Greenversations

By John Martin

When Mayor Bloomberg released the latest version of PlaNYC last month, the idea that got most of my attention was his proposal to turn the city’s landfills into electricity-producing solar plants. Although full implementation is still years away, this initiative could be a win-win for all New Yorkers.

We live in a crowded town. With an additional 1 million people expected to move here over the coming decades, every last inch will have to be put to productive use. While our 3,000 acres of shuttered landfills aren’t suitable for residential development, there are other ways to make good use of this land — fields of photovoltaic cells being one of them.

Under the city’s proposal, 250 of these acres would be leased to a private operator, who would install and run the plants. Although pricey at first, such an arrangement would be attractive to potential developers, since it would likely take just 10 years to recoup construction costs. If all goes as planned, the project could be enough to power as many as 50,000 homes.

One major advantage of this initiative is how clean solar energy is. Increased use of solar power would allow the city to reduce its dependence on its dirtiest plants, improving our air quality. Another advantage of this plan is that it reduces the need for transmission upgrades. The city’s closed landfills are close enough to residential areas that the need for new transmission lines would be minimal.

Finally, solar energy would provide electricity to New Yorkers when we need it most — during the hot, sunny days of summer. Having lived through the 2003 blackout and the July 2006 Queens power outage, a plan to help keep the air conditioners running through the summer is a plan that gets my support.

About the author: John Martin is a native New Yorker with a background in law and politics. He became an EPA press officer in 2010.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

Each week we write about the science behind environmental protection. Previous Science Wednesdays.

By Tanya Otte

Recently, powerful tornadoes ripped through central North Carolina. My yard, more than five miles from the nearest tornado touch-down, collected remnants of someone else’s losses: wads of insulation, fragments of ceiling tiles, a shard of vinyl siding, a shingle. It was fascinating that this debris could travel so far. Where on the path of the tornado did it come from?

In high school, we are introduced to Isaac Newton and his three laws of physics. Like many of you, I sat through it and acknowledged that this is nice to know, but I really did not appreciate the power of Newton’s laws. It turns out that those three laws are pretty important.
When something is injected into the atmosphere, it has to go somewhere. This includes debris from a tornado, exhaust from your car, “that smell” from the factory, and all other stuff regardless of its size. It may change form from interactions with water, sunlight, and other “things” in the air and/or with temperature changes. So where could it go, and how do we know?

To understand how the atmosphere moves the stuff that is put into it, scientists use “models”—collections of equations built from what we know.

Newton’s laws are three of the basic tenets of what we know for building atmospheric models. We also use other things we know, such as the composition of the atmosphere and how things in it interact with each other and with sunlight. We use measurements of weather and air quality to start our models and to check the quality of our predictions.

Models help scientists understand the complex interactions of atmospheric pollutants with weather and climate. Models are used to support regulations on emissions that protect human health and conserve resources. Thousands of scientists worldwide use models developed by the EPA to understand, predict, and reduce air pollution. Needless to say, models are rather powerful scientific tools.

I still don’t know where the debris in my yard originated, but I could use a model to figure it out.

About the author: Tanya Otte, a research physical scientist, has worked at EPA in atmospheric modeling and analysis since 1998.

By Zac Appleton, Livability

Like many people at EPA, I’m the sort of person who feels compelled to go the extra mile, to right the wrongs we find. My daily job is to work with grantees, businesses, and the public to cajole them to go a little greener, to find the resources and tools they need, and give them credit for their success when it’s due. Yet beyond the daily grind, it’s the unexpected challenges that become the test of who you are as a public servant.

One day in March 2010, as I dashed out of the office to grab lunch before a conference call, I was shocked when I witnessed a parked vehicle reverse into a pedestrian crossing, missing a family with a small child by millimeters and milliseconds. The driver was equally shocked when I let him know how close they were to tragedy. I went on with my day’s work, but I couldn’t forget about it. There was no reason for the loading zone stripe on the sidewalk there to extend all the way to the pedestrian crossing, creating a deadly hazard.

So, I went back outside with a camera and took photos, using them to lodge a complaint with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)’s Livable Streets website. I described the near-miss, told how a design flaw in the designated loading zone was the root cause, and proposed solutions. To my great surprise, SFMTA responded promptly, and painted a new 9-foot red “No Parking” zone nearest the crosswalk! It might not have been the solution I suggested, but the red stripe got the job done.

For me, this is what “Livability” is about — recognizing that the built environment we’ve inherited has lots of design flaws that need fixing, for people, now. Like a lot of us at EPA, we fix these problems because they need fixing, not because we crave recognition. I hope readers will take time to look around their own parts of the world, see what needs fixing, and talk with their neighbors and government to get it done.

About the author: Zac Appleton is a project office and E-waste coordinator for the Office of Strategic Planning & Partnerships in EPA Pacific Southwest Region (Region 9). Zac is part Burmese.

CU-Boulder Professor Jeff Mitton

By Wendy Dew

Here in Colorado we have an abundance of environmental education opportunities with a diversity of flora and fauna. You can even see prairie dogs from the side of the road at a shopping center!

Unfortunately, one the best educational examples we have right now is Pine Beetle. Rocky Mountain kids can see firsthand the effects of climate change and drought on our local forests with the pine beetle epidemic. The mountain pine beetle is in the midst of its most intense and widespread epidemic in recorded history. The geographic infestation extends from New Mexico to the Yukon Territory and from the front range of Colorado to the Pacific Ocean. In Colorado alone, more than 3 million acres of forests have already been affected.

The University of Colorado – Boulder recently released a new film on mountain pine beetle and its effects in Colorado. They have also created a lesson on mountain pine beetle appropriate for high school but adaptable to middle school. They have a variety of other lesson plans and videos and resources for teaching about local climate change.

Every student has the opportunity to learn about the environment. Whether it be the pine beetle, the Chesapeake Bay or in your own backyard. Look to your local environment to find out what issues are happening and what you can do about them.

For more information

About the author: Wendy Dew is the Environmental Education and Outreach Coordinator for Region 8 in Denver, Colorado.

By Heather Barnhart

My father’s birthday is the beginning of May, and every year I struggle to think up the perfect – and new! – gift idea. Earth Day’s approach fills me with this same nagging need to come up with something innovative. We’re social creatures and our attitudes, opinions, and values on issues and situations develop into norms, which are behaviors evolved from the collective. The movement from opinion and value to norm is basis for developing an environmental ethic. And the wonderful thing about Earth Day is that it’s supposed to be fun – fun and celebratory, fun and SOCIAL.

How do I take something that happens every year and make it special and unique and maybe just a bit exciting? We decided to encourage employees to reuse/recycle by holding a swap, which we called a swish to be more posh like our friends across the pond.  Swishing is a fun, accessible, and free way to promote reuse because everyone has, needs, and buys THINGS. Our individual choices have environmental impacts and the amount, number and types of things we buy, reuse, and/or recycle impacts the environment. At the event employees could also learn about trash, waste disposal, and take a personal Ecological Footprint quiz to learn about their own impacts on the environment.

If you want to swish, it just takes planning and the dedication of some volunteers. Here in NYC, we take our status as one of the world’s fashion capitals seriously and focused on men’s and women’s accessories (along with our partners from the IRS and the FAA). Employees donated nearly 300 items towards the event and what wasn’t taken was donated to a local charity. Our fellow feds at U.S. Army Core of Engineers at Fort Hamilton extended their swishing to include household goods and electronics and also received more than 250 contributions from employees!

Even if you don’t swish, there are also some amazing resources in New York and New Jersey for reuse and recycling. Find out where you can donate, sell, and fix things in the NYC area at the NYC Exchange and where you can buy recycled in New Jersey on the NJ Department of Environmental Protection’s website.

Most of all remember that EARTH DAY IS EVERY DAY!

About the author: Heather Barnhart is a program analyst focused on a wide range of policy initiatives related to sustainability including measuring the footprint of EPA’s work (Executive Order 13514) and promoting sustainable site design and green buildings within the community context. While she gave more than she took, she’s incredibly excited about some of the amazing loot she took away from the swish!

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By: Nesmarie Negron

Last November, I traded in my NYC commuter shoes for my hiking boots and embarked upon a Central American adventure to help address water quality issues in Costa Rica.   I spent two months working in San Jose, as part of the American Fellows Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State and promotes the exchange of professionals throughout Latin America.    Facing many of the same water quality challenges as the U.S., the Costa Rican Ministry of the Environment (MINAET) was interested in learning about our regulatory and voluntary framework for addressing surface water contamination (the Clean Water Act), guidelines for developing watershed plans to restore and protect waters, and nonpoint source initiatives in Puerto Rico which could also be implemented in Costa Rica to address nutrient and pathogen contamination in water bodies.

In addition to sharing EPA’s experiences, I also had the opportunity to be involved with some of MINAET’s ongoing projects, including the United Nations Environmental Programme’s REPCar (Reduction of Pesticide Runoff in the Caribbean) Project and environmental management plan inspections, where we monitored the progress of energy, water, and recycling programs in a variety of industries.

¡Pura Vida!  It is no accident that this phrase meaning “full of life” is so commonly used in Costa Rica.  Ticos (Costa Ricans) are some of the most vibrant and welcoming people I have ever met.  My favorite activities in San Jose were admiring pre-Columbian gold and jade in the city’s museums, listening to musical performances at the National Theater, and learning how to dance the Costa Rican Swing at a local dance school.  However, the real adventures were outside the capital during offsite meetings.  It was then that I had the opportunity to see the beautiful natural resources MINAET is working hard to protect.

About the author: Nesmarie Negrón is an Environmental Engineer and has served in various positions at the EPA over the past five years.  She currently leads the Region 2 Clean Water Act 305(b) Water Quality Assessment Program.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

By Molly Hooven

A typical evening in my house consists of someone asking, “Mom, where’s this?” or “Mom, where’s that?”

So when one of my light bulbs went out, I asked “Mom, where are the light bulbs?” She placed the energy saving CFL light bulb in my hand and the world was right again.

Moms across the nation are creating a path for younger generations to become more aware and proactive about protecting our environment. According to Energy Star, if everyone replaced the light bulb (like I did) then we would save enough energy to light 3 million homes for a year but according to Mom, it’s just the right thing to do.

That’s good enough for me.

Mothers Day is May 8th and so it’s perfect timing to acknowledge how moms are teaching environmentally friendly day-to-day activities in a fun manner to their children. My mother’s passion for the earth certainly has now been embedded in my life. As role models, moms are the ones with the power to shape how we act towards our water, air, health and planet.

Not a day goes by that my mom does not recycle bottles or cardboard. Did you know that it takes over 200 hundred years for an aluminum soda can to decompose but if recycled it can be reused in a matter of weeks? When my mom heard that our county was trashing the caps of water bottles, she quickly started saving them until she could find a location that would recycle them. Thankfully, it was a false rumor so we can once again toss the bottles (caps included!) into the bin.

Even with summer just around the corner, there’s no vacation for recycling, according to my mom. When traveling to Maine for vacation, she collects our used bottles and made it a “fun activity” for us to stick them in a reverse vending machine at the grocery store that recycles them and refunds deposits to customers. I still hold a fond memory of the smell of soda cans and salt water!

My mom allowed me to find my eco-passion on my own time. I remember asking her to pack my lunch in a paper bag. Soon enough I saw the light and am now a proud carrier of a cloth lunch bag that does not contribute to the 4.5 pounds of garbage each person produces daily. My sister caught on earlier than I did and as she proudly wears her “Going Green is Hot” t-shirt, she too carries her cloth lunch bag.

My mom and many other women are creating a greener future for our nation. Did your mom’s green techniques leave an impact on you? Share your thoughts!

About the author: Molly Hooven joined the EPA in November 2010 as a SCEP intern. She will graduate in May with her M.B.A. from Mount St. Mary’s University and has an undergraduate degree in Communications.

By Cynthia Giles

Looking at the picture of the BP Exploration Alaska facility taken from the window of a small plane as EPA inspectors flew over; you can’t help but notice the vastness of the Arctic tundra and the great expanse of pipeline that covers it. Home to habitat for caribou and many migratory bird species, the area also contains an abundance of domestic oil.

Those oil reserves, tucked below the often snow-covered surface, will help fuel the nation as we work to expand domestic energy production, transition to cleaner sources of fuel, and innovate our way to a cleaner, greener economy. But, the extraction of that oil must be done in a way that follows the law to ensure the protection of the fragile Arctic environment and the health and safety of the people who live and work there.

In 2006, leaks caused by a corroded pipeline spilled more than 5,000 barrels of oil, covering the tundra and reaching a nearby lake. The spill was the largest ever on the North Slope of Alaska and was the result of the company failing to properly operate and maintain its 1,600 miles of pipeline. Because of that negligence, EPA, working with our partners at the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Transportation (who oversee pipeline safety) pushed for the toughest per barrel penalty ever for an oil spill.

This week, we settled with BP, imposing a $25 million dollar penalty and requiring the company to drastically reduce the types of conditions, like internal pipe corrosion, that lead to the spills. But, we can’t just take their word for it when a company has a history of failing to properly maintain and monitor their operations, so we have also called for BP to hire an independent monitor to confirm that they are meeting the requirements of the settlement.

EPA takes its responsibility to protect people’s health and the environment very seriously. We have an obligation to vigorously enforce our nation’s environmental laws and companies that cut corners and fail to follow those laws will be penalized. American’s expect companies to operate in a safe, responsible and legal way and EPA is hard at work to make sure that they do.

About the author: Cynthia Giles is assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

Healthy buildings provide a safe and secure physical structure that helps occupants maintain their health and well-being through improved indoor air quality. Creating a healthy indoor environment can have a particularly significant impact on people who have asthma. Allergens, such as dust mites, other pests, including cockroaches and rodents, and mold are all related to asthma symptoms and unfortunately we know these triggers are ubiquitous in urban housing.

At the Boston Public Health Commission, we work collaboratively within the community to address these triggers, teach residents how to better manage their asthma and their environment, and support residents when their indoor environment is making them sick and it is out of their control. We conduct over 100 direct service home visits for families with asthma each year to help people create healthier indoor environments within their homes.

In addition, with EPA support, we established the Breathe Easy At Home program, a collaborative effort among city agencies and health care institutions. This program enables clinicians to make online referrals for housing code enforcement inspections, for their patients with asthma. A patient tells their doctor about a health concern related to their home environment, the clinician reports it, an inspection is performed, and the clinician receives continued information about the resolution of the complaint. The city of Boston is reaping the benefits of this powerful collaboration. The hospitalization rate for Boston’s children with asthma has decreased 39 percent and emergency department visits are 16 percent lower.

Attending EPA’s Communities in Action National Asthma Forum was an amazing learning opportunity for us and really helped us to solidify our vision for the future. It brings together both clinical and community-based programs and affirms that we are a continuum of care. It also allowed us to reevaluate and reprioritize our efforts and to learn from other leaders working in asthma management. It also pushed us to think about how to address asthma management from a nation-wide perspective.  I would highly encourage both new and established asthma management programs to attend the upcoming National Asthma Forum, June 9-10 in Washington, D.C. It’s an inspiring event that yields a huge return on investment.

About the author: Margaret Reid has been with the Boston Public Health Commission for twelve years and currently serves as the Director of the Division of Healthy Homes and Community Support.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

Superfundman

By Keith Takata, Deputy Regional Administrator

I’m a child of ‘50s, born and raised on a small farm in the Santa Clara Valley, long before the term Silicon Valley was coined. I graduated from a country elementary school, kindergarten through 8th grade, with 16 kids. I spent a lot of time at the Buddhist Church in San Jose’s Japanese American community.

After high school, I went to U.C. Berkeley during the years of social protest. I was heavily involved in the “Third World Strike” to establish an Ethnic Studies Department and stop the Vietnam War.

Figuring I eventually needed to get a job, I went to law school at U.C. Davis, passed the bar, and went to work for EPA’s regional Enforcement Division in San Francisco. My early career at EPA was lackluster until I switched to management, and found my calling.

I started the Superfund program here in 1981, and that’s where I’ve spent the bulk of my career. I liked the direct federal responsibility for Superfund sites and I love the action of emergency response. Last year, duty called and I am now Deputy Regional Administrator.

Every now and then there is a nice confluence of work and life. Recently I took part in the groundbreaking for a cleanup in Richmond, Calif. funded by an EPA Brownfields grant. The money is being used to clean up an area where 17 Japanese American families operated flower nurseries for over a century. After the cleanup, Richmond will develop new housing, preserve an original home and greenhouse, and create open space for the community.

The project is close to my heart because I grew up with farm families who went through some of the same experiences as Japanese Americans in Richmond. My family was interned during World War II just as they were. My father served in the military just as many of their young men did. After the war, my parents returned to San Jose to start farming again just like they did in Richmond.

This generation of Japanese Americans—my parents and grandparents–had the strength to rise above the challenges, just as I know the Japanese people will rise from the recent tragedy of earthquake and tsunami.

As I reach the end of my career, I reflect on the gains we’ve made in environmental protection, but more importantly, I think about what we’ve left undone. Every day a new threat appears, like hydrofracturing and the BP oil spill. We should have more aggressively protected the environment, but now it’s time to pass the torch to the next generation. Are you ready?

About the author: Keith Takata is the Deputy Regional Administrator for EPA Pacific Southwest Region (Region 9). Keith is a Sansei (third generation) Japanese American.

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.