Recycle. A Second Life for Everyday Household Items

By Allison Hagey

When April weather finally arrives, it is refreshing to step outside and flex long-unused muscles for spring cleaning. Instead of heaping trash bins full of unwanted junk along the curb for someone else to deal with, readers are invited to take a look at the places where lesser-known recyclables can be sent.

Tennis Shoes
One person’s trashed-up tennis shoes are another’s track token. Shoes still in usable condition can be donated to needy athletes and children in third-world countries or recycled into sustainable athletic and playground surfaces.

Chute Middle School, 1400 Oakton St., is running its annual athletic shoe drive in cooperation with the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) and Nike’s recycling program, Reuse-A-Shoe, through April 25.

With Reuse-A-Shoe, shoes are ground up and purified to become “Nike Grind,” the material used for sports surfacing product ranges, such as basketball and tennis courts, running tracks, soccer fields, fitness flooring and playground safety surfacing.Shoes can be brought to Chute’s school office.

SWANCC will also host their own athletic shoe recycling event in cooperation with the Reuse-A-Shoe program on May 7 and 8 at the Glenview Transfer Station, 3 Providence Dr.

Shoes can also be dropped off at various retail stores, such as Sportmart, 7233 W. Dempster in Niles, and at Nike’s store locations, such as Chicago’s Niketown, 669 N. Michigan Ave. All brands are accepted, but shoes must have no cleats, metal or lights. More information about Reuse-A-Shoe can be found at www.nike.com.

One World Running, a non-profit organization located in Boulder, Colo. donates shoes that are still in usable condition to needy children in third world countries.Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 2223, Boulder, Colo. 80306. Call 303-473-1314 for more information. One World Running sends shoes that are too beat up for shipment overseas to Reuse-A-Shoe.

 Hazardous Waste
Since the City does not collect household chemical waste (HCW), it can be taken to Goose Island, 1150 N. Branch St. in Chicago. Phone ahead to determine availability and hours, 312-744-7672. There is also a one-day collection on April 19 in Chicago at DeVry Technical Institute, 3300 N. Campbell. HCW includes aerosol paints and pesticides, lawn chemicals, antifreeze, mercury, cleaning products, old gasoline, drain cleaners and oil-based paints. Visit www.swancc.org for more information on accepted HCW and collections.

Latex Paint Disposal
Latex paint will not be accepted at HCW collections. However, it can be disposed of at home because it does not contain toxic material.

If it is not possible to use up paint completely, shredded newspapers, kitty litter, or Waste Paint Hardener (available at most hardware stores) can be added to latex paint. After the paint has dried, put the container in the garbage with the lid off so the garbage hauler knows the can is empty.

Also, many local theatre groups, churches and housing authorities will accept leftover paint and put it to good use. If the paint is not usable and drying it out is not an option, Millen Ace Hardware, 1219 Wilmette Ave. in Wilmette, will take the paint in its original container. The charge is $1.50/qt., $2.50/gal., and $8/5 gal.

Chicago’s Goose Island Facility also hosts a free latex paint swap. Residents can either safely dispose of unwanted-but-usable paint, take home free paint or do both. Call 312-744-7606 for more information.

Bicycles
Give an old bike a new home. RRB Cycles, 614 Davis St., is a drop-off point for donating used cycles to Working Bikes, a Chicago non-profit that “diverts bicycles from the waste stream in Chicago by repairing them for sale and charity.” Lee Ravenscroft of Working Bikes says they donate the bikes to needy countries such as Angora, Tanzania, Guatemala and Cuba. “Cubans are desperate for bikes,” he says. “They ride them forever.” Working Bikes will accept any bike in any condition. Contact Working Bikes, 312-421-5048, or www.workingbikes.org for more information.

Similar organizations in Chicagoland include Evanston’s The Recyclery, 735 Reba Place; and Blackstone Bicycle Works, 6100 S. Blackstone; and West Town Bikes, 2418 W. North Ave., both in Chicago.

CFLs
The government recommends using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Energy-star-qualified light bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than regular light bulbs. As long as energy is being saved, eco-conscious folks can take the next step and recycle these bulbs, too.

The City is cooperating with SWANCC and is accepting drop-offs of spent CFLs for recycling.

Each CFL contains an average of five milligrams of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. Mercury poses potential health risks, so the CFLs should not be disposed of in the garbage if there is a recycling option. There is no immediate health risk should a bulb break if it is cleaned up properly.

CFLs may be dropped off at the City’s Department of Health and Human Services, 2100 Ridge Ave., 8:30-5 p.m. or at the Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd., 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Bulbs must be in zip-lock-type bags. The Health and Human Services department will accept fluorescent tube lights; the Ecology Center will not.

Needles and Medications
A search of any medicine cabinet will likely turn up old, expired medications that need to be disposed. SWANCC provides environmentally-safe mediation and sharps disposal with the Prescription Drug and Sharps Disposal Program, which also guards against potential theft associated with disposing of old medications.

Residents can drop off unused prescriptions, expired over-the-counter drugs and needles - known as “sharps” - at the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave. Pharmaceuticals should be in their original container with labels to identify contents.

All sharps need to be in a rigid container with a lid, and placed in a zip-lock-type bag prior to dropping off. Residents who administer at-home injections receive a 1-quart sharps container, which can be picked up at the Civic Center. A new container will be provided when the old one is dropped off.

Computers and Electronics
Enormous desktops from 1994 are an eyesore in many basements. The City is partnering with EcoPhones, an electronic recycling company, with a new drop-off box for electronics at the Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd. One hundred percent of these electronics will be recycled, and EcoPhones will reimburse the Ecology Center for donated products of higher value. Acceptable electronics include old or broken cell phones, digital cameras, iPods or MP3 players, laptops, ink jet cartridges and DVDs.

Old cell phones can also be donated to the Call to Protect program, which donates them to agencies that address domestic violence. After deactivating the phone’s service, recyclers can drop off the phone, battery and charger at the YWCA, 1215 Church St.

Many computer brands list options on their website for donating or recycling their computers. Staples will also take all computer parts for a $10 fee, then send them off to be recycled for parts.

For any computer donation, it is best to destroy the hard drive before sending it in to protect any information stored on the drive.

Batteries
Household batteries can be disposed of in normal garbage pickup, but may also be brought to one of the HCW collections. Rechargeable batteries are not accepted at these collections. Rechargeable batteries, such as those found in cell phones, laptops, camcorders and cordless power tools, can be dropped off at various locations around Evanston. Call 1-800-8-BATTERY for more information.

Ask Eco Gal - Tips for Greener Driving

By Mayre Press

April is Earth Month and making greener choices is a recurring theme of this column.

A good way to commemorate this special month is to look at ways to become a greener driver. The Chicago metropolitan area is fortunate to have a decent public transit system. Yet, for a variety of reasons, not everyone uses public transportation as commuters or during leisure time.

With predictions that gasoline prices could reach $4 per gallon by summer, it will be useful to know how to drive more efficiently and with less strain on the pocketbook. Not all oil companies are created equal, as illustrated by a Sierra Club magazine article titled "Pick Your Poison: An Updated Environmentalist's Guide to Gasoline." The January/February 2007 piece ranked eight of the largest oil companies into three groups according to social and environmental practices.

Giving a slight twist to the categories, here are the rankings:
"The Good" - BP and Sunoco
"The Bad" - Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Valero Energy Corporation and Citgo
"The Ugly" - ExxonMobil and Conoco-Phillips

Many may recall a Chicago Tribune report last summer that BP sought EPA permission to dump ammonia and other toxins into Lake Michigan from its Whiting, Ind., refinery. This proposed action hit close to home and many Chicagoland motorists chose to express their displeasure at the gas pump.

One must go further back - 17 years to be exact, to recall the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Exxon-

Mobil still has not paid the punitive damages and the oil giant continues to seek permission to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge despite protests from millions of U.S. citizens. Other oil companies have better track records.

Moving on to automakers, in April 2007 the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) issued its biennial ranking of the greenest cars. Measured by the average emissions of CO2 and NOx from vehicles actually sold, Honda has topped the group's rankings as the greenest automaker in the U.S. for four consecutive years. Close behind was Toyota, with Hyundai-Kia, Nissan and Volkswagen in the third, fourth and fifth spots. At the back of the pack were Ford and General Motors, with Daimler-Chrysler in last place.

Don MacKenzie, the report's author, said, "There is a huge gap between the cleanest and dirtiest automakers. The winners are using clean technology across their entire fleets.

The losers are installing it piecemeal, or not at all."

A 2008 report at AOL Autos listed the top 11 fuel-efficient cars:
1. Toyota Prius - 45/48 mpg (city/highway)
2. Honda Civic Hybrid - 40/45 mpg
3. Nissan Altima Hybrid - 33/35 mpg
4. Toyota Camry Hybrid - 34/33 mpg
5. Toyota Yaris - 36/29 mpg
6. Toyota Corolla - 37/28 mpg
7. Mini Cooper - 37/28 mpg
8. Ford Escape Hybrid - 30/34 mpg
9. Honda Fit - 30/28 mpg
10. Honda Civic - 34/26 mpg
11. Hyundai Accent - 32/27 mpg

The U.S. Department of Energy offers these tips to improve gas mileage for all vehicles:
• The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it rather than idling for a lengthy period.
• Driving aggressively (speeding, rapid acceleration and hard braking) wastes gas; it can lower highway gas mileage by 33 percent and city mileage by 5 percent.
• Driving too fast wastes gas. At speeds above 60 mph, gas mileage drops rapidly. Information about this can be found at www.fueleconomy.gov.
• On the highway, cruise control helps maintain a constant speed and usually saves gas.
• Air conditioning should be used only when necessary.
• Extra weight, such as a trunk or backseat full of unnecessary cargo, can decrease gas mileage.
Contact Eco Gal at info@evanston-roundtable.com or ecogal247@yahoo.com

'How Green Is My New Condo?' Questions to Ask the Developer

By Ellen Galland, AIA

During the next few weeks, discussion at the City Council will center on whether the proposed 49-story high rise is appropriate for the site at 708 Church St. in the middle of downtown Evanston. 

The developers of this proposed new high-rise promise it will be a Silver LEED-certified building, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, which designates the gradations of LEED. (For more on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), see http:/www.usgbc.org.

One green aspect of the proposed tower as it is now planned is the green roof of the three-story base of the building. Other green features are yet to be confirmed. (For some of the pros and cons, see the minutes of the Plan Commission meetings held so far, on the City's website, www.cityofevanston.org. To sign a petition opposing the high-rise, see http://www.evanstoncrd.org.)

Evaluating Green Claims
How will the City Council, interested citizens and future buyers evaluate such claims to energy efficiency and sustainability?

A building can be "registered" with the LEED program before construction begins. Certification as a LEED building occurs only after the building is completed and requires verification by an independent third party.

Since promotional materials are no guarantee that a building ends up being as green as its developers claim, a potential buyer can ask the developer for what points the building is registered, and then at the end of construction ask what points and what rating it has achieved.

In the case of the proposed tower, even the architect for the project does not have a definitive answer about how green the final building will be.

When asked about the Silver LEED rating that the developers have promised, George Halik, project architect for the proposed high-rise at 708 Church St., said there is "no way of guaranteeing what you are shooting for."  He said, though, his firm, Booth Hansen, has achieved a greater number of LEED points than expected on previous projects.

Further, the commissioning agent for a LEED-rated building deals only with mechanical systems, and the performance of these systems can be confirmed only when the building is operational.

Just a few blocks south and west of the site of the proposed tower, the developers of Winthrop Club, an 15-story condominium high-rise under construction at 1567 Maple Ave., promise many green approaches and say they are committed to achieving a LEED Silver certification.

According to the project's website, www.winthropclub.com. the developer "is committed to pursuing development that measures up to the Council's LEED rating system."   

Chad Baugh, sales and marketing director for Winthrop, says a developer should be willing to explain the evaluation process. In this case, Winthrop Club has hired a LEED consultant to oversee the process. The consultant reviews every change and receives necessary documentation. The building envelope is tested regularly both during construction and before the building is occupied.

The developer says that Winthrop Club has been designed to achieve an unusually high level of indoor air quality.

First - per LEED requirements - no smoking was allowed on site during the construction phase. Paints, adhesives and sealants used were low-VOC.

Second, the developer took steps to reduce cross-pollination of smells between dwelling units, something that is very important in multi-family buildings. Mr. Baugh said Winthrop is using a filtration system that, by creating positive air pressure within the units, provides ventilation superior to that of most single-family homes.

Another important air quality feature is the "flushing out" of the building at the end of the construction period, which ensures that any construction-phase airborne particulates will be reduced, he added.  

When asked whether buyers are concerned about how much the green features add to the cost of the project, Mr. Baugh said that, for a larger, higher end project, the cost of LEED certification is "insignificant" in terms of cost to the buyer.

Realtor Questions:
Some realtors are organizing and attending seminars on green building practices and are themselves becoming LEED pro- fessionals. As realtors advise potential buyers, the following may be helpful.

Pocketbook Questions
The pocketbook category is usually the first question. Will these more energy efficient buildings result in savings on utility costs for the new owner? Since the exterior walls of most new condominium buildings are largely glass, this translates into the question of how energy efficient the building's windows are. A developer should be able to answer this.

The efficiency of the building's mechanical systems also affects how much a new owner will pay for heating and cooling. Some builders now include shading devices to reduce the air conditioning costs. Some are using geothermal systems to reduce heating and cooling costs. Green roofs help reduce cooling loads.

Green Amenities

The non-pocketbook questions relate to interior finishes and plumbing and lighting fixtures. Increasingly common are finish materials such as bamboo, cork or Marmoleum floors; carpets and countertops with recycled content; and low-VOC paints. Dual-flush toilets, low-flow plumbing fixtures and lighting fixtures for use with fluorescent bulbs are also worth looking for.

Other green aspects that are usually obvious are bike parking, proximity to public transportation, low impact landscaping.

Ask Eco Gal - Kitchen Composting

By Mayre Press

Dear Eco Gal,
...I decided to be serious about decreasing my garbage going into the landfill and began collecting compostable kitchen materials in large re-usable yogurt containers. Given I'm a vegetarian and live alone, this was easy to do. My problem is I have nowhere convenient (and eco-friendly) to take my compostable materials. I live in an apartment and do not garden.

I understand that Evanston has composting for lawn material. Are there any plans to develop a communal compost bin for kitchen scraps? If people composted their kitchen stuff, there would be no need to use garbage disposals or take up landfill space with plastic garbage bags filled with compostable materials. -- Joan D., Evanston

Dear Joan: First, kudos on your personal commitment to an eco-friendly lifestyle. Your decision to compost kitchen scraps is laudable. I spoke recently with contacts at the City of Evanston and, unfortunately, there are no plans for a communal compost site for kitchen scraps. Furthermore, the yard waste compost site in James Park was closed due to lack of funding.

You might want to replace the yogurt containers with an odor-free compost pail. A popular version is available from the National Gardening Association www.garden.org) and retails for about $20. It holds 1-½ gallons of kitchen scraps and has a lid that snaps firmly shut and a carbon filter to eliminate odors (filters last three months, with replacements sold separately). The pail measures 9" x 9" x 12-¼" to fit easily on a countertop or under the sink.

As a vegetarian, your diet automatically eliminates many of the materials on the "out" list of composting dos and don'ts compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency. Food items such as meats or fish bones and scraps; fats or oils; butter, egg yolks, milk, sour cream and yogurt are "don'ts" because they can cause odor problems and attract rodents and flies. Visit the EPA website www.epa.gov for the complete lists and other useful information.

Regarding what to do with composted kitchen waste, those who do not have a home garden may want to look at community garden options. Evanston has four such gardens: James Park Gardens, south of Oakton Street between McCormick Boulevard and Dodge Avenue; Twiggs Canal Gardens, by the intersection of Bridge and Simpson streets, on the south side of North Shore Channel in Twiggs Park; McCormick Gardens, at McCormick Boulevard and Bridge Street, across the street from the Ecology Center; and Lighthouse Gardens, off Sheridan Road, north of Grosse Point Lighthouse. Additional information is available at the Ecology Center, 847-448-8256 or on the City's website www.cityofevanston.org.

Another option is to offer your composted material for someone else's garden. By sharing your compost you are not only sending less waste to the landfill, you are also helping to beautify the community. Garden soil that is fed organic matter from composting usually improves its texture, water-holding capacity and fertility.

This basic composting information may spark the interest of some, and the resources listed here are a good starting point. For those who want to delve deeper into the subject, the Evanston Ecology Center will offer a composting class on April 17. Another local resource is the Chicago Botanic Garden, www.chicagobotanic.org.
Contact Eco Gal at info@evanstonroundtable.com or ecogal247@yahoo.com.

Indoor Air Quality, Tight Houses and Energy Audits: Thinking About Fresh Air

By Ellen Galland, AIA

Recent subzero weather has kept everyone inside more than usual.  Yet people rarely think about the quality of the air in the home or work space. Today's tighter houses have raised the question of indoor air quality. The general assumption is that it is better (healthier) to have a little air leaking through the house, to keep the air fresh. 

Fresh air controls moisture build-up, which can contribute to mold growth. It also helps reduce indoor odors, as well as pollutants such as radon, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 

Green building practices encourage the use of sustainable and non-toxic materials and formaldehyde-free and low-VOC paints, fabrics and carpeting. These certainly contribute to healthy indoor air quality. 

But proper ventilation should not be confused with air leakage. It may seem counter-intuitive, but, except in mild weather, reliance on fresh air to "ventilate" a house is not an energy-efficient approach. Air leakage, determined by how leaky a house is or how hard the wind is blowing, is the unintentional, uncontrolled movement of air. Ventilation is the intentional movement of air, exchanging indoor air with outdoor air.

It is much more energy-efficient to insulate a house well, prevent air infiltration, and mechanically control how fresh air enters a house than to have a leaky house. This also applies in hot weather, when air conditioning is used. The building industry's motto in this regard is "build tight - ventilate right." The City of Evanston's energy code mandates higher levels of insulation than previously. There is also increased emphasis on sealing ductwork to minimize air infiltration even more.

Some preferred ventilation strategies for tight houses are as follows:

• ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator) or HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator):
These are heat exchangers that make it possible to bring in fresh air while reclaiming energy (60-80 percent of the conditioned space temperature) from the air that is exhausted (in winter use, heat is regained, and in summer use, the opposite). That way the incoming fresh air is tempered before it reaches the living spaces.
• Spot ventilation:
Exhaust fans in kitchens and baths are used to remove pollutants and moisture at their source.  These can be designed to operate at preset intervals.  

Determining how tight a house is and whether additional ventilation is needed falls to a group of professionals who do energy performance tests (also known as energy audits, energy surveys or home energy ratings.) Using specialized diagnostic methods, they assess the energy performance of a house. These include "blower door tests" (calibrated air leakage and duct air leakage tests) that push air out of the house to create enough of a pressure difference that smoke puffers can locate sources of air infiltration. Infrared scanners determine the location and amount of wall insulation, both observing bad insulation placement and determining poor insulating value. Laser thermometers measure wall temperature. One or more of these can be used to determine the cause of frozen pipes. 

These tests are especially appropriate when purchasing a new house, so that utility bills can be anticipated.  Best practices for air sealing can also improve fire safety by blocking air flow in building cavities. Energy audits reveal that 80 percent of home air leakage occurs in locations that are not windows or doors.  They can also determine whether there is leakage between a garage and a house. 

 When mild weather makes it possible to have windows open, natural ventilation is the most efficient way to ventilate. Even then, building design can improve the way the air is brought in, using cross ventilation or by using a chimney or stack effect at a stairwell. Neither uses electricity. Window, room ceiling and whole-house fans, although they use electricity, are far more energy-efficient than air conditioners.

Home energy audits are an excellent way to learn what else should reasonably be done. If a house is quite tight, an energy audit can help determine the need to introduce fresh air through mechanical means.

Useful Websites:

• www.eere.energy.gov
    (do-it-yourself energy audit)
• www.epa.gov/iaq
• www.commerce.state.mn.us
click on "Energy Info Center."
• www.energyvideos.com
• www.keepwarm.illinois.gov
• hes.lbl.gov
    (do-it-yourself home energy audit from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
• www.energydetectives.com
    (Informed Energy Decisions, local provider of energy audits)

Ask Eco Gal: Valentine's Day Goes Green

By Mayre Press

All's Fair (Trade) in Love And Chocolate
This Valentine's Day treat your sweetheart and the environment by giving fair-trade chocolate. Who does not like taking a bite of smooth, creamy chocolate? On a chilly winter night, a cup of warm, soothing hot cocoa is tempting.

Cacao pods produce the cocoa seeds (beans) used for Endangered Species Chocolate grown in the natural shade of rich, diverse forests. Choosing the company's products is one way to support sustainable forest farmland and the species that flourish there. Since the raw materials are ethically traded, Endangered Species can ensure farmers humane working conditions and a fair price for their cocoa.

The Indianapolis-based company donates 10 percent of its profits to support species, habitat and humanity. Shop locally for these chocolate bars at natural food markets and other fair trade food merchants. For more information, visit www.chocolatebar.com.

Adopt an Imperiled Animal for Valentine's Day
Speaking of animal protection, how about adopting one for a Valentine? Until recently, polar bears have been one of nature's hardiest survivors. Due to global warming, scientists predict two-thirds of their global population could disappear within the next 50 years. Rising temperatures are literally melting the ice beneath their paws, drastically reducing their habitat and food supply.

The National Wildlife Federation's adoption center offers packages starting at $30 for polar bears and other imperiled animals. Visit www.nwf.org for details.

Save the Planet ...One Kiss at a Time
Can a tube of lipstick be good for the environment? It can if Aveda makes it. The cosmetics, skin and hair care manufacturer makes dozens of tempting lipstick shades in tubes that can be inserted into a sustainable case.

Organic ingredients such as alfalfa, bilberry, carnauba wax, mango butter and sesame oil are used to produce the lip colors, while the refillable lip-color case contains up to 65 percent post-consumer recycled aluminum and 30 percent natural flax fibers.

Visit www.aveda.com to learn more about the refillable lipstick case and lip colors. Wear lip products by Aveda and save the planet, one kiss at a time.

Organic Wine, Cheese and Thou
New York-based Four Chimneys Organic Wines is America's first organic wine company. Names such as "First Love" (a Riesling-like white) and "Honeydew Moon" (with the aroma and flavor of the melon), can set the mood for a romantic evening. For more details, visit www.fourchimneysorganicwines.com.

The award-winning cheeses produced by Wisconsin-based Organic Valley Family of Farms will not only please the palate but also promote regional farm diversity and economic stability. Check out www.organicvalley.coop to find a local market that sells their products.

Sweet Gifts For Sweethearts
From Rose Petal Tea and an Artisan Spa Box to an Organic Valentine Cookie Assortment and a Chocolate Nut Gift Box featuring California almonds and Oregon hazelnuts, Eco Express may have just the right gift for that special someone. Choose from hundreds of gift ideas at www.ecoexpress.com.

Nearly everyone has someone special (partner, family member, friend or colleague) they can treat. Follow one of these suggestions or use your imagination. ...Go green for Valentine's Day!
Contact Eco Gal at info@evanstonroundtable.com or ecogal247@yahoo.com.

Green in Perspective

By Nathan Kipnis, AIA, LEED AP

There has been a tremendous amount of information put out about various green and energy-related items. But a lot of the time, people have difficulty comprehending what all of this means. A car emits 6,000 pounds of CO2 a year; a well-insulated home can save 400,000 BTUs a month; normal use of electricity amounts to 700 kilowatt-hours a month. What do these statistics mean? Such an overload
of numbers may seem too distant to be meaningful.

Automobile Carbon Emissions
To put these numbers in perspective, some standard units need to be defined in understandable terms, beginning with carbon emissions. A gallon of gasoline weighs about 6.3 pounds. It contains quite a bit of carbon, as gasoline is a hydrocarbon. When it burns, each molecule of carbon in the gasoline links with two molecules of oxygen. Without getting too heavily into the chemistry, the 6.3 pounds of gasoline produces about three times as much carbon dioxide by weight. Therefore, burning a gallon of gasoline produces about 19 pounds of CO2.

Now, think about a 20-pound bag of charcoal for a backyard grill, which is a good comparison to the carbon dioxide output from burning one gallon of gasoline. Imagine periodically tossing charcoal briquettes out the window while driving down the road. 

So a 16-gallon tank of gasoline produces over 300 pounds of CO2. That is like loading 15 large bags of charcoal into a car trunk. In a year, a car that actually gets 25 miles per gallon (mpg) and drives 12,000 miles will use 480 gallons of gas and will produce 9,120 pounds of CO2.  This is about twice as heavy as the weight of the car itself. The emissions weight doubles for a vehicle that gets only 12 to 13 actual mpg.

It is often heard that trees can absorb some of this human-generated CO2. While there is no simple formula to explain how much CO2 any given tree will absorb - it depends on many different variables - one reasonable estimate is that a moderately fast-growing hardwood tree will sequester about 135 pounds of CO2 per year. The car that gets 25 mpg would need 68 trees to cover its annual CO2 output.

Carbon Statistics
The average daily CO2 emissions per person in the United States is 122 pounds or more than 22 tons of CO2 annually, which is the equivalent of 2,250 20-pound bags of charcoal a year. The average daily output per person for the world is only 24 pounds, nearly five times less than the average, while the amount that could be emitted per person without raising CO2 levels in the atmosphere is nine pounds.

The per capita daily usage in is just about half of the at 63 pounds. is 46.5 pounds, is 33 pounds, and in only 10.9 pounds per person per day. Some of these countries have high standards of living but do so in a much less wasteful way. It would be wise to incorporate their methods and techniques into everyday lives in this country.

Homes
Because buildings produce the vast majority of CO2, a basic understanding of what a typical home emits in a year is needed. According to the EPA's personal emissions calculator, the average household produces more than 27,000 pounds of CO2 annually, and that is for a two-person home. Evanston homes are typically larger than the average. Using our charcoal bag analogy, that would be 1,350 of the 20-pound bags of charcoal. Good luck storing those in the garage.

Most people do not think twice about leaving a light bulb on. However, a 40-watt bulb burning for 24 hours requires one kilowatt of electricity, which produces about one pound of CO2 (here in northern Illinois). To put that in perspective, an average person can generate about 100 watts during an hour on a bicycle - and be dead tired doing it. Stationary bikes can be connected to various types of lights. It is instructive to compare the energy expended pedaling to illuminate a 100-watt incandescent bulb to the pedaling required to illuminate an equivalent fluorescent bulb. For the latter, the effort is many times easier.

Summary
With more and more news about global warming, the public is being exposed to many new forms of abstract numbers. Figuring out a way to relate those numbers to understandable experiences can help everyone see the light.

Eight 'Green' Resolutions for 2008

By Mayre Press

Most of us make New Year's resolutions and, with recent news items about living greener, some plan to incorporate that. Here are ideas to combine 2008 resolutions with "doable" actions to create a greener life.

Some of these suggestions have been made before, and some have followed them. Bravo. Others though, may require a bit more prodding. So, as they say in advertising, "Tell them. Tell them what you told them. Then tell them again." 

1. Take a reusable water bottle for working out. We have heard the phrase, "Just say no to bottled water." Now put it to use. Stainless steel or Nalgene plastic bottles are more durable and do not leach toxins. These bottles have wider mouths that make it easier to add ice.  

2. Bring canvas bags for shopping. Look at the trees near any shopping mall to see a sad sight; bare trees littered with petroleum-based, non-degradable plastic bags. Canvas bags are not a luxury item as most cost less than $10, and some sell for as little as $5.

3. Use a mug for coffee or tea at the office. Take a favorite mug from home or buy one with your name, initials, favorite animal or cartoon character on it. Go ahead. ... Express your inner child. If you must be serious, go with basic black.... It will not show the tea or coffee stains.

4. Replace at least one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent (CFL). Gee, this one sounds familiar. The price for these little energy misers has come down to an affordable $6.95 for four bulbs. Now there is no excuse.

5. Turn the thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in summer. On a cold winter's night this may seem like a huge sacrifice. Most seasons, those extremely cold periods only happen for a day or two at a time. Conversely, during summer's hottest spells, two degrees warmer may be more than some can handle. Gratefully, those dog days of summer do not hang around long. So sleep winters in flannels or summers in lightweight T-shirts, and smile as the energy bills grown smaller.

6. Commute with an alternative transportation mode at least two days per month. This one is easy. ... carpool, walk, bike or take public transit. Use common sense. ... Don't pick the coldest or hottest days to be outdoors. Perhaps you will enjoy the change so much it will become permanent.

7. Eat lower on the food chain: Go meatless at least one day per week. Even meat-and-potato eaters can do this. There are plenty of other proteins available, such as beans, cheese, fish and eggs. Eating vegetables and grains mixed with some delicious proteins will still satisfy.

8. Be an advocate for greener living. Perhaps a neighbor or co-worker does not shop with reusable bags. Speak up about the need for public transit or the benefits of eating locally grown fruits and vegetables. A degree in environmental or earth sciences is not required to advocate on behalf of greener living.

Do not hesitate to go out and live greener in 2008. Please feel free to become overachievers. Replace four bulbs with CFLs or ride a bike to work one day a week. Throw another quilt on the bed and turn the thermostat down four degrees. Many eco-conscious readers may do everything on this list and have done so for years. Great. Now reread number eight and advocate, advocate, advocate.

Contact Eco Gal at info@evanstonroundtable.com or ecogal247@yahoo.com.

Carbon Offsets: A Cautionary Tale

By Eleanor Revelle

The carbon offset market is booming.  More than 30 companies are ready to help eco-conscious consumers compensate for their carbon emissions by contributing to projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere.   

The idea sounds promising.  By purchasing carbon offsets, consumers can mitigate their climate impact and help finance projects that keep greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.  In addition, as more people demonstrate their willingness to pay extra for green initiatives, it sends a signal to lawmakers that there is public support for tough climate legislation.

But critics consider promoting offsets to be a flawed approach.  They argue that it encourages a business-as-usual attitude towards climate change by suggesting that consumers can neutralize their emissions without altering their lifestyle.  Compounding the problem, there are as yet no agreed-upon standards to ensure that offset projects deliver the carbon reductions promised.

Nonetheless, well-chosen offsets can be an important part of a broader strategy to address climate change.  They provide an additional opportunity for individuals who have already curtailed their energy consumption to reduce their impact on global warming still further.  And fortunately, there are resources to help consumers find credible high-quality offsets.

How much does it cost?
Most offset providers have online calculators that allow potential customers to calculate their emissions and the cost of offsetting that amount.  The various calculators frequently give quite different estimates of total emissions, however.  This reflects differences in the level of detail users are asked to provide and in the assumptions used in the calculations.  Estimating the climate impacts of air travel is particularly complex. 

Moreover, the offsets that are offered range widely in price, from $5 to $25 per ton of emissions.  For consumers trying to make a choice, analysts suggest that the quality of the offset project rather than the cost should be the determining factor.  It is better, they say, to invest in high quality offsets than to buy as many offsets as possible.

Choosing a high-quality offset
Offset providers fund a wide variety of projects, but how can consumers be sure that the offsets they buy will result in real emissions reductions?  A recent report published by Clean Air-Cool Planet (www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/ConsumersGuidetoCarbonOffsets.pdf) suggests a set of characteristics to look for in an offset project:  
•  Additionality. Will the offset revenues make the project happen or would it have occurred anyway (e.g., because it is required by law)?
•  Baseline. Has a reasonable emissions baseline been determined against which reductions will be measured?
•  Quantification. Are rigorous accounting rules used to quantify the greenhouse gas reductions?
•  Permanence.  Will the emissions reductions be permanent, or might they be subject to reversal in the future (e.g., if the trees in a carbon sequestration project burn or are cut down)?
•  Verification.  Are emissions reduction claims independently verified and verifiable?
•  Registration. Are the offsets serialized and tracked to reduce the possibility that they could be sold more than once?

The bulk of the report focuses on the companies that sell the offsets.  It evaluates the providers' understanding of carbon offsets and offset quality as well as the degree to which the information they offer enables consumers to make effective choices.  The authors' longer term goal is to promote greater transparency in the retail offset market.

Another helpful resource for consumers looking for guidance is the Environmental Defense website www.fightglobalwarming.com/dangers.cfm, which identifies a small number of offset projects that meet the organization's quality criteria.

Renewable Energy Certificates
Another way in which consumers are encouraged to "offset" their carbon emissions is to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), also known as green tags.  RECs are created when a renewable energy facility generates electricity.  One REC represents 1,000 kilowatt hours of renewable electricity that is added to the nation's energy grid in place of conventional electricity generated from fossil fuels.

Buying RECs helps build a market for renewable electricity.  As a general rule, however, RECs are not considered equivalent to carbon offsets because they cannot be assumed to be "additional."  This is an important consideration for consumers whose goal is to become carbon neutral.  Only if the sale of RECs is a decisive factor in a company's decision to pursue a renewable energy project can the associated RECs legitimately be used to offset carbon emissions.  

An important resource for potential REC purchasers is Green-e Energy, an independent certification and verification program www.green-e.org/gogreene.shtml. Green-e certified renewable energy options meet strict consumer protection and environmental standards.  Among the two-dozen-plus Green-e certified REC marketers are the non-profit organization Bonneville Environmental Foundation, www.b-e-f.org, and the Native American for-profit company, NativeEnergy www.nativeenergy.com.

The bottom line
For those who are serious about reducing their carbon footprint, the focus must be on cutting their energy consumption.  And for real impact, everyone's goal must be effective public policy on climate change.

Green Gift Ideas 2

By Mayre Press

Ready for the next round of green gift ideas? Look no further than Greenfeet, (greenfeet.com) an online retailer that calls itself "the Planet's Homestore." In their stocking-stuffers section are items ranging from bamboo tongs and slotted spoons to bicycle-chain bottle openers, key chains and business-card holders. The site has a huge variety of gifts for the whole family and is for all budgets.

Taraluna (taraluna.com) is another online retailer that sells fair trade, organic and green gifts for babies, pets, children and grownups. They sell beautiful handmade jewelry and purses, tote bags, toys, dolls, accessories, stationery and cards, baskets and kitchen décor, tea sets and organic tea and chocolates.

Locally, holiday shoppers can visit two retailers that sell green items suitable for gift-giving. Ethical Planet carries all-vegan food and a variety of vegan and/or organic clothing, accessories, household goods and much more. The website, ethicalplanet.com, gives the store location, hours and other information. Healthy Green Goods places its emphasis on toxin-free cleaning supplies, body care, home furnishings and clothing. The store's website, healthygreengoods.com, has a complete list of their products, as well as the address, phone, hours and other details.

For fair-trade gift items Ten Thousand Villages at 719 Main St. is also a good shopping destination. They carry coffee, tea, home furnishings and clothing from third-world countries that follow fair-trade practices. Additionally, Evanston is fortunate to have not one but two natural-food retailers, Wild Oats and Whole Foods. A gift certificate to any of these establishments would be well received.

For the athletes on the list, Fair Trade Sports (fairtradesports.com) sells sports balls stitched by adult workers paid fair wages and ensured healthy working conditions. All of their apparel is sweat-shop free, and the company's after-tax profits are donated to children's charities. Good  green sports will want to explore their products.

Techno-wizards will love the solar-powered flashlights, radios and chargers sold by solar style (solarstyle.com). Using one solar charger eliminates the need to carry additional batteries for digital devices, and it charges cell phones, PDAs, MP3s, CD players, gaming devices and digital cameras. Simplify someone's life - and be kind to planet earth - by giving a multi-function solar charger.

Nearly everyone has a person on their list who has everything. This is the person who might love a polar bear, a moose, a gray wolf or a desert tortoise. The National Wildlife Federation's adoption center offers packages starting at $30 for these and other imperiled animals. Visit the website at nwf.org for details.

A gift option for the diehard environmentalist is to buy carbon offsets from Terra Pass. The money from carbon offsets funds clean energy and other projects that reduce greenhouse gases to balance the impact of driving, air travel and household appliance use. Their website, terrapass.com, has other green gift ideas, such as a smart surge protector that automatically turns off peripherals when the computer is off, even if the owner forgets.

So grab the phone or click that mouse and start green shopping.

Contact Eco Gal at info@evanstonroundtable.com or ecogal247@yahoo.com.

Green About Town

By Ellen Galland

The green of the holiday season may well pale in comparison to the climate action plan for Evanston, the brainchild of the Network for Evanston's Future and the City of Evanston.

The Nov. 13 kickoff drew more than 100 persons, who then attended break-out sessions in the following areas: transportation, telecommunications and access; energy efficiency and buildings; renewable energy resources (of which this writer is a community co-chair); waste reduction and recycling; forestry, prairie and carbon offsets; policy, research and education; and communications and public relations.

The climate action plan will be the framework for the City to meet the obligations of the Kyoto Protocol, which the City Council adopted through its approval of the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement. One goal of the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that is 7 percent below the 1990 levels by the year 2012.

To do so, said Carolyn Collopy, the City's sustainable programs coordinator, the emissions must be reduced by nearly 15 percent over the next four years.

Changing behavior is one low-tech way to reduce emissions, said Linda Young of the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago. Two of her suggestions were adjusting thermostats upward in summer and downward in winter, and retrofitting rather than building new. "Many [Chicago] residents want to retrofit, but they don't know how and are intimidated by contractors," she said. She enumerated several measures taken by the City of Chicago to promote sustainability, such as zoning breaks and the "green permit process" - a fast-track process - for contractors incorporating sustainable elements.

In the suburbs, said Ms. Young, cars are major culprits: "About 91 percent of the people are in cars. ... We need to reduce the vehicle miles traveled (VMTs)." At present, she added, "We need to just maintain mass transit. Evanston is [a] perfect [place] to promote this."

In Evanston about 10 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, said Ms. Collopy. Her office recently completed a greenhouse gas emission inventory for the City. In 2005, the baseline year, Evanston produced an estimated 1,307,875 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (Co2E), she said. Electricity  for residential and commercial uses produces about 64 percent of the emissions, according to the inventory, and natural gas about 26 percent.

State Representative Julie Hamos said what Evanston is undertaking is "exciting. ... State policy needs to support local actions." One sustainable highlight at the state level, she said, was the creation of an Illinois Climate Change Advisory Group. Another was the creation of an agency to purchase energy in bulk for municipalities who so wish, she said. More information about sustainability efforts on the part of the City and the citizens can be found at www.cityofevanston.org/green.  To join one of the groups, contact Ms. Collopy at 847-448-8069. 

The timetable for the Climate Action Plan is for the individual groups to meet and formulate their interventions, based on research into the most important interventions in each specific area, the resources (including organizations) available in the community and best practices of other communities that are adaptable to Evanston. Ms. Collopy says she hopes to have a draft "sector action plan" ready in time for April's Earth Month events. The plan would then be revised with community input and presented to the City Council a few weeks later.

First Fries, Then Shuttle Buses

Northwestern University engineering students who participated in the climate action kickoff have already come up with a biomass alternative to fueling Northwestern's shuttle buses. Ritu Gopal, a member of the renewable energy resources subgroup, submitted a possible alternative to the $28,000 the University spends each year on fuel for shuttle buses.

The shuttle runs approximate 150 miles per day, more than 1,500 miles per week, producing 3.5 tons of carbon dioxide each year. Sodexho, the University's food service, already separates food waste and oil waste and pays for the barrels of waste vegetable oil (WVO) to be hauled away - about 150 gallons per week. Engineers for a Sustainable World at Northwestern would like to convert unused oil into about 150 gallons of WVO fuel per week. A shuttle powered with WVO fuel would reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions by 50-90 percent, and reduce the cost by about 40 percent, saving the University about $11,000 annually, said Liz Voeller, a member of Northwestern's WVO team, according to the biomass report.

Eco-Gal: Green Gift Ideas

By Mayre Press

'Tis the season to be green and give gifts that use fair trade sources and/or recycled materials. Fine examples are the stunning designs by Moonrise Jewelry (moonrisejewelry.com). The two designers use only fair trade and "ethical-source" vendors for their raw materials (metals and gemstones). Recycled, reclaimed and renewable natural materials can be found in their necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

For the man or woman who prefers basic black accessories, a vegan wallet from Used Rubber USA (usedrubberusa.com) is a great gift. Made from reused truck inner tubes and stitched with heavy-duty industrial thread, these wallets can withstand an accidental run through the washing machine. Available in both standard and billfold styles with windows and pockets, the wallets are sleek-looking and waterproof.

Home décor items, such as the handmade sustainable products crafted by Enlighten Style (enlightenstyle.com) offer dozens of unique options. Bamboo lamps are available in hanging, table and floor styles, and compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) are recommended. Reclaimed wood gets a second life in the form of picture frames available for standard-size photos such as 3x5, 4x6 and 8x10.

Few children can resist a teddy bear. Wildlife Works (wildlifeworks.com) sells an eco-friendly one named Mikey. This adorable bear is handmade from organic cotton terry and is stuffed with scraps of organic cotton from the company's "Eco-Factory" in Kenya. The ears and footpads are made of tree bark cloth. Wildlife Works sells clothing for men, women and children, and home furnishings such as wildlife prints.

Perhaps someone is gung-ho about going green but is not sure how to start. Look no further than the Eco-Friendly Gift Bag from GoGreenGift.com. Packed inside an organic cotton grocery bag are household items: a low-flow showerhead and two CFLs; taste treats (organic fair-trade coffee, organic tea and fruit leather); natural body care (organic shampoo and conditioner, organic lip balm and a flower and herb-infused salve); informational resources (Mother Earth's EcoGuide, E-The Environmental Magazine), plus coupons and resource literature.

A sustainable gift deserves to be wrapped in nothing less than tree-free paper or gift bag. Peaceful Valley Earth Friendly Clothing & Gifts (peacefulvalleygreetings.com) sells an assortment of hemp, banana leaf, kenaf and other tree-free papers. All gift-wrap designs are printed with vegetable-based inks on recycled paper. Peaceful Valley also has a selection of 2008 calendars printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper.

Of course, these ideas are just a few of the thousands of options available for shoppers who want their gifts to be sustainable. Look for more holiday gift ideas next time... In the meantime, happy green shopping!

Contact Eco Gal at info@evanstonroundtable.com or ecogal247@yahoo.

A Visit to the USGBC Greenbuild Conference and Expo

By Ellen Rockwell Galland

From waterless urinals to personal heating and cooling units for office workstations, the United States Green Building Council Expo ranged greatly in the products and services of its exhibitors.

The Expo held last week at McCormick Place was one of the largest ever held. Far more than the 20,000 registrants showed up to examine the 850 exhibit booths. Many of the attendees were business people who want to be part of this new direction of the building industry. Former President Bill Clinton was there to give the plenary address and to promote the Clinton Climate Initiative.

Many of the businesses and services at the Expo related directly to the emphasis on green materials and systems that the USGBC LEED program for rating buildings has generated.

The success of the LEED program, said Sam Borgeson, a graduate student in building sciences at UC Berkeley, has to do with its credibility with businesses and corporations.

The fact that the process is cumbersome is reassuring to them, he said. It convinces them that the investment they make in green building has long-term value. LEED also gives the building owners and their tenants a status that can help their images and therefore, hopefully, their profits. (For more information about LEED, see the article about LEED for existing buildings on the RoundTable website, evanstonroundtable.com, in the Green Column archives.)

Carolyn Brzezenski, formerly a building official with the City of Evanston, said she was impressed with the range of products and services exhibited. She noted that the businesses present at the Expo ranged from "upstarts" to sophisticates.

Ms. Brzezenski said one effect of the LEED rating system on businesses is that most now make sure that their products include a percentage of pre- and post-consumer recycled content. And a part of the process is that manufacturers hire consultants who work with chemical engineers to ensure that the documentation required by LEED can be met. She said the USGBC Expo is an example of all boats rising with the tide.

Bob Fisher of Evanston Lumber Company, touring the many lumber displays, said most of the companies and their products are now certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). His company had delivered its first load of FSC-certified lumber to a job site in Evanston that morning. In addition, he has applied to the FSC for "chain of custody" certification.

FSC means the wood has been grown and harvested using sustainable forestry practices. "Chain of custody" is the process of tracking and recording the possession and transfer of wood and fiber from the forests of origin through the different stages of production, to the end user.

Mr. Fisher said that his company is pursuing all avenues to provide its customers with sustainable products. He said he welcomes suggestions on green products his customers would like him to carry.

Waterless urinals were displayed at many booths. At the Kohler booth, a company representative explained to several people how the "waterless urinal sealing liquid," a sealant with a vegetable-oil base, allows the urine to pass through while preventing odors. The challenge to using this system seems to be to educate the maintenance staff not to put other liquids into the urinal.

At the Sloan "restroom solutions" exhibit, it was possible to enter a drawing for a photovoltaic backpack, capable of charging one's cellphone. These have become a popular item on college campuses.

A solution to office thermostat wars was displayed at the Herman Miller booth. In addition to recyled-content desks, keyboard trays and other work-station items, Herman Miller's "Be" collection offers a personal heating and cooling appliance. Its small-scale and attractive design make it an improvement over the improvised but probably less costly hardware-store solutions to this problem.

Patsy Welch, formerly of Evanston and now of Prairie Crossing, who was helping out at the RateItGreen booth said sustainability needs to be mainstream, "not just a group of people in the corner talking about green things."

Georgia Pacific promoted its mold-resistant exterior sheathing and paperless interior drywall to address the increasing attention being paid to molds.

Haworth had on display the model of its new headquarters in Holland, Mich. Diane Haworth said that achieving LEED certification for this building pulled together constructively the people working on the project. Among the features of the new building are "raised floor" systems for delivery of the heating and cooling air, as well as LED desk task lighting (also at the Herman Miller display). Haworth, a furniture manufacturer, makes the Zody chair, an ergonometric office task chair that is made of up to 50 percent recycled content and is recyclable at the end of its life (supporting the "cradle-to-cradle" concept which was introduced by the architect Bill McDonough.)

Of interest to Evanston birdwatchers was a conference session called

"Greening a Country: Taiwan Goes Green." Designers of highrises in Taiwan have studied how best to configure their buildings to protect the large numbers of migrating birds. Speaker Lin Hsien-te of National Cheng-Kong University said using the building shape to create a semi-open, partially protected area, rather than a rectangular block, works the best. He noted that 1 billion birds die in America every year because of the glass walls of our buildings.

Jumping on the green bandwagon were "coal-combustion products" and a group promoting the idea that vinyl and pvc may be sustainable.

On display at the Lucid Design Group's booth was an entertaining and educational web-based technology called "Building Dashboard." It "renders the environmental performance of buildings visible, engaging and easily, interpretable in real time." It is an example of how monitoring a building's performance can encourage users to reduce energy and water use.

Among the many students present at the Expo was a group from the Center for the Built Environment at UC Berkeley. They were possibly among the more sophisticated attendees, since their center works with "a consortium of leading building-industry firms and organizations committed to improving the performance of non-residential buildings." According to their center's brochure, these students learn about and research the "new technologies that allow today's buildings to be more efficient and responsible to occupant needs than ever before."

A bottom-line question is always how many of the products and services displayed are readily available and affordable. Since exhibitors pay a lot to be at Greenbuild, it would seem that these businesses and services are seriously committed to improving their presence in this new market.

For a list of the top ten green building products visit www.evanstonroundtable.com.

Curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Two Approaches

By Eleanor Revelle  

Facing the growing evidence that burning fossil fuels is contributing significantly to global climate change, U.S. policymakers are beginning to evaluate strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide (CO2). They have two general approaches to consider. 

Cap-and-trade
With a cap-and-trade system for CO2, policymakers set a limit on the quantity of CO2 that can be emitted in a given period. The total emissions allowed under this cap are divided into permits (e.g., one ton of CO2), representing the right to emit that amount. The permits are then allocated to the sources covered by the program (e.g., power plants). At the end of the compliance period, each source must report all emissions and surrender an equivalent number of permits.

Since the number of permits is limited, they have financial value. Companies able to reduce their emissions at low cost can sell the permits they don't need to companies for whom the cost of reducing emissions is high. Each company has the flexibility to choose how to meet its emissions target, but market incentives encourage them to develop new, cleaner technologies. Over time, the cap is lowered to achieve more aggressive emissions-reduction targets.   

Carbon tax
A carbon tax is imposed on fossil fuel suppliers at a rate that reflects the amount of carbon that will be emitted when the fuel is combusted. The tax is included in the price of the coal, oil and natural gas supplied to wholesale users and ultimately is passed on to consumers in the price of electricity, gasoline and other energy-intensive products. By raising the price of carbon-based energy, the tax creates incentives to reduce energy use, stimulates demand for more energy-efficient products, and promotes a shift to cleaner fuels and renewable energy. 

Emissions certainty
The strength of the cap-and-trade approach is that it sets firm limits on emissions. The cap is set at a level designed to achieve a desired environmental outcome (e.g., reduction of CO2 emissions to 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050). 

A carbon tax allows the quantity of emissions to fluctuate as the demand for energy rises or falls. Allowing emissions to vary from year to year gives firms the flexibility to abate less and pay more in taxes when abatement costs are unusually high (and vice-versa when abatement costs are low). In order to achieve climatic goals, the tax rate can be adjusted over time to attain greater emissions reductions.

Price predictability
The advantage of a carbon tax is that it fixes the price of carbon emissions. It creates a permanent incentive to reduce emissions, thereby encouraging investment in alternative fuels and energy-efficient technologies that have high up-front costs. 

Under a cap-and-trade system, the price of emissions permits may vary considerably from year to year. An especially cold winter, for example, could increase the demand for energy and cause a spike in the price of permits. This volatility could weaken incentives to invest in cleaner technologies. 

To address this volatility, most cap-and-trade proposals include cost-control mechanisms, some of which would allow the level of emissions to exceed the cap. 
• Safety valve - establishes a ceiling on the price of permits. If the price reaches this level, the government can sell additional permits at this price to the capped entities.
• Circuit breaker - freezes a gradually declining emissions cap if the permit price rises above a predetermined level.   
• Banking - allows companies to save unused allowances for future years. 
• Borrowing - allows companies to borrow permits from future years and pay them back, with interest, later.
• Offsets - allow companies to cover some of their emissions by purchasing credits created by carbon mitigation projects (e.g., tree planting) from sources outside the cap-and-trade system.  

Equity
Under most cap-and-trade proposals, a substantial portion of the emissions permits are to be distributed free to the capped entities. Research indicates that most of the cost of the program will be passed along in increased prices to consumers, which would disproportionately affect lower-income households.

A carbon tax directly raises substantial revenues. These could be used to fund "progressive" tax-shifting policies that would reduce the burden of higher energy costs on lower-income groups.

Simplicity and transparency
A cap-and-trade system requires new institutions (e.g., a system to allocate permits, markets where firms can buy and sell permits, a means of monitoring emissions and trades). Auctioning the permits rather than distributing them free could help promote simplicity and transparency.

A carbon tax can be levied and collected through existing institutions with experience in enforcing compliance. It is simpler and less expensive to administer and enforce than a cap-and-trade system. Its underlying premise-the price of energy should include environmental costs associated with its production-is transparent and readily understood.

[A more comprehensive discussion of this subject can be found on the author's website at revelle.net/lakeside/lakeside.new/CandT-CarbonTax.pdf.]

 

 

Green stuff

Ask Ecogal: Paper or Plastic? Neither!

By Mayre Press

At one time, grocery shoppers were asked at checkout, "Do you want paper or plastic bags?" The green response remains, "Neither." Most grocers do not bother to ask and automatically reach for the annoying and deadly (for small children, pets and sea-life) plastic bags. If paper bags are available, they are often the reusable kind with handles, a/k/a shopping bags, which can be used and reused until they tear, their handles break or they become wet.

 Both of those options have a negative environmental impact. In the United States, about 12 million barrels of oil (a non-renewal resource) and 14 million trees are used annually to make plastic and paper bags, respectively. At the grocer's, observe how many plastic bags are used to hold other shoppers' groceries.

Often a bagger puts four items or less in a single plastic bag, and it is not unusual to see one shopper leave with ten bags or more. Multiply that by tens of thousands of shoppers, and the appalling result is that U.S. consumers throw away 100 billion plastic bags each year.

In autumn, after the leaves have fallen, the bare trees in almost any neighborhood or along any roadway have plastic bags clinging to their highest branches.   

According to the Center for Marine Conservation, plastic bags are one of the 12 most common items found during coastal cleanups. Thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die yearly from eating discarded plastic bags they mistake for food. The bags do not biodegrade, they photodegrade or break down into smaller toxic bits that contaminate soil and waterways and then enter the food web when ingested accidentally by animals.

Plastic bags, even the smaller type for holding groceries, pose a hazard at home to small children and pets. Both suffocation and accidental ingestion are potential risks. Store all plastic bags out of the reach of children and pets.

Some cities are trying to eliminate the problem through legislation. San Francisco enacted a ban in April that applies only to larger grocery stores and drugstores. Similar measures are under consideration in Annapolis, Md.; Boston; Baltimore; Oakland, Cal.; Portland, Ore.; Santa Monica, Cal.; and Steamboat Springs, Col.

A July 23, 2007, piece in The New York Timesquoted Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of Jacques Cousteau and director of EarthEcho, a Washington, D.C. environmental education group: "Banning plastic makes sense for the simple reason that it takes more than 1,000 years to biodegrade, which means that every single piece of plastic we've ever manufactured is still around, and much of it ends up in the oceans killing animals."

Annapolis Alderman Samuel E. Shropshire, sponsor of that city's ordinance to ban plastic bags, said, "What we need for the improvement of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries is some radical legislation." Under the proposed Annapolis ordinance, stores would have to issue recyclable paper bags, or customers would have to provide reusable bags. Violators would face up to a $500 fine.

What can environmentally conscious consumers use? For durability, space and style, an excellent choice is a canvas bag or one made from another renewable resource material such as woven nylon. Some local nonprofit groups offer cotton canvas bags as membership premiums. A ChicoBag (www.chicobag.com), for example, measures 18"x18" when unfolded, and stuffs neatly into a 3"x4" pouch. At $5 a bag, one can be kept in the car,  backpack or purse to carry shopping items.

Next shopping trip, avoid paper or plastic,  and BYOB ("bring your own bag").
Contact Eco Gal at info@evanstonroundtable.com or ecogal247@yahoo.com.

October is 'Evanston CAN Recycle!' Month

The City of Evanston and Keep Evanston Beautiful are calling on Evanston residents and businesses to recycle as many aluminum beverage cans as possible during the entire month of October, now designated "Evanston CAN Recycle!" month.

Evanston has accepted the challenge to compete against other municipalities its size in the U.S. Conference of Mayors Cans for Cash program. The monetary prizes of up to $10,000 can be put toward enhancing Evanston's recycling programs.

"This challenge is a great way to put Evanston on the map as a green city," said Carolyn Collopy, Evanston's sustainable coordinator. "If we all make a concerted effort next month, we can show the country how serious we are about saving the environment." Evanston will compete in Division Three against other cities with populations between 50,000 and 99,999. Last year's winner was Bowling Green, Ky., which recycled 78,310 pounds of aluminum cans. 

Ms. Collopy said Evanston community members do not need to do anything extraordinary; simply make certain all of their aluminum cans are in recycling containers. Groot, the City's recycling hauler, will sort and weigh the aluminum cans.

The aluminum can is the country's most recycled beverage container and has been so for more than 20 years.

For more information on Evanston CAN Recycle, call Ms. Collopy, 847- 448-8069 or Suzette Eggleston, superintendent of Streets and Sanitation, 847- 866-2940.

'Our Climate Matters' Oct. 18-21

Several local Leagues of Women Voters are holding a four-day symposium on global warming, entitled "Our Climate Matters," from the evening of Oct. 18 through the evening of Oct. 21 at the new Glenview Park District facilities, 2400 Chestnut Ave. in The Glen.

Scientists, business people, economists, legislators and other policymakers, architects, and citizens will discuss such topics as the economic ramifications of action and inaction, environmental law and policy, green architecture, the health of Lake Michigan, "Ways to Make Your Town Green," and what is happening in governmental policy at the national, state and local levels.

Friday's keynote speaker, Peter Goldmark, is director of the climate and air program at Environmental Defense; his topic will be "Global Warming: What To Do About the Express Train Coming at Us." He will speak at 8 p.m.

Saturday's programs include a panel entitled "Building Matters:  Shades of Green." Walter Kihm, Ed Noonan, Steve Sturm and Cappy Kidd will be on the panel. Evanston architect Ellen Galland will be the moderator.

Interested parties are invited to form carpools, fire up the hybrid, or grab a bicycle to attend "Our Climate Matters." All programs are free and open to the public.

Lighting the Way to a Greener Environment

By Eleanor Revelle

It's on every Top Ten list of things-to-do to save energy and help fight global climate change: Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs).

The benefits are compelling. CFLs use less than one-quarter of the electricity of an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light. This means savings for consumers through reduced electric bills. And by reducing the demand for electricity, it means less global warming pollution from coal-fired power plants.

Roughly one-third of global warming pollution in the U.S. is caused by coal plants generating electricity. And lighting accounts for 20 percent of the electricity used. For consumers whose electricity is produced from coal, replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep more than half a ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb.

Evanston residents, whose electricity is supplied primarily by nuclear power, can make an impact as well. Illinois nuclear plants regularly sell their considerable excess base-load capacity to electrical distributors in other areas that depend otherwise on coal-fired power. Reducing demand for electricity in Evanston, therefore, makes more emissions-free nuclear power available to replace carbon-intensive coal-fired power elsewhere.

Is Mercury a Problem?
CFLs do contain a very small amount of mercury-about 5 milligrams, enough to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen. The mercury is safe while the bulb is intact or in use, and even if the CFL should break, it poses little risk.

Far more serious are the 50 tons of mercury emitted annually from coal-burning power plants in the United States. To generate the average 10,660 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity used by the typical household each year, a power plant will emit about 245 mg of mercury (roughly 0.023 mg of mercury/kWh of electricity produced). By using CFLs instead of incandescent bulbs, homeowners will reduce their electrical demand and cut mercury emissions as well.

Assessing the impact
A 23-watt CFL compares to an incandescent bulb that produces the same amount of light, namely a 100-watt bulb. Since ENERGY STAR-qualifed CFLs last five to ten times longer than incandescent bulbs, this example compares one 23-watt CFL with five 100-watt incandescents, equivalent to the minimum expected lifetime of the one 23-watt CFL.

Making the switch
For those who have not made the switch to CFLs yet-or who were unhappy with fluorescent lights in the past-it is time to check out the nearest lighting display.
• CFLs now come in a variety of shapes and sizes-mini-spirals small enough to use in table lamps, sconces and ceiling fixtures; globes for bathroom vanity fixtures; chandelier bulbs; recessed downlights; and more.
• CFLs can replace incandescent bulbs in almost any fixture. Some are specifically designed for use with dimmers or in three-way fixtures.
• The amount of light that any bulb will put out is measured in lumens. A 100-watt incandescent bulb will put out about 1,600 lumens. Replacing that bulb with a 23-watt CFL will also produce 1,600 lumens, but it will require much less power.
• CFLs are available in a range of color temperatures. For a warm (yellowish) light, look for a CFL labeled soft white, with a color temperature of 2,700K (degrees Kelvin). CFLs labeled bright white and daylight will have a cooler (bluish) light and higher Kelvin numbers (e.g., 3,500K or 5,500K).
• Look for ENERGY STAR-qualified bulbs. These have been tested to meet stringent performance criteria; they will use 75 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb and last up to ten times longer.

Disposing of CFLs
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and proper disposal of CFLs is a must. Recycling options are expanding. Lemoi's Hardware in Evanston accepts used CFLs, and the bulbs can also be disposed of at the regular, one-day, spring and fall household chemical waste collection events organized by the Illinois EPA.

 

If a CFL should break, scoop up the glass fragments and fine particles with stiff paper or cardboard and put them in a plastic bag. Wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel and place that in the bag, too. Seal the bag, place it in a second plastic bag, and dispose of it properly. Do not use a vacuum or broom.

* Energy Star's comprehensive CFL webpage: www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls.

* Household Chemical Waste Collection Schedule www.swancc.org/hcw/hcwcollection.html.

* US EPA information on cleaning up mercury spills www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm.

Ask EcoGal

Healthy, Eco-Friendly Lunches

By Mayre Press

After Labor Day weekend, nearly all children return to school; some started back in August. Though school lunches have improved, many families prefer to provide their children with homemade lunches. Responding to consumer demands, the food industry has taken small steps toward offering healthier lunch and snack options.

Unfortunately, many of these products are packaged in single-use containers that either cannot be recycled or are not easily recycled in some communities. Juice boxes (aseptic packaging), while convenient, fall into that category. One alternative is to fill stainless steel or plastic containers, which are available in sizes comparable to a juice-box serving (6.75 oz.).

Fruit juices that come in 64-ounce bottles or larger can be poured into a smaller reusable container. Parents need to read the labels before buying foods or beverages. For instance, a label that reads, "No sugar added," does not mean the product has no sugar. Parents should look for the brand with the lowest sugar content-ditto for fat.

Being green involves resisting the temptation to buy pre-packaged single servings of snacks such as crackers, cookies, flavored gelatin and applesauce and substituting reusable containers that hold kid-sized portions (4 to 8 ounces). Filling these with items bought in larger containers not only will save money, but will also omit much unnecessary packaging. Better yet is to reuse a clean, empty yogurt or other container and lid for bite-sized cookies, dried fruit, trail mix or other nutritious snacks. Celery and carrot sticks or apple slices can be packed in containers or wrapped in foil, with yogurt or peanut butter for dipping in a separate container.

Sandwiches have come a long way from the p-b-j many grownups recall. Today's lunches don't require bread: Pitas, wraps, mini pizzas and other creations take the place of traditional sandwiches. Bite-sized pieces of low-fat cheese and sliced turkey can be filling without the bread. Homemade chicken or tuna salad can be spread on whole-wheat crackers. Another reuse tip is to save the wooden sticks, washed and air-dried, from frozen treats for kids to use as spreaders. They have no sharp points and, if lost or trashed, can be easily replaced.

Turn lunch-making into a family event. Even young children can help assemble ingredients and fill containers. Be creative, and let your children participate in the selection process. They're more likely to eat foods they help choose. To persuade teens to bring lunch from home rather than eat at nearby fast-food restaurants, tell them the money saved can go toward clothing, games, music or other valued items.

The backpack is today's standard transport. To avoid smashed, broken or leaky foods, pack individual containers in a soft-sided bag or box. Stay clear of metal lunch boxes, as lead-based paint is a potential hazard.

Colorful canvas or nylon bags are available at grocery, department or drug stores, as well as online. Many lunch bags are insulated to keep foods cool and have mesh sleeves to hold bottles and pockets for utensils.

Involving children in the process and following the above suggestions should result in healthy lunches that are good for children-and the environment.

Contact Eco Gal at info@evanstonroundtable.com or ecogal247@yahoo.com

LEED for Existing Buildings

By Thomas Ahleman, A.I.A.

The U.S. Green Building Council developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system to give building owners, architects and engineers a standard for green construction; it is a very useful tool. But most of the energy required by a building will be consumed over the course of its life, after the building is completed. To meet the needs of owners and managers who want to operate their buildings in the most sustainable way possible, the USGBC developed LEED for Existing Buildings. Although it is not as popular as LEED for New Construction, LEED EB is an important tool for reducing our impact on the environment and deserves more attention from both building owners and from architects.

The growing LEED family
Since the LEED rating system for new construction was unveiled more than 10 years ago, the USGBC has released a number of related rating systems, each tailored to a particular type of building.

Homes, commercial interiors, core and shell development, schools and existing buildings have unique criteria. Other rating systems being developed include those for neighborhood development, laboratories and retail and health-care projects. LEED EB shares five basic categories for evaluating how green a project is with the other rating systems: sustainable sites, water efficiency, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation.

Why LEED?
There are a number of reasons LEED EB can be useful. People come and go from organizations; having LEED EB in place means having a constant road map for making good decisions, regardless of staff changes. It also helps building managers adopt sound policies for maintaining exterior building sites, reducing water and energy usage, managing the waste-stream runoff, and using environmentally friendly products for cleaning.

How to LEED
The process for getting a building LEED-rated is straightforward. Once the registration paperwork has been filled out with the USGBC, the project leader submits documentation indicating which measures are being taken and policies adopted to earn points toward the anticipated of LEED rating. The process takes a minimum of three months, to make sure participants have policies, programs and tracking systems in place.

Although USGBC requires registration fees and project administrators may require a fee if he or she is a LEED-accredited professional (LEED AP) consultant or architect, the actual measures required to earn points need not be expensive or technologically sophisticated. Because the emphasis is on planning and making good decisions over the life of the building, it is possible to secure a LEED-certified rating with almost no initial capital expenditure.

LEED by example
Policies such as those that encourage car pooling and using safe cleaning products earn points without incurring much cost. Some measures can be planned but not implemented until practical: When a parking lot needs to be repaired, the owner can take the opportunity to replace the asphalt with a more porous surface that causes less run-off. Of course there are more expensive ways to get points; some offer financial, as well as environmental, payoffs.

The county-run King Street Center in Seattle collects rainwater to flush toilets.

This has reduced the Center's water demand for toilets by 40 percent, whihch saves money on the water bill. Such big-ticket items are not always feasible for non-profits and religious groups.

The Unitarian Church of Evanston recently considered replacing outdated and inefficient mechanicals with a ground-source heat-pump system for heating and cooling, which would have earned several points.

Although the upfront costs proved prohibitive, the system would have paid for itself in 10 years when compared to a standard forced air and air conditioning system. The wind certificates the church purchases help subsidize wind- generated electricity in Illinois and also earn LEED points. If they decide to pursue a LEED EB rating, the church will have the benefit of a comprehensive sustainability plan in line with their values to help inform future building operation and maintenance decisions. They would also be the first LEED EB facility in town.

Surprisingly, Evanston does not have a single building that has been either registered for LEED EB or which has received a LEED EB rating. Hopefully this will change, as forward-thinking businesses, agencies and religious institutions begin to see the human, fiscal and environmental advantages of maintaining and operating their buildings sustainably way.

Just Say 'No' to Bottled Water

By Mayre Press

These days everyone grouses about the high cost of gasoline, which passed $3 per gallon and is inching upwards to $4. So it is baffling that many consumers do not object to paying more than $9.85 per gallon for bottled water (based on about $1.25 per pint with eight pints in a gallon). When consumers pay more than a dollar for bottled water, 95 percent of the cost is for the bottle, label, lid and transportation.

According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, Americans consumed 22.6 gallons of bottled water per capita in 2003, up from 10.5 gallons in 1993. People are willing to pay a premium price for bottled water because they perceive that bottled water (1) tastes better and (2) is cleaner and safer than tap water.

A section of the Evanston Water Division's 2006 Water Quality Report states, "...Your tap water has met all US/EPA and state (IL) drinking water standards." Further, a recent taste-test at the Farmers' Market showed that 130 participants preferred Evanston's tap water 4-to-1 over a popular bottled-water brand.

Cost and taste aside, the key reason to avoid bottled water is the bottle itself. In the United States, plastic bottles have only a 10-percent recycled rate. The other 90 percent ends up in landfills, parks, beaches and along roadways. According to a Sierra Club report, 30 million plastic bottles are discarded each day more than 10 billion a year.

Plastic is made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource; plastic production leads to the release of a variety of chemicals. The Berkeley Ecology Center reported that most of the smaller bottles used as water containers are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET or #1), which generates 100 times more toxic emissions than an equivalent amount of glass. In fact, the plastic industry releases 14 percent of the most toxic industrial releases, such as styrene, benzene and trichloroethane, into the air. Other major emissions include sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, methanol, ethylene oxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Eleven states have "bottle bills," or container-deposit laws that require a minimum refundable deposit on beverage containers to ensure a high rate of recycling. Additionally, seven states (including Illinois) have bottle-bill legislation pending. In Illinois, the "I-CAN Bottle Bill" (HB-4080) was introduced on May 18, 2005. It was referred to the Rules Committee later that month, where it remained until it landed in legislative limbo.

An alternative to buying bottled water is to use a canteen. One contemporary version is a lightweight, reusable bottle of stainless steel with a cap made from non-leaching polypropylene plastic (#5). "Klean Kanteen" is one such product; local retailers and online shops carry others.

There are a number of steps that eco-conscious consumers can take. The first is to stop buying bottled water. Purchase a refillable/reusable anywhere that calls for a beverage on the go. Practice activism by visiting www.toolkit.bottlebill.org to learn what to do. Also go to www.lighterfootstep.com/5-reasons-not-to-drink-bottled-water.html for ideas about taking a "No Bottled Water" pledge online.

Contact Eco Gal at info@evanstonroundtable.com or ecogal247@yahoo.com

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Energy-Efficient Cooling Methods

By Nathan Kipnis, AIA, LEED AP

Keeping cool in the summer is, from an energy standpoint, one of the most challenging things to accomplish. This is especially true in hot, humid weather, such as an Evanston summer. One can always add more clothing in the winter, but there is only so much that can be taken off in the summer.

There are a number of ways to try to keep cool in a low-tech, "green" way, and a good starting point is to look back at how it was done before energy-intensive air conditioners were prevalent.

Trees on the southern and western sides of a house, or ivy on the walls, will keep the perimeter walls of the building shaded, thereby reducing the solar gain that the building would otherwise have to deal with. Think of the difference in temperature between a wooded area and an asphalt parking lot.

Moving air will help evaporate moisture and create a cooling effect. From a building standpoint, anything that encourages natural ventilation helps. This would include having windows on one side of the house that align with windows on the opposite side. A room with windows on multiple sides is always a benefit when natural ventilation is considered. Many older Evanston homes have transoms over doors. A transom is an operable window that allows the air to flow between the room (usually a bedroom) and the adjacent hallway. The "stack effect" created by open stairwells with operable windows at the top of the stairway is another way to create air movement for passive cooling.

Ceiling fans can make a space feel up to 4º F cooler while using only minimal energy. Make sure to set the blade rotation to be optiml for cooling, which is generally counter-clockwise. Remember to turn off a fan if no one is in the room, as the fan does not cool a room, but rather it helps cool people.

Installing a whole-house fan really helps cool a home off, especially on nights when the cool outside air just does not seem to relieve the heat that has built up inside the house. A whole-house fan is basically a large fan centrally located on the ceiling of the upper floor. When the windows on the lower levels are open, the fan will pull in that cooler air and flush it through the house and out the attic. Running this for 10 to 20 minutes in the evening can really cool down a home.

Trees on the southern and western sides of a house or ivy on these walls will keep the perimeter walls of the building shaded, thereby reducing the solar gain that the building would otherwise have to deal with. Think of the difference in temperature between a wooded area and an asphalt parking lot.

Shade structures, such as overhanging porches on the south or west sides, will help keep the direct sun off of the building and prevent direct solar gain through the windows. A properly oriented shade structure should still allow natural daylight to come in without direct sunlight, thereby enabling the lights to be turned off during the day. Also, conscientiously use indoor window shades to keep out sun when it is shining on those windows.

When properly sized, attic vents in pitched roofs will vent out the hot, stale air trapped in attics. An attic can be as hot as 150º F or more on a 100º F day. This heat radiates downward into the upper floor of the house. Combine that with the fact that the hot air inside a house already rises to the upper floor, and it is no wonder that upper floors can be unbearably hot.

A lighter-colored roof can also reduce the amount that the attic heats up. The problem with this is that a light-colored roof is not always aesthetically correct for a house. Try to select the lightest-color roof that works with the color scheme appropriate for that house.

If the interior is going to be air conditioned, be sure to have proper wall and ceiling insulation, high-performance windows (at a minimum use double-glazed, insulated windows with a low "E" coating) and a high-efficiency air conditioner. Every new air conditioner must have a mimimum seasonal energy-efficiency rating (SEER) of 13. Higher-rated systems are available and are a good investment from both a return-on-investment standpoint as well as an environmental one.

Basements are naturally cooler in the winter. I have thought about designing a home with a "summer" master bedroom in the basement. It does not seem to make much sense to sleep upstairs in summer, where the air is inherently hotter.

Reducing the internal load of the house by using a microwave instead of the oven, cooking outdoors, and turning off unnecessary electrical devices, for example can help limit the heat being added to the inside of the house. Remember that every kilowatt-per-hour of electric power coming into the house is essentially converted into heat energy to the tune of 3,412 BTUs (each BTU is about equal to a match being lit.)

When in doubt, sitting on a shaded porch or under a tree and sipping a cool lemonade or beer are some other time-tested ways to help beat the heat. Jumping into Lake Michigan or taking a cool shower before going to bed can also do the trick.

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Fifth-Ward Energy Audits Begin.

Story and photo by Elizabeth Foydel

The Network for Evanston's Future completed an energy audit of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church at Clark Street on July 19 as part of a pilot project that offers free energy audits to every house in Evanston's Fifth Ward.

The walkthrough of the building included examinations of entrances, windows, furnaces and air conditioning, lighting and appliances for possible heat leakage or inefficient energy usage.

Project interns made minor repairs with weatherstripping, a caulking gun and water-heated insulation. Said intern Anne Mikelonis, "We look for low-cost solutions and depending on upon how interested people are, we'll expand. What we're proposing is a win-win environmental situation: The energy audits are free and will help Evanston residents save money on gas and electric bills while conserving environmental resources."

Conceived last spring, the project is funded by grants, including $4,400 from the Evanston Community Foundation. Project head Elliot Zashin is currently recruiting Fifth Ward residents willing to let the Network for Evanston's Future audit their homes. Fifth Ward Alderman Dolores Holmes "has been a strong supporter of efforts to bring energy audits to lower-income areas and to reach out to geographic areas of the community that are not as involved in such environmental causes, said Mr. Zashin.

"Our goal is to do energy audits of at least fifty homes by the end of the summer," said Mr. Zashin, "and if the project goes well, we will continue in the fall and expand into the broader Evanston community." Interns William Fan, Anne Mikelonis and William Rothrock are pictured above with Frank Black of Mount Zion Church and Elliot Zashin.

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Wheels for the Sun.

On July 22 nine parents and 11 children gathered in a small classroom at the Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd., to experience technology intended to clean up our atmosphere. The activity was building solar-powered cars. Coordinated by Karen Taira, this activity was as popular as its predecessor. Last year Ms. Taira hosted an event in which participants built-solar powered ovens an activity so successful she created the car activity this year plans to continue the trend. She hopes to raise awareness among children about this new technology and instead of giving them a long lecture, actually allow them to put it to the test. Story and Photo by Dan Edelstein

More Bike Lanes Proposed

By Bill Smith

Downtown Evanston would be more welcoming to bike riders under plans discussedthis monthat a Downtown Plan Committee meeting.

City engineer Rajeev Dahal said the City is seeking approval from state and federal officials for a network of bike lanes and bike routes across Evanston.

The system would have its greatest density downtown, with portions of Church, Davis and Lake streets getting designated 5-foot-wide bike lanes, while other downtown streets, including Elgin Road, Clark Street and Hinman, Chicago and Maple avenues, would gain new bike route signage.

Mr. Dahal said that assuming approvals and funding come through, implementation of the project could start in October.

He said the project will use signs with a shape common in Europe but new to the United States.

Instead of being square or "portrait-shaped" rectangles, taller than they are wide, the new signs will be wide but skinny, with a single line of information, including a bike route symbol, a destination name and the mileage to the destination. They will be green with white reflective lettering.

"We had to get federal approval to do the new signs," Mr. Dahal said. He said Chicago also plans to use the new signs and that the Chicagoland Bike Federation and the Evanston Bicycle Club are conducting before and after surveys to see whether the new signs do a better job of informing riders about bike routes.

Downtown Plan Committee Chairman Larry Widmayer said the new design should be much clearer than previous signage. Mr. Dahal added they will take up relatively little space on posts that must accommodate other signage.

The bike lanes will be designated with reflective thermoplastic, Mr. Dahal said, which should last a few years.

The plan also calls for adding bike lanes on both sides of Emerson Street, the major east-west artery into downtown, from the canal east to Wesley Avenue.

That will reduce what are now 17-foot auto travel lanes to 12 feet. "We think it will have a traffic-calming effect," Mr. Dahal said.

He added that there have been a couple of accidents on Emerson Street in which people edging to see around parked cars at cross streets have been hit by cars traveling close to the parked vehicles. The bike lanes should improve sight lines from the side streets for everybody, Mr. Dahal said.

Plan Commissioner David Galloway called the Emerson plan "a real win-win" that should also slow traffic on the street.

Sundial Marks Summer Solstice

Sundials took note of summer's official commencement on June 21, casting the year's shortest noontime shadows during the year's longest day. Evanston's Eggleston Park plays host to an analemmatic sundial, in which a person acts as the shifting vertical pointer, or gnomon, to delineate the sun's position. By standing at the proper month of the year marked along a North-South axis on an elliptical base, a person can cast a shadow on the right hour as labeled on the ellipse's circumference.

In Eggleston Park the dial was born when the City of Evanston's Parks, Forestry, and Recreation Department looked to the adjacent Ecology Center and Ladd Arboretum for theme and inspiration. "When we renovated the park, we were trying to do something whimsical and educational," says Stefani Levine, the City's landscape architect.

Julie Odower of Site Design Group, who oversaw the project's proposal and blueprints, adds that the incorporation of ecological themes and natural elements, particularly the sun, was central to the park's reconstruction.

To create the dial, the longitude and latitude of the park were sent to the Needham Science Center in Massachusetts, which performed the calculations for the sundial's design. These were then used in the enlarged template that allowed the park's builders simply to paint the dial on the park's pavement. Because the nature of the analemmatic sundial requires a large size and a person or shiftable inanimate gnomon, it is among the rarest forms of sundial.

But on a sunny day Evanstonians can literally become a part of the action at Eggleston Park, north of McCormick Boulevard between Bridge Street and Hartrey Avenue. In photo above, a young woman stands on the June marker with her back to the sun, which casts a 1 p.m. shadow on the first day of summer.
Story by Elizabeth Foydel; photo by Dan Edelstein

Cut Electric Bills and Help the Environment

By Eleanor Revelle

Electric bills have been climbing and the increase is not over yet. Much of the increase is related to the end of a ten-year freeze on electric rates in Illinois. The new rates reflect the higher costs to the utility company ComEd in Evanston in purchasing electricity and delivering it to our homes. With the dog days of summer just ahead, electric bills are set to jump still higher as energy-intensive air conditioners are switched on.

Two programs offered by ComEd can help consumers reduce those bills and can yield important environmental benefits as well. Both programs promote lower electrical consumption during times of peak demand on the system. This helps reduce the demand for electricity from "peaker plants" natural-gas-fired generators that provide power during peak periods when base load nuclear power plants cannot meet demand. Not only are natural-gas-burning plants more expensive sources of electricity, they also generate more greenhouse gases and require substantial water resources to operate.

Real-Time pricing
All ComEd residential customers now have the option to participate in the Residential Real-Time Pricing (RRTP) Program. Ordinarily, consumers pay a fixed price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity, no matter what time of day they use the power. But in fact electricity prices fluctuate widely throughout the day. With real-time pricing, the rate the consumer