Now, let’s put a favorable twist on our current economic climate.  Yes, people have lost jobs and businesses have failed due to our current global crisis.  Sad as it is, there are a few good things that can and will come as a result.  Let’s list a few less obvious ways that our current crisis can have a positive impact on sustainable development:

• Fewer sources of pollution due to industry slow-down of production operations
• That means fewer employees burning fuel on the way to work
• The industry plants themselves will use less energy because their operation is reduced
• These industries will be forced to find more efficient means of production and operation

I attended a meeting with a ranking official of one of the world’s top oilfield services companies yesterday.  In particular, he has charge of the United States and Mexico.  (A little insight: just one small office of this global corporation has been averaging between 4-6 million dollars in revenue each month of the year.  He recently laid-off 41 employees at this small office.)  Below are a few explanations he had for a slow down in his industry.  Bad news for his employees; good news for the environment.

• Drilling rigs accross the U.S. have gone from 2,000+ down to around 1,200.
• Predictions are that the number of drilling rigs will drop to around 700 in a few months.
• The bulk of oilfield production is natural gas, not oil.  And, gas production is slowing.
• As industry operations slow, they use less natural gas.
• Natural gas storage capacity is at about 95%.  So, no one wants to buy more natural gas.

What does all this mean?  As mentioned, storage capacity is almost maxed out.  Industry, the main consumer of natural gas, has slowed down.  Demand for natural gas is low.  So, those storage facilities have no where to send their supplies.  And, it doesn’t make much sense to produce the gas if there is nowhere to store it.

How is this good news for the environment, you ask?  Short answer: the affected industries will be forced to find ways to cut down on energy use.  Example, one of the many things the above-mentioned oilfield services executive suggested was that employees stop the engine of their trucks when just idling.  That act alone will save millions in his large corporation.   And, the oil industry will naturally turn to exploring alternative sources of energy, because they will want to keep their respective companies profitable.

Sounds over-simplified?  Maybe.  I have faith a lesson will be learned here.

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Yes, putting money in the right places will go a long way to helping with our present dire situation.  However, a shift in attitude and ideas must come along with it.  If we are to repair what has been broken, we need to look beyond simply throwing money at the problem.  Hopefully, our legislators will realize this also.

Before we get into Environment and Energy, let’s take a look at just how the stimulus plan can get our nation even further into debt:

National debt:

One thing about the president’s $790 billion stimulus package is certain: It will jack up the federal debt.

Whether or not it succeeds in producing jobs and taming the recession, tomorrow’s taxpayers will end up footing the bill.

Forecasters expect the 2009 deficit — for the budget year that began last Oct 1 — to hit $1.6 trillion including new stimulus and bank-bailout spending. That’s about three times last year’s shortfall.

The torrents of red ink are being fed by rising federal spending and falling tax revenues from hard-hit businesses and individuals.

The national debt — the sum of all annual budget deficits — stands at $10.7 trillion. Or about $36,000 for every man, woman and child in the U.S.

Interest payments alone on the national debt will near $500 billion this year. It’s already the fourth-largest federal expenditure, after Medicare-Medicaid, Social Security and defense.

This will affect us all directly for years, as well as our children and possibly grandchildren, in higher taxes and probably reduced government services. It will also force continued government borrowing, increasingly from China, Japan, Britain, Saudi Arabia and other foreign creditors.

Now, let’s look at how the stimulus plan will affect the environment and energy; hopefully on a positive note: 

Environment:

The package includes $9.2 billion for environmental projects at the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. The money would be used to shutter abandoned mines on public lands, to help local governments protect drinking water supplies, and to erect energy-efficient visitor centers at wildlife refuges and national parks.

The Interior Department estimates that its portion of the work would generate about 100,000 jobs over the next two years.

Yet the plan will only make a dent in the backlog of cleanups facing the EPA and the long list of chores at the country’s national parks, refuges and other public lands. It would be more like a down payment.

When it comes to national parks, the plan sets aside $735 million for road repairs and maintenance. But that’s a fraction of the $9 billion worth of work waiting for funding.

At EPA, the payout is $7.2 billion. The bulk of the money will help local communities and states repair and improve drinking water systems and fund projects that protect bays, rivers and other waterways used as sources of drinking water.

The rest of EPA’s cut — $800 million — will be used to clean up leaky gasoline storage tanks and the nation’s hazardous waste sites.

Energy:

Homeowners looking to save energy, makers of solar panels and wind turbines and companies hoping to bring the electric grid into the computer age all stand to reap major benefits.

The package contains more than $42 billion in energy-related investments from tax credits to homeowners to loan guarantees for renewable energy projects and direct government grants for makers of wind turbines and next-generation batteries.

There’s a 30 percent tax credit of up to $1,500 for the purchase of a highly efficient residential air conditioners, heat pumps or furnaces. The credit also can be used by homeowners to replace leaky windows or put more insulation into the attic. About $300 million would go for rebates to get people to buy efficient appliances.

The package includes $20 billion aimed at “green” jobs to make wind turbines, solar panels and improve energy efficiency in schools and federal buildings. It includes $6 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy projects as well as tax breaks or direct grants covering 30 percent of wind and solar energy investments. Another $5 billion is marked to help low-income homeowners make energy improvements.

About $11 billion goes to modernize and expand the nation’s electric power grid and $2 billion to spur research into batteries for future electric cars.

Below is good news that legislators might have their minds in the “right place”.  They seem to realize that education should be a major part of the plan to steer our national economy back on course.

Schools:

A main goal of education spending in the stimulus bill is to help keep teachers on the job.

Nearly 600,000 jobs in elementary and secondary schools could be eliminated by state budget cuts over the next three years, according to a study released this past week by the University of Washington. Fewer teachers means higher class sizes, something that districts are scrambling to prevent.

The stimulus sets up a $54 billion fund to help prevent or restore state budget cuts, of which $39 billion must go toward kindergarten through 12th grade and higher education. In addition, about $8 billion of the fund could be used for other priorities, including modernization and renovation of schools and colleges, though how much is unclear, because Congress decided not to specify a dollar figure.

The Education Department will distribute the money as quickly as it can over the next couple of years.

And it adds $25 billion extra to No Child Left Behind and special education programs, which help pay teacher salaries, among other things.

This money may go out much more slowly; states have five years to spend the dollars, and they have a history of spending them slowly. In fact, states don’t spend all the money; they return nearly $100 million to the federal treasury every year.

The stimulus bill also includes more than $4 billion for the Head Start and Early Head Start early education programs and for child care programs.

Higher Education:

The maximum Pell Grant, which helps the lowest-income students attend college, would increase from $4,731 currently to $5,350 starting July 1 and $5,550 in 2010-2011. That would cover three-quarters of the average cost of a four-year college. An extra 800,000 students, or about 7 million, would now get Pell funding.

The stimulus also increases the tuition tax credit to $2,500 and makes it 40 percent refundable, so families who don’t earn enough to pay income tax could still get up to $1,000 in extra tuition help.

Computer expenses will now be an allowable expense for 529 college savings plans.
(Note: It’s about time. For several years, computer-access has been a necessary part of many college courses. When I was at Texas Tech University beginning in 1996, you received your assignments through e-mail.)

The final package cut $6 billion the House wanted to spend to kick-start building projects on college campuses. But parts of the $54 billion state stabilization fund — with $39 billion set aside for education — can be used for modernizing facilities.

There’s also an estimated $15 billion for scientific research, much of which will go to universities. Funding for the National Institutes of Health includes $1.5 billion set aside for university research facilities.

Altogether, the package spends an estimated $32 billion on higher education

Quoted material excerpted from Yahoo News.

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Green cleaning is an easy, basic habit you can adopt to do your part in
sustainable development.  Cleaning your home is something you do already.
So, simply changing the products that you already use to clean with really
doesn’t amount to any extra work on your part.  Imagine having a positive
impact without any extra work.

There are many products on the market today and so many websites that you
can visit in order to get tips and tricks on how to clean using natural
products.  It would be irresponsible to continue to use the old, toxic
products to clean because you’re actually damaging instead of helping to
save the environment.  Actually, you could be saving yourself more money
due to the fact that Green cleaning is less expensive. You can go to the
store and look for the products that have the bold word green printed on
them and read the label to see if they are green cleaning products.

Once you find these products, compare the prices of them with the prices
of the regular cleaning products that you have been using.  You will be
surprised at the difference you will save by going green. There are
probably products on the shelf that clean just as good as your basic
non-green products but you just were not informed.  Not sure which products
to use?  There is so much information on the Internet in order to tell
people that it is easy to get into Green cleaning and they should take
advantage of all the information that is available.

If you have a chance to do your part in helping to clean up the environment
and make the earth healthy again, then basic, Green cleaning is an easy way
to give you that chance. Throw away all of your non-green cleaning supplies
the correct way and research on all of the other substances you can use
that will still have the same affect in keeping your home really clean and
smelling fresh but with an extra additive called giving. By doing this,
you are giving to the environment the stability that it so desperately needs.

The following are some Green cleaning products that I know are good:

The Natural Basin, Tub and Tile Cleaner

The Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner

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Sometimes public input on policy changes can keep the bill that is
politically expedient from becoming a law that appeases everyone and fixes
nothing.  Major stakeholders in the climate debate include just about
everyone, but some special groups that have been very active include
native and indigenous peoples, residents of island nations, commerce and
business groups, environmental activists and human rights campaigners, to
name just a few.

It is very important that these groups have a chance to sit down on a
regular business and state their concerns or compliments about how climate
change mitigation is being handled.

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The WBCSD tackles sustainable development issues through 3 main Focus Areas. These three focus areas are:  Energy & Climate, Development, and Sustainable Ecosystems.  They title these areas as follows:

1. Energy & climate: The next industrial revolution - low-carbon economy and patterns of energy consumption
2. Development: Doing business with the world - economic development and poverty alleviation (NOTE: 3 billion global citizens currently subsist on less than US$ 2.00 per day)
3. Ecosystems: Sowing the seeds of a sustainable future - sustainable management of the world’s ecosystems

Our world faces conflicting issues:  meet demands of rapid population growth, mostly in so-called developing countries, in tandem with reducing negative impacts on society and the environment. Any misstep could be very grave according to WBCSD President Bjorn Stigson in the newly published book Creating A Sustainable Economy: Investing in the Future.

It has been twenty years since the coinage of the term sustainable development, and we are at a point that we can no longer simply “talk” about it.  There is urgent need for action.  Business could be the factor to step in and start cleaning things up.  Arguably, short-sighted business practices -mainly in the industrialization era- were a major contributing factor that got the world into such dire straits to begin with.  I am pro-business, but I can’t change the facts.  Realizing past indiscretions in the business community, it seems as though a great many organizations are willing to start turning things around.

There is hope.  Over the past two decades, business has accepted a new role.  And, with it’s new commitment comes new responsibilities and new expectations on business.  This creates new challenges for business, but it also stimulates new and exciting business opportunities.  What do we expect from this new role:  provide goods and services that people want at prices that are affordable while reducing negative impacts on the environment and not hastening resource depletion.

Notice some material included is paraphrased from World Business Council for Sustainable Development.  Please see the above link for the full story!  Very informative.
(Note:  that website only keeps archives for 90 days.  Better read the article quickly.)

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Unfortunately, because of this, the trash that is brought to dumps is
actually many times more toxic today than it was 30 years ago when the
problem of overwhelmed landfills was becoming apparent to consumers.

Unfortunate for us again, the danger from this waste getting loose in the
environment is even more serious and precarious than ever.  Increased
danger of containment systems being breached is very real.  Caution,
pressure on forest and agricultural land mounts: erosion due to major
storm events, thanks to climate changes, could unleash these toxins on
already fragile and damaged ecosystems.

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It has been argued that a decrease in the amount of international
shipping, especially air flight, would help with the problem of
introducing non-native species, as long as shipping remains even as well
regulated as it is now.  Of course, if shipping became unregulated to
the point that rampant smuggling was bringing goods instead of drugs
across maritime borders, potentially devastating bugs could get loose,
as was the case earlier this century with the outbreak of cholera in
Mexico.

As always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Sustainable
health care is no different.  The focus remains on prevention, as it
should be.  That means encouraging healthy eating habits and plenty of
exercise, as many HMOs and other health “organizations” are doing.  In
Canada where government policies drive the national health care system,
change can be slower.  However, anyone can make common sense lifestyle
and diet changes on their own to reduce their need for health care.

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Example, you could collect water to irrigate a garden of vegetables
you’ve cultivated instead of a lawn.  It’s been pointed out, grow native
flora and vegetation instead of regular grass to decrease your usage of
water. You can install low-flow fixtures in the bathroom.  If water is a
part of your business you can take a water audit.

Whether you do the audit yourself or hire a professional to do it, the
recommendations can save a great deal of water and money by implementing
what usually amounts to simple changes in procedure.  This may call for
water storage, and cisterns are a good investment for businesses that
absolutely rely upon water, such as a distillery or nursery.

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Forest ownership laws allowed for people from out-of-state to own some of
the land in Alaska.  Due to climate change, the Spruce Bark Beetle was
able to spread unchecked through this natural near-monoculture of a
mature forest.

The absent owners allowed these pest to escape their attention.  It could
have been, at least temporarily, contained by cutting out the host trees
for a distance around the observed infestation.  This was not carried out
and the problem has since spread to nearly the entire state, leaving a
scarred ghost forest in its wake.

Now, plans for dealing with the aftermath of that disaster will need to
be implemented. Regular monitoring and protective measures are all part
of a sustainable forest management plan.

———–

Interesting Links:

9 Green Products You Should Know About
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20239367,00.html

22 Little Ways to Go Green
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,20152458,00.html

Greatest New Green Products
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20178451,00.html

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It often goes under the radar of already information-overloaded North
Americans, but the more developed nations of the world give a great deal
of direct and indirect aid to foreign nations.  Much of this development
has taken the form of sustainable development initiatives.  This
invaluable source of funding has improved the lives of people throughout
the world when human suffering would otherwise involve conflict.

While some efforts are clearly more effective than others, the concepts
of sustainable development have been brought to some of the poorest
places on Earth, thanks to the generosity of wealthier nations.

Some may argue that it’s akin to paying bargain basement prices for the
luxury of using resources and wealth that could be shared more equally.
Some of these poorer nations may be better equipped to handle a resource
poor future than the developed nations that funded the aid in the first
place.

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