canola. Using these industrial-scale food crops for fuel causes serious problems.
Crops like corn and soybeans rely heavily on fossil fuels. Add to that the energy used to produce biofuels—often electricity from coal or natural gas—and biofuels’ energy efficiency falls further. The net energy balance of corn ethanol hovers around break even, while biodiesel produces just 2.5 times the energy it consumes. These fuels do little to reduce our carbon emissions or our reliance on fossil fuels.
Our biofuels also have unforeseen consequences for the rest of the world. "If you use farmland in North America to grow biofuels, you're forcing a farmer somewhere else to clear-cut forest to grow food crops," says David Tilman, a prominent ecologist. Land use change is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions because the carbon stored in uncultivated lands is released when they are cleared to make way for crops.
And using food crops for fuel in a hungry world has other more immediate human costs. Biofuel policies in the U.S. and Europe have been linked to recent spikes in food prices and could increase global food insecurity. With demand for both food and fuel expected to double by midcentury, the UN Special Rapporteur on food condemned the use of arable land to grow fuel as “a crime against humanity.”
Despite continued government support, few people outside the industry see a bright future for our existing biofuels. Hope comes from a second generation of biofuels currently under research and development. These new biofuels look for more sustainable sources of feedstock. Cellulosic ethanol could be made from agricultural, forestry or municipal waste or from deep rooted perennials that sequester carbon in the soil while providing erosion control and wildlife habitat. Biofuel visionaries are also looking to algae, which can grow rapidly on little more than water and sunlight. An acre of soybeans produces about 60 gallons of biodiesel a year. Theoretically, an acre of algae could produce 5,000.
Done right, second generation biofuels could produce fuel with reduced net carbon emissions and less competition for agricultural land. Western Washington grows little of use for first generation biofuels—currently, our only high-value ethanol crop is wine grapes—but we have the potential to be a significant producer of second generation biofuels.
With sound policy decisions and the expansion of new biofuel technologies, Washington could clean and green its transportation system, helping WSF transform from a serious regional polluter into a vital element of the San Juans’ sustainable energy future.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
What is in your breakfast?
by Faith Van De Putte and Chom Greacen
What did you eat for breakfast? We think of sun, rain and soil being the basis
of our food chain but the typical American diet is essentially dripping with
oil. According to University of Michigan's Center for Sustainable Agriculture,
an average of seven calories of fossil fuel is burned for every calorie of food
we eat in the U.S. This means growing, processing, and delivering the food
consumed by a family of four requires the equivalent of 930 gallons of gasoline
per year.
How does all that fossil fuel get embedded in our food? It starts on the
average farm with machinery and inputs. A study by David Pimentel at Cornell
University reveals 30% of fossil-fuel expenditure on conventional (non-
organic) farms is found in chemical fertilizer. An organic farm may have less
of a fossil-fuel footprint, unless they rely on manure or other inputs trucked in
from long distances. Many do.
Some foods take far more energy, grain-fed beef for instance, which requires
thirty-five calories for every calorie of steak and burger produced. In general,
plant calories take less energy than animal calories.
There is often a long journey between farm and fork. Oil fuels that journey.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service estimated that
processed food now travels an average of 1,300 miles. Some, like imported
frozen shrimp and tuna, travel more than 8,000 miles to get here.
Cleaning, cooking, refrigerating, canning and packaging food before it arrives
to the store all take energy and add up to a larger footprint.
The good news is that an energy efficient diet dovetails with familiar guidelines
for healthy eating. It is a win- win situation!
What can you do? First, eat low on the food chain. Seasonal, regional fruits
and vegetables take less fossil fuel energy to produce. Grass-fed and “free
range” critters have one third the embedded energy as their feedlot brethren.
Second, eat less processed food. In general, the more packaging and processing
— the more energy required and the fewer remaining nutrients.
Thirdly, eat local. We have so many choices on Lopez for delicious, fresh
island food. The options for local protein range from wild seafood and
venison to quality eggs and meat from our backyard or local farms. We have
community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, farmstands, roadside
eggboxes and generous neighbors. We also make choices at the grocery store.
Before purchasing, look to see- where did the food come from. It matters.
Lastly, grow your own food. Gardening tends to use less fossil fuels than large-
scale farming. The hard work of growing a garden is an investment with great
return; fresh, healthy, low-impact food. It is not only good for you but good
for the planet!
Energy conservation is not just about light bulbs, it is about lifestyle choices
and who knew it could be both healthy and yummy.
Now, what is for breakfast?
What did you eat for breakfast? We think of sun, rain and soil being the basis
of our food chain but the typical American diet is essentially dripping with
oil. According to University of Michigan's Center for Sustainable Agriculture,
an average of seven calories of fossil fuel is burned for every calorie of food
we eat in the U.S. This means growing, processing, and delivering the food
consumed by a family of four requires the equivalent of 930 gallons of gasoline
per year.
 |
| What's our food and crude diet? The breakdown of fossil fuels required in production, distribution and preparation: it takes 7 calories of fossil fuels for every calorie of food we eat in the US. Data source: http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc/fossilfuel060326.cfm |
How does all that fossil fuel get embedded in our food? It starts on the
average farm with machinery and inputs. A study by David Pimentel at Cornell
University reveals 30% of fossil-fuel expenditure on conventional (non-
organic) farms is found in chemical fertilizer. An organic farm may have less
of a fossil-fuel footprint, unless they rely on manure or other inputs trucked in
from long distances. Many do.
Some foods take far more energy, grain-fed beef for instance, which requires
thirty-five calories for every calorie of steak and burger produced. In general,
plant calories take less energy than animal calories.
There is often a long journey between farm and fork. Oil fuels that journey.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service estimated that
processed food now travels an average of 1,300 miles. Some, like imported
frozen shrimp and tuna, travel more than 8,000 miles to get here.
Cleaning, cooking, refrigerating, canning and packaging food before it arrives
to the store all take energy and add up to a larger footprint.
The good news is that an energy efficient diet dovetails with familiar guidelines
for healthy eating. It is a win- win situation!
What can you do? First, eat low on the food chain. Seasonal, regional fruits
and vegetables take less fossil fuel energy to produce. Grass-fed and “free
range” critters have one third the embedded energy as their feedlot brethren.
Second, eat less processed food. In general, the more packaging and processing
— the more energy required and the fewer remaining nutrients.
Thirdly, eat local. We have so many choices on Lopez for delicious, fresh
island food. The options for local protein range from wild seafood and
venison to quality eggs and meat from our backyard or local farms. We have
community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, farmstands, roadside
eggboxes and generous neighbors. We also make choices at the grocery store.
Before purchasing, look to see- where did the food come from. It matters.
Lastly, grow your own food. Gardening tends to use less fossil fuels than large-
scale farming. The hard work of growing a garden is an investment with great
return; fresh, healthy, low-impact food. It is not only good for you but good
for the planet!
Energy conservation is not just about light bulbs, it is about lifestyle choices
and who knew it could be both healthy and yummy.
Now, what is for breakfast?
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
A Grand Experiment: Transition Initiative
by Faith Van De Putte
"Imagine a community, imagine a world . . . where how we live nourishes the earth, helps people realize their potential, and creates joy in community."
This is the audacious premise and enticing invitation of the Transition Fidalgo.
 |
| This publication is distributed for free at Transition Fidalgo & Friends events. Click here to download (4.5 MB). |
Transition Fidalgo & Friends is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization focusing on strengthening Fidalgo community’s resilience by developing positive, everyday solutions to the challenges of climate change, energy uncertainty, and economic instability. It is part of the international Transition Movement that believes a post carbon, low impact future could be a positive change for humanity. Anacortes is currently taking up this challenge and speakers from Transition Fidalgo will be at Lopez Library, Oct 28, 6.30pm.
“By supporting renewable energy, rebuilding skills, strengthening community, and fostering the local production of food, energy, and goods, we look forward to a way of life more fulfilling, more connected, and more caring of each other and the earth.” states the website of Transition Fidalgo, transitionfidalgo.org.
The thriving Transition Movement is a social experiment. It began when a student group led by Permaculture teacher Rob Hopkins created an “energy descent action plan” in Kinsdale, Ireland. It went beyond the issues of energy supply, to look at across-the-board creative adaptations in the realms of food, farming, education, economy and health and was adopted by their town council. After this experience Mr. Hopkins moved to Totnes, England to work on his doctorate and started Transition Town Totnes. The process has since been
replicated in 397 communities in 34 countries, including Whatcom, Whidbey, and Anacortes.
The Transition movement has been called “engaged optimism” since at its heart is the belief that local organizing can create resilient communities more able to withstand the shocks of our changing resource base and climate. As it says on the Transition USA website “if we wait for the governments it will be too late and too little, if we act as individuals it’ll be too little too late but if we act as communities, it might just be enough just in time.”
What is happening in the 397 communities who are using and adapting the Transition model? They are assessing their current energy dependence, visioning what their community would look like less dependent on fossil fuels and once the vision is in place they "backcast" - that is, work backwards from that time to figure out what must be in place to make the vision real. For example, if the community wants to source 50% of its home heating from managed woodlands in 2030, then it'll need to have planted up all the necessary areas by 2020.
Many of the first steps are modest and based around “relocalization” such as community gardens, seed swaps, sharing of knowledge and skills. Other towns are trying solutions such as creating their own currencies in order to support their local economies. Tackling the issue of building community resilience demands hard innovative work in many sectors and the Transition movement strives to be a platform for a unified community vision.
Our neighbors at Transition Fidalgo have been busy with hosting informational local dinners, establishing a community garden, publishing a highly successful community cookbook, Serving the Skagit Harvest, as well as a sustainable living guide and working with Skagit County to pass a climate resolution and establish a climate task force.
Come join the discussion. Evelyn Adams and friends of Transition Fidalgo will be at the next Climate
Change lecture series to share their experiences with us. See you at the Lopez Library, Friday Oct 28!
Monday, October 3, 2011
The Island That Could
Could San Juan county cut energy usage by 50%, produce 50% of its own energy, and grow 50% of its own food within 15 years? This challenge concluded former Silicon Valley executive and newly elected OPALCO board member Vince Dauciunas’ July 8th lecture at the Lopez Library on the regional effects of climate change. It turns out that there is an island akin to ours, which rose to a similar challenge over 10 years ago.
In 1997 the Danish government announced a competition to see which local area could present the most realistic and realizable plan for 100% transition to self-sufficiency with renewable energy. The island of Samsø (population 4,300) won the competition. Even though there were no monies, tax breaks or technical assistance tied to the prize, the island forged ahead with its plan and to the surprise of many, reached its goal.
How did Samsø go from being 100% dependent on oil and coal to being a model of sustainability? After winning the competition a single staff position was created. Soren Hermansen, born and raised on the island, believed in the project as few others did and took the job. Slowly, the skeptical islanders began to participate in the project as educational campaigns, community meetings (which often included free beer) and hard work paid off. The community came to not only believe in the project but to invest in it.
Samsø’s carbon negative status was achieved by a three-pronged approach: centralized biomass burning heat plants, wind turbines and conservation.
Centralized heat plants are common in the Nordic countries. People voluntarily traded in their oil stoves as local straw fueled the boilers of centralized heat plants. This created additional income for farmers as well as cozy winters.
The winds of the Baltic Sea were an untapped resource. The islanders bought shares, which generated capital to build 11 land-based wind turbines. These produced 11 megawatts of power and met the entire island’s electricity needs. Later the community invested in 10 large, water based turbines able to produce 24 megawatts of electricity in order to offset their dependence on cars and ferries.
Samsø’s conservation program was very similar to the program OPALCO has created locally. Energy audits were conducted voluntarily on homes and people made the changes they could. Insulation improvements, heat pumps, and changing light bulbs helped incrementally.
Samsø built on its success and created the Energy Academy, a research center for clean power, which draws tourist, academics and government officials who want learn about environmental change coming from the ground up. Hermansen was a 2008 Time Hero of the Environment but always credits the community’s involvement for Samsø’s success. “People say: ‘Think globally and act locally,’” Hermansen remarks. “But I say you have to think locally and act locally, and the rest will take care of itself.”
After hearing Samsø’s story Dauciunas’ challenge seems doable and maybe, not challenge enough. We too are a tight knit community, with our own skeptical side. We can all change our own light bulbs but what would happen if we invested together in community self-sufficiency with conservation and renewable energy? We might even surprise ourselves!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Climate change and implications for San Juan islands
by Chom Greacen
As concentration of carbon dioxide continues to climb and ice caps melt at an alarming rate, we can't help but wonder how our lives in the San Juans will be affected.
At the Climate Change lecture series held last month at the Lopez Library, Vincent Dauciunas shared research findings from leading institutions in the field with a packed room of interested Lopez residents. 
A former hi-tech Silicon Valley executive and newly elected member of OPALCO board, Dauciunas delivered an informative presentation the anticipated regional effects of climate change . He drew on modeling work done by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Climate Impacts Group of University of Washington and more.
The predictions are for drier summers (up to -12 mm/month) and wetter falls and winters (up to +15 mm/month) 20-60 years from now. Temperature are predicted to increase 2-6 degrees Fahrenheit possibly leading to more evaporation and cloud cover.
The combined change in precipitation and temperature will lead to earlier rains, less snow pack and earlier snow melt.
In terms of hydropower generation, the mainstay of WA's electricity supply, reduced snowpack and higher winter rainfall will mean an increase in generation in the winter but a decrease in the summer.
The net change in total output is unclear, due to the uncertainties of regional modeling.
How about impacts on food production? WA Department of Ecology simulated impacts on potatoes, apples and winter wheat yields in eastern WA locations. On average, the predicted yields on these crops will either see minimal impacts. There are caveats, however. The simulations did not take into account the possible extreme temperatures and precipitation. Nor were the possible impacts by pests, weeds and invasive species considered.
As for sea level rise, if you are concerned about your property being under water, Dauciunas's presentation might ease your mind. The expected rise in sea level happens to match exactly the vertical uplift of the tectonic plate on which our islands sit! This means zero sea level change in 2050 if the model is correct!
Despite the surprisingly mild prospects predicted for San Juan islands, Dauciunas still put himself in the “alarmed” category when it comes to concerns about climate change. His concerns were shared by members of the audience in the discussions that followed his talk.
Other less lucky parts of the world already suffer from droughts, floods, pests, diseases and crop failures which may affect us here thanks to the highly integrated nature of our world economy.
Dauciunas concluded by urging us to take steps towards self-sufficiency, proposing a “50-50-50 initiative”, cutting energy usage by 50%, produce 50% of our own energy, and grow 50% of our own food within 15 years.
For more info and presentation download, go to http://islandsenergymatters.blogspot.com/p/climate-change-lecture-series.html. Dauciunas also has his own website: www.energysanjuan.com
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Home Energy Savings and Health
By Douglas Poole
As I go about my work of providing home energy assessments and retrofits here in the
islands, I frequently come across clients that are concerned with houses that are “too
tight”. Building techniques over the past 20 years have certainly changed, and the fear
of an inadequately ventilated home is valid. It can also be misunderstood by many
homeowners… so let’s do a little myth-busting.
Houses need to breath, and so do you! Home energy savings and healthy indoor air
quality can easily coexist, as long as we strike a controlled balance between the two.
Indoor air quality greatly affects our health. Carpets, pets, mold, soil gasses, wood
stoves and propane appliances can all contaminate the air. Unfortunately, many homes
rely on building deficiencies to exchange the air: gaps around plumbing and electrical
penetrations, inadequate seals around windows, holes in heating systems, and the
unsealed spaces around vents and outlets. Not only are these deficiencies erratic, they
also exchange the indoor air with air from potentially contaminated areas like your attic
or crawl space. I would personally rather avoid breathing the same air as the critters and
contaminants that inhabit those spaces.
We clean the air by exchanging indoor air with fresh air from outside. According
to the really smart folks at the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers, a good target for air-change is .35 times per hour (ACH). This
gives occupants enough air to breath, and yet retains valuable heating energy.
If your house is full of holes then you are losing energy through the roof system
(exfiltration) and introducing drafts and crawl-space air into your home (infiltration). In
the leaky house, warm, moist air that is leaving through the ceiling can also create mold
and rot problems in roof and attic systems. The energy efficient home creates an airtight
barrier to separate you from the elements. When the air inside your home stays inside
your home, your home uses less energy. “But what about fresh air” asks the proponent of
a not-so-tight house?
Rather than relying on Mother Nature, the healthy home uses mechanical ventilation
to provide fresh air. A bathroom or laundry exhaust fan on a timer will consistently
and reliably exchange your air. “That is why I open a window” you might say? That’s
fine, just know that you are no longer controlling the air exchange, Mother Nature is.
A healthy home ensures air exchange through mechanization, which is much more
consistent than our fickle human nature and the irregular whims of wind. Luckily, the
new exhaust fans are nearly silent and can be run on timers. You won’t have to think
about it or listen to it.
If you want to get really fancy, you can install a Heat Recovery Ventilator. This fan will
send out stale air and pull in fresh air through a ducted system, while retaining much of
the heat. These units are a great option if you want a really tight or super efficient house.
To determine the required run-time for the fan to reach a .35 ACH rate, we start, and end,
with a diagnostic test called a Blower Door. This determines the exact tightness of the
house. We then let the Blower Door guide us in air-sealing the home. When combustion
appliances like gas water heaters and woodstoves are present, it is important to run
combustion safety tests as well. These appliances can limit how tight the house can be
before problems will arise.
In the Home Performance industry we have a saying, “Build tight and ventilate right.”
We have to take the guesswork out of your home’s performance if you want to live in a
home that balances energy efficiency with health. Hopefully we have sufficiently eroded
the myth of the too-tight house and offered inspiration for you to create a meticulously
sealed, mechanically ventilated home. A healthy home… and an energy efficient home!
Please give a call (298-1313) or email with questions or comments. Building science is complex and I always enjoy a lively discussion!
As I go about my work of providing home energy assessments and retrofits here in the
islands, I frequently come across clients that are concerned with houses that are “too
tight”. Building techniques over the past 20 years have certainly changed, and the fear
of an inadequately ventilated home is valid. It can also be misunderstood by many
homeowners… so let’s do a little myth-busting.
Houses need to breath, and so do you! Home energy savings and healthy indoor air
quality can easily coexist, as long as we strike a controlled balance between the two.
 |
|
Indoor air quality greatly affects our health. Carpets, pets, mold, soil gasses, wood
stoves and propane appliances can all contaminate the air. Unfortunately, many homes
rely on building deficiencies to exchange the air: gaps around plumbing and electrical
penetrations, inadequate seals around windows, holes in heating systems, and the
unsealed spaces around vents and outlets. Not only are these deficiencies erratic, they
also exchange the indoor air with air from potentially contaminated areas like your attic
or crawl space. I would personally rather avoid breathing the same air as the critters and
contaminants that inhabit those spaces.
We clean the air by exchanging indoor air with fresh air from outside. According
to the really smart folks at the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers, a good target for air-change is .35 times per hour (ACH). This
gives occupants enough air to breath, and yet retains valuable heating energy.
If your house is full of holes then you are losing energy through the roof system
(exfiltration) and introducing drafts and crawl-space air into your home (infiltration). In
the leaky house, warm, moist air that is leaving through the ceiling can also create mold
and rot problems in roof and attic systems. The energy efficient home creates an airtight
barrier to separate you from the elements. When the air inside your home stays inside
your home, your home uses less energy. “But what about fresh air” asks the proponent of
a not-so-tight house?
Rather than relying on Mother Nature, the healthy home uses mechanical ventilation
to provide fresh air. A bathroom or laundry exhaust fan on a timer will consistently
and reliably exchange your air. “That is why I open a window” you might say? That’s
fine, just know that you are no longer controlling the air exchange, Mother Nature is.
A healthy home ensures air exchange through mechanization, which is much more
consistent than our fickle human nature and the irregular whims of wind. Luckily, the
new exhaust fans are nearly silent and can be run on timers. You won’t have to think
about it or listen to it.
If you want to get really fancy, you can install a Heat Recovery Ventilator. This fan will
send out stale air and pull in fresh air through a ducted system, while retaining much of
the heat. These units are a great option if you want a really tight or super efficient house.
To determine the required run-time for the fan to reach a .35 ACH rate, we start, and end,
with a diagnostic test called a Blower Door. This determines the exact tightness of the
house. We then let the Blower Door guide us in air-sealing the home. When combustion
appliances like gas water heaters and woodstoves are present, it is important to run
combustion safety tests as well. These appliances can limit how tight the house can be
before problems will arise.
In the Home Performance industry we have a saying, “Build tight and ventilate right.”
We have to take the guesswork out of your home’s performance if you want to live in a
home that balances energy efficiency with health. Hopefully we have sufficiently eroded
the myth of the too-tight house and offered inspiration for you to create a meticulously
sealed, mechanically ventilated home. A healthy home… and an energy efficient home!
Please give a call (298-1313) or email with questions or comments. Building science is complex and I always enjoy a lively discussion!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Neighborhood electric car that could be yours
For her 75th birthday Kay Keeler rode 33 miles in the Tour de Lopez and raised $6,000 to support the Farm and Garden Program at the Lopez School.
A few weeks later, Keeler was in Lopez Village and walked by a little yellow electric GEM car with a FOR SALE sign on the window. She quickly scribbled a note for the owner - saying, "I want to buy your car. Come for dinner and let's talk."
The owners of the car, Rod and Dawn Riddell called Keeler, enjoyed dinner together and a transaction followed suit. Kay Keeler was on “fund-raising” fire again, this time to buy the car and raffle it off in support of the new Seed Library, a project of the Lopez Community Land Trust.
Keeler is a board member and active fundraiser for LCLT. She feels passionately about supporting LCLT's program in sustainable agriculture, affordable housing and sustainable energy.
An eye-catching raffle prize, the electric car/truck has only about 1,600 miles on it and can plug into any standard 110V outlet. The electricity cost of “refueling” the GEM car is less than two cents/mile, compared to 16 cents/mile for a typical 25 mile/gallon vehicle. It seats two persons, can haul stuff in the back and has a maximum 30-mile range, according to the manufacturer. It has a top speed of 25 mph—no worry about being ticketed for speeding!
The cute yellow GEM car is now a constant feature of the Lopez Farmer's Market on Saturdays, for public display at the LCLT's booth. LCLT board and staff are there each week selling tickets. Tickets can be purchased for a chance to win this little GEM at $5 each or 6 for $25. The lucky winner will be chosen in October during the LCLT Harvest Dinner.
The car may also be seen on the road, driven by residents of Common Ground, the 4th LCLT housing neighborhood. “We have a temporary car-share program to increase the vehicle visibility around the island for LCLT until the car is raffled off in October. It's a great vehicle for running errands including bringing garbage cans to the transfer station.” said Chris Greacen, a Common Ground resident.
“We each pay a $10 entry fee plus 15 cents per mile driven and 15 cents per hour checked out to help LCLT cover the insurance and other costs. It's a great deal for us and plus less fossil fuel is burned this way” said Greacen.
Proceeds from raffle tickets will be used to build a Seed Library for Lopez. “The goal of the project is to improve food security, self-sufficiency and economic stability amongst farmers and gardeners on the island through seed saving of tried-and-true varieties of local organic food crops,” said Sandy Bishop, Executive Director of LCLT.
(Written by Chom Greacen and Lopez Community Land Trust, the article first appeared in the Islands Weekly in June 2011.)
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