August 3rd, 2009
About half of the car trips in the U.S. are less than five miles—a distance easily navigated by walking or cycling. Reducing short-distance car trips has many benefits—it decreases car accidents, has positive benefits for the environment and increases physical health and activity, says communication professor Edward Maibach of George Mason University. An expert in climate change communication research, Maibach says that community leaders should make promotion of physical activity a priority.

“There are lots of proven low-cost options that communities can use to encourage people to get out of their cars and walk or ride instead,” he says. “Use of these options helps people remain healthy (by promoting physical activity and reducing obesity) and helps reduce heat-trapping pollutants that cause global warming.”
In a recent article in the journal Preventative Medicine, Maibach suggests that policy makers and government officials at all levels should look at communication, marketing and policy enhancements that can be implemented with relative ease to promote active transport.
Maibach cites the Web site Active Living by Design (http://www.activelivingbydesign.org/) as showcasing many examples of successful programs such as city-bike sharing, customized walking or cycling maps and grassroots campaigns.
“One of my favorite examples is ‘walking school buses’ in which children and a few parents walk together to the local school,” says Maibach. He also suggests policy changes such as reducing speed limits, giving cyclists priority at intersections and closing some roads to cars, can also encourage people to consider alternative ways of commuting.
“There is no one magic bullet. All of these examples can be effective here in the U.S., and all should be implemented in as many communities as possible. The more that are implemented, the more we will wean people away from sole reliance on their cars when they could be walking and/or riding, and improving their health as a result.”
Source: George Mason University

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Pacific Northwest forests could store more carbon, help address greenhouse issues

July 2nd, 2009 PhysOrg.com

The forests of the Pacific Northwest hold significant potential to increase carbon storage and help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in coming years, a recent study concludes, if they are managed primarily for that purpose through timber harvest reductions and increased rotation ages.

In the complete absence of stand-replacing disturbances – via fire or timber harvest – forests of Oregon and Northern California could theoretically almost double their carbon storage.

Although it isn’t realistic to expect an absence of disturbance, the estimates were based on average conditions up until now that include variation in forestbiomass, age, climate, disturbances and soil fertility. If all forest stands in this region were just allowed to increase in age by 50 years, their potential to store atmospheric carbon would still increase by 15 percent, the study concluded.

That would be a modest, but not insignificant offset to the nation’s carbon budget, scientists say, since this region accounts for 14 percent of the live biomass in the entire United States.

The findings were made by scientists in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, as the result of almost two decades of analysis of 15,000 inventory plots in a large region, through several different projects, as part of the North American Carbon Program. The scientists, who said they have often been asked what the theoretical potential was for storing carbon in these forests, conducted the analysis using inventory data that captured current variation in biomass due to many factors

Read the whole article on PhysOrg.com

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Emerald Empire Adventures is proud to wholeheartedly support Al Gore’s Repower America campaign for 100% renewable energy in 10 years.

The content below is reproduced here from http://www.repoweramerica.org/state/california/ as a public service.

You are here: Home » In The States » California

We’re more than 262,031 members strong in California

Click here to see specific cost savings and job creation information for California.

Did You Know?

• California is the leading producer of renewable energy in the United States. It ranks 1st in the nation for solar PV, solar thermal, geothermal, and bio-power capacity.It also ranks 3rd in the nation for installed wind capacity.
• California is home to the largest single source of solar energy in the world: a 354 MW solar thermal facility in the Mojave Desert.The state will shatter its own record in 2011 when a 553 MW solar thermal facility built by Solel begins operation, also in the Mojave Desert.According to researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, California’s total solar thermal potential is equal to 12 times the state’s current electricity capacity.
• California’s potential geothermal resources can power every home in the state.The state’s potential unconventional geothermal resources could power another 54 million homes.

To submit clean energy news happening in your state, click here

Clean energy jobs in California

California is at the forefront of electricity generation from non-hydroelectric renewable energy sources, and its policies and investments encourage strong job growth in a clean energy economy. A few companies are already taking part in this new economy by providing ‘green’ jobs.

For example, FPL Group is set to operate its 250-megawatt solar thermal energy plant near Kern County, which will employ roughly 1,000 workers in its operation. And reports estimate that more jobs could be on the way. One study says that $12.7 billion investment on deploying renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Golden State can create 235,000 jobs over two years. And, this study only captures a portion of the service, construction, and technology jobs that will be created in the state by truly Repowering America.

Sources: Center for American Progress, Energy Business Review

Featured story

Aitan Grossman, a 6th grader from California, is using his love for music to help solve the climate crisis. Aitan wrote the song, “100 Generations,” to raise awareness about the dangerous effects of climate change. He has sent his song to schools around the world and is asking children everywhere to add their voices to the chorus.

The result is a global music project with contributions from children in France, Botswana and Taiwan. The song can be downloaded from iTunes or Amazon, and is featured on Aitan’s KidEarth website. Aitan is donating all profits from the song to his favorite environmental charities, including the Alliance for Climate Protection.

This map shows 13% of our membership in California

Take Action

• Write a letter to the editor

Additional resources

• The Repower America campaign aired an ad in California pushing back on opponents of clean energy, click here to watch.
• Join Repower California on Flickr

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Please join Mendocino Area Parks Association’ s Carolyne Cathey and other park supporters and visitors 1:00PM today – Saturday June 20 – at 1:00PM beside the Ford House on Mendocino Headlands. The issues may not be clear to all of us, and this is your chance to hear what is going on with the state parks funding and how critical our voices are right now.
Enjoy some music and stop in the Ford House for a tour of this historic house on the headlands.

The only hope we have left to keep the parks open is to encourage all the voters in the state to contact their Senators, Representatives, and the Governor and ask for their “Yes” vote on a new funding stream to support our state parks — a $15/year per vehicle State Park Access Pass added to our car registrations. The Republican Caucus in both the Senate and the House, and the Governor, oppose this concept. With a SPAP, any of us with a California registered vehicle will have free day use, no matter how many times we entered the Parks.

To her credit, Assemblywoman Patty Wiggins not only supports funding for state parks, but she had already taken a salary cut, and reduced her per diem reimbursement for living expenses in Sacramento. Senator Wes Chesbro is also a strong support of parks.

Without some funding mechanism in this budget round, Parks will close. Businesses will be hurt when visitors stop coming because the campgrounds are closed, the restrooms are locked, the litter piles up and the roads are barricaded. Park properties will suffer right here where we live
and all over the state.

Please come and listen, and lend your support to help keeps our
parks open.

I am only a member of one MCN community list, Fort Bragg. If you would be so kind, we would appreciate it if you would send this message to the other local community lists as well.

Thank you,

Marilyn Boese
www.mendoparks. org

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This thread is intended as a tool for debating and implementing sustainable practices with particular reference to tourism. Pursuant to our philosophy and business model, we wee the Green Community not just as a vital local asset, but as a magnet for the visitors we will bring here. More »

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This is a forum for the discussion of issues of concern from the perspective of those effected by tourism; people, businesses, institutions, the environment etc. And the thoughts and voices of folks planning to travel here. More »

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