Given the recent cold snap here in the Pacific Northwest and the massive snowstorms throughout the rest of the United States, many homeowners are trying to avoid expensive heating bills by putting on a few extra sweaters. But what if you could add an extra layer of warmth to your home instead of your body, leave your thermostat at 70 and still lower your heating bills?

Here are five cost-effective steps toward a more comfortable, energy efficient and environmentally friendly home.

1. Close the gaps – Air leaking in and out of your home can be responsible for as much as 40 percent of your heating and cooling costs, according to Residential Energy by John Krigger and Chris Dorsi. By sealing up leaky areas, especially the bigger gaps found around plumbing, wiring and flues, homeowners can significantly lower their energy bills this winter. Many homeowners take on the task of caulking and weatherstripping around windows and doors themselves, but it is usually better to hire a professional to target the harder to find, and often larger, leaks located in the nooks and crannies of the home. A professional will also ensure that there is enough proper ventilation to keep the home healthy.

2. Give your home a sweater – While air sealing your home is like adding a windbreaker to reduce drafts, insulation acts like a sweater to make your home cozier by reducing the transfer of heat. Heat transferring through floorboards, ceiling and walls is even more expensive than air leakage, and in many older homes, there is little to no insulation to stop this heat flow. When it comes to choosing which area to insulate first (if you can’t afford to insulate all three at once), consider the amount of existing insulation and the installation costs. Attics, since they’re usually the most accessible, are generally the cheapest to insulate, while cutting holes in siding or drywall to install wall insulation tends to drive up the cost.

3. Seal up the ducts – Sealing and insulating ductwork will help your furnace deliver heat efficiently and evenly to the different rooms in your home. However, the importance of duct sealing depends on where the ducts are located. If they’re outside of the living space i.e. a crawlspace or attic, it’s a good idea to seal up and insulate those ducts. On the other hand, if the ducts are exposed inside of your home or they’re located inside of your walls and floor joists, not only will they be very hard to reach, but any heat they’re giving off will likely end up in the home’s living space anyway.

4. Upgrade the furnace – Installing a high efficiency heating system can be expensive. But if your furnace is highly inefficient and on it’s last leg, your best bet is to make the investment. One way to look at it is to consider the life-cycle costs because although the upfront cost of your new heater is high, it may cut your heating bills in half, which could more than cover the initial expense. Also, if the new furnace installation is combined with air sealing, insulation and duct sealing, you may be able to purchase a smaller system, which will save you even more money upfront and in the long run.

5. Revamp the water heater – Heating water uses around 20 percent of the energy consumed in the average home. The simplest ways to use less energy to heat water are to turn your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit and wrap the storage tank and pipes with insulation. You can also replace your faucets and showerheads with water saving models. If you’re interested in making a larger investment to save water, energy and money, consider purchasing an ENERGY STAR dishwasher and clothes washer or replacing your tank water heater with a tankless or solar thermal water heater.

To find out which of these measures would be the most cost-effective in your home, check out EnergySavvy’s free online energy audit. It’s a quick and easy way to find out which energy saving measures will make the most sense in your home, and it will tell you how much money you may save on your utility bills by making the efficiency upgrades.

Written by Anne Maertens at EnergySavvy

On New Year's Eve thousands of red wing black birds showered a neighborhood in the small town of Bebee, AK. Wildlife officials investigating the massive bird kill believe fireworks may have startled the roosting birds and caused them to crash into power lines, trees and houses. The fireworks may have been what got them up in the air in the first place at night when they are not supposed to be flying around, but that doesn't fully explain what happened.

There are many different reasons for mass bird kills -- poisoning, a strange weather event attributed to climate change, or pollution.

Some say we are at a tipping point in the ecology of our environment. Many prophets and ancient civilizations have predicted times in the future of famine, drought, climate change, and death. Some say we may be close to that tipping point in which the entire system may come crashing before our very eyes.

The lead detective in the case of the raining birds loaded her car with boxes of the dead creatures on Monday, taking them for shipment to a national laboratory in the hope that tests would reveal why thousands of birds suddenly fell from the sky upon the small town of Beebe, Arkansas.

Early tests on the birds showed no toxic gases trapped in their feathers, though biologists found some physical trauma indicative of being hit by hail or lightning. Still, a bird die-off of this magnitude is unusual.

Beebe's blackbird population is large enough so that the US Department of Agriculture has in the past attempted large-scale scarecrow techniques to move large flocks out of the area. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, the USDA gave up those efforts a few years ago.

In 1973, several hundred ducks dropped from the sky near Stuttgart, Ark., known as "The Duck Capital of the World," victims of a sudden storm. In another case, biologists found hundreds of what Ms. Rowe calls "perfectly good," but dead, pelicans in the middle of the woods. While the pelicans showed no outward signs of injury or singe marks, necropsies showed they'd been hit by lightning.

It's the stuff of apocalyptic novels. Scientists have not yet ruled out pollution or chemical toxins as the cause of nearly a dozen mass animal die-offs, from Arkansas to Brazil, in the last week. But as officials investigate, both the mundane and the intriguing are emerging as potential causes.

Because birds are considered indicator species that reflect the health of the surrounding environment, the news of mass deaths has unsettled many Americans.

Mass bird kills aren't uncommon. The US Geological Survey documented 90 mass deaths of birds from June to December last year. Over the past 30 years, it counts 16 events in which 1,000 birds or more suddenly died.

Testing can take time and is often inconclusive, although methods have improved in recent years, says Greg Butcher, a conservationist at the National Audubon Society. Scientists hope to have an explanation for the Arkansas bird kill within three weeks.

Nevertheless, officials in Arkansas and Louisiana call the large number of bird deaths "unusual." While the ultimate explanations may not point to broader environmental problems, "it is something we should potentially worry about," says Mr. Butcher at the National Audubon Society.

Photo by Shorepower

On December 16th, Shorepower unveiled their new level 2 charging station at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. The installation was timed with the delivery of the first all electric, emission free, Nissan Leaf to a private citizen.

Since deploying its first Level 1 station in 2008, Shorepower continues to pioneer the EV infrastructure space. "This is an exciting time for electric vehicles as we deploy the first of many Level 2 stations in preparation for new cars coming to market,” said Jeff Kim, President of Shorepower.

Currently, the OMSI station provides free energy to EVs. Recharging an electric vehicle on a 240V Level 2 Charging Station can provide up to 25 miles of range for every hour of charging depending on the type of electric vehicle.

Over the coming months and years, Shorepower will retrofit existing Level 1 stations and add many new public and private plug-in stations across the country.

Shorepower is a transportation electrification infrastructure company offering simple, cost-effective solutions for connecting cars and trucks to the electrical grid including Truck Stop Electrification (TSE) and charging stations for Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles.

The Shimizu Corporation of Japan is pioneering new ways to help make life in desert regions more inhabitable. Their plan includes creating giant man-made lakes in the middle of the deserts. The lakes would be filled with seawater fed by canals reaching from the ocean. The lakes would be connected by canals to form a water network which would transform the desert regions into a climate that can support human development.

Artificial islands would then be built in the giant sea lakes to allow the water surrounding the cities to temper the harsh desert climate.

Securing the water would be the most important part of such a project:
1. Multiple seawater lakes, each surrounded by a continuous underground wall reaching all the way to the impermeable layer, are created.
2. Water is recirculated. Pumps are used to transport sea water to lakes. Gravity moves water to neighboring lakes.
3. A network of canals connects the manmade lakes.
4. Artificial islands are formed on the lakes.
5. The transportation network will incorporate both land and water systems.

To create the waterways, the core element of the system, pumps will be used to move water from the ocean to a manmade lake located at a higher elevation. Water collected in the lake will then flow down along natural slopes to many other lakes, eventually returning to the ocean. If necessary, booster pump stations will be established at several locations along the waterways. Creating very large lakes is expected to reduce extreme temperatures and increase humidity, creating a comfortable living environment characterized by mild weather on the artificial islands as well as in the areas around the lakes.

Such a cities would be extremely sustainable once built. Introducing seawater into the lakes will make it possible to cultivate and use marine resources. Seawater greenhouse agriculture, and energy production, fish farming, and Mangrove reforestation all would be possible around these cities.

The canals will be used to transport people and goods, promoting the development of nearby areas as well as the cities established on the manmade islands.

The manmade islands will represent high-tech oases in which technology and nature are harmoniously integrated.

For their energy needs, the cities established on the manmade islands will draw on photovoltaic systems to tap the abundant sunlight or on power-receiving facilities for solar power satellite (SPS) systems constructed on vast stretches of empty desert.

All in all, as our world becomes increasingly crowded, innovative and exciting solutions such as these will be explored in the future. It is certainly an interesting and futuristic concept.

Demonstration of Multi-scale Integrated Models of Ecosystem Services (MIMES) by Roel Boumans and David McNally of AFORDable Futures LLC (March 15, 3 pm US EDT/Noon US PDT/7 pm GMT).  The Multi-scale Integrated Models of Ecosystem Services (MIMES) is a suite of models for land use change and marine spatial planning decision making.  The models quantify the effects of land and sea use change on ecosystem services and can be run at global, regional, and local levels.  The MIMES use input data from GIS sources, time series, etc. to simulate ecosystem components at under different scenarios defined by stakeholder input.  These simulations can help stakeholders evaluate how development, management and land/sea use decisions will affect natural, human and built capital.  Building interactive databases for regional, integrated decision making is an important aspect of implementing MIMES.  MIMES has been developed in collaboration with a large international group of scientists and resources managers.  This on-going work is archived at a Google Code site.  Learn more about MIMES at http://www.uvm.edu/giee/mimes or http://www.afordablefutures.com/services/mimes.  Register for the webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/907465801.

Demonstration of openNSPECT, an Open Source Version of the Nonpoint-Source Pollution and Erosion Comparison Tool by Dave Eslinger of NOAA Coastal Services Center (February 24, 2011 at 2 pm US EDT/11 am US PDT).  OpenNSPECT is a new, open-source version of the Nonpoint-Source Pollution and Erosion Comparison Tool (N-SPECT), which required ESRI ArcMap and Spatial Analyst for operation.  The new version of the  tool, openNSPECT,  uses MapWindow (http://mapwindow.org/), similar to the EPA's BASINS suite of tools.  OpenNSPECT  helps coastal mangers and local officials investigate potential water quality impacts to rivers and streams from development, other land uses, and climate change. Users first enter information about their area (land cover, elevation, precipitation, and soil characteristics) to create the base data layer. They can then add different land cover change scenarios (such as a development) to get information about potential changes in surface water runoff, nonpoint pollution, and erosion. Learn more about N-SPECT at http://www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/nspect/index.html and OpenNSPECT at http://nspect.codeplex.com/.  Register for the webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/784088480.

Demonstration of EMDS by Keith Reynolds of the US Forest Service (March 30, 2011 at 2 pm EDT/11 am PDT/6 pm GMT).   Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) is an application framework to help make knowledge-based ecological assessments at a variety of geographic scales.  The system integrates the logic engine of NetWeaver (provided by Rules of Thumb, Inc.) to perform landscape evaluations and the decision modeling engine of Criterium DecisionPlus (provided by InfoHarvest, Inc.) to evaluate management priorities.  Specific questions that EMDS addresses are:  1) What can we conclude from our data about the state of the landscape? 2) What is the explanation for the conclusion? 3) How much influence do missing data have on obtaining a logically complete analysis?  4) Considering the logistics of getting the missing data, which missing data should be the highest priority? and 5) How much priority should be given to a particular landscape feature when planning possible management activities?  Learn more about EMDS at http://www.spatial.redlands.edu/emds.  Register for the webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/230485497. 

Demonstration of Habitat Priority Planner by Chrissa Waite and Danielle Bamford of NOAA Coastal Services Center (February 8, 2011 at 2 pm EST/11 am PST/7 pm GMT).   Does your organization need to make sound decisions on natural resource  management, but you're not sure how to get folks involved?  The Habitat Priority Planner packages spatial analysis and stakeholder engagement in one geospatial tool.  This ESRI-based toolbar has been used for strategic conservation planning, to create species monitoring plans, and to plan for climate change adaptation.  This webinar will show, using a case study example, how users can customize base data, select a series of spatial analyses, and work with stakeholders to prioritize areas for management action.  Learn more at http://www.csc.noaa.gov/hpp.  Register for this webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/857242505.

Presentation on the Coastal Adaptation to Sea Level Rise Tool (COAST) by Sam Merrill of the New England Environmental Finance Center (April 21, 2011 at 2 pm EDT/11 am PDT/6 pm GMT).  Most GIS tools developed to respond to the challenges of climate change focus on the damage caused by sea level rise (SLR) or increased storm surges and do not calculate or visualize the economic benefits of the adaptive actions municipalities could take in response to different levels of SLR and storm surge.  The Coastal Adaptation to Sea Level Rise Tool (COAST) approach assesses costs and benefits of adaptations to SLR scenarios by incorporating a variety of existing tools and datasets, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' depth-damage functions; NOAA's Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model; and other flood methods, as well as projected SLR scenarios over time, property values, and infrastructure costs, into a comprehensive GIS-based picture of potential economic damage.  COAST displays the location-specific avoided costs associated with particular adaptive actions, along with the costs incurred by implementing those actions, to assist coastal municipalities in selecting appropriate strategies.  COAST also has applications for inland areas that include analyzing and displaying the economic impacts of any potential hazard event that can be mapped (e.g., extreme rainfall, fire) as well as the social and environmental impacts of those events. COAST bundles processes in Excel and the ArcGIS ArcGlobe application in the ArcGIS 3D Analyst extension. It has been designed to eventually become a stand-alone ArcGIS Desktop extension.  Learn more about COAST at http://efc.muskie.usm.maine.edu/docs/coast.arcuser.pdf.  Register for the webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/501237225.

Presentation on the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard by Kathy Goodin of NatureServe (April 5 at  2 pm EDT/11 am PDT/6 pm GMT).  Coastal planners and resource managers working in the marine environment routinely face challenges related to data availability and consistency. Often, different types of data from multiple sources must be integrated to fully characterize an area. The Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) is an ecological classification system that provides a framework for this integration.  It is universally applicable for coastal and marine systems and complementary to existing wetland and upland systems.  CMECS Version 3.1 broadly classifies the environment into aquatic settings, or systems differentiated by salinity, tidal zone, geomorphology, and depth. Within these systems are five underlying components (benthic biology, substrate geology, geologic formations, sub-benthic soils, and the water column) that describe different aspects of the seascape. These components can be identified and mapped independently or combined as needed.  CMECS is currently being considered for approval as a national standard by the Federal Geographic Data Committee.  It has been developed by a coalition of organizations including NOAA, NatureServe, EPA, and USGS.  Learn more at http://www.csc.noaa.gov/benthic/cmecs.  Register for the webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/686465233. 

Demonstration of Coral Reef Scenario Evaluation Tool (CORSET) by Jessica Melbourne-Thomas of the University of Tasmania (May 26/27, Various times- see below).  The Coral Reef Scenario Evaluation Tool is a generic, biophysical model for coral reef systems which couples dynamics from local to regional scales. Interactions between benthic and consumer functional groups at local scales (hundreds of metres to kilometres) are linked across regional scales (hundreds of kilometres to thousands of kilometres) by larval dispersal. The approach is bottom-up; simple components are combined to create a portable framework which can be applied for reef systems anywhere in the world. Model components and outputs are understandable for non-experts, but the system is able to generate complex, emergent patterns. Moreover, there is the facility to incorporate larval connectivity data from sophisticated dispersal models. CORSET is equally applicable as a research tool or as a decision support tool for coral reef management.  Learn more at https://reefscenarios.org/.

Webinar #1:

May 26 at 4 pm US EDT

May 26 at 1 pm US PDT

May 26 at 8 pm GMT

May 26 at 10 am in Honolulu, Hawaii

May 26 at 3 pm in Kingston, Jamaica

May 26 at 4 pm in Santiago, Dominican Republic

Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/303931688.

Webinar #2:

May 26 at 7 pm US EDT

May 26 at 4 pm US PDT

May 26 at 11 pm GMT

May 26 at 1 pm in Honolulu, Hawaii

May 27 at 7 am in Perth, Australia

May 27 at 9 am in Brisbane, Australia

May 27 at 9 am in Sydney, Australia

May 27 at 9 am in Guam

May 27 at 11 am in Suva, Fiji

Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/405725128.

Wind turbine company Vestas-American Wind Technology is staying in Portland and will soon have a new headquarters in the Pearl District (home of The Environmental Blog as well). Vestas, the world’s largest wind turbine maker, announced that it will convert a former Portland, Oregon department store warehouse into its new North American headquarters. An impressive undertaking generously supported by the local government, once the renovation is complete, Vestas will become home to the city’s largest array of solar panels and a gorgeous eco-garden terrace. Gerding Edlen Development, a leader in green architecture, has been chosen to oversee the conversion of the former Meier & Frank warehouse, and with five stories and 194,000 square feet in the pipeline, Vestas will finally be able to house its entire staff under one, green roof. More that just a building of adaptive reuse, the new construction is shooting to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

Though Vestas had been looking in other states for potential sites, the company today announced it would renovate the old Meier & Frank warehouse on Northwest Everett Street and 14th Avenue into their headquarters [picture below]. Gerding Edlen Development purchased the building several years ago and has been waiting to redevelop it, according to Mark Edlen, president of Gerding Edlen.

The strategic objectives that helped the Portland Development Commission and the city of Portland decide to generously help Vestas stay in Portland are as follows:

• Anchors Portland’s Clean Tech cluster –priority industry in Economic Development Strategy
• Attracts new firms to Portland and helps existing local firms access extensive supply chains.
• Validates Portland’s position as the US renewable energy capital and our reputation as a global Clean Tech leader
• Deepens already extensive talent pool in development and management of renewable energy development systems

“This is a wonderful building built by one of Oregon’s iconic companies of the 20th century,” Edlen said. “Now it will be occupied by one of Portland’s iconic companies of the 21st century.”

Between the city of Portland and the state, $8 million of public money will go toward the project, according to Mayor Sam Adams. The city has negotiated a 15-year, interest-free loan with Vestas to keep it in Oregon.

“We had to compete for this,” Adams said. “Other states were offering deals. They put us to the ringer to get the best site.”

Currently at 400 employees, Vestas has made a deal with the state to hire at least 100 new employees in the coming years. Vestas-American Wind Technology president Martha Wyrsch said the company will hire people with backgrounds in engineering, finance and sales.

The $66 million project is designed by GBD Architects and Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects and will be built by Skanska USA. Other project consultants include KPFF Engineering, Harper Houf Peterson Righellis Inc., and Peter Meijer Architects. The project will break ground in soon and will be finished in early 2012.

With the “green” movement currently at its peak and more and more people becoming interested in the environment every day, it’s fair to say that the world is in the midst of a veritable environmental renaissance. As a result, there’s never been a better time to go to school for an environmental degree. There are a wide variety of degree programs available, each with its own implications for one’s career path. The following are some of the top environmental college degrees.

Environmental Engineering
For those who are interested in improving the way the world interacts with the environment, environmental engineering colleges are perfect places to gain a degree. A degree program in environmental engineering will give you a well-rounded understanding of match, science and environmental politics that will help you to work towards a job in the field. Environmental engineers often find themselves working at the state or federal level, and enjoy quite luxurious salaries once they have paid their dues. Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of being an environmental engineer, however, is the fact that engineers have a huge impact on both the environment and the people who live there. With technology and science in constant flux, a career as an environmental engineer can be extremely rewarding.

Environmental Policy
If environmental engineers like to get their hands dirty, those who invest in environmental policy like to stretch their brain with a good argument. Environmental policy governs just about everything about the environment, and is extremely interesting to those who actively care about the world around them. Taking a course in environmental policy will usually teach you basics in political science, planning and policy analysis, as well as a variety of other skills that will make it easier for you to secure employment. A variety of positions can be secured after obtaining a degree in environmental policy, from policy analyst to planner.

Environmental Health Sciences
For many people, one of the major reasons for studying the environment is to attempt to understand the effect it has on human beings. A degree program in environmental health sciences will teach you how to assess potential risk factors amongst the environment. In general, these programs teach students a wide-variety of health and science-related information, including toxicology, environmental health hazards and more. A degree in environmental health sciences can help to point you in the direct of a career as a toxicologist, public health director or other prestigious position.

The Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building is a high rise structure in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1975, the 18 story-tower is owned by the Federal Government. The international style office building has more than 370,000 square feet of space. Designed by the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill architecture firm, the building is named after Wendell Wyatt and Edith Green who both served in the United States House of Representatives.

Construction began Wednesday on the $139 million renovation of the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building in downtown Portland, according to Ross Buffington, spokesman for the U.S. General Services Administration.

As part of a plan to reduce energy use among its portfolio of federal buildings, the U.S. General Services Administration and Howard S. Wright Construction has begun construction to modernize the building to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum standards, the highest green building rating offered by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The renovation is expected to reduce lighting energy use by 40 percent and water use by 65 percent thanks to advanced lighting systems and low-flow fixtures. A solar array on the building’s roof is also expected to offset 6 percent of the building’s power.

The building was designed by SERA Architects of Portland and Cutler Anderson Architects of Bainbridge Island, Wash., the building’s original design included a 250-foot tall living wall to shade and insulate the structure for better energy performance. Concerns over the cost and maintenance of the vegetated façade, however, led designers in August to change the design to a shading system made of aluminum rods. Planters with climbing plants will be added to the base of the building, however, to shade the bottom three stories of the building. The vegetated “green wall” picked up notice from The New York Times. The new style is the picture below on the bottom right.

Initial plans to renovate the 18-story, 350,000-square-foot building were outlined three years ago, but never made it to the top of the government’s funding priority list. That changed when Congress approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – the federal stimulus program.

This project is finally getting started and will provide a boost of hundreds of construction jobs in the local economy. Most notably, the project is yet another shining project for Portland’s environmentally-friendly portfolio and a boost to it’s downtown Eco District initiative.

Collaborative Learning and Land Use Tools to Support Community Based Ecosystem Management by Chris Feurt of the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve (December 1, 2 pm EST/11 am PST/7 pm GMT).  In an ideal world, all land use planners would be able to predict how development would change their community economically, ecologically, and aesthetically. In the real world, land use decisions are made by multiple stakeholders with divergent perspectives from different institutions—a situation that hinders the application of scientific findings and tools that could foster the adoption of an ecosystem-based approach to development.  With CICEET support, a project team from the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve has developed a method to overcome these barriers. They used Collaborative Learning—a process that facilitates environmental decision-making among diverse stakeholders—to apply geospatial and visualization tools to the development of a conservation and land use plan for Sanford, Maine.  The plan used a green infrastructure approach based upon community-identified priorities for preserving ecosystem services. The team also piloted a regional training on the use of GIS, CommunityViz, and keypad polling for land use planning based upon EBM principles.  This presentation will cover the Collaborative Learning methodology and, using the development of the Sanford Plan as a model, how Collaborative Learning can be used to facilitate community-based EBM dialogues.  Learn more about the project and read the Sanford plan. Register for this webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/796010449. 

The Willamette River Transit Bridge is part of a larger project to extend 7.3 miles of the Portland Light Rail (MAX) to Milwaukie, Oregon (a suburb to the south). The total cost of the light rail extension has been a topic covered extensively by local media – costs are estimated around $1.4 billion. At up to $134 million for the bridge, it’s the single costliest piece of the light rail project. The bridge itself will be the first of its kind in the United States in terms of it being built for sole use by pedestrians, bicycles, buses, light rail, and streetcar. No private cars will be allowed. The multi-use transit crossing will be the first bridge built over the Willamette River in 37 years.

The project is slated to start next spring, and will be completed by 2015. The bridge will link a future Oregon Health and Science University Schnitzer Campus on the west side slated for construction in 2012 with the OMSI museum and an opera house on the east side.

The objective of the bridge is to provide connectivity between the east and west for multiple modes of transportation. The bridge will also support planned development and future land uses. When built, the new Willamette River Transite Bridge will be a showcase that reflects the Portland region with its core values. It will also serve as a symbol that reflects current technology and innovation.

This summer, the project learned that the Federal Transit Authority would provide less funding than anticipated (50 percent of the total $1.4 billion price tag instead of the 60 percent it requested). In a short amount of time, the region pulled together to identify cuts to fit the project to the new budget, as well as to obtain additional local funding. The region produced a trimmed-down project in less than two months, one that still stretches from PSU to Milwaukie to Oak Grove and still includes 10 new stations.

The region has been able to problem-solve quickly and efficiently because neighborhoods, businesses, transit riders and jurisdictional partners have been in agreement for a number of years: Building the Portland-Milwaukie light-rail project is key to continued regional livability, equity and growth. Construction is just around the corner. And it won’t be long before our transit system serves more people and more places than ever before.

If no major delays are encountered, the bridge will be completed in the fall of 2015, when Portland and surrounding Multnomah County’s population is projected to be 30 percent more than it was in 1980.

As a local resident that rides my bicycle around the city, and as a resident who frequently uses public transportation, I am personally excited to see this project get started. Moreover, I particularly love the design that has been presented and selected by the advisory committee. The views that peds and bicyclists will have from the bridge will add to the urban environment while serving as a modern icon of sustainability. Portland just being Portland…

To view the latest details about the Willamette River Bridge and the Portland-Milwaukie light rail project go to trimet.org

Oregon is famous for its land use policies known as urban growth boundaries, or UGB’s. It is one of the few states in the country to require UGB’s by law. They are a regional boundary, set in an attempt to control urban sprawl by mandating that the area inside the boundary be used for higher density urban development and the area outside be used for lower density development. An urban growth boundary encompasses an entire urbanized area and is used by local governments as a guide to zoning and land use decisions.

Some of the benefits of having urban growth boundaries among others are:

Envision Eugene is a collaborative public planning process that will help shape the future of the Eugene, Oregon for the next 20 years. Envision Eugene is a 2030 plan for a Eugene-Only UGB. The discussion varies from regional transportation plans, 20 minute neighborhoods, mixed use centers, and small scale infill projects.

Mayor Kitty Piercy of Eugene, is a voice at the table who believes in the Envision Eugene process and has kindly answered our questions below:

Envision Eugene is in planning process right now so I cannot yet answer your question specifically but in our discussions there is general recognition of transportation corridors with transit oriented development around them and mass transit through them. Our current Transplan already commits to a build out of EmX and we are on the third leg discussion.

From my perspective, it is important for us to tie all the needed tranportation elements together. We are not yet a big city but we still need real choices for people to move about including bike, ped,car, bus, mass transit, and street car is being discussed. Each has a different functionality within the city.

We had news this week that we will received grants of 4.3 million for the environmental studies for the section between Portland and Eugene, 80,000 for the state rail plan, and another 3+ m for the Portland area. In addition there are much larger sums for continuing to build a real high speed segment from Portland on up to BC. We certainly have higher speed rail in our vision that offers on time, reliable, more frequent, and faster rides up the corridor. That would be a great start for us.

I was just saying to staff this week that we need some transit oriented planning around our depot. It is not going to be one of those huge high speed stations but we ought to really think about how our depot area should grow with a better rail system that will accommodate many more riders. As you know our depot area really connects to our downtown and offers real opportunity.

Certainly the EmX and HSR offer the ability to plan for higher density urban centers that can allow us to stay within our UGB.

We have long had battles over the UGB. There are those who believe expansion is necessary for economic development and those who believe we have plenty of room within our UGB to meet needs of the next 20 years. We have a group of community leaders who represent both of these points of view working together on Envision Eugene. We are trying to have a more productive discussion about how we want our community to be in the future and how we best achieve that, rather than a simplistic argument which gives no one any space to be creative. All of these people seem to value the livability of our area and to understand the fundamentals of transit oriented development. They also worry about our economic viability and the future of our children. No its not easy but it is important.

I would not be participating in Envision Eugene and advocating for this process if I did not believe we were capable of finding a future for our community that preserves what we care about most and better prepares us for a more stable future with a more robust economic foundation. We need to be able to support our schools, human services, and to provide jobs and opportunities for our families.- and we need to do that while preserving this special place with its farm lands, forests, rivers, neighborhoods, and general health and beauty.

The Green Streets Initiative is a program developed by the city of Portland to implement sustainable management of stormwater runoff. Green streets also beautify inner-city neighborhoods and in the case of some bioswales, provide a safe and predicable pathway for bicycles and pedestrians.

The use of green streets meets regulatory code to manage runoff in a natural way. The use of plants and shrubs absorb runoff water and and treat toxics naturally before the water re-enters the watershed. By allowing the plants to treat the water and keep polluted runoff from the sewer system, the city helps prevents sewer backups, prevents basement floods, and improves air quality. Green Streets convert stormwater from a waste directed into a pipe, to a resource that replenishes groundwater supplies. They also create attractive streetscapes and urban green spaces, provide natural habitat, and help connect neighborhoods, schools, parks, and business districts.

The City of Portland is committed to green development practices and sustainable stormwater management. Green Streets are an innovative, effective way to restore watershed health. They protect water quality in rivers and streams, manage stormwater from impervious surfaces, and can be more cost efficient than new sewer pipes. Green Streets offer many benefits that sewer pipes can’t.

An EcoDistrict summit is just finishing up at Portland State University which was hosted by Portland Sustainability Institute. Their is a lot of buzz in Portland over these new found programs to further bolster Portland’s sustainable development and leadership in urban planning. Most of these summits or conferences going on are tailored for policy makers, however, it is for any interested parties. A nexus of sustainable and green visionaries are truly creating a hub the future.

Portland Green Streets from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.

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Rail~Volution is a conference for passionate people from all perspectives who believe strongly in the role of land use and transit as equal partners in the quest for greater livability and greater communities.

Rail~Volution started in 1989 as a series of outreach and advocacy events geared towards developing real advocates for the Portland metropolitan region’s MAX Light Rail System. At the conference in 1994, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (District 3, Oregon) announced that in 1995, Rail~Volution would become a national conference. From this point, Rail~Volution acted as a loose federation of sponsoring Partners and Affiliates, united by common interests and dedication. In the year 2000, the National Steering Committee realized the need for a more formal organization, and a strategic planner was brought in to assist this process. The National Steering Committee decided Rail~Volution should develop into a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization.

Railvolution has recently wrapped up here in Portland, Oregon. The excitement was marked across the blog-o-sphere with pictures of Portland Streetcars and lightrail MAX trains. Klaus Philipsen, an urban design, architect, and planner blogged the following:

Railvolution has preached the transit land use nexus for twenty years and finally everybody seems to be in tune. Obama instructed the Department of Housing and Community Development to collaborate with the Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy in Livable Communities.

In addition to a number of mobile tours exploring some of Portland’s successes in transportation, such as a visit to the United Streetcar factory and a walk along the transit Mall, there are a series of talks addressing the many challenges we are working to address. Presenters include transportation and planning leaders both local and national, including representatives from Dallas, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Vancouver BC.

One common theme seems to be that all the transportation infrastructure in the Portland Metro region seem to be an effective strategy in creating dense urban and livable neighborhoods and districts. Transit oriented development has been the tool used by partnerships undertaken by the city of Portland and private investments. In the case of the Portland Streetcar, according to Sam Adams (mayor of Portland), $125 million in investment from the city has spurred about $3.5 billion in private investment along the streetcar corridor since inception. Check out video of Mayor Sam Adams at the Railvolution conference below.

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Also read Biomass Energy Generation Myths

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has proposed that biomass incinerators be required to report greenhouse gas emissions when the government starts regulating carbon next year. But The Oregonian’s editorial board argues that this will “shackle” the biomass industry “with hobbling costs.” Is the fear that greenhouse gas reporting will expose the heavy carbon burden of burning wood to make energy?

The Clean Air Act requires that facilities measure, report and minimize air pollution and climate-altering greenhouse gases. Biomass plants should be no different in this regard than other industrial processes. The EPA decision denying the industry’s request for an exemption from the Clean Air Act is based on the evidence that burning trees to generate energy can actually increase rather than help curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The EPA isn’t the only agency casting doubts on the wisdom of burning biomass for energy. The state of Massachusetts’ Department of Energy Resources published a decision in July to require that biomass plants report their greenhouse gas profile. Reporting will be required so that the state can meet its renewable energy standard and carbon reduction goals. Massachusetts will require, for example, that biomass energy production demonstrate maximum energy efficiency standards, a 50% reduction in GHG over a 20-year cycle, and forest practices that are measurably sustainable, and a limit on the total timber per acre eligible to be harvested for biomass fuels.

The Department of Energy was convinced by a Massachusetts study that concluded that burning forest biomass creates a “carbon debt.” The debt occurs when we outpace the earth’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide. The carbon debt increases as trees are removed from forests, because their ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere is diminished, and the carbon naturally stored in their woody tissue is prematurely released by burning them in an incinerator. According to another study, the significant carbon debt can take as long as over two and a half centuries to repay if biomass is used as a fossil fuel replacement.

Burning biomass is also a dirty air problem. Even with air pollution controls, these plants will collectively pump ton after ton of toxins into the air every day — chemicals that will rain down on the neighborhoods closest to the plant. A number of professional medical societies are warning the public that breathing sooty emissions from biomass incinerators is known as the most dangerous form of pollution and a significant health risk. The Oregon Chapter of the American Lung Association is predicting that patients, particularly children with asthma, respiratory and cardiac ailments, will experience increases in the incidence of respiratory problems. These diseases can be worsened by small micro pollutants, the type of pollution that will increase with the proliferation of biomass plants in Oregon.

The environmentalist Aldo Leopold reminded us that the first rule of intelligent tinkering was to “keep all the pieces,” not burn them.

Burning biomass, a process that depletes natural resources and pollutes our neighborhoods, is not the renewable and clean-energy panacea that commercial timber companies would have us believe. If we are to go down this path, Oregon residents must call upon our elected officials to require reasonable safeguards, starting with a complete state environmental impact report, carbon life-cycle accounting, and compliance with future, tighter Clean Air Act mandates.

Lisa Arkin is executive director of the Oregon Toxics Alliance.
Editorial published from The Oregonian

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