Archive for the ‘environment’ tag
Jason Morris jolts Madison Park high school students with a demo on computer power use
Students at Madison Park’s Information Support Services and Networking program were surprised to learn that the computers in their new computer lab were more power efficient than the old ones. Jason Morris, our Sustainable IT Coordinator, conducted a program at the school last week to familiarize the students with the basics of green computing. The highlight of the program was when students used watt meters to measure equipment around the lab. Instructors David Case and Jack Casey, along with Joe Chard from the Boston Private Industry Council, were there as well.
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If you like this then please subscribe to the Helping Businesses Survive and Thrive in a New Economy
As President of the Sustainable Business Network, I have been reflecting on our mission in the context of our current recession. Are local business owners are fully aware of the new economic, environmental, and political realities? What does it mean that we are just coming out of 8 years of hypnotism and denial from the Bush administration? During tough times, it is important to cut back on business activities that are not destined to provide value in future years (although they may have in the past) and to start building some resiliency into the business model by developing products and services that are non-polluting, energy-efficient, healthy, and sourced from the local community.
Now is the time to make critical decisions. Which business models will thrive in the new economy and which legacy operations should be pruned now? Many business decision-makers assume that normalcy will return towards the end of 2009, or, at the latest, early 2010. But there are countervailing forces that will make it difficult, if not impossible for America to return to an economy based on infinite resources, unlimited transport,and blatant disregard for the environment.
For example, there is the issue of peak oil. Robert Hirsch, author of Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, and Risk Management (a.k.a. the Hirsch Report), has said that new technologies and new drilling won’t solve the peak oil problem, and that we should expect $12-15/gallon gasoline followed by rationing. If businesses are not waking up to the possibility that they cannot count on cheap energy prices, many American cities are. At least twenty-five American cities are creating contingency plans based on the possibility that oil prices will remain highly volatile. They recognize that we are heading into a time when both energy costs and pressure to lower CO2 emissions will be high. Public sentiment may turn against businesses heavily dependent on products sourced from halfway around the world.�
Letter to Brian Wallace, our state rep, on legalizing low-speed electric vehicles
Dear Brian:
I’m wondering if you are planning to come to the next Dorchester Heights Association meeting on November 11th. At the meeting, I will introduce Gretchen Folk, from Grow Boston Greener, who will provide us with information on the various tree planting programs in Boston. I met Gretchen through JP Trees, which is a Grow Boston Greener program.
One way to protect trees is to drive electric vehicles. This is the reason I love my 2002 Toyota Prius hybid. Technicians use my car every day to service our clients. As a company car, my Prius shows up everywhere, even on the Internet!
Although I love my Prius, what I really want is an electric car. Today, there are many low-speed electric cars that I could purchase for about $10,000. Unfortunately, Massachusetts is one of only four states that do not allow them! This is ironic, considering that in the 90’s, Massachusetts joined with California to require zero emissions vehicles. If these low-speed electric cars were street-legal, I would buy several of them and give them to our technicians so they could service our clients in South Boston, the South End, Dorchester and Roxbury.
Recently, a few plucky Massachusetts residents who did manage to register their Zapp electric cars as motorcycles (they have three wheels) were told to take them off the street or face arrest! (interview with Zapp owner) This led to a bill (HB5113) sponsored by Bradley H. Jones that would allow low-speed vehicles to be operated on roads with a posted speed of 30MPH or less. While this is better than nothing, it would be much better if they could be operated on roads with a posted speed of 35MPH or less, which was included in the language of a previous bill (HB4377). Of the 46 states that allow low-speed vehicles, all but four would allow low speed vehicles on roads with a 35MPH speed limit.
Since I am unfamiliar with the process, anything you can tell me about the status of these bills and when they might be expected to pass would be very helpful.
Sincerely,
Susan Labandibar
Planting a tree is an act of hope
Last Saturday, and for the next two Saturdays, I’m planting trees in people’s front yards with JP Trees. JP Trees is one of the many groups of people who have joined together to help the City plant 100,000 new trees by the year 2020. As a JP Trees member, I plant trees at the homes of people who have signed up to get a free tree. Before the trees are planted, a site survey is performed and the site is cleared by Dig Safe. Seems a bit like overkill considering that the trees we plant are usually about two to three feet tall. Luckily, my role in the process, like most JP Trees volunteers, is pure pleasure.
We arrive at the prospective tree-owner’s house, show them the tree they’ve selected, and get to work with the pick-axe and shovel. The homeowner chooses the orientation of the tree based on where the main branches should point when the tree is grown. We then dig a hole that is shallow and wide, remove the tree from its container, carefully untangle the root ball, and plant the tree. A berm around the tree helps hold the 2-3 gallons of water we give it. Then we mulch with some straw. Voila! A tree is born in Jamaica Plain.
We do ask the homeowner for a donation to cover the cost of the tree. Unless they are in dire financial circumstances, they are usually quite obliging. When the tree planting is over, we usually troop back to Ula’s Cafe in the Brewery for some snacks.
Be an optimist! Go Veg!
People often ask me why I’m a vegan. Kind of in the same way someone might ask you why you raise pet tarantulas. In the past, they were expecting to hear either than I was a health nut or an animal nut. For me, actually, it’s a personal decision. Like Bartleby the Scrivener, my reply is: “I prefer not to.”
But now, it turns out that eating vegan is the new equivalent of driving a Prius. Animal agriculture is responsible for eighteen percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. And the decision to unhook from one of our strongest cultural moorings and sail off into uncharted territory by turning to a plant-based diet becomes an act of wild optimism. We vegans are showing than man can evolve. By treading lightly, we can lead the way back to the Garden of Eden.
For an inspiring blog post on this subjects, see: Common Ground Magazine