Climate Change Task Force, formerly Carbon Caps Task Force

Climate scientists document global climate change with dramatic evidence

2012-01-27T12:04:00.001-06:00

Many photos from Moving Planet Day available at link below

2011-09-25T10:38:00.000-05:00

Moving Planet Day at University of Arkansas' campus arboretum on Old Main lawn photos on Flickr.

Fayetteville Environmental Action Committee meeting of 15 September 2011

2011-09-24T08:56:00.002-05:00

EAARTH by Bill McKibben featured in 2 p.m. Sunday September 18, 2011, program of the Climate Change Book Series at Fayetteville Public Library: Read Louise Mann's comments, please

2011-09-18T12:57:00.000-05:00

After reading it, I understand why novelist Barbara Kingsolver was so adamant that everyone pick up Bill McKibben’s book, Eaarth.

Yes, it is spelled with two “a”s. He’s making the point that we are not living on the same earth on to which we were born.

Some local noticeable changes include the ice storm of 2009, which cost Fayetteville 5.5 million dollars. The flood of 2011 cost us 1.2 million dollars. Another change, Fayetteville now has an Emergency Operations plan.

Last Sunday’s paper had an article about cattle being sold early because there wasn’t enough hay to continue feeding. The hay shortage is due to drought. This year my family lost a cotton crop when the Mississippi River swallowed it with 8 feet of water. We also lost another field to a straight wind. And who would’ve thought a hurricane would cause so much damage in Vermont?

Beginning Sunday, September 18 at 2:00 Fayetteville Public Library will be hosting a Climate Change Book Series. The books will vary in content from those with a science background to ones with a layperson’s perspective. McKibben’s book, the September read, is a good orientation for those new to the topic.

The November book is written by a mother discussing how to run a household on this new Eaarth. What happens to grocery prices when food crops are subject to frequent and severe flooding and drought? What happens when insurance payouts can’t keep up with claims?

The book discussion will be complemented by information regarding actions you can take now on everything from lifestyle to legislation. As with any crisis there is opportunity. The people who are smart enough to get educated about climate change and make appropriate plans for their families, their businesses, and their communities will be the winners on this new Eaarth.

Minutes of recent meeting of Climate Change Task Force

2011-09-15T09:31:00.000-05:00

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	NEXT CCTF Meeting - October 2, 2011 @ 1:30 PM OMNI Center 3274 N Lee Ave, Fayetteville, AR

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	Number 6 - 15 September 2011 Advocate for actions that lead to the reduction of green house gases through life-style and legislative change.

	A Newsletter of the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology's - Climate Change Task Force which is dedicated to the education about the impacts of C02 in Earth's atmosphere and the urgent need to cap and reduce CO2 emissions NOW! at levels below 350 PPM.The Climate Change Task Force Newsletter. Read the current or archived issues.

Dear Aubrey,

Below are the minutes from the last CCTF meeting. Thanks to Shelley Buonaiuto for serving as our recording secretary.

Nathan Wilson & Robert McAfee

Co-Chairs, CCTF

MINUTES of September 11, 2011 Meeting

Next Meeting: October 2, 2011

Introduction; Robert McAfee

Attendees: Robert McAfee, Solomon Aydani, Megan Wallace, Keaton Smith, Shelley

and Michael Buonaiuto, Joanna Pollock, John Rule, Mikel Lolley, Dick Bennett, Gladys

Tiffany, Karen Takemoto, Quinn Montana, Marilyn Shoffitt, Nathan Wilson, Linda

Farrell, Shannon Joyce

Announcements:

1. OMNI Peace Heroes Award Banquet, Sat. Oct 17th,

2. Book Forum on Climate Change, Sept, 18th,

3. Climate Change Task Force, Sunday 10/2/11, 1:30 PM, at OMNI building.

Showing "Home" by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, composed of aerial shots of earth

showing the diversity of life and how humanity is threatening the ecological

life of the planet.

4. Al Gore' Climate Reality Project, will kick off on Sept. 14-15 with a "4 hours

of reality"event. There will be one hour of presentation and discussion airing

at 8 am, in each time zone around the world, one time zone at a time. Robert

will make it available to Fayetteville this fall.

5. The Green Economy Group meets the first Friday of every month at 8 am.

6. Carlos and Audrey Velasquez present program on impact of global warming

on the Inuit, First Sunday in Nov., 11/6/11 at CCTF meeting. Inuit society has

been destroyed because of vanishing ice.

7. Online journal, 350 PPM is seeking contributions for online announcements.

8. Mark Pryor will be in Fayetteville at the Senior Center near Walker Park next

Wednesday. Go to express support for green initiatives. (Pryor' site:

Episcopal Church, Parish Hall.Fayetteville Library, discussing Eaarth by Bill McKibben.

http://pryor.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Energy

Minutes summarized and approved.

Action items:

1. Letter to Gov. Beebe - (attached below) - Mikel Lolley:

The Colorado Playbook for their successful initiative involved 4 factors:

A citizen's ballot initiative asking two simple questions: 1. Would you

support clean energy legislation and 2. Would you be willing to pay

slightly more for clean energy?

2. An enlightened CEO crack the solidarity of the utilities, by finding the

specific differences between the companies and driving a wedge between

to get them to break ranks.

3. A broad and diverse coalition to represent the whole state. The CFC

(Citizen's First Congress) and APPP (Arkansas Public Policy Panel)

already have inroads into South Arkansas.

4. A well populated rally on the steps of the capitol, offering the legislators

cover to vote in favor of the initiative.

We decided to write a letter to Gov. Beebe without specifics or anything

divisive, that would encourage action on an energy plan as part of the

governor's economic development plan. We plan to get signatures from every

district in the state. There has been no solid information coming out of the

energy office about this plan and we have to rely on the infrastructure. Chris

Bensen, the energy advisor who answers to Maria Haley of the Economic

Development Commission, came to talk to the Green Economy Group about

the plan but gave no specifics. An Arkansas Economic Development plan with

a strong energy component will be Gov. Beebe's legacy, and will be packaged

for 2013. Our letter should be a show of support, not a petition. It should

demonstrate awareness of the legislator's need to create jobs. Ar has to

recognize that new construction is not coming back but people can be put

back to work with retrofits, insulation, HVAC jobs.

Suggestion to go through University System for signatures, there are

representatives from all over the state, and specifically architecture and

engineering students could be affected.

Suggestions to emphasize "Efficiency, Conservation, Jobs creation and

Education" in bold in first bullet point heading.

Mikel: The possible realities are

1. Nothing happens from the letter.

2. The entire state legislature is up for reelection and no matter how good

the economic development plan if he can't get it past the house and

senate it's worthless.

3. We have to try to populate the legislature with people favorable to an

energy policy including incentives for retrofits. Uvalde is already

speaking about PACE and an energy policy.

4. We should get the college kids to ask their legislators if they will support

Gov. Beebe's energy plan. (assuming it includes the initiatives and

incentives for efficiency and conservation we are asking for) Joanna and

Shannon will alert the RSO leaders to spread the word about getting

signatures on the letter in their home districts.

We won't know our legislators til 2012, so we have to educate the voters.

and we need a mechanism for this.

Uvalde and Greg approve of the letter as written.

Suggestion: give letter to students on Moving Planet Day, tie it in with

Thanksgiving for them to take home and get signatures. 10 each.

Question: Who will be archivist for letters? Hubs could be the Green

Economy Group, CCTF, U of A.

Discussion about legitimacy of signatures and possible notarization. Decision

to keep it simple, and have signatures on back of copies of the letter. There

can be a continuous stream of letter submissions, not all at one time.

Decision to add "as a component of a comprehensive economic development

plan in introduction, after SEP. Also take out last sentence about carbon costs

in bullet point 2. (completed in attached letter).

1. Letter will be distributed to university students and businesses. The time

frame to have them back and delivered to Governor by Dec. 1.

2. Once Keaton does the rewrite he will send to USGBC, OMNI.

3. Possible use of Docusign online. Will contact Ryan Bancroft about

technique.

4. Post on FB, as a page to be "liked".

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. Moving Planet Day, Community Sustainability Fair, Sept, 24th

Town Center at 9:30 to bicycle to Old Main or go to Old Main Lawn for gathering

from 10 am - 2 am. Event initiated by Bill McKibben of 350.org. Mikel Lolley and

Michelle Halsell will speak. Bring gently used items for freecycle, drop off from

10:30-11, browse and take starts at noon. Activities, food and music. Can have table

devoted to the letter to Gov. Beebe.

2. Carlos and Audrey Velasquez in Walker Room at Fayetteville library on Thursday,

Nov. 3rd

3. Climate Change Challenge -Nathan Wilson.

http://www.omnicenter.org/events/2011/2/28/climate-change-challenge.html

Please fill out the questions on the Climate Change Challenge to earn points toward

a trip to South Africa.

Here is a link directly to the Contest Page:

points/

Also, http://www.practicallygreen.com/

about 400+ action items and they are pretty neat.

you are and compare yourself with Facebook friends or other members. Its got

4.Please support OMNI, the CFC and the APPP financially. The CFC is our lobbying

arm in the legislature.

5. Report on violations of water quality by natural gas drilling companies available.

6. Many thanks to Linda Farrell for bringing healthy delicious food.

Respectfully submitted,

Shelley Buonaiuto

LETTER:

Governor Mike Beebe

State Capitol Room 250

Little Rock, AR 72201

SUBJECT: Economic Development and Energy Plan

Dear Governor Beebe:

Thank you for your leadership in directing the Arkansas Energy Office to leverage its

expertise by creating an Energy Plan for Arkansas, as a component of a comprehensive

Economic Development Plan.

We, the undersigned citizens, businesses, and institutions of Arkansas support a strong

Energy Plan that cultivates the market certainty needed to attract private investment to our

State. Such an Energy Plan acknowledges future economic growth, increased demand for

energy, and finite natural resources. We propose the following as a potential framework for

the Energy Plan:

1. Education and Efficiency are Job Creators.

An initial focus on energy efficiency and conservation in the residential,

commercial and industrial sectors will result in immediate economic

benefits for homeowners, businesses, utilities and our State. Investments in

Centers of Excellence can be leveraged to retool our idle construction sector,

putting Arkansans to work helping families and businesses increase

disposable income and profits, respectively. Energy dollars would be

retained in the Arkansas economy.

2. Affordable and stable energy prices for the next 40 years.

Arkansas's businesses and residents will benefit from affordable and stable

energy costs. Diversification of energy production away from finite,

imported energy resources would insulate Arkansas's citizens and

businesses from price shocks and market volatility.

3. Reliability of energy supplies for the next 40 years.

Reliability of our energy supplies for electricity production and for

transportation is paramount. Designing for robustness by moving toward

more diverse generation assets and homegrown energy sources will help

mitigate the risk of supply chain disruptions, the consequences of which are

potentially catastrophic.

4. Environmental and economic soundness.

As we anticipate our future energy portfolio, we must consider the full costs

of all environmental impacts, since these are ultimately paid by society at

large. Environmental goals should be specified and met, but this must be

done in the most cost-effective manner to be truly sustainable policy. Lifecycle

analysis and accepted metrics should be used to evaluate options and

monitor performance.

We support your inclusion of these principles as the foundation for Arkansas' Energy Plan. Such a plan has the potential to be an outstanding legacy for your administration.

Time is of the essence. Whereas energy policy profoundly affects the economy of our

State, we respectfully request that the formation of the Energy Plan proceed with all due

urgency.

We welcome all future dialogue about the Plan, and stand ready to support and assist you

where we may.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Signed,

cc: Chris Benson, Maria Haley, Marc Harrison, etc.

	Meeting Agenda

	Climate Change Task Force Monthly Meeting 7 August 2011, 1:30PM, OMNI House, 3274 N. Lee Ave., Fayetteville, AR Note: At this meeting we will begin building a network of people who will participate in educating legislators about renewable energy, energy efficiency and sound energy policy for Arkansas. Please bring your cell phones and folks you know around the state. We will have maps of the Legislative Districts so you can locate your potential contacts in each district. Thank you. I. 1:00 Welcome Nathan Wilson-Robert McAfee, II. 1:05 Way of Work Louise Mann, Facilitator III. 1:15 Move Beyond Fossil Fuels-350.org event, 24 Sept 2011Nathan Wilson & Joanna Pollock IV. 1:30 The Power of 10: 18 month strategy for prep for the 2013 Legislative Session Robert & Louise V. 1:40 PANEL: An Economic Development, Clean Energy and Green Jobs Plan for Arkansas. Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, PACE & REFITand more. Building the network to educate the Arkansas Legislature before and during the 2013 Session. Panel members will include Mikel Lolley, Keaton Smith, Orlo Stitt, and Gary Kahanak will The Panel will be moderated by Joanna Pollock. VI. 2:40 The Power of 10! Getting started on outreach and establishing the network. VII. 3:00 Announcements VIII. 3:05 Open Discussion for those who wish to linger IX. 3:30 Adjourn BACK TO TOP

	An Economic Development, Clean Energy, & Green Jobs Plan for Arkansas

	By Mikel Lolley, President, Treadwell Institute Enabling Legislation cultivates a climate of market certainty which attracts private investment Arkansas has an opportunity to go from the bottom six states with no energy plan whatsoever, to the top six states with an assertive enough plan that recognizes that "the times, they are a changing," Bob Dylan. Economics 101 - early adopters that recognize and anticipate changes in market forces and create business models, shape policy and plan infrastructure around these forecasts, reap the greatest rewards and the steepest dividends. We are in the midst of a major paradigm shift the likes of which the world has not seen in at least a century if not longer. Like all paradigm shifts before, it has been wrought out of necessity, a necessity to change. But, why now? Why not before now? Why not later? Paradigms shifts choose the timing; not institutions, not governments, not even the people get to chose when the revolution actually occurs. Paradigm shifts occur when a combination of forces align to conspire together to urge the status quo, the governments, the institutions, and the people of the day toward change. When the tools, the ideolologies and the institutions that had been developed in the previous paradigm are no longer useful at solving the new challenges of the new day, they begin to loose their relevance. We are there. This new paradigm started 30 years ago with the recognition that for the first time in the modern human experience, we (humans) are entering a new age, an age defined by limits; limits on human population; limits on arable land; limits on available clean water and clean air; limits on natural resources; limits on energy as % of GDP; limits on healthcare as % of GDP; limits on C02 emissions; limits on just about everything and in every category we look. Manifest in the environmental movement, resulting in the development of the 1^st Earth Day, an oil embargo, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts of the 70's. Now we find ourselves 40 years later in the worse market economy since the Great Depression, unemployment rates hovering at just under 10%, and at over 20% for the construction sector and for nearly three years now. What are we going to do about it? Some states have adapted, and have recognized the profound changes coming our way. Whether we want to change is no longer an option. It's here. Those states that have immobilized, created the enabling legislation, and cultivated a climate of market certainty have attracted significant private investment and are seeing the benefits of jobs creation in the new Green Economy; jobs in Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Clean Tech and Green Manufacturing. Arkansas needs to jump on this band wagon, follow suit and leverage investments and opportunities already made in our fair state. Arkansas has the perfect alignment of planets setting up "the Natural State" for a monumental advancement in 2013, and taking us from no energy plan whatsoever, to a comprehensive Economic Development; Clean Energy; Green Jobs policy that can ensure that Arkansas is leading the way toward this new paradigm and guaranteeing that our fair state is in the strongest economic condition possible to afford ourselves the luxury and the privilege to contemplate the loftier intellectual pursuits of Politics, Philosophy, Art, Poetry and the fate of our states natural resources and of our planet. If Arkansas should maintain the status quo, we will impoverish our fair state and we will find ourselves so utterly preoccupied with survival with keeping food on the table and a roof over our heads that we will not afford ourselves the luxury of anything else, (Mazlow's Hierarchy of Need). Governor Beebe has asked the Arkansas Economic Development Office via Maria Haley and the Arkansas Energy Office via Chris Benson to develop an 'Energy Plan' to be a part of his legislative package. This plan is ambitious and is to be his lasting legacy for Arkansas as a term limited Governor, and having gone on the record with no expressed political aspirations after he wraps-up his 2^nd term in 2013. This Energy Plan is to build off of his Knowledge Economic Development Plan rolled-out several years ago. Acknowledgement that education, re-education, and re-tooling the work force will prove a significant component as we move Arkansas into the new paradigm, and the new Green Economy. We have several key State Legislators who have expressed a keen interest and even a commitment to sponsoring and actively advocating to their peers for a comprehensive Economic Development; Clean Energy; Green Jobs Plan in 2013. We have begun to build a broad and diverse coalition of key stakeholders in Business Leaders, non profits, agencies and institutions who have expressed a strong desire to get together on message and intent and to push our elected officials for real progress for Arkansas with regards to a comprehensive plan going into 2013. Potential Coalition Groups recommending for an Energy Plan, but not limited to, below: USGBC (US Green Building Council), Citizens First Congress, Arkansas Public Policy Panel, Fayetteville Forward Green Economy Group, Treadwell Institute, Interfaith Power & Light, Arkansas Small Business Leaders for a Clean Energy Economy, Arkansas Alternative Energy Commission, Sustainable Building Task Force, Audubon, Sierra Club, Pew Charitable Trusts, OMNI, and various enlightened Mayors from around the State. We have identified systemic barriers in the old systems and institutions that have been self referential for decades and are thwarting the successful roll-out of the new Green Economy. Barriers identified as: 1) A Feed-in Tariff that guarantees a fair price by mandate to renewable energy producers that could jump start the renewable energy sector via Solar PV, Solar Hot Water, Solar Thermal, Wind, Micro-hydro, and Biomass. 2) Alternative financing mechanisms, such as PACE for bonding scale and capacity to help pay for Energy Efficiency improvements. 3) Adoption of an updated and more relevant version of the state Energy Code, ie from 2003 to 2009. Statewide enforcement of this newer code would create demand in the emerging sector of energy efficiency, energy audits. Requiring an Energy Audit as a part of the inspection process for properties bought or sold would provide consumers the necessary information re: energy usage. Mandate a blower door test and a duct blast test prior to every close on any property transaction in the state. 4) Provide state sales tax incentives on equipment for Energy Efficiency or Renewable Energy Improvements. 5) Mandate that the multi-listing used by realtors include new Energy Fields that include energy usage information and an energy score for any property being bought and sold, similar to an Estimated Mileage sticker when buying a new car. 6) Mandate that appraisers and lenders provide appropriate valuations for energy efficiency and renewable energy lending and improvements. 7) Mandate 'best practices' and 'water protections' to driller's fracking for natural gas, or fracking for oil, or strip mining for lignite, or for storage of coal ash. 8) Enhance the current net metering statute. 9) Create a Loan Loss Reserve to allow bonding capacity for financing a statewide Revolving Loan Fund to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy retrofits on existing buildings. Follow the Colorado Play Book: they tried and failed three times to pass comprehensive economic development; clean energy; green jobs legislation. When asked, Governor Ritter and Tom Plant credit the passage on the fourth try to (4) four key elements: 1) A broad diverse coalition. 2) An enlightened Big Energy Exec. willing to break the glass ceiling of unity among the Big Energy Lobby. 3) A Clean Energy Rally populated by over 400 attendees on the steps of the State Capitol to demonstrate the public will and give the state legislators courage that they were in-fact representing their constituents and could afford to piss-off Big Energy. 4) A ballot initiative, whereby they asked the base questions: Would you support a Clean Energy Policy for the State of Colorado? Would you be willing to pay slightly more for your clean energy? The voting respondents overwhelming said yes to these two questions and this again gave insecure legislators the strength to break ranks with Big Energy and support legislation that was representative of the peoples will. Once Colorado passed the enabling legislation they sent a message loud and clear to the private markets, "we support the new green economy and we have the state statues and incentives to prove it." Within the next couple of years they produced the following results: 1) They went from 40 Clean Energy Companies to over 400, and even attracted a major wind manufacture from Europe to build a new manufacturing facility in Colorado. 2) They created 3500 direct clean energy jobs, and in the worse market economy since the Great Depression. 3) They created 17,000 soft jobs as a result of the 3500 direct jobs. 4) They encouraged Big Coal to invest instead in Natural Gas conversions for their aging coal plants and save in the tremendous upfront costs to upgrade with new scrubbers, but take advantage of an instate energy source in Natural Gas, and instead of importing coal from Wyoming. There have been significant investments already made within Arkansas that can and should be leveraged to maximize a good return on these investments and ensure and guarantee their future success such as: 1) The Centers for Excellence, created in 2009 via federal ARRA funding, to retrain the construction sector in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy. 2) The PSC dockets for Energy Efficiency benchmarks for 25%, 50% and 75% by 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively, and the rate increases approved by the PSC requested by the public utilities to off-set real costs associated with providing incentives to reach those benchmarks via aggressive incentives or rebate programs. 3) Governor Beebe has paved the way with his Knowledge Based Economic Development Plan that needs the Clean Energy; Green Jobs components added in to fully recognize the (3) three major components of any paradigm shift - (A). New market desire, (B). Education and re-tooling of the workforce, (C). Deployment and mass-market. 4) A nationally recognized research university with a research / technology park. In summary: the new paradigm, this new Green Economy will be utilizing the new tools of the day, such as, whole systems thinking and integration to arrive at the elegant and inclusive solutions that mimic what we find in the natural world. Correct the "Dilbert's" that are the all too familiar hallmarks of the previous century of self referential systems and institutions that have become preoccupied with greater and greater specialization to the point that the left hand doesn't know what the right had is doing. The new Green Economy has new tools via 'collaborative loops' powerful main frame computers, the internet and social networking sites that have allowed for a real integration of disciplines to help break down the silos of thought and problem solving and allow us to arrive more inclusive and elegant solutions to the monumental challenges that confront us today. Exciting times! BACK TO TOP

	2011 - 2013 CCTF Meeting Schedule

	The Climate Change Task Force Meets on the first Sunday of each month at 1:30PM at the OMNI House, 3274 N. Lee Ave, Fayetteville, Arkansas. Except CCTF will meet on the second Sunday, September 2011, January 2012 and September 2012. More details about future meetings will appear below as they are finalized. Also other important dates are are included in this calendar. 2011 CCTF. Sunday, 7 August. Panel & Discussion: An Economic Development, Clean Energy and Green Jobs Plan for Arkansas. With members of Fayettevilles Green Economy Group: Joanna Pollock, Mikel Lolley, Gary Kahanak, Keaton Smith and Orlo Stitts. Come learn about how you can be part of the Power of 10. CCTF. Sunday, 11 September. Moving Beyond Fossil Fuels. http://www.moving-planet.org/ .Join CCTF in preparations for the event on September 24th. Also CCTF will continue to mobilize for the Power of 10. Saturday, 24 September. A day to move beyond fossil fuels.Moving Planet is a worldwide rally to demand solutions to the climate crisis-a single day to move away from fossil fuels. For too long, our leaders have denied and delayed, compromised and caved. That era must come to an end.Come on bike, on skates, on a board, or on foot. Come with your neighbors and your friends, your family and your co-workers. Come be part of something huge. It's time to get moving on the climate crisis. CCTF. Sunday, 2 October. HOME-The Film. Directed by photographer. Glenn Close.HOME takes you on a visually stunning, spectacular voyage around the world. It is a unique film that approaches the current debate about climate change from a whole new angle, giving viewers the opportunity to see for themselves how our earth is changing. Going well beyond the scientific reports, charts and graphs, this film is an inspiration that speaks to our hearts and touches our souls.Spanning 54 countries and 120 locations, all seen from the air, the film captures the Earth's most amazing landscapes, showcasing its incomparable beauty and acknowledging its vulnerability. HOME is a compelling emotional reminder of what is at stake: the Earth, in all its beauty, and the people who live on it.HOME is the first major film about climate change that has been made using only aerial photography. The film marks artist and activist, Yann Arthus-Betrand's feature film directorial debut. HOME is a non-for-profit film project, produced by the French film director and producer Luc Besson (Europacorp), Denis Carot (Elzevir Films) and supported by the PPR group. In the United States, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment represents the film. BACK TO TOP

	The mission of the OMNI Climate Change Task Force (CCTF) is to educate Arkansans about current realities of climate change and scientific projections. The CCTF is committed to actions that lead to the reduction of green house gases through life-style and legislative change, which includes partnering with like-minded organizations.

Town Branch Neighborhood Association meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, August 30, 2011, welcomes everyone who chooses to attend

2011-08-25T14:56:00.002-05:00

to discuss plan for apartment complex adjacent to National Cemetery, streamside-protection ordinance, neighborhood watch, urban wildlife-habitat certification of private property, natural-yard option approved by City Council and anything of importance in our neighborhood and city

Please click on individual images to ENLARGE view. Click on enlargement for easy reading.

Greg Howe has resigned to take a job in a wonderful place to the northwest. His final meeting of Fayetteville's Tree and Landscape Committee, now known as the Urban Forestry Board

2011-08-23T17:22:00.002-05:00

2011-08-20T19:44:00.002-05:00

Please click on individual images to ENLARGE. Click on enlargement for closer view.

« Welcome to The Native Plants in the Landscape Conference

The Future of Gardening by Neil Diboll

The Future of Gardening: Why Going Native is the Answer

Presented at the 20^th Millersville Native Plant Conference
Millersville, PA
June 4, 2010

by Neil Diboll
Prairie Nursery, Inc.
P.O. Box 306
Westfield, WI 53964
www.prairienursery.com
800-476-9453 (800-GRO-WILD)
Traditional landscapes suck. They suck Energy, Water, and Money.   These three “Future Factors” will determine to a large degree the shape and structure of our landscapes in the coming years.
The old whipping boy, the lawn, indeed deserves a good whipping. It is emblematic of an expensive, unsustainable, energy and chemical hungry landscape that supports few forms of life and consumes valuable resources that could be better invested elsewhere.
Size of the American Lawn
There are over 50 million acres of lawn in the United States, twice the size of the state of Pennsylvania.
The total American corn crop for 2009 was 86 million acres.
The total American soybean crop for 2009 was 77 million acres.
The total American wheat crop for 2009 was 65 million acres.
Lawn is the fourth largest crop grown in America today.
Water Use by the American Lawn
Thirty percent of the water consumed on the East Coast of the US goes to watering lawns. Sixty percent of the water used on the West Coast is dedicated to maintaining green lawns, in a region that is facing looming water shortages.
A 1000 square foot lawn requires an average of 10,000 gallons of water per year to maintain in good condition.
One acre of irrigated lawn requires nearly half a million gallons (435,000) of water every year!
Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides Applied to the American Lawn
The average lawn receives 10 times as much chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides as the typical farm field, according to a Yale University graduate study.
Over 80 millions pounds of chemical pesticides are applied to American lawns each year according to the USEPA.
More than 70 million tons of chemical fertilizers are applied to American lawns per year.
The USEPA estimates that 40 to 60 percent of the Nitrogen fertilizer applied to lawns ends up in our surface water and groundwater.
Forty four percent of the Nitrogen and 28 percent of the Phosphorus applied in the Mississippi River watershed ends up in the Gulf of Mexico, greatly exacerbating the anoxic “dead zone” that preceded the BP oil spill of 2010.
Solid Waste Created by Lawns
The EPA also estimates that grass clippings and yard debris account for 20 to 40 percent of the landfill space consumed in America.
Energy Consumption by Lawns
The amount of energy required to mow and maintain manicured lawns is surprisingly large, and is used in every phase of lawn care:
Mowing: Gasoline or diesel fuel to is required to power riding mowers and most push type rotary mowers. Electricity that powers electric lawn mowers is produced primarily by fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, and by nuclear power plants.
Pesticides: Most herbicides and insecticides are derived from or combined with petroleum-based compounds. Of the 80 million pounds of pesticides applied to lawns in American every year, most are synthesized from oil.
Fertilizers: Fertilizers are applied to lawns in staggering quantities. The energy required to mine and transport the 70 million tons of chemical fertilizers that are dumped on lawns every year is significant. Most Nitrogen fertilizers are produced using the Haber Process, in which Nitrogen in the air is converted into a solid or liquid form that can be readily handled and applied. The Haber Process is extremely energy intensive, and vast quantities of natural gas are consumed to produce nitrogen fertilizer for lawns.
Irrigation: Even watering the lawn consumes energy.   Electricity is used to purify water at treatment plants, and to pump water to homes and businesses. The underground plastic pipes that are used in lawn irrigations systems are produced from petrochemicals derived from crude oil.
Carbon Footprint of Lawns
As an energy-dependent landscape, the carbon annual footprint consumption of lawns is high compared to prairies and other natural landscapes that require only occasional mowing, no fertilizers, no irrigation, and few if any pesticides. Prairies release carbon into the atmosphere when burned, and when dead organic matter such as leaves and stems decompose through microbial action. However, these releases are offset by new plant growth which absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and incorporates it into new leave, roots, and stems.
The incredibly rich prairie soils of the American Midwest are a result of the accumulation of organic matter in the soil over hundreds and thousands of years. Unlike most forest ecosystems, in which organic matter is sequestered in the upper 12- 18 inches of soil, prairie soils typically exhibit high organic matter content from three to six feet in depth. They also have significantly higher total organic matter content than forest soils. This would indicate that over time, prairies are one of the most efficient plant communities at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and providing long term carbon sequestration in the soil.
Economic Costs of Lawn
Americans spend over $25 billion per year on lawn care (USEPA).
Americans spend over $2 billion per year on lawn and garden chemicals.
A 4000 square foot lawn (1/10 acre) produces an average of 1200 pounds of grass clippings per year. The City of Philadelphia Streets Department reported in 2005 that it costs $75 per year to dispose of this material.
Wildlife and Lawns
The US EPA estimates that between 60 and 70 millions birds are poisoned annually due to the application of lawn pesticides.
On lawns that receive regular applications of pesticides, 60 to 90 percent of the earthworms in the soil are killed.
Air and Noise Pollution
In summer months, 5 percent of air pollution is attributable to gas powered lawn and garden equipment (National Vehicle and Fuel Assessment Lab, Ann Arbor, MI)
Per hour of operation, a typical lawnmower emits 10-12 times as much hydrocarbons as an automobile.
Health and Safety
Of the most commonly used lawn pesticides, 13 are known to cause cancer, 14 can cause birth defects, 11 can interfere with reproduction, and 21 can cause damage to the nervous system. (US EPA)
111,000 Americans are sickened every year due to exposure to pesticides. (US EPA)
Over 230,000 people are treated in the Emergency Room every year for accident related to lawn equipment. (US EPA)
Time
The average homeowner spends 40 hours a year mowing his or her lawn – the equivalent of a week’s vacation!
HOW DID WE ARRIVE AT OUR LAWN-DOMINATED LANDSCAPE MODEL?
AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
The New World of North America once appeared to be a seemingly inexhaustible resource that held immense promise for the early colonists and settlers. True to their culture, the northern Europeans that swarmed into the vast hinterlands of America created a landscape in the image of their forebears: cut, grazed, plowed, and fenced into submission. The newly broken land yielded great bounty for a growing nation. As the country expanded, the towns and villages took on the names and character of our former homes across the Atlantic: Amsterdam, Birmingham, Gloucester, Berlin, Warsaw, and Rome, to name but a few.
Our goal as a nation and a culture was to tame the wilderness and make it safe for civilization. In so doing, we re-created the Old Country in the New World. As we brought the wilderness under our heel, we took little time to appreciate its unique character and beauty. Most settlers sought bounty, not beauty. In the rush to convert forests and meadows into farms and fields, the flowers mostly went unnoticed.   Unplowed, unproductive wild land was a sign of sloth, savagery, and the devil’s work. Indeed, our mandate was to subdue the earth. And subdue it we did.
When our work was finally done, we sat back to take stock of our immense labors, and it appeared that it was good. Mostly. What we had not considered were the terrible losses associated with our great gain.   We had gained ascendancy over our young country. In the process, we lost the character of a continent.
Yea, even unto our gardens, we banished the wildflowers and wild things to the far reaches of the countryside and to the corners of our consciousness. And nothing suffered the utter demise and near-total destruction such as that which was visited upon the American Prairie.
The American Prairie: the once-vast kingdom of flowers, grasses, bison and butterflies. This unbelievably rich, unique ecosystem blanketed millions of acres of America’s heartland. These were the flower gardens of North America. Hidden deep underground, among the intertwined roots of a universe of prairie plants, lay the black gold that was to become the currency of the prairie farmer. Here was the inheritance of a million sunny days, hoarded away in the bank account of the prairie soil.
Agricultural, the Industrial Revolution, and the Rise of the American Middle Class
The farmers that tapped into this prairie trust fund found the dividends to be prodigious. No fertilizers were needed to grow bumper crops. The immense yields increased agricultural productivity to levels previously unheard-of, revolutionizing the farmer’s relationship with the land. Now one family could produce food for dozens of others. The day of the subsistence farm was over. Human labor was set free to tend the factory instead of the field. The dawn of the American Industrial Revolution was reflected in the glow of the forge that John Deere used to construct the first sod-busting steel plow in 1836. With the industrial dawn came the sunset of the American Prairie.
The Eastern Tallgrass Prairie of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska was all but obliterated in the span of a few short decades at the close of the nineteenth century. That which was not plowed under was closed in with fences and grazed to the ground by millions of cattle. What were once wide open spaces became food factories and feedlots. Still, we knew not what we had done.
A full century later, we are just beginning to grasp the scope of the loss. The Eastern Tallgrass Prairie is now one of the rarest plant communities in the entire world. Rainforests are commonplace by comparison. Less than 1/10th of 1% of the Tallgrass Prairie remains today. The small refuges where it can be found occur only in small tattered fragments, ripped from the original cloth. Only those pieces that could not be drained, plowed, grazed, or otherwise turned to the service of mankind remain. There was simply no place for wildness in this new American landscape.
The conversion of the New World into the Old Country was complete.   All that remained now was to tend the fields and the gardens of plants brought over from Europe, and to make sure that the lawns that replaced that prairie were kept mown and in order.
Order. The watchword of a Puritanical culture that sought to carve structure from the chaos of wilderness. Everything in control. Nothing out of place. Even our gardens reflect this directive. Designs are precise, with each plant in its pre-ordained place, ensconced in a thick bed of bark mulch. The vegetable world must supplicate itself to our omnipotence. Those plants that fail to stay in their assigned seats are branded as weeds, and banished from the garden. And if they should grow wild in nature, how could such peasant plants of common breeding be sufficiently refined to have a place in our gardens?
If the garden is truly the place where people and nature meet, it is almost always the gardener who determines the terms of the meeting.   Will the gardeners of the earth choose to work with Nature to create beauty in the landscape? Or will we attempt to overpower her with an arsenal of chemicals, machines, and “maintenance programs?”
We are finally coming to realize that the practice of paying homage to a uniform, idealized landscape of seamlessly interconnected lawns is an illusion. This becomes eminently clear when one realizes that the centerpoint of this landscape is a nearly lifeless, two dimensional expanse of turf, to which we slavishly devote much of our increasingly rare and precious free time. We pour on the chemicals, mow the grass to within an inch of its life, and kill any and all bugs that have the temerity to share the landscape with us. Perhaps most annoying, this national pastime called Lawn Care is really quite expensive.
For many, their lawns are like an addiction. They will pay almost any price to satisfy the cravings. The price is paid in money, time, environmental degradation, and in some cases, one’s health. We have so completely divorced ourselves from Nature that the only connection to the natural world is by watering and mowing their green carpets!
It is indeed a costly divorce from Nature. Enforcement of our unnatural landscapes consumes billions of dollars every year. Lawns, ornamental plantings, and even perennial gardens require constant attention if the desired order is to be maintained. Without intervention by the human hand on a regular basis, these landscapes soon fall victim to the invading hordes of weeds, trees, brambles and vines. Left unguarded, the walls of the domestic garden are stormed by the Vandals and Visigoths of the Vegetable Kingdom. Without the indulgences of their human benefactors, the meeker and fairer plants of the garden are quickly pillaged and displaced by the roving thugs of the plant world.
History of the American Lawn
The modern lawn has it origin in the country estates of landed gentry in England in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. It was a status symbol of the wealthy, for the working classes typically possessed no land, and could ill afford a lawn eve if they did. With our Anglo-American heritage, we looked to the mother country for our social cues in the 18^th century as the American middle class emerged during the industrial revolution. The newly wealthy purchased homes and estates and installed lawns as one of their symbols of having “made it.” Lawns quickly became one of the status symbols associated with the new middle and upper classes.
The great American landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead, referred to the lawn in the late 18^th century as “The Great Democratizer” of a newly ascendant nation.   Rather than installing fences and barriers between neighboring properties as was common in Europe, Americans had a seamless carpet of green grass unifying their properties, all sharing in the new ethos of a mutual affluence.
The lawn quickly became a socio-economic symbol, denoting order and devotion to a non-economic crop that only those with expendable income could afford. As the middle class in America grew after World War II, the occupants of newly-built suburbs embraced the lawn as one of their icons of success and comfortable living.
The lawn was now cemented into American culture. Woe be unto he who violated the unspoken contract of “keeping up appearances” and allowing one’s turf to “go native” and grow beyond the socially acceptable four inches in height. An un-mowed, unkempt lawn was a sign of slovenliness and anti-social tendencies. Social breakdown and chaos could not be far behind.
This is why the lawn is so ardently defended by so many. It is a symbol of an entire social class and lifestyle. It is far more than a near-lifeless green expanse that requires an inordinate amount of time, money and chemicals to maintain. It embodies the hopes and dreams of average Americans, and symbolizes the triumph or order over entropy. It is a shared middle class bond that transcends politics, religion, and ethnicity. In many communities you are judged by your lawn first, and your character as a human being second. And do not for one minute believe that the first does not influence the second.
Why do we Persist with Our Addiction to Lawns? What About Wildlife?
1)    It’s simple and easy! We know how to do it: Fertilize it, spray it, and mow it!
2)    You don’t really have to know anything about plants or gardening to grow and manage a lawn – just follow the directions provided by the purveyors of fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides provide you!
3)    Lawn is a cheap fix. Although less costly to install than native landscapes, lawn has a high life cycle cost over a period of many years. Native landscapes typically have low long-term maintenance costs, with lower life cycle costs.
4)    Lawns don’t attract bugs or wildlife (except for geese), so you know you and your family will be safe from snakes, vermin, and those annoying insects! So what if insects are the foundation of the food chain, and support a myriad of birds and other desirable creatures.   We’ve been brainwashed that bugs are bad, so we have to make sure they don’t inhabit our outdoor living spaces.
5)    NO BUGS, NO BIRDS!
6)    Everybody says they love Nature, but nobody ever invites her over to their yard.
7)    I knew my prairie was a success when I saw Meadow Jumping Mice (Zapus hudsonianus) and Hog Nosed Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos) in it. These creatures provided evidence that I now had a functioning ecosystem, not just a garden. If you like hawks and owls, you better be able to feed them: rodents and reptiles are some of their preferred foods.
WE ARE NOT A NATION OF GARDENERS:
WE ARE A NATION OF MOWERS!
WHY DO WE CARE WHAT WE PLANT IN OUR GARDENS
AND LANDSCAPES?
Many of us care deeply about the state of our planet and the loss of biodiversity that is occurring on a global scale. Although we all think globally, most of us can only act locally. Together, we can have an impact in our own gardens and landscapes, as well as those of our friends and neighbors. For those of us in the landscape design business, we can promote sustainable landscapes composed of native plants that require little or no fertilizers, pesticides, watering, or mowing (just burning!). This alone, when compounded over time as more people opt for sustainable landscapes, can have an impact.
The looming question for us today is the on-going loss of biodiversity. Restoring native ecosystems is one way we can help support not just native plants, but also invertebrates such as rare butterflies and moths, bees, wasps, and all manner of the generally unloved lower castes of bugs and creepy crawly things. Yet they are all important, and each has an important place in the web of life.
Homo sapiens, is presently presiding over what is believed to be the Sixth Great Extinction. Although we have yet to reach the catastrophic levels of past extinction events, we are well on our way and showing only a few signs of abatement in our drive to subdue and conquer the earth, as we serve our ever-expanding need for food, fuel, water, and living space.
But does it really matter what we do as individuals? A society is composed of all its individuals, and their actions determine the face of that society. Most of us are working to restore the integrity of native ecosystems because we believe it is the “right” and good thing to do, and that we are “doing it for the planet.” But does it really matter? Does the planet really respect our actions? Or is it all irrelevant?
The Earth has been subjected to massive extinctions in the past, some fairly recent in geological history. The planet has always recovered, with the development of new species and a wealth of new life forms.   Nature does indeed abhor a vacuum, and she apparently fills it rapidly.   All of the work I am doing on my property to control invasive species and restore native plants will someday be negated by the next advance of the glacier, as unlikely as that may seem at this point in geological and meteorolical history. Of course, my landscape will probably be invaded by garlic muster, buckthorn, honeysuckle and other non-native thugs soon after my demise, unless some equally deranged and determined individual picks up where I leave off.
SO WHY RESTORE THE PLANET? DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
If one takes a long-term geological perspective, it doesn’t really matter what we do. Even if we nuke the joint, something will survive and a whole new set of life forms will evolve. Maybe the next sentient beings will be smarter than us, and actually take care of the planet.
We Restore the Earth Because It Is Good for Us!
We need a quality of life that includes clean air, clean water, trees, flowers, ferns, birds, and all the wonderful life forms with which we share the planet. We aren’t just preserving habitat and restoring native plant communities out of the goodness of our hearts – Our very economic and psychic survival depend upon it!
We have yet to fully value the economics of a healthy environment.   But as the planet is further degraded, the value of high quality living spaces only increases.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Ultimately, our future landscapes will be in large part determined more by economics than ecology. This is an unfortunate consequence of the human condition. As a quality living space becomes more valuable, more value will be placed upon it. We will protect it more diligently. It will sell for a higher price. People will begin to view the natural environment more as an asset, rather than as a resource to be exploited.
All of this will most likely be precipitated by shortages of water, rather than a shortage of oil or other energy source. You can live without oil, but you cannot live without water. As the price of water increases, the incentive to conserve it will increase. We will need landscapes that do not require huge inputs of water and chemicals to sustain them. We will need to overcome our cultural taboos of “messy” natural landscapes and move beyond viewing lawns as status symbols and a rite of passage into the middle and upper classes.
Someday pride of place will belong to those with the least lawn, lowest water bill, and no chemicals in their garages. Society will value those who work to preserve our environment, rather than those who can make the most money by despoiling it. I personally cannot wait much longer for that day to come.
AT A GLANCE:
TODAY: LAWN, an ecological and economic disaster

TOMORROW: SUSTAINA LE ECOSYSTEMS, composed of native plant
communities that require little or no fertilizers, pesticides, or irrigation, o
TODAY: MONOCULTURES of mowed lawns

TOMORROW: DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS that support a wide variety of life
TODAY: FEAR and mistrust of the natural world and its attendant organisms (bugs,
mice, snakes, etc)

TOMORROW: RE-INTEGRATION of people into nature and an understanding that
everything is connected and interdependent
WE MUST ENTER INTO A JOINT VENTURE WITH NATURE TO PRESERVE OUR PLANET AND THE SYSTEMS UPON WHICH ALL LIFE DEPENDS.

ONLY THEN WILL WE LIVE IN HARMONY WITH OUR FELLOW CREATURES ON THIS PLANET.

OUR QUALITY LIFE AND LONG-TERM SURVIVAL DEPENDS UPON THE SURVIVAL OF THE SYSTEMS AND ORGANISMS THAT SUPPORT US.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 at 3:39 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

University of Vermont Extension
Department of Plant and Soil Science

Summer News Article
FUEL-EFFICIENT LAWNS AND LANDSCAPES
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor
University of Vermont
With the price of gasoline and natural gas on the rise, most are looking for ways to cut their costs and save energy. If you have a lawn or garden, you may not realize just how much fossil fuels you are using. By knowing where these are used, you can look for ways to reduce consumption. This will reduce your costs, and help the environment.
In a recent PPPro online newsletter Paul Tukey, editor of People, Places and Plants magazine, provides some sobering facts and helpful suggestions. Each year, a family with a one-third acre lawn will on average:
*consume five gallons of gas for mowing and trimming;
*apply the equivalent of seven gallons for fertilizing;
*burn up to five gallons for watering; and
*consume an additional gallon for cleanup.
That’s 18 gallons of fuel per household. With 120 million U.S. households, that’s the equivalent of almost 2.2 billion gallons of fuel used just for lawn care each year. This does not count other landscaping activities. So just how do we use so much?
Yale University has estimated that the United States uses more than 600 million gallons of gas to mow and trim lawns each year — about two gallons of gas for every man, woman and child, or five gallons per household. Mowers also consume engine oil in their crankcases, and two-stroke mowers consume oil in their fuel.
In addition to fuel consumption, mowers and outdoor power equipment contribute heavily to air pollution. Operating a typical (4 HP) gasoline-powered lawnmower for one hour produces as much smog-forming hydrocarbons as driving an average car between 100 and 200 miles under average conditions. Gasoline-powered string trimmers are actually more polluting than many lawn mowers. One estimate (mindfully.org) states that “the 20,000,000 small engines sold in the U.S. each year contribute about one tenth of the total U.S. mobile source hydrocarbon emissions, and are the largest single contributor to these non-road emissions.” These include power blowers, rakes, and brooms.
Creating synthetic nitrogen for fertilizers requires the heating of natural gas to combine atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen into ammonia. The amount of natural gas required to make approximately 200 bags of lawn fertilizer would heat your home for a year. Each 40-pound bag contains the fossil-fuel equivalent of approximately 2.5 gallons of gasoline. Transporting these bags of fertilizer from the factory and to your home requires additional fuel.
According to a California study, in many areas — especially in the West, where water must be moved great distances from reservoirs — the amount of fuel needed to pump the water is at least equal to the fuel used in mowing.

So what can you do? Here are ten tips to have a “fuel-efficient” landscape.
*Use an electric or non-powered push mower. An electric mower maintaining one-third of an acre for a season consumes only $3 of electricity on average. Electric mowers are 75 percent quieter than gas mowers. Push mowers, of course, consume no fuel and make little noise.
*Similarly, use traditional hand rakes and brooms instead of power ones and blowers to save fuel, and at the same time reduce air and noise pollution. If you employ a landscape maintenance firm, encourage their use of these too. Minimize the need for string trimmers. Mulch along walks and around structures such as lamp posts to avoid having to trim weeds in these areas.
*If you have an old mower, consider replacing it. Newer small engines run much cleaner. EPA emission standards for such engines, to be in effect by 2007, are expected to reduce ground-level ozone emissions by 70 percent or 350,000 tons each year.
*Reduce the area mowed through use of groundcovers. This is especially true in areas with water shortages. Allow parts of large areas to grow, only mowing once or twice a season, creating a natural meadow. You can still mow areas near drives and homes to maintain the more formal manicured effects in such highly visible and high traffic areas.
*Save rainwater and gray water. Gray water is that water from home use, except from toilets, and can make up from 50 to 80 percent of home waste water. It comes from sinks, showers, and laundry and can be used for irrigating landscapes and lawns.
*Water deeply once per week on average, rather than frequently. Drip irrigation and mulches also conserve water. Using less water saves on energy use, whether you’re buying water that has to be pumped, or are paying an electric bill to pump your own.
*Use natural, organic fertilizers not derived from fossil fuels.
*Recycle grass clippings, mow higher and mix 5 percent clover into your lawn seed. All these help recycle nutrients back into the soil. Mulching-type mowers allow you to leave grass clippings on the lawn. If you don’t have such a mower, and remove the clippings, add them to compost or use them to mulch gardens.
*Compost all yard wastes, except for diseased plants and plant parts. They can go into compost piles, saving gasoline hauling such to landfills and recycle centers. If your landscape generates many twigs and other brush, consider buying or renting a home-size brush chipper.
*Finally, consider landscaping to reduce up to 25 percent of home energy consumption. Foundation plantings can lessen heat loss from buildings. Evergreen windbreaks can reduce heating costs in winter in windy areas. Deciduous shade trees can reduce energy needs for cooling in summer. According to the Department of Energy, only three properly placed trees may

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"You can't learn much from a lawn,
but a garden has a whole world of wonders."

history

Lawns started out as grazing areas around the manors of the landed gentry.        Having a nice lawn around the house was a sign of power as you owned sufficient        land to raise sheep and cow.
As the industrial revolution took hold and animals were less a sign of wealth,        the lawn itself became the status symbol. You could indulge yourself in        sparing land and time to recreational grounds.
As people moved to the cities so did the grass, on ever smaller plots. First        lawns were cut by hand and later with the mechanical lawnmower, (an automated,        resource depleting, pointless cow.)
The 20th Century saw an explosion of lawn making as commercial interests        produced endless grass seed, fertiliser, pesticides, mowers, spreaders and        irrigation equipment whilst developers discovered they could pass off cheap        ‘gardens’ by spreading 3 inches of soil over hard subsoil and laying turf        on top.
Nowerdays, many lawns are rarely used and some are so covered with chemicals        children have been permanently injured after walking barefoot on them.[1]

the modern lawn - a waste of resources

The modern pure grass lawn is artificial... you need effort and chemicals to maintain a monoculture.

Misuse and the inherent toxicity of standard pesticides cause short and long term poisoning, cancer and disease in people and wildlife. [a]

Extensive use and overuse of fertilisers (due to lack of restrictions) causes water pollution problems and wastes resources. [b]

Endless summer irrigation to keep lawns green wastes massive amounts of water and depletes water tables. [c]

Lawnmowers, strimmers and other lawn machinery unregulated for environmental emissions, use vast amounts of petrol and are a significant factor in urban air and noise pollution. [d]

      The lawn is the worlds third agriculture. It is probable that westerners        spend more person hours, energy and resources on their lawns than any agricultural        resource of the third world.[8]

In the early 1990’s                in the United States…

$ 25 billion a year was spent on lawn                care products.
Of this,
$ 5,250 million was spent on fossil                fuel-derived fertilisers and...
$ 700 million was spent on 28 million                kgs of poisonous synthetic pesticides.

Meanwhile 20 million acres were planted                in residential lawns
and the average city sprayed its lawns with 30                to 60 % of its fresh water                supply.[2]

The lawn is a green desert. Adoption of a monoculture for a garden drastically reduces the habitats available for wildlife. Birds, bees, butterflies and other animals all begin to disappear. Often leaving an unstable ecosystem where common ‘pest’ species seem to flourish.

alternatives

Aside from keeping animals or ripping up the turf to plant trees and bushes,          build vegetable beds, a pond or a greenhouse there are many things you          can do to keep the same purpose of a lawn whilst adding diversity and          removing chemical and mechanical dependence. (Unless the area you have          is subject to heavy traffic and abuse, where turf is probably the most          suitable thing to use.) If you just want somewhere to sit, try making          a bench a focal point of your garden.
Lawns can be made more edible, medicinal, beautiful and nice smelling          by adding low growing aromatic herbs and flowers. The plants below have          been specially selected because they will tolerate at least infrequent          mowings. For best results don’t cut as often or as short as a normal lawn          and try to lay off for at least 3 weeks in the summer to let the taller          plants flower and set seed. You could try sowing them into small gaps          in the grass or better still plant them out. For low maintenance choose          plants that will like your local conditions.

	lively lawns Apart from the obvious dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), daisy (Bellis perennis) and plantains (Plantago major, plantago media) which are all excellent in lawns, freely self seed, add variety and can also be eaten once you get past seeing them just as ‘weeds,’ try… White Clover, Trifolium repens: 10cm H, spreads, adds nitrogen to the soil, attracts bees and butterflies. You can eat the flowers and leaves, (bit fiddly though) Camomile, Chamaemelum nobile: 15cm H 30cm W, Plants for a future[9] recommend for smell but not for medicine, (no flowers), a cultivar called ‘Treneague’ which is low growing, spreads and will succeed if the grass is cut low and often, however you'll have to find a cutting, there are no seeds. Wild thyme, Thymus serpyllum: 10cm H 30cm W Forms spreading clumps, pink flowers attract bees in summer, drought tolerant, needs sun. High in antioxidants and an essential kitchen herb. Lemon thyme, Thymus x citiodorus: 10cm H 30cm W. Likes light well drained soil and full sun, can be planted by division. Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara: 25cm H, spreads invasively. Tolerates shade, does well in all soils, flowers edible mar-apr, leaves appear afterwards, used for treatment of respiratory problems. Rough Hawkbit, Leontodon hispidus: 40cm H 30cm W. Similar to dandelion, prefers chalky soil, flowers all summer, attracts bees & butterflies, edible leaves most of the year.
	Salad burnet, Sanguisorba minor: 55cm H 30cm W. Prefers chalky soil and slightly longer grass, flowers May-Aug and provides edible young leaves all year round. Self Heal, Prunella vulgaris: 15cm H spreading to form clumps 30cm W. Prefers moist soil, tolerates low cutting and shade, flowers mid to late summer, attracts bees & butterflies, eaten in salads and an healing herb for cuts and wounds. Yarrow, Achillea millefolium: upto 60cm H spreads, hardy, drought resistant, good in poor soils, and a very useful medicinal herb. beautiful bulbs By lengthening the time between mowings you can also grow taller plants such as bulbs. Planted surreptitiously they are a nice surprise. All below are edible and most spread naturally. It is advisable to plant bulbs of similar flowering times together to make any lawn maintenance more straightforward. Field & Crow garlic, Allium oleraceum & A. vineale: 60cm H, 5cm W. Both almost invasive in grass if left to form bulbils in jul-aug, tolerant of mowing, leaves edible autumn to following summer. If cows eat them, their milk is tainted. Quamash, Camassia quamash: 50cm H 10cm W. Does well in short grass and under trees, flowers late spring, very edible bulbs when cooked.
	Dog's Tooth Violet, Erythronium den-canis: 15cm H 10cm W. appears in spring for a few months each year. bulbs edible raw or cooked, also try E. revoltum 'pagoda' for a bigger, version. Tassel Hyacinth, Muscari botryoides: 40cm H clumps 20cm W. Easy to grow, does well in short grass, almost invasive, 3.5cm bulbs edible, but a little bitter. Or for beauty, there are many other bulbs, such as daffodils, bluebells, crocus etc that can be planted into the lawn. wonderful wildflowers Perhaps you could turn some of your lawn into a ‘wildflower meadow’. This will attract butterflies and insects as well as bringing nature a bit closer to home. Choose a sunny position on poor soil to get the most flowers. Mow only after the seeds have set (around August) and remove the clippings to keep fertility low. Sow a mix of wild flowers into bare earth, or if grass is already established, grow in pots and plant out in Autumn or Spring, this is more work but gets better results. Most of the above taller lawn plants will do well as these edible ones below... Meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria: 120cm H. Likes moist rich soil non acid soils, a useful medicinal and culinary herb. Sheep sorrel, Rumex acetosella: 30cm H. prefers suny and moist spot, sharp edible salad leaves all year round. Red clover, Trifolium pratense: 60cm H. attracts butterflies, moths and bees, put round apple trees for better fruit, edible leaves, fixes nitrogen. Alternatively you could purchase a conservation wildflower mix from a local supplier, you won't be able to eat them though. For some more lawn fun see the guerrilla gardening pages. Notes [a] Many pesticides have never been adequately tested for toxicity to humans or wildlife. According to the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, 13 of the most commonly used lawn care pesticides can cause cancer, 14 can cause birth defects, 21 can damage the nervous system, 15 can injure the liver or kidney, and 30 are sensitizers or irritants. [3] The pesticide MCPA, used as an ingredient is some lawn pesticides, has been found to damage the blood brain barrier which protects against neurological illness.[4] Organophosphate pesticides have been shown to cause memory loss and short attention spans.[5] Other studies have linked long term pesticide use with prostate[6], brain and lung cancer.[7] It is estimated that each year in the US, 67 million birds are poisoned by legally used pesticides.[3] Pesticides are often misused especially by homeowners, increasing the risks. [b] Fertiliser is often over applied, causing runoff problems in nearby watercourses, as well as the obvious waste of fossil fuels in its manufacture and transport. [c] It is estimated that 44% of domestic water consumption in California is used for lawns[8] In many areas ground water tables are being depleted. [d] The manufacture of garden machinery uses energy, depletes resources and creates pollution as do the engine fumes or the power plants producing the electricity they run on. In the early 90’s it was estimated that 580,000,000 gallons of petrol were used to run lawnmowers in the US every year.[2] References [1] The Pesticide Scandal, Sayan, Kathyrne, Family Circle 2 April 1991. [2] Redesigning the American Lawn, F. Herbert Bormann, Diana Balmori, Gordon T. Geballe, Yale University Press, 1993 [3] Spring, 1997 edition of The Arlington Environment, Volume Four, Number Four [4] Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 65:23, 1982 [5] Annual Reviews in Public Health, 7:461, 1986 [6] Occupational Environmental Medicine, 56(1):14-21, 1999 [7] Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 71(1), July 1983 [8] Permaculture a designers manual, Bill Mollison, Tagari publications, 1988. [9] Plants for a future- edible and useful plants for a healthier world, Ken Fern, Permanent publications, 1997.

home . sitemap . search . contact us . top

		Gardening

		What to do with a Lawn

THIS ZONE
climate
cultivation
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lawns
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soil
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home
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evolution

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search
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"You can't learn much from a lawn,
but a garden has a whole world of wonders."

history

the modern lawn - a waste of resources

The modern pure grass lawn is artificial... you need effort and chemicals to maintain a monoculture.

Misuse and the inherent toxicity of standard pesticides cause short and long term poisoning, cancer and disease in people and wildlife. [a]

Extensive use and overuse of fertilisers (due to lack of restrictions) causes water pollution problems and wastes resources. [b]

Endless summer irrigation to keep lawns green wastes massive amounts of water and depletes water tables. [c]

Lawnmowers, strimmers and other lawn machinery unregulated for environmental emissions, use vast amounts of petrol and are a significant factor in urban air and noise pollution. [d]

alternatives

	lively lawns Apart from the obvious dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), daisy (Bellis perennis) and plantains (Plantago major, plantago media) which are all excellent in lawns, freely self seed, add variety and can also be eaten once you get past seeing them just as ‘weeds,’ try… White Clover, Trifolium repens: 10cm H, spreads, adds nitrogen to the soil, attracts bees and butterflies. You can eat the flowers and leaves, (bit fiddly though) Camomile, Chamaemelum nobile: 15cm H 30cm W, Plants for a future[9] recommend for smell but not for medicine, (no flowers), a cultivar called ‘Treneague’ which is low growing, spreads and will succeed if the grass is cut low and often, however you'll have to find a cutting, there are no seeds. Wild thyme, Thymus serpyllum: 10cm H 30cm W Forms spreading clumps, pink flowers attract bees in summer, drought tolerant, needs sun. High in antioxidants and an essential kitchen herb. Lemon thyme, Thymus x citiodorus: 10cm H 30cm W. Likes light well drained soil and full sun, can be planted by division. Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara: 25cm H, spreads invasively. Tolerates shade, does well in all soils, flowers edible mar-apr, leaves appear afterwards, used for treatment of respiratory problems. Rough Hawkbit, Leontodon hispidus: 40cm H 30cm W. Similar to dandelion, prefers chalky soil, flowers all summer, attracts bees & butterflies, edible leaves most of the year.
	Salad burnet, Sanguisorba minor: 55cm H 30cm W. Prefers chalky soil and slightly longer grass, flowers May-Aug and provides edible young leaves all year round. Self Heal, Prunella vulgaris: 15cm H spreading to form clumps 30cm W. Prefers moist soil, tolerates low cutting and shade, flowers mid to late summer, attracts bees & butterflies, eaten in salads and an healing herb for cuts and wounds. Yarrow, Achillea millefolium: upto 60cm H spreads, hardy, drought resistant, good in poor soils, and a very useful medicinal herb. beautiful bulbs By lengthening the time between mowings you can also grow taller plants such as bulbs. Planted surreptitiously they are a nice surprise. All below are edible and most spread naturally. It is advisable to plant bulbs of similar flowering times together to make any lawn maintenance more straightforward. Field & Crow garlic, Allium oleraceum & A. vineale: 60cm H, 5cm W. Both almost invasive in grass if left to form bulbils in jul-aug, tolerant of mowing, leaves edible autumn to following summer. If cows eat them, their milk is tainted. Quamash, Camassia quamash: 50cm H 10cm W. Does well in short grass and under trees, flowers late spring, very edible bulbs when cooked.
	Dog's Tooth Violet, Erythronium den-canis: 15cm H 10cm W. appears in spring for a few months each year. bulbs edible raw or cooked, also try E. revoltum 'pagoda' for a bigger, version. Tassel Hyacinth, Muscari botryoides: 40cm H clumps 20cm W. Easy to grow, does well in short grass, almost invasive, 3.5cm bulbs edible, but a little bitter. Or for beauty, there are many other bulbs, such as daffodils, bluebells, crocus etc that can be planted into the lawn. wonderful wildflowers Perhaps you could turn some of your lawn into a ‘wildflower meadow’. This will attract butterflies and insects as well as bringing nature a bit closer to home. Choose a sunny position on poor soil to get the most flowers. Mow only after the seeds have set (around August) and remove the clippings to keep fertility low. Sow a mix of wild flowers into bare earth, or if grass is already established, grow in pots and plant out in Autumn or Spring, this is more work but gets better results. Most of the above taller lawn plants will do well as these edible ones below... Meadowsweet, Filipendula ulmaria: 120cm H. Likes moist rich soil non acid soils, a useful medicinal and culinary herb. Sheep sorrel, Rumex acetosella: 30cm H. prefers suny and moist spot, sharp edible salad leaves all year round. Red clover, Trifolium pratense: 60cm H. attracts butterflies, moths and bees, put round apple trees for better fruit, edible leaves, fixes nitrogen. Alternatively you could purchase a conservation wildflower mix from a local supplier, you won't be able to eat them though. For some more lawn fun see the guerrilla gardening pages. Notes [a] Many pesticides have never been adequately tested for toxicity to humans or wildlife. According to the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, 13 of the most commonly used lawn care pesticides can cause cancer, 14 can cause birth defects, 21 can damage the nervous system, 15 can injure the liver or kidney, and 30 are sensitizers or irritants. [3] The pesticide MCPA, used as an ingredient is some lawn pesticides, has been found to damage the blood brain barrier which protects against neurological illness.[4] Organophosphate pesticides have been shown to cause memory loss and short attention spans.[5] Other studies have linked long term pesticide use with prostate[6], brain and lung cancer.[7] It is estimated that each year in the US, 67 million birds are poisoned by legally used pesticides.[3] Pesticides are often misused especially by homeowners, increasing the risks. [b] Fertiliser is often over applied, causing runoff problems in nearby watercourses, as well as the obvious waste of fossil fuels in its manufacture and transport. [c] It is estimated that 44% of domestic water consumption in California is used for lawns[8] In many areas ground water tables are being depleted. [d] The manufacture of garden machinery uses energy, depletes resources and creates pollution as do the engine fumes or the power plants producing the electricity they run on. In the early 90’s it was estimated that 580,000,000 gallons of petrol were used to run lawnmowers in the US every year.[2] References [1] The Pesticide Scandal, Sayan, Kathyrne, Family Circle 2 April 1991. [2] Redesigning the American Lawn, F. Herbert Bormann, Diana Balmori, Gordon T. Geballe, Yale University Press, 1993 [3] Spring, 1997 edition of The Arlington Environment, Volume Four, Number Four [4] Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 65:23, 1982 [5] Annual Reviews in Public Health, 7:461, 1986 [6] Occupational Environmental Medicine, 56(1):14-21, 1999 [7] Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 71(1), July 1983 [8] Permaculture a designers manual, Bill Mollison, Tagari publications, 1988. [9] Plants for a future- edible and useful plants for a healthier world, Ken Fern, Permanent publications, 1997.

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Two five-minute nature videos recorded on 28 July 2011 to be run on Fayetteville Public Television from Monday, August 1, 2011, through Friday, August 5, 2011

2011-07-30T21:12:00.002-05:00

Graphic carbon dioxide Web site worth visiting: Site looks incomplete here, but click on the links. They are live and take the reader to the site itself

2011-07-12T18:53:00.001-05:00

What the world needs to watch

Global warming is mainly the result of CO2 levels rising in the Earth’s atmosphere. Both atmospheric CO2 and climate change are accelerating. Climate scientists say we have years, not decades, to stabilize CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

To help the world succeed, CO2Now.org makes it easy to see the most current CO2 level and what it means. So, use this site and keep an eye on CO2. Invite others to do the same. Then we can do more to send CO2 in the right direction.

Watch CO2 now and know the score on global warming, practically in real time.

Earth's CO2 Home Page

393.69ppm

Atmospheric CO2 for June 2011

Preliminary data released July 5, 2011 (Mauna Loa Observatory: NOAA-ESRL)

CO2 Data Set:	Original data file posted by NOAA-ESRL on Tuesday July 5, 2011

Measuring Location:	Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii


Data Source:	Scripps CO2 Program UCSD / Scripps Institution of Oceanography


Why is CO2 significant?	Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the chief greenhouse gas that results from human activities and causes global warming and climate change. To see whether enough is being done at the moment to solve these global problems, there is no single indicator as complete and current as the monthly updates for atmospheric CO2 from the Mauna Loa Observatory.


What is the current trend?	The concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere are increasing at an accelerating rate from decade to decade. accelerating from decade to decade. The latest atmospheric CO2 data is consistent with a continuation of this long-standing trend.


What level is safe?	The upper safety limit for atmospheric CO2 is 350 parts per million (ppm). Atmospheric CO2 levels have stayed higher than 350 ppm since early 1988.

Current Data for Atmospheric CO2

The world's most current data for atmospheric CO2 is measured at the Mauna Loa Observatoy in Hawaii. Measurements are made and reported independently by two scientific institutions: Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Monthly data is posted below.

Mauna Loa CO2 Data Sets:

NOAA CO2 Data

Scripps CO2 Data

Annual Data | Atmospheric CO2

The 2010 average annual concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere (Mauna Loa Observatory) is 389.78 parts per million (ppm). The 2009 average is 387.35 ppm. For the past decade (2001-2010) the average annual increase is 2.04 ppm per year. Annual data for 2010 was posted January 7, 2011, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US.

Since the 1958 start of precision CO2 measurements in the atmosphere, the annual mean concentration of CO2 has only increased from one year to the next. The CO2 data below give a simple overview of the annual trend.

Global Temperature Update

June 15, 2011

For Earth, May 2011 is the 10th warmest May on record since 1880. The warmest May on record is May 2010.

The information and data was posted June 15, 2011 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its National Climate Data Center(NCDC) in the USA. Data is updated monthly.

Annually, 2010 is tied with 2005 as the warmest year on record.

More details about global temperature are available in the State of the Climate reports (Global Analysis) at the NOAA-NCDC website. These reports present preliminary, global data that has been gathered from monitoring stations and leading institutions around the world. The reports include a Global Hazardssection that gives a global update on drought & wildfires, flooding, storms, severe winter weather, and ecosystems impacts. A Snow and Ice section reports on snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and sea ice extent in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

NOTE: Global temperatures set out in the CO2Now graphic (above) are computed from NOAA estimates of global average temperature for the 20th century and adding the current 20th-century anomaly.

More Info from NOAA-NCDC:

NOAA NDCC | State of the Climate Global Analysis | REPORT

NOAA NDCC | Global land and ocean surface temperature anomalies since 1880 | DATA

NOAA NCDC | Q&As about global surface temperature anomalies | QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

NOAA NCDC | 2010 Annual State of the Climate Global Analysis | PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

NOAA NCDC | 2009 State of the Climate Highlights | PDF: 10-pages
(Ten planetary indicators all show that the planet is warming)

Related:

Climate Interactive | UNEP Emissions Gap Report & Temperature-Related Tools

The Royal Society | Four degrees and beyond

CO2Now | The CO2Now Climate Sheet

The CO2Now Climate Sheet

Updated July 5, 2011
Climate Sheet posts the world’s most current and important planetary data and targets – together in one place from leading global sources. The CO2Now Climate Sheet enumerates the chain of causes that are driving humanity’s largest environmental crises – global warming, climate change and ocean acidification. It also sets out key scientific markers for setting things right.
This full edition of The CO2Now Climate Sheet is updated as the latest planetary data is released each month. An "In Brief" edition is distributed electronically in the twice-monthly newsletter: @mospheric Post.

Global Carbon Emissions

Carbon Emissions 2009

Nature Geoscience and GlobalCarbonProject.org published data for the 2009 Global Carbon Budget on November 21, 2010.
In 2009, fossil fuel CO2 emissions decreased by 1.3%. These emissions were second highest in human history, just below 2008 emissions. They are 37% higher than in 1990 (Kyoto reference year).
Coal is now the largest fossil-fuel source of CO2 emissions. About 92% of the growth in coal emissions for the period 2007-2009 resulted from increased coal use in China and India. If economic growth proceeds as expected, global fossil fuel emissions are projected to increase by more than 3% in 2010.

Data for Global Carbon Emissions
(Fossil fuels, cement, land-use change)

Year	Carbon Emissions
2009	9.28 billion metric tonnes per year
2008	9.45 billion of metric tonnes per year
2007	9.31 billion metric tonnes per year
2006	9.22 billion metric tonnes per year

To convert the data for carbon to carbon dioxide (CO2), multiply the numbers above by 3.67.
Science Daily | Global CO2 emissions may reach record levels in 2010
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions -- the main contributor to global warming -- show no sign of abating and may reach record levels in 2010, according to a study led by the University of Exeter (UK).
Sai Gon Giai Phong | No let up in carbon emissions, scientists warn
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the burning of oil, gas and coal were 30.8 billion tonnes, a retreat of only 1.3 percent in 2009 compared with 2008, a record year, scientists said in a letter to the journal Nature Geoscience. The global decrease was less than half that had been expected, because emerging giant economies were unaffected by the downturn that hit many large industrialised nations.
>>>> Links to the source data, credits and high-resolution images are given below.

CO2Now.org | See CO2. Know CO2. Show CO2.

UA's Science Cafe host for climate presentation by John Hehr and Dorian Burnett at 6:30 p.m. at Powerhouse Seafood on University Avenue just south of Dickson Street

2011-07-12T10:38:00.000-05:00

The UA is hosting this talk tonight at Powerhouse on weather and climate. See below from the UA Newswire.

'Science Cafe: Wild, Weird and Wicked Weather' Set for July 12?

Floods, tornadoes and dry spells may have you wondering what's going on with this wild, weird and wicked weather lately. What's the short- and long-term forecast for this and coming years? Do you have a personal weather story you would like to share?

Join the University of Arkansas "Science Café: Food For Thought" event from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 12, with a panel of experts set to facilitate a relaxed evening of interaction, information and discussion.

This event at Powerhouse Seafood and Grill, 112 N. University Ave. in Fayetteville, is free and open to the public. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Panel members will be John Hehr, professor of climate and meteorology, and Dorian Burnett, a storm chaser in the department of geosciences.

For more information, contact Lynne Hehr at lhehr@uark.edu.

Keywords: Events Lectures Science Sustainability & Environment

Contacts:

Heidi Stambuck, director of communication
College of Education and Health Professions
479-575-3138, stambuck@uark.edu

Climate-action forum Friday week: See information and map below

2011-05-11T20:23:00.000-05:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE.

View Larger Map

Invitation to attend Earth Day 2011 at World Peace Wetland Prairie and share your information on environmental and natural-resource conservation

2011-04-15T23:19:00.002-05:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Donna Stjerna and Kelly Mullholan's poster for Earth Day 2011 at World Peace Wetland Prairie.

World Peace Wetland Prairie EARTH DAY 2010 VIDEO
Flickr collection of sets of photos from World Peace Wetland Prairie
World Peace Wetland Prairie blog
World Peace Wetland Prairie.com
Aubrey's photos at flickr.com

2000-2005 archive of stories and photos related to creation of WPWP: www.aubunique.com

Please use link below the map to see larger view of the WPWP area, which also allows a person to travel the world by 'Google AIR' by simply using the cursor to move in any direction or search for other addresses.

View World Peace Wetland Prairie in a larger map

Video running this week (11 a.m., 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Monday through Friday on Fayetteville public-access television

2011-04-04T23:20:00.002-05:00

2005 November 27 to December 4 video

2011-03-30T09:43:00.002-05:00

Something Arkansas does NOT need now: Disastrous House Bill 1895 could be voted on by Arkansas Senate tomorrow

2011-03-24T22:51:00.000-05:00

In the News...			GET INVOLVED...
Get the most up-to-date, national news from Sierra Club at the Sierra Club Press Room. Get local news about Arkansas legislative issues at the Arkansas Citizens First Congress site. Important Legislative Update: The Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWECPO) has drafted HB 1895 which would make it much easier for utilities to get power plants approved under the radar, hurt ratepayers and cut the public out of the commenting process. The bill can be found at http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Pages/BillInformation.aspx?measureno=HB1895 This bill is bad on several levels: 1) HB 1895, written by the utility Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO), would change the utility law that is the subject of pending litigation in suits where SWEPCO is a party. Changing the law right before a judge makes a ruling is not a tactic of which I want my legislature to be a part. 2) This bill would create a “declaration of need” proceeding to determine whether there should be more electricity production in Arkansas, but not create public notice requirements for the proceeding. If a government agency is conducting a decision making process that could later on affect my utility rates, I want to make sure that I’m given the opportunity to be a part of that discussion. And I won’t know how to attend if the law doesn’t require me to be notified. 3) HB 1895 would tip the scales to the utilities so that they can pressure government to raise electric rates even more. The bill would create a separate “declaration of need” proceeding where a determination for the need of increased electric capacity would provide the basis for utilities to recover new costs through increased rates. We, the ratepayers, would be stuck with higher bills. Unfortunately, it has already passed the Arkansas House. It is possible that this bill will wind up on the Senate floor, and we need concerned citizens to call their senators now and urge them to vote NO on HB 1895. In order to find your own senator, visit: http://www.arkansas.gov/senate/senatorSearch.html For more information about the bill, please contact: Lev Guter Associate Field Organizer Sierra Club - Arkansas lev.guter@sierraclub.org (941) 779-3337

What Arkansas needs NOW!

2011-03-24T21:15:00.001-05:00

Local Pipeline Safety Policy
http://www.pstrust.org/resources/regs/local_pol.htm

Model Setback Ordinance for Transmission Pipelines
http://www.mrsc.org/Subjects/PubSafe/pipesetbackord.aspx

Myths and Misleading Statements About Oil and Natural Gas Pipelines
http://www.pstrust.org/library/myths.htm

2010 video of dedication of Bennett House as OMNI Center for Peace Justice and Ecology and Demonstration in front of Blanche Lincoln's Fayetteville office

2011-03-16T12:29:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, March 15

2011-03-15T08:49:00.000-05:00

Peter Byck, director and producer, is coming to Fayetteville to screen his latest documentary, Carbon Nation, on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 7:00 pm at the University of Arkansas’ Global Campus on the square in Fayetteville. A second screening has been scheduled for 2:00 pm, same location. Fayetteville will be among the first cities in the nation to screen this film featuring climate change solutions. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Click here to see a trailer of the film: www.carbonnation.tv. Click here to reserve your ticket: https://secure.sceao.uark.edu/EventCalendar/default.aspx

Brought to you by the UA Applied Sustainability Center, UA Global Campus, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, the Arkansas Chapter of the Sierra Club, the League of Women Voters of Washington County, and Arkansas Interfaith Power & Light.

Managing Director

Applied Sustainability Center

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR 72701

479.575.3044 (O) 479.200.8262 (C) www.asc.uark.edu

Make your personal sustainability pledge: www.ecologicalcommunities.org

Set up your personal dashboard: www.earthaid.net

Night before Streamside Ordinance was passed by City Council, it was discussed during Ward 4 meeting

2011-03-05T11:19:00.002-06:00

Second part of Jan. 26, 2007, video of OMNI annual meeting and discussion of creation of Carbon Caps Task Force

2011-01-26T14:59:00.000-06:00

January 26, 2007, OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology meeting that led to formation of Carbon Caps Task force, which now operates as Climate Change Task Force

2011-01-26T09:43:00.001-06:00

Audubon's Wilson Spring wetland nature area on Jan. 19, 2011: 185 photos from a 2-mile walk with Mike Mhlodnow

2011-01-20T11:33:00.000-06:00

Wilson Spring nature area: Tagging along with one of Northwest Arkansas' most dedicated and talented birders.

Please click on image to ENLARGE and use link above to view more photos of Mike and the scenes along the way.

2007 Springfest and Earth Day video by Aubrey James Shepherd

2011-01-15T14:27:00.002-06:00

Storm-water control left incomplete on building site from July 2006 until late 2009: A sample video from September 18, 2006

2011-01-14T19:41:00.002-06:00

Petroleum MADNESS prevails: Public meetings tackle lignite coal mines for Arkansas - todaysthv.com | KTHV | Little Rock, AR

2011-01-07T17:15:00.001-06:00

Public meetings tackle lignite coal mines for Arkansas - todaysthv.com | KTHV | Little Rock, AR

Please speak up now: Full disclosure of chemicals used in fracking is open for comment to the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission

2011-01-07T16:33:00.000-06:00

To those interested in the natural gas development in Arkansas:

Pittsburgh stands first in the country to have banned the fracking process from their city. Attending the rally before the vote was Josh Fox giving a spirited speech. I thought you would be interested to hear the passion he displays even after the long involvement he has had with this project.

Update on Arkansas activity:

Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission -

Jan. 10th is the cutoff date to make comment requesting full disclosure of all fracking chemicals by CAS identification. While there have been improvements made to the Oil & Gas Commissions rule on disclosure, it is incomplete by failing to incorporate the Federal standards for proprietary secrecy. A simple request that they finish to the job of disclosing chemicals for public safety and land owner consideration is in order. Request that all comments be extended to the commissioners as well. Use the following information to make comment:

EMAIL: Larry.Bengal@aogc.state.ar.us

Copy to: Commissioners - Chad White, Chairman, W. Frank Morledge, Charles Wohlford, Bill Poynter, Mike Davis, Kenneth Williams, William L. Dawkins, Jr., Jerry Langley, and Chris Weiser

Mr. Lawrence C. Bengal, Director

Production and Conservation

Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission

301 Natural Resources Drive, Suite 102

Little Rock, Arkansas 72205

Subject: Full disclosure of chemical constituents used in natural gas fracking

Issue: The current B-19 ruling is incomplete in providing limited claims for proprietary formulas. The best approach would be full disclosure of every constituent by CAS identification, but at minimum the Federal guidelines for trade secrets should be included in the rule in their entirety. The current wording is incomplete and does not provide how secrecy would be granted or what percentage would be allowed.

Thank you for assisting with this important comment, if you are able to help. Pass the word.

OMNI needs to go after this now. OMNI people have been trying to get such a station for several years

2010-12-26T19:17:00.001-06:00

Local Community Radio Act passes in Congress.
Community radio advocates are celebrating a major victory after the Senate approved the Local Community Radio Act last Saturday, one day after its passage in the House. The bill will open up more of the radio dial for Low Power FM, with the FCC now mandated to license thousands of new stations.

Jim Bemis speaks at Telecom Board meeting on December 16, 2010

2010-12-18T21:54:00.002-06:00

GOVERNMENT CHANNEL SCHEDULE published Friday, December 17, 2010, the day following Telecom Board meeting, does not include Telecom Board meeting video to be run during week of 12/17/2010 through 12/12/2010. Bemis' comments, therefore, will not be shown on Cox Cable or AT&T U-verse until long after the Fayetteville City Council meeting at which the CAT contract will be voted on Tuesday, December 21, 2010.
Please click on individual pages to ENLARGE for easy reading.

World Peace Wetland Prairie was once approved to be an apartment complex but Town Branch Neighborhood gathered friends to make it a city nature park

2010-12-11T23:57:00.001-06:00

World Peace Wetland Prairie's Earth Day 2010 celebration video

2010-12-11T10:54:00.002-06:00

Buy a federal duck stamp to provide habitat for waterfowl and many other species all over the continent

2010-12-05T11:25:00.000-06:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE.

Hunting season dates in Arkansas

December meeting of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

October 25, 2010, video clip from World Peace Wetland Prairie

2010-11-24T11:28:00.002-06:00

Doug Tallamy comments on planting trees and avoiding mowing to fight climate change

2010-11-22T09:30:00.015-06:00

Professor Doug Tallamy's magnificent book, Bringing Nature Home, provides thousands of reasons for planting native species and protecting the air, water, soil and food for human beings and all living things.

Please click on individual images of pages from Bringing Nature Home to ENLARGE for easy reading of samples of Doug Tallamy's work.

Please click on image to ENLARGE for reading.

Cox Cable changes of interest to viewers of Fayetteville's public channels

2010-11-21T20:46:00.000-06:00

aubunique: Streamside protection ordinance can prevent futur...

2010-11-09T20:39:00.000-06:00

aubunique: Streamside protection ordinance can prevent futur...: "Flickr photos of destruction of riparian zone of Tanglewood Branch while destroying historical grain elevator More Tanglewood Branch photos..."

Cox Cable pulls surprise on city of Fayetteville, Arkansas, with plan to move public-access, government channel and educational channel to EXPENSIVE digital tier of channels: So much for open government when thousands of people will not be able to afford access to the public channels

2010-11-08T22:05:00.002-06:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Cox Cable advertisement in recent issue of The Northwest Arkansas Times.

For several years I have been able to turn away phone and online salesmen wanting me to take the satellite systems and later the Uverse TV system of AT&T. But now Cox has set up a situation that will require me to drop their service and take the Uverse, which will automatically cut my cost because I have AT&T phone service already. Cox has one thing the others don't have: The local public stations at minimal cost. This is the time for the city administration to begin negotiating with COX. This is a draconian measure that will hurt COX in the long run.

Comments on riparian ordinance during October 2010 meeting of Fayetteville Planning Commission by Fran Deane Alexander and Aubrey James Shepherd

2010-11-01T12:19:00.002-05:00

Doug Tallamy succintly describes the thesis of his 'Bringing Nature Home' about gardening with native species to sustain native wildlife

2010-10-24T14:53:00.002-05:00

Doug Tallamy's audio-only podcast. Please click HERE to listen online.

Aubrey Shepherd quoted on UATV on October 20, 2010, on significance of demolition of old grain elevator in south Fayetteville, Arkansas

2010-10-20T22:57:00.001-05:00

Highway Commission vote could end mowing and dredging practices that cause erosion, loss of wildlife habitat and decrease beauty of roadsides in Arkansas

2010-10-17T10:37:00.000-05:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE. Two hours after this photo was made on October 12, 2010, this area had been brushogged into oblivion. Sure, the swamp milkweed will sprout from its roots next summer. But these plants not only held pods offering hundreds of milkweed seeds but also were feeding milkweed caterpillars that could have made chrysalises and become final 2010 generation monarchs traveling to Mexico and with a chance to return in spring and find fresh milkweed on which a new generation of monarchs could have been raised to keep the cycle of life intact for this seriously threatened species of migrating butterfly. If you want to talk to your Northwest Arkansas representative on the Highway Commission, he is Dick Trammel.

Monarch caterpillars were still eating the foliage of these swamp milkweeds and the seed pods were almost mature when the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department Mowers came down the road and crushed and cut them off near the ground. Amazing hypocrisy for a state agency that touts its wildflower program. And possibly worse hypocrisy is touting its stormwater-protection work and then mowing and dredging ditches repeatedly every year.

Please click on individual images to ENLARGE view.

To learn more about the Arkansas Highway Commission, please see AHC link.

Biologists scour Mojave in desert tortoise roundup - latimes.com

2010-10-09T20:11:00.000-05:00

Biologists scour Mojave in desert tortoise roundup - latimes.com

Help make Fayetteville an Eco-Logical Community: Learn how on Sunday

2010-10-07T08:37:00.004-05:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE

aubunique: Insect Festival coming up

2010-10-06T20:29:00.000-05:00

aubunique: Insect Festival coming up: "Please use live links on site to navigate and read more detail. Bumpers College Home Entomology Home O..."

aubunique: Tree and Landscape Committee sets annual city tree...

2010-10-06T10:57:00.000-05:00

aubunique: Tree and Landscape Committee sets annual city tree...: "12th Annual Celebration of TreesSaturday October 9, 2010 7:00 am Town Center entrance on the Fayetteville SquareEvery year the Tree and Lan..."

Natural-resource conservation short video clips by Aubrey James Shepherd

2010-09-29T14:46:00.005-05:00

Northwest Arkansas Ducks Unlimited banquet on September 24, 2010, at Washington County Fairground

2010-09-10T22:38:00.000-05:00

Start the celebration early for the Alabama game by attending the Northwest Arkansas Ducks Unlimited membership banquet at the Washington County Fairgrounds. Lots of great food, unique auction items and plenty of prizes.
Individual, couple, Sponsor and Corporate tables for eight are available. To purchase your tickets online please click the Buy Tickets link below.

If you're interested in becoming a volunteer on the committee, or would like more information on the banquet, please contact me at the email address shown. Be sure to forward this email to friends and fellow duck hunters who would also like to attend the banquet.
Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Illinois River waterfowl on January 6, 2010.

An illustrated guide to the latest climate science link below

2010-09-06T09:42:00.000-05:00

The Progression of Climate Science.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Free-T-Shirt--Ice-Cream-at--Energy-for-the-Environment--Rally--Sat--12--2-PM.html?soid=1102624119018&aid=JN8grkk4uv

2010-09-01T21:48:00.000-05:00

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Free-T-Shirt--Ice-Cream-at--Energy-for-the-Environment--Rally--Sat--12--2-PM.html?soid=1102624119018&aid=JN8grkk4uvg&share=fblike

aubunique: OMNI needs more volunteers to man the table speaki...

2010-08-29T09:59:00.000-05:00

aubunique: OMNI needs more volunteers to man the table speaki...: "Please click on individual images to ENLARGE and display wider view of poet John Rule talking about OMNI Center's message of peace to visito..."

Aug9 aubrey.asf

2010-08-27T09:20:00.000-05:00

Please attend tonight's meeting of the Council of Neighborhoods: Agenda below

2010-08-26T13:25:00.001-05:00

Please double-click on the image to ENLARGE and widen view of swallowtail on World Peace Wetland Prairie in the Town Branch neighborhood on August 25, 2010, or scroll down to read about Fayetteville's Council of Neighborhoods and Thursday night's meeting of that group in city hall. Please see agenda for the meeting at the bottom of the post.

Please check the agenda and notice that there are two significant presentations slated for Council of Neighborhoods for August 26, 2010. In addition, all people who attend may report on anything of interest to them or others in their neighborhood or on any matter of importance to residents of the city. Many important issues have first surfaced when one person showed up and shared at Council of Neighborhoods. Chances are good that you may get to meet the people who are running for half the positions on the the City Council. And other candidates for public office also may be there. People who attend are not required to speak but have the opportunity to speak on Government Channel or simply meet representatives of other neighborhoods before and after the meeting and suggest subjects for future agendas. If you have never been contacted by anyone from your neighborhood association or don't believe there is an organization in your neighborhood, you can give your address to Julie McQuade, whose contact information is at the bottom of the agenda below, and she can tell you whether one exists and who to contact or how to form one if none exists. Everyone is always welcome at Council of Neighborhoods and often multiple city employees are on hand to answer questions and offer advice on problems people may mention during the meeting. I hope to be early and help create a "quorum." If you have never attended, please give it a try. If you can't attend, watch for the broadcast on Government Channel starting Friday, Saturday or Sunday or one day next week. The Government Channel schedule for the coming week usually is online on Friday afternoon. Of course, if we don't show up, there may not be a quorum and the meeting won't be recorded and shown on City 16.

AGENDA FOR A MEETING OF THE

FAYETTEVILLE COUNCIL OF NEIGHBORHOODS

Thursday, August 26, 2010, 6:00 p.m.

Room 326, City Hall

Call to Order

1. Introduction of neighborhood representatives

2. No minutes from July meeting to approve.

3. Eco-Logical Communities - Michele Halsell

4. Certified Community Habitat

5. Chairman’s report

6. Treasurer’s report

7. Neighborhood Updates & Announcements

8. September 30, 2010 Meeting - Candidate Forum

Adjourn

Julie McQuadeCommunity Outreach Coordinator
City of Fayetteville

113 West Mountain, Suite 320

Fayetteville, AR 72701
(479) 575-8302

www.accessfayetteville.org

TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) 479-521-1316

Two such wetland plants growing together are a strong indicator of wetland

2010-08-15T22:09:00.001-05:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE and widen view of Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) and Verbena hastata (swamp vervain) growing together on south Fayetteville wetland.

Diana fritillary on butterfly milkweed on June 21, 2010 CATRO_Title_03_0...

2010-07-22T19:23:00.000-05:00

Cup plant is potential new biomass/carbon storage crop

2010-07-19T01:55:00.002-05:00

Cup plant is potential new biomass/carbon storage crop

Cup plants get 12 feet tall in wet years even in the peace-circle garden of World Peace Wetland Prairie. Please click on individual images to enlarge view of cup plants on July 18, 2010, in peace-circle garden of WPWP, some knocked down by recent powerful rainstorms.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 24, 2010) — South Dakota State University research is exploring a native perennial called cup plant as a potential new biomass crop that could also store carbon in its extensive root system and add biodiversity to biomass plantings.

See Also:

Plants & Animals

Earth & Climate

Reference

Researchers are exploring whether cup plant could be grown in low, moist prairies generally unfit for cropland. It would be grown and processed along with native grasses grown for biomass.

"We anticipate down the road there's going to be a need and maybe even a market for plants that can store carbon under ground and be part of a biomass production system," SDSU professor Arvid Boe said.

Boe, a plant breeder, is the lead investigator on a grant of $324,336 from the U.S. Department of Energy channeled through the SDSU-based North Central Sun Grant Center. Project goals include studying genetic variation and developing molecular markers in cup plant populations from the eastern Great Plains; developing new cultivars that can be grown in combination with other biomass crops; determining best practices such as seeding rate, row spacing, harvest timing and nutrient management so that producers will know how to grow the plant; determining life histories of insect pests; and determining biochemical composition.

Boe said cup plant, or Silphium perfoliatum, is a member of the sunflower family found in moist low ground in the eastern Great Plains, where it can grow more than 7 feet tall. It has large seeds and good seedling vigor, and it yields a lot of biomass.

"It's conspicuous in the prairie as a very productive forb in a tallgrass prairie where you have your major grasses such as big bluestem, switchgrass and prairie cordgrass," Boe said. "We haven't come up with too many things to grow with our grasses to add biodiversity to these biofuel mixtures that we're anticipating growing down the road. It's very compatible with such things as switchgrass and prairie cordgrass and big bluestem."

Boe said scientists don't envision planting entire fields of cup plant. Instead they view it as one in a mix of biomass species that would be seeded in zones best suited for them, just as in the original tallgrass prairie. Boe and his colleagues -- borrowing a term used years ago by conservationist Erling Jacobson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service -- speak of "sculpting the landscape" with native grasses best suited to different locations in the prairie.

"We don't necessarily have a mix at any particular area, but we have various species wherever they're best adapted on the landscape. It doesn't make any sense for us to have mix switchgrass, big bluestem and prairie cordgrass together and plant it over a whole field. After five years, the species that are best adapted are going to take over anyway in their particular niche," Boe said.

"We're going to go in and we're going to plant essentially monocultures of these various species where they were in the original tallgrass prairie. There were monocultural stands in the tallgrass prairie, but they were zonal."

Cup plant is probably best suited to the same kind of terrain that switchgrass likes, Boe said, just above the prairie cordgrass zone, and possibly all the way up to the edge of the big bluestem zone.

"It fits the low prairie or moist prairie-type environment that we're shooting for and might even work out pretty well with prairie cordgrass," Boe said. "So we add diversity to that low prairie environment that is marginal land not suitable for cropland and also not a good environment for switchgrass to grow. We're not taking cropland out of production to put cup plant in there. We think it will grow in areas where crops wouldn't survive or couldn't even be planted on a regular basis."

Cup plant is likely to increase biodiversity in a plant community because it attracts a variety of insects and even birds. Goldfinches drink out of the leaves, and the stems provide perch areas for grassland birds.

SDSU professor Paul Johnson, an entomologist, adds that SDSU is also interested in a species of moth called Eucosma giganteana, first described by a scientist in 1881, that seems to have cup plant as its only host plant.

"In South Dakota, the giant eucosma has recently become more than just another interesting prairie insect because of interest in using cup plant as a biomass crop," Johnson said.

Larvae feed in the rapidly growing terminal structures, especially buds, where the damage can be extensive, often leading to complete loss of floral production. The end result can be significant loss of biomass through stunting and loss of vigor in the plants.

"Turning cup plant into a commodity thus converts the giant eucosma into a pest of significant concern," Johnson said.

"It's another case of a native prairie plant becoming a crop and the conversion of a previously neglected native plant predator to a pest."

Johnson is studying the life history of the giant eucosma as part of the SDSU project.

Perennial grasses will always be the base for biomass production, but cup plant is a complementary species, scientists say. Increasing number of species in the mix reduces probability of plant disease and insect pests attacking one species and causing large losses in yield.

Besides Boe and Johnson, other investigators in the project including forage researcher Vance Owens, plant scientist Catherine Carter and biochemist Duane Matthees, all of SDSU; Alex Kahler of Brookings, S.D.-based Biogenetic Services; and professor Ken Albrecht of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an agronomist. University of Wisconsin research has already looked at cup plant as a perennial silage crop, but exploring it as a biomass crop is new.

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DSCN7073Clasping leaf milkweed SEED.AVI

2010-07-18T14:57:00.000-05:00

NCAT announces that Arkansas among 3 states chosen to launch National Energy Corps program

2010-07-13T13:07:00.001-05:00

Arkansas Chosen as One of 3 States to Launch National Energy Corps Program

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service to launch the National Energy Corps AmeriCorps program.

By forming collaborations with local non-profit organizations, community action agencies, local governments and energy service organizations, the National Energy Corps initiative will foster community sustainability by addressing the core challenges of clean energy:

* Hands-on Energy Assistance
* Energy Education and Outreach
* Community Energy Planning and Organizing
* Green Jobs Training and Skills Development

The National Energy Corps program is an AmeriCorps initiative of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) in cooperation with The Corporation for National and Community Service that was created to address unmet community energy needs by promoting sustainable energy consumption and
education, fostering community sustainability and helping to mitigate the effects of global climate change.

The National Energy Corps initiative builds on the success of the Montana Energy Corps pilot, a program funded by the Montana Governor’s Office of Community Service. Since October of 2009, Energy Corps members in Montana have been busy assisting with weatherization services for low-incomes areas,
developing clean energy awareness campaigns for communities and performing community building energy audits on reservations.

“We see a need for sustainable energy services across the country,” says Energy Corps Program Director Holly Hill. “The Energy Corps program has been a great success in Montana and we hope we can replicate that success on a larger scale.”

As a product of the successful Montana Energy Corps program, the National Energy Corps initiative will launch this fall in three additional states, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Arkansas. The Arkansas Energy Corps program will be managed by the NCAT Southeast Regional Office, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
NCAT Southeast Regional Office Director Margo Hale says, “The Southeast Regional office is thrilled to be one of three states to launch the National Energy Corps initiative. This is a great opportunity for our region and our state.”

Arkansas will have approximately 15 National Energy Corps positions available, beginning in September 2010. Energy Corps members will serve an 11 month term of service and receive the same benefits as an AmeriCorps member, which include a monthly living stipend, an education award, health insurance
and a experience of a lifetime providing direct services to their community. National Energy Corps members will be placed with host organizations in communities throughout the state of Arkansas to implement solutions for sustainable energy.

NCAT is currently accepting applications from non-profit organizations interested in hosting an Energy Corps member. Host organizations will be required to provide a detailed description of how an Energy Corps member working for their program will facilitate clean energy-related services.

Applications for host organizations must be submitted by the close of business by July 20, 2010. More detailed information regarding this partnership opportunity is available by reviewing the full application instructions attached or by contacting Holly Hill at 406-494-8652/hollyh@ncat.org or Melissa Terry at 479.575.1382/melissat@ncat.org.

###

The National Center for Appropriate Technology is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976. NCAT’s innovative and diverse projects in the fields of
sustainable energy, sustainable agriculture and rural community development are supported by foundations, government/private sector grants and contracts, as well as through individual contributions and memberships.

--
AR Energy Corps Coordinator
National Center for Appropriate Technology
SE Field Office
207 W. Center
Fayetteville, AR 72701
www.ncat.org
479.575.1385

EPA confirms new cap-and-trade bill inadequate

2010-06-23T21:30:00.001-05:00

EPA Analysis Confirms Inadequacy of New Cap and Trade Bill

When reporting EPA’s economic analysis of Sens. Kerry and Lieberman’s “American Power Act” legislation last week, most outlets focused on its questionable projections of relatively low costs to US households. Yet, the most newsworthy aspect of the agency’s report was buried in the middle of the analysis on pages 25 and 31.
Federal analysts found the Senate cap and trade bill will not only fail to cut petroleum use in the next 20 years, but will actually increase our reliance up to 2030. Then, surprisingly, after 2030 the analysis expects that America will not be able to decrease emissions enough to stay under the proposed cap. This deficiency will result in higher costs for emissions permits and higher energy prices for American households – a fact upon which the bill’s proponents have been noticeably silent despite its potentially huge implications for the overall analysis of the cost of the program – not to mention its efficiency.
Volatility inherent in commodity markets is just one of the fundamental flaws in the kind of cap and trade systemalready in place in Europe. By failing to put a steady price on carbon, an emissions trading scheme lacks the ability to give businesses the needed incentives to switch to clean energy. A failure to make the transition to a clean economy represents a serious problem for both the climate and Washington’s clean energy agenda.
With its Emissions Trading System (ETS) in place since 2005,, Europe has experienced firsthand its inability tosignificantly reduce emissions, send a steady market signal, and avoid distorting market influences. Manipulation, cheating, and outright fraud run rampant in the European system as market specialist use insiders’ knowledge and regulators’ ignorance to their advantage to skim profits, thereby increasing national energy prices. Risky derivatives markets have also arisen in the EU program, fueling risk taking on a scale larger than the US housing market, which recently ignited a global recession when its bubble burst. A recent study by Harvard professor Richard Cooper analyzes the various phases of implementing the ETS, highlighting the layers of unintended consequences such systems place on national economies.
Hopefully, Americans can heed the warnings of the European system while grasping EPA’s findings, which indicate a similar future here at home. From the lessons learned, we must select a more suitable climate policy. This policy would need to include a steady price on carbon to send the right market signals, while having minimal costs to energy consumers in order to remain politically viable. Such a policy option exists, and it is about time we start discussing it in order to responsibly address America’s energy future.

John Rule to read from his own poetry today at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 22, 2010, at Nightbird Books on Dickson Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas. TONIGHT!

2010-06-22T17:14:00.004-05:00

Please click on image to enlarge to read introductory page and half of book's first poem.

John Rule served on the Carbon Caps Task Force for several years.

This buckeye butterfly was on nonnative butterfly bush in the peace-circle portion of the World Peace Wetland Prairie on June 11, 2010. You may be able to see it and many other pollinators Saturday June 12, 2010, at some of the 8 private gardens on the OMNI Tour of Peace Gardens

2010-06-11T18:29:00.003-05:00

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of Buddleia with Precis coenea nectaring on it on June 11, 2010, at World Peace Wetland Prairie in Fayetteville, Arkansas. For interactive map and information about 2010 OMNI Peace Garden Tour, please see OMNI Peace Gardens blog.

Clean Air Act intact for the moment!

2010-06-10T23:29:00.000-05:00

SPECIAL UPDATE — DIRTY AIR ACT IS DEFEATED!

Dear Aubrey,

Thanks to your efforts, the Clean Air Act still stands as one of our most important environmental laws, protecting public health and the environment.

Today the the Senate defeated Senator Murkowski's Resolution to cripple the Clean Air Act, and let oil and other corporate polluters off the hook.

By a narrow margin, the Senate voted 53-47 to uphold EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas pollution and put science ahead of politics when it comes to public health and putting our country on a clean energy path.

Thank you for sending emails to your Senators — more than once! It took a strong and concerted outcry from many Americans to defeat this resolution. Our work is not finished until we have comprehensive energy and climate legislation but we will continue to work toward that goal and we know we can count on your help.

Thank you!

Help us to spread the word:
Tell-a-friend!

Contact your senators to protect clean air NOW

2010-06-08T09:21:00.000-05:00

Hi Friend,

This Thursday June 10, the U.S. Senate will vote on Senator Lisa Murkowski's (R-AK) "Dirty Air Act" resolution. The vote is, sadly, too close to call -- and we need your help! The "Dirty Air Act" resolution would gut the Clean Air Act's ability to crack down on the dirtiest climate polluters like Big Oil and Dirty Coal.

I've recorded a video about the importance of this vote, and why we all need to step up and tell our senators to reject this move to gut the Clean Air Act. Watch the video, then send your senators a message: tell them to vote 'NO' on Murkowski's "Dirty Air Act" (S.J. Res 26):

The Gulf Coast oil disaster and the recent coal mine tragedy in West Virginia show us what happens when we let dirty polluters run amok. Now Senator Murkowski wants to take away our best tool to keep these companies from further wrecking our lives and the planet with their climate pollution.

Please take action right away! Tell your senators to stand up to dirty polluters like BP and Massey energy by voting 'NO' on the Murkowski resolution.

In unity,

Gillian Caldwell
Campaign Director, 1Sky

Get Local! Become a Climate Precinct Captain

How do I donate? Fund our efforts and make bold climate action a reality

Join our network:

'New report shows aquatic life declines at early stages of urban development'

2010-06-03T12:05:00.001-05:00

'New report shows aquatic life declines at early stages of urban development'

2010-06-03T12:05:00.000-05:00

'New report shows aquatic life declines at early stages of urban development'

Ask Obama to stop offshore drilling

2010-05-27T09:09:00.000-05:00

northwestarkansasaudubonsociety.blogspot.com
Stop offshore drilling

Arkansas Supreme Court rules SWEPCO coal-fired power-plant approval

2010-05-13T11:32:00.002-05:00

Thursday, May 13, 2010 9:38 a.m.

Hello AUBREY!

Breaking news

SWEPCO approval process ruled unlawful

By The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Posted: May 13, 2010 9:34 a.m.

Opponents of Southwestern Electric Power Co.'s coal-fired power plant under construction in Hempstead County won a three-year battle Thursday when the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that the process for approving the plant was unlawful.
» Read story

Climate Change Task Force, formerly Carbon Caps Task Force

Climate scientists document global climate change with dramatic evidence

Many photos from Moving Planet Day available at link below

Fayetteville Environmental Action Committee meeting of 15 September 2011

EAARTH by Bill McKibben featured in 2 p.m. Sunday September 18, 2011, program of the Climate Change Book Series at Fayetteville Public Library: Read Louise Mann's comments, please

Minutes of recent meeting of Climate Change Task Force

Enabling Legislation cultivates a climate of market certainty which attracts private investment

Town Branch Neighborhood Association meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, August 30, 2011, welcomes everyone who chooses to attend

to discuss plan for apartment complex adjacent to National Cemetery, streamside-protection ordinance, neighborhood watch, urban wildlife-habitat certification of private property, natural-yard option approved by City Council and anything of importance in our neighborhood and city

Greg Howe has resigned to take a job in a wonderful place to the northwest. His final meeting of Fayetteville's Tree and Landscape Committee, now known as the Urban Forestry Board

« Welcome to The Native Plants in the Landscape Conference

The Future of Gardening by Neil Diboll

University of Vermont ExtensionDepartment of Plant and Soil Science

Two five-minute nature videos recorded on 28 July 2011 to be run on Fayetteville Public Television from Monday, August 1, 2011, through Friday, August 5, 2011

Graphic carbon dioxide Web site worth visiting: Site looks incomplete here, but click on the links. They are live and take the reader to the site itself

Mauna Loa CO2 Data Sets:

Carbon Emissions 2009

Cause and Effect

Know CO2

Know GHGs

Latest News

UA's Science Cafe host for climate presentation by John Hehr and Dorian Burnett at 6:30 p.m. at Powerhouse Seafood on University Avenue just south of Dickson Street

The UA is hosting this talk tonight at Powerhouse on weather and climate. See below from the UA Newswire.

'Science Cafe: Wild, Weird and Wicked Weather' Set for July 12?

Contacts:

Climate-action forum Friday week: See information and map below

Invitation to attend Earth Day 2011 at World Peace Wetland Prairie and share your information on environmental and natural-resource conservation

Video running this week (11 a.m., 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Monday through Friday on Fayetteville public-access television

2005 November 27 to December 4 video

Something Arkansas does NOT need now: Disastrous House Bill 1895 could be voted on by Arkansas Senate tomorrow

What Arkansas needs NOW!

2010 video of dedication of Bennett House as OMNI Center for Peace Justice and Ecology and Demonstration in front of Blanche Lincoln's Fayetteville office

Tuesday, March 15

Night before Streamside Ordinance was passed by City Council, it was discussed during Ward 4 meeting

Second part of Jan. 26, 2007, video of OMNI annual meeting and discussion of creation of Carbon Caps Task Force

January 26, 2007, OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology meeting that led to formation of Carbon Caps Task force, which now operates as Climate Change Task Force

Audubon's Wilson Spring wetland nature area on Jan. 19, 2011: 185 photos from a 2-mile walk with Mike Mhlodnow

2007 Springfest and Earth Day video by Aubrey James Shepherd

Storm-water control left incomplete on building site from July 2006 until late 2009: A sample video from September 18, 2006

Petroleum MADNESS prevails: Public meetings tackle lignite coal mines for Arkansas - todaysthv.com | KTHV | Little Rock, AR

Please speak up now: Full disclosure of chemicals used in fracking is open for comment to the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission

OMNI needs to go after this now. OMNI people have been trying to get such a station for several years

Jim Bemis speaks at Telecom Board meeting on December 16, 2010

World Peace Wetland Prairie was once approved to be an apartment complex but Town Branch Neighborhood gathered friends to make it a city nature park

World Peace Wetland Prairie's Earth Day 2010 celebration video

Buy a federal duck stamp to provide habitat for waterfowl and many other species all over the continent

October 25, 2010, video clip from World Peace Wetland Prairie

Doug Tallamy comments on planting trees and avoiding mowing to fight climate change

Cox Cable changes of interest to viewers of Fayetteville's public channels

aubunique: Streamside protection ordinance can prevent futur...

Cox Cable pulls surprise on city of Fayetteville, Arkansas, with plan to move public-access, government channel and educational channel to EXPENSIVE digital tier of channels: So much for open government when thousands of people will not be able to afford access to the public channels

Comments on riparian ordinance during October 2010 meeting of Fayetteville Planning Commission by Fran Deane Alexander and Aubrey James Shepherd

Doug Tallamy succintly describes the thesis of his 'Bringing Nature Home' about gardening with native species to sustain native wildlife

Aubrey Shepherd quoted on UATV on October 20, 2010, on significance of demolition of old grain elevator in south Fayetteville, Arkansas

Highway Commission vote could end mowing and dredging practices that cause erosion, loss of wildlife habitat and decrease beauty of roadsides in Arkansas

Biologists scour Mojave in desert tortoise roundup - latimes.com

Help make Fayetteville an Eco-Logical Community: Learn how on Sunday

aubunique: Insect Festival coming up

aubunique: Tree and Landscape Committee sets annual city tree...

Natural-resource conservation short video clips by Aubrey James Shepherd

Northwest Arkansas Ducks Unlimited banquet on September 24, 2010, at Washington County Fairground

An illustrated guide to the latest climate science link below

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Free-T-Shirt--Ice-Cream-at--Energy-for-the-Environment--Rally--Sat--12--2-PM.html?soid=1102624119018&aid=JN8grkk4uv

aubunique: OMNI needs more volunteers to man the table speaki...

Aug9 aubrey.asf

Please attend tonight's meeting of the Council of Neighborhoods: Agenda below

Two such wetland plants growing together are a strong indicator of wetland

Diana fritillary on butterfly milkweed on June 21, 2010 CATRO_Title_03_0...

Cup plant is potential new biomass/carbon storage crop

DSCN7073Clasping leaf milkweed SEED.AVI

NCAT announces that Arkansas among 3 states chosen to launch National Energy Corps program

EPA confirms new cap-and-trade bill inadequate

EPA Analysis Confirms Inadequacy of New Cap and Trade Bill

John Rule to read from his own poetry today at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 22, 2010, at Nightbird Books on Dickson Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas. TONIGHT!

This buckeye butterfly was on nonnative butterfly bush in the peace-circle portion of the World Peace Wetland Prairie on June 11, 2010. You may be able to see it and many other pollinators Saturday June 12, 2010, at some of the 8 private gardens on the OMNI Tour of Peace Gardens

Clean Air Act intact for the moment!

Contact your senators to protect clean air NOW

'New report shows aquatic life declines at early stages of urban development'

'New report shows aquatic life declines at early stages of urban development'

Ask Obama to stop offshore drilling

University of Vermont Extension
Department of Plant and Soil Science