Community members attend the Somerset Community College 2012 celebration. Photo credit Somerset Community College 2012 Earth Day Celebration.

At Somerset Community College in Somerset, Kentucky, the Earth Day celebration has grown to include over 750 college students and community members in 2012, up from just 100 participants in 2005. The 2012 celebration included a farmers market, resources about solar panels and electric vehicles, as well as free compact fluorescent light bulbs and reusable grocery bags for attendees. Somerset CC comments, “at the heart of the event is the aim to educate the community about sustainability, which includes caring for the environment and reducing the amount of energy and natural resources consumed.”

Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts challenged students to a “Top Sustainability Chef” competition as part of their Earth Week 2012 schedule. Three students crafted dishes using all organic ingredients, including the “not-so-secret clean food ingredient,” organic mushrooms, in 30 minutes for judges including a “clean food” cookbook author. “Top Sustainability Chef” participants produced Thai chicken curry, asparagus and mushrooms and raw corn and avocado soup during lunchtime in one of Bridgewater’s dining halls, thus promoting organic and local foods to over 300 passersby.

UNH SEAC will celebrate the 20th annual Solarfest, a solar-powered music and arts festival this year. Photo credit Abigail Gronberg.

And now for a personal favorite! This year, the University of New Hampshire’s Student Environmental Action Coalition will host the 20^th annual Solarfest—an all-day, solar-powered music festival in Durham, New Hampshire. Each year around Earth Day, the Sunweaver solar bus rolls up to UNH with its 800 watt solar array, providing power for nonstop music from 11 am to sunset for thousands of students and community members. Solarfest is a way for students to unwind before finals and to culminate a typically jam-packed Earth Week. The event also features local cuisine, artists and businesses, student organizations and community environmental resources.

How are YOU celebrating Earth Day? Earth Week, Earth Month, Earth Year, Earth Century…Earth Millennium?! Comment below, and share photos of your events with Campus Ecology on facebook throughout the month of April.

More Earth Day resources:

• My favorite collection of photos from across the nation on Earth Day 1970
• Watch Earth Week 1970, a CBS News special with Walter Cronkite, in 15 parts on YouTube (I promise this is just as awesome as it sounds)
• Search the NWF Campus Ecology Campus Sustainability Case Study Database for Earth Day and other “green” events at colleges and universities

Staying Warm

The core body temperature of cold-blooded animals (such as reptiles, amphibians and fish) is directly dependent on how hot or cold their environment. When the sun is out, their bodies soak up the heat, they warm up, and they become more active. When it’s cold, they tend to be a bit sluggish as their bodies slow down to conserve energy.  I’m jealous that these animals have a reason to sit out in the sun all day.

Collared Lizard by Sarah Waterworth

Keeping a Full Belly

Warm-blooded animals are able to regulate their own body temperature, which requires a great deal of energy. When warm-blooded species get cold, they must generate their own heat by converting food to energy. Maybe that’s why shoveling the snow-covered driveway makes me so hungry! Many animals rely on leaves, fruits and flowers as a primary food source, providing necessary energy. The sun is essential to the lives of those plants, and thus to the survival of plant eating wildlife.

Pika by Danny Nestor

Take Shelter

There are many species that live in trees or use plant material to build homes (such as nests or lodges). Trees and plants derive energy from the sun. Photosynthesis, boom. Therefore, the sun indirectly helps house a number of wildlife species!

Prothonotary Warbler by William Mangun

Follow the Big Yellow Thing

Modern GPS systems haven’t quite caught on with birds. Instead, researchers have found that some birds use their internal clocks in conjunction with the sun in order to navigate migration.

Starlings in Flight by Brad Smith

You Can Be Solar Powered, Too

The sun could be useful to humans as well. In addition to vitamin D that the sun provides, the sun can also be used to provide energy for everything we need in our homes and businesses. The sun provides a clean, renewable energy source that is much healthier for the planet than other fossil fuels.  Learn about NWF’s solar energy partner for the home at www.sungevity.com/nwf.

credit:Zoe Lipman

That battery is the ancestor—or cousin—of the much larger batteries now powering electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. So it shouldn’t be too surprising that we’re not far from the day when homeowners will regularly heave an even bigger sigh of relief, and thank their car for keeping the freezer running when the power goes down.

Even better, putting new vehicle technology together with plug and play solar panels and “smart grid” energy management—almost all available today—could provide even greater benefits and security to homeowners and the grid.

Energy Infrastructure Vulnerable to More Extreme Weather

Climate change is bringing more weather and climate extremes, including the intense storms that create challenges for the power companies. Last year NWF published More Extreme Weather and the U.S. Energy Infrastructure a report on the vulnerability of the nation’s energy infrastructure to just these sorts of climate impacts. That report flags the need to take action to anticipate stronger storms, as well as more intense heat and drought, which present challenges for generating electricity in conventional thermoelectric power plants that require water for cooling.

Indeed, this week’s huge outage revived the debate locally over burying power lines underground, and underscored the need for a national discussion around how to make urgently needed large scale upgrades our infrastructure in light of climate change, to prevent individual and business losses, and to support a modern economy.

A frustrated Maryland state Senator was quoted in a recent article: “Every time this happens, they say they’re shocked—shocked that it rained or snowed or it was hot—which isn’t an acceptable excuse given that we all know about climate change.”

But today, we are also in the midst of a clean energy and transportation technology renaissance that means that a key part of enhancing climate resilience and the security of our energy system can come from actions we take in our own homes.

Sneak Peak at Power “Outages” of the Future

Today, if you generate power with solar panels on your roof, that power is rarely stored; it flows to immediate home use or back onto the grid. In the case of an outage, that homemade power must also be shut down to prevent electricity from flowing back into the grid and injuring repair workers.

But an electric vehicle (or even a second-hand electric vehicle battery, used just for that purpose) does store the power you generate from solar panels on your roof—and it can be enabled (especially on an occasional basis) to provide that power back to your home. Meanwhile, “smart grid” improvements in energy management systems can enable utilities to control the power on their systems in much more detail, and provide smart appliances and devices for individuals to use to connect and manage the energy and technology in their homes.

These technologies are mainly being used separately today. But in new combinations they can provide households and car owners with new benefits on a daily basis, as well as the ability to easily provide their own backup power in an emergency.

Increasing numbers of households or businesses making, storing and/or using their own power could make our energy systems more resilient at the neighborhood level and system wide, and help reduce costs and hardships as we face the likelihood of more extreme weather and power events. And as they make use of renewable power, electric fuel, and efficiency technology even easier and more widespread they also reduce the pollution that causes climate change and extreme weather to begin with.

Energy-resilient Households Closer Than You Might Think

credit: © Ford Motor Company

Making this all work does mean upgrading our infrastructure, but it also means big opportunities for households, businesses, and technology entrepreneurs, to start putting the pieces together.

U.S. Marine installs solar water purification system in Afghanistan (via Flickr's marine_corps)

The Wall Street Journal today reports on efforts to make U.S. troops safer by reducing dependence on fossil fuel-powered generators and batteries:

Batteries make up as much as 20% of the weight of the 100 pounds of gear a Marine infantryman typically carries. A Marine uses four times as much fuel as his counterpart did in the early 1990s—due to, among other things, laptops and other electronic gear that use electricity pumped out by portable generators.

Some 30% of all fuel trucked into Afghanistan—at great risk—goes to power those generators, at a time when roadside bombs remain the most dangerous weapon faced by allied troops.

While the U.S. military has been seriously studying renewable energy since at least 2001, the impetus for change was the high casualty rate on fuel convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr. Mabus told Congress last year that one U.S. servicemember is wounded or killed for every 24 fuel convoys.

When portable solar panels take the place of fossil fuels, lives are saved in several ways:

• Fewer fuel convoys mean fewer chances of deadly attacks
• Lighter packs make for more mobile Marines
• Freed-up power & space allows Marines to carry more protective gear

One of the keys has been that the Marines aren’t sitting around for a pie-in-the-sky breakthrough – they’re taking a pragmatic approach and applying solutions as they come online. “The Marine commandant made it clear—he’d rather have an 80% solution today than a 100% solution somewhere down the road,” Col. Bob Charette told the WSJ.

And it’s not just U.S. troops being helped by renewable energy. The photo here shows Cpl. David T. Bernabe, a combat engineer with Brigade Headquarters Group, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, installing a solar-powered water purification system. The water purification system can filter 60 gallons of water per minute, providing clean, safe drinking water in an arid region where water that’s available is often contaminated with bacteria.

As the Cancun climate talks proceed in balmy 75 degrees weather, the U.S. Senate stands on the precipice of a vote on a controversial new tax bill. Unfortunately, key omissions in both the evolving international climate deal and the tax legislation threaten to plunge the vision of a clean energy economy into a deep freeze.

In Cancun, NWF has been working as part of the BlueGreen Alliance for inclusion of provisions that seek to ensure that the transition to a greener economy require sustained commitment of national resources to create and retain good union jobs.  Known as “Just Transition,” the provisions were removed from the opening section (known as the “Shared Vision”) of the draft climate treaty.  These provisions were the only anchor in the deal that addresses how efforts to address global warming can support jobs and workers. There are significant and ongoing efforts to add this piece back into the agreement (supported by the United States and other countries) but as of now it still remains out. Simply put, it needs to be placed back into any final agreement.

On a parallel track, Congress is now readying itself to vote on a new tax package that extends the current income tax levels.  Like the emerging Cancun agreement, the tax package fails to include several key provisions that have successfully encouraged recent investments in creating a clean energy economy.  One provision known as the Section 48C Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit  provides tax credits to manufacturers that invest in retooling America’s factories to build clean energy technologies such as electric vehicle components. Leaving 48C on the cutting room floor is tantamount to abandoning manufacturing state Senators, manufacturing industries, and domestic clean energy manufacturing overall.

The second key piece that may be omitted from the emerging tax bill is known as the Section 1603 Treasury Grant Program which authorizes the Department of Energy to issue grants, in lieu of existing renewable energy tax credits, to renewable energy facilities that are placed in service or that begin construction by the end of the year.  The program is a key incentive that encourages new investment in renewable energy projects such as the offshore wind projects the National Wildlife Federation described its recent report “Offshore Wind in the Atlantic: Growing Momentum for Jobs, Energy Independence, Clean Air, and Wildlife Protection.” 

A global vision that tackles the climate crisis but fails to try and ensure that a low carbon future is built on good, new jobs would be selling our future short. Given the current economic issues in our country, now is the time to be seeking global and national action to rebuild the country with a green vision and not place good jobs on the back burner.

Listen to Bob Baugh, Executive Director, Industrial Union Council, AFL-CIO, speak about a ”Just Transition.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Listen to Stewart Acuff, Chief of Staff, Utility Workers Union of America, talk about working with environmental groups to create a clean energy economy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

My Certified Wildlife Habitat^® Halloween costume from 2001

Every year at National Wildlife Federation’s Headquarters office, we hold a Halloween party with prizes for costumes. I like making costumes from recycled materials because of the intellectual challenge and inexpensive supplies.

A few years ago, they even made a special prize for costumes from recycled items (other than secondhand clothing) to encourage this behavior. The prize is a carbon offset from Carbonfund.

Here are some of my award-winning costumes:

Certified Wildlife Habitat

The first time I participated in the Halloween costume contest was in 2001, and I had not figured out my passion for re-using garbage yet. But I did scour local secondhand stores for any little stuffed toys of wildlife, along with any small gardening knick knacks. I made a bird bath by attaching a large plastic lid to a hat.

My costume? A walking Certified Wildlife Habitat^®, one of National Wildlife Federation’s most successful programs. When I won the top prize, my new Halloween costume hobby was born.

My octopus Halloween costume from 2002

Octopus

In 2002, I collected the little plastic containers from the Keurig coffee machines. I cleaned out the coffee grounds and put them in my composter. I took four grey sweatshirts and stuffed the arms. Then I pinned the little coffee cups to the arms with safety pins. Finally, I put on all the sweatshirts at one time.

I loved this costume, although I wish now that I had chosen more colorful sweatshirts to make it more fun.

My armadillo Halloween costume from 2003

Armadillo

In 2003, I saved the metal discs from frozen juice containers all year long. My husband helped me punch holes in them and we threaded them together into something like a metal cape. Then I used medical supply bandages (the ones with the plaster embedded) on a recycled plastic milk jug to make the head. I painted it with beige paint and drew on the eyes. The nose was the jug handle turned around.

This was the year that my daughter Nora was born, and I was still on maternity leave during our Halloween party. So I carried her around during the Halloween party and I was “Nora’s pet armadillo.”

My Raiser's Edge Halloween costume from 2004, and my friend Kim, the Froot Loops Toucan

Raiser’s Edge Software

Raiser’s Edge is the software that National Wildlife Federation uses to keep track of our members and supporters.

In 2004, I noticed a box of old name tags that someone was throwing away because they were bent up and dusty from an outdoors event. It gave me the idea to be our Raiser’s Edge database. I wrote pretend descriptions of members on little cards and put them in the name tags. Then I pinned them all over my body.

My one-year-old daughter was a black poodle that year and was fascinated with all the name tags.

Spider Web

In 2005, I noticed a local cafe  purchased their drinks with those plastic rings to hold them together.

My spider's web Halloween costume from 2005

You probably have heard about how these rings can choke wildlife if they are littered on the ground, and generally it is a good idea to cut the rings into bits before disposing of them.

I asked the lady at the cafe to save the rings for me to make my costume. My husband and I spent many nights tying these rings together with small bits of string into a web. Then we used poles from my tent to make a large ring. I made a hat into a spider out of Lean Cuisine lunch containers. I also made my two-year-old daughter a spider costume from a black t-shirt with legs I sewed on my sewing machine. It was fun having a joint costume!

My renewable energy Halloween costume from 2007

Renewable Energy

I took a break from making costumes in 2006 because my son was born and he had colic, so I didn’t get much creative time. But in 2007, I made a renewable energy costume.

The wind turbine was made from a recycled oatmeal container attached to my bike helmet, with a plastic container on the front and cardboard turbine blades. The solar energy panel was my armadillo costume recycled onto a piece of cardboard wrapped in shiny wrapping paper. And the geo-thermal system running down my leg was my tent poles again.

Isn’t it cool to see how my daughter gets bigger every year in these photos?

My zebra Halloween costume from 2008

Zebra

In 2008, I undertook my most complicated costume ever. I cleaned out even more Keurig coffee dispenser cups and pinned them on my clothing with hundreds of safety pins. It took about six hours to pin all the cups.

I recycled the armadillo head and made it a zebra head. I added padding on the nose and painted it black and white, adding a mane of black and white pipe cleaners. While it was not the most slimming costume, it sure was fun to wear, making a clip-clop sound when the cups bumped into each other.

My snow flurry Halloween costume from 2009

Snow Flurry

In 2009, I could not have predicted that Virginia was going to get an unbelievable amount of snow, but my Halloween costume sure was on theme!

I saved plastic lids from yogurt containers. I cut snowflake designs out of paper, and then taped them to the lids. Using an exacto knife, I then cut the snowflake designs into the lids. I tried to be creative with this to make it more fun, so there were snowflakes with all sorts of wildlife, plants and other themes incorporated. I made the hat from a tube of cardboard painted blue, trimmed with cotton batting.

Unfortunately, I did not get to make as many snow flakes as I had hoped due to my crazy schedule, but it still was a fun costume.

Halloween 2010 – What Will I Be?

You might wonder – what’s the plan for this year? Well, it’s on my dining room table and I can’t wait until Thursday for our Halloween contest. I’ll give you a hint – it’s a colorful costume and it ”caps” off my Halloween costume story. See you later this week when I unveil this year’s creation!

The first speaker, Lowell Rasmussen of University of Minnesota Morris, gave examples based on UMM’s pioneering biomass installation and their current and future wind turbines. He pointed out that despite the fact that many people are afraid of making the big changes required for moving to renewable energy, maintaining the status quo may in fact be the “riskier” path. Traditional energy practices are dependent on outside sources, which means that both procurement and prices are outside a college or university’s control. On-site generation is not only able to save a college money in the long run at current rates, but also protects the campus from unknown complications that may arise in the future as traditional energy sources (such as coal) become more hotly contested. Among the ideas he favors for financing renewable installations are: internal loan pools, conservation ESCOs, power purchasing agreements, soliciting external investors. He advised college representatives or business officers to reference NACUBO‘s book Financing Sustainability on Campuses.

Up next was Cindy Shea, from America’s oldest public university: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. UNC is in a unique position when it comes to energy, because they have buildings that range in age from over 200 years old to brand new.  As a state school, all of the new buildings must adhere to recently-implemented North Carolina regulations requiring they be 30% more efficient than ASHRAE standards. They began their move towards renewable energy in 2003 with a student-led initiative to start a Green Energy Fee, which raises $200k per year. These funds, which are controlled by the student-led Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee, are then leveraged to secure additional grant monies and state funding.

Like UMM, UNC has chosen to invest in on-campus projects rather than offsets or buying “green” power from external vendors. These projects include a solar thermal system on one of the residence halls, geothermal wells, photovoltaic arrays on new parking deck, bio-diesel fuel for on-campus shuttles, and a large-scale energy-efficiency campaign begun in 2009 to retrofit buildings and also promote environmentally conscious behavioral modifications. For these low-cost measures, the investment of $150 in energy management staff and media yielded a savings of $4 million dollars annually. Shea advocates starting with what is cheap and easy to do, and investing the savings that result in more expensive projects.

The final speaker, William Leahy of Eastern Connecticut State University, made the point that when embarking on a large-scale endeavor, a college or university rarely uses only one kind of financing. The recent economic downturns further complicate this delicate balancing act. Although many schools have signed on with the ACUPCC,  he said, the question is how to find the right variety of sources in the right combination to  fund the needed investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy to meet the 2050 carbon neutrality.Leahy listed several broad categories of funding sources that each campus can and should draw from to find that perfect balance: internal sources such as endowment funds and alumni gifts, student fees, revolving loan funds, grants, rebates & incentives, bonds, leases, performance contracting and renewable energy credits. While the dollar amount of each receipt may be seem small in comparison  to the total cost of a renewable insteallation, by using some or even all of these sources in coordination, a college or university will be able to achieve a lot more than if they focus solely on one individual funding source.

Jeff Salton at Gizmag.com reports:

Previous studies have indicated that painting roofs white can be a low tech way to reduce global warming by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space and Prof Steven Chu, the U.S. Energy Secretary, has been heralding the idea.

Now researchers have attempted to quantify the benefits of covering urban rooftops with plants. The scientists found that replacing traditional roofing materials with ‘green’ in an urban area the size of Detroit with a population of about one-million, would be equivalent to eliminating a year’s worth of carbon dioxide emitted by 10,000 mid-sized SUVs and trucks. Their study is the first to examine the ability of green roofs to sequester carbon that may impact climate change and the findings are scheduled to appear in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

See article >>

Amy Lou Jenkins at Examiner.com reports:

“Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar visted the High-Tech Solar Panel Plant in Longmont, CO to call attention to a reinvigorated U.S. high-tech manufacturing sector. Salazar met with employees of an innovative solar panel company that has created more than 200 ‘green jobs’ in two years and expects to double employment by next year. ‘Abound Solar and hundreds of renewable energy companies sprouting up across the nation are keys to solving our energy and climate change challenges.’”  See full article.