The Idle Idol

Growing up with frigid Great Lakes’ winters, it was a customary practice to warm up before setting off to work or school. In fact, it was a social faux-pas if we didn’t. Not only did we flat-landers require a morning jumpstart to battle the sub-zero temperatures and relentless wind but our cars and trucks also needed some time to come out of hibernation, in order to take us to the next heated structure of our day. Or so we thought.

Warming up our cars in the morning might make the first few minutes of our commute a bit more comfortable but at what expense? What about big rigs, tow trucks, 18-wheelers, "dually" pickups, delivery vans and other diesel powered vehicles? Isn’t it necessary to let their engines have time to warm up before driving them? The short and fast answer is no. As a matter of fact, the way the EPA, State DOT outfits and other agencies see it, engine idling is having an unfavorable effect on our air quality and oil reserves, climate change and our bank accounts.

Every year, Americans spend upwards of $2 million on fuel that is used solely for idling. That number doesn’t count the idling that occurs at stop lights or other necessary idling situations. We’re talking about idling to warm up our cars on chilly winter mornings, defrost the windshield, wait for a burger at the drive-thru or to "loosen" up the diesel for better performance. Those two operations yield an astonishing 78 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere (4% of the total annual CO2 emissions), nearly 1 million tons of nitrous oxides and 10,000 tons of particulate matter every year; the latter being the most overlooked criteria air pollutant. Particulate matter (PM) accumulates on our stuff and in our water supplies. Idling generates more PM than driving and is the sole reason why some cities offer street sweeping services. Where does that PM go after being collected from streets and gutters? Yup, you guessed it, straight to the landfill. But that’s a topic for a later date.


Sure, running our engines to warm up the car can do the job and sure, idling our diesel trucks will heat up the engine block but neither are necessary practices. It is a myth that driving a cold vehicle is hard on the engine. It is a myth that you can efficiently warm up your vehicle’s interior and defrost your windshield by letting it run in the driveway and watch from your kitchen window. It is a myth that diesel engines must idle before being driven, especially for 5 minutes or longer (new winter blend diesel fuel is designed to be run cold).  Two facts that stick in my head are that iiling increases engine wear and tear which leads to decreased fuel economy and idling for 10 seconds or longer uses more fuel than shutting the engine off and restarting.

So why are we allowing ourselves to continue to get zero MPG? I blame it on habit. The good news is that like rules, habits were meant to be broken. And with the growing number of vehicles on the road and young drivers-to-be, it appears that engine idling is a habit that we Americans ought to kibosh. Talking to folks who have either successfully quit smoking or over-eating credit their achievement, in part, to simply replacing the bad habit with a more positive action.

This year, I am going to do my darnedest to use less gas in my car and I am going to start with breaking the idle habit. My effort in the matter has so far been focused to:


• Manually scraping the frost off the windows in the morning rather than running the defroster.
• Turning the engine off while “just running into the store”
• Turning the engine off while waiting for freight trains and Los Angeles freeway traffic jams to clear.
 To date, I’ve noticed a noteworthy mileage increase (an average of .9 MPG) every time I fill up. If that isn’t reason enough there are health concerns, noise pollution, unpleasant odors and other unappealing attributes associated with idling that only further the cause.

Cell Phone Recycling Spur Hits NOCA

Are you “due” for a new cell phone? Is your contract almost up? Do you have your eye set on that new Blackberry? What is it you’re going to do with your old phone and accessories?



According to Flipswap, a cell phone recycling company and one of Inc. 500’s fastest growing companies of 2009, the average American purchases a new cell phone and upwards of one-hundred dollars in accessories every 18 months. With just over 150 million active cell phones in the country, that leads one to ask, “What are we doing with our old phones?” With cell phones containing parts comprised of both precious metals, such as Gold, and toxic metals, like cadmium and Lead, we ought to be concerned with the afterlife of our favorite pocket and purse companion.


So what should we do with our drawers full of yesteryear’s mobiles? That is up to the consumer. What we ought to avoid is tossing them in the trash.


What is the BMP for getting rid of our old cell phones? The incentives to trade-in, donate, resell or simply recycle our old phones are endless and can be quite intimidating; after all, we’re smart consumers, right? Most major and local mobile cell providers offer trade-in value on used cell phones but all will accept your phone and accessories to be recycled.

The goal of this is simple: minimize waste and minimize carbon footprint. Recycling a cell phone not only keeps it out of a landfill, preventing toxins from leaching into our soil and water, but also lessens the need for raw materials extraction in order to produce new phones. Both of these increase Greenhouse Gas Emissions exponentially, every year. It uses less energy and costs less money to recycle and reuse cell phones compared to throwing them out with the trash.


The two major outcomes of recycling a cell phone are refurbishment for resale and recovering valuable materials (Gold, Copper, Plastic) to use in production of new phones and other electronics. Again, there are incentives out there for us to keep our phones out of landfills.


Flipswap offers gift cards to various stores for sending in your old phone and they even pay for shipping. Major providers like Verizon, Alltel, AT&T and Sprint all offer recycling programs that contribute proceeds towards charities and the options continue to grow. What ought to be a priority, however, is choosing the most environmentally sound alternative to landfill contribution. “Keeping it Local” comes to mind.


To All NOCA, Baker/Snoqualmie NF, USGS, NCI and other employees @ the Sedro Woolley and Marblemount offices....


For the remainder of 2010 (355 days and counting...), I will be accepting used cell phones and accessories (chargers, headsets, etc) to be donated to the Skagit Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Service Center in Mt. Vernon. You can find me in the Maintenance Division corner of the first floor at the Sedro-Woolley office.  There will also be a dropbox located in the back kitchen of the administration building in Marblemount.  If your contract date is approaching or you simply want to buy that new Blackberry, ponder turning in your used phone and help someone from our own neighborhood in need.


Download the EPA Cell Phone Recycling Info Sheet Here for you workplace.


Listen to EPA eCycling Poscasts, including cell phones, Here.

Archived Webinars

Sustainable Purchasing Webinar: Decks and docks, fiber-reinforced concrete and asphalt, spill booms and barriers

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. PST


What will you get from this webinar?
Learn about the availability and performance of a wide array of products made from recovered carpet materials. You’ll hear first-hand from the following companies:


• Kevin Guthard, VP of Operations, Nyloboard: Decking materials; trims; wall, floor and roof sheathing; signs; garage doors www.nyloboard.com

• Tim Stillwell, Owner, GeoHay: Synthetic hay bales & filters, booms and other barrier filtration products www.geohay.com


• Paul Bracegirdle, Executive VP, NyconG: Fiber for reinforcement of concrete, asphalt and plastic products–www.nycon.com


• Joe Keating, President, Polar Materials and Vitro Minerals: Recycled limestone, a feedstock for asphalt based roof coatings, roof shingles, sound deadening materials, stucco compounds and other products


In addition, Jeremy Stroop, Operations Manager of Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), will talk about other commercially available products manufactured from recovered carpet nylon and other constituents. It’s not just carpet! See http://www.carpetrecovery.org/ideas.php


Who are the Sponsors?
Organizers: Seattle Public Utilities and the Carpet America Recovery Effort
Northwest Carpet Recycling Project Workgroup:

• WA: Seattle Public Utilities; King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties; City of Tacoma; City of Spokane; Department of Commerce; Department of Ecology; Washington State Western Washington University; University of Washington;
• OR: Portland Metro; Department of Environmental Quality

How Do You Participate?
Please register for the webinar in advance. There are two steps to participate:

1) Join by phone for audio. 1-218-936-4700; Access code: 993348

AND

2) Join on-line to view the presentation.


https://www.callinfo.com/prt?ac=4282117&an=8667401260&host=readytalk or go to http://www.readytalk.com/ and enter "4282117" to join the web conference


You can test your computer for compatibility prior to the conference: http://test.readytalk.com/

Want More Information about the Webinar?


Product information and presentation materials will be available to you in PDF form prior to the meeting and on the CARE website following the webinar.


Contact Shirli Axelrod, Seattle Public Utilities at Shirli.Axelrod@Seattle.gov.


For information about the NW Carpet Recycling Project, visit: http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/linkup/carpet/project.asp
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GreenGov

August 3, 2010 "Reducing federal energy use through smarter computer power management"

President Obama’s Executive Order 13514 calls on agencies to lead by example in improving energy efficiency anSusatinid reducing greenhouse gas pollution. Personal computers and other electronic devices are a major source of energy use for agencies, but effective use of power management (PM) tools can yield significant savings. According to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), activating existing power savings features can cut PC energy usage in half, resulting in an average savings of $25-75 per computer.

We invite you to the first GreenGov Webinar to learn about PM strategies and tools Federal Agencies are using to achieve significant computer energy savings. The webinar will highlight success stories from across the Federal Government.

Featuring:

Effective computer PM 101 (Cate Bernard, EPA)
PM Tools you can use (Mike Walker, Beacon Consultants)
Case Study 1: How to successfully deploy PM in your office (Michael Blake, EPA)
Case Study 2: Alternative funding strategies for PM (Gregg Leifer, NIH or Gail Williams, NIH)
Questions and Discussion

You must register in advance. Take the following steps to register:
· Visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/890404449 to register.
· Complete the contact information on the following page.
· An e-mail with the information you need to participate in the presentation will be sent to the e-mail address you have specified. Please check your spam e-mail filter if the message does not appear in your inbox within 10 minutes of registering.

· On August 3, 2010, click on the link provided in the e-mail and join us at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the presentation. Then dial 1-866-299-3188, conference code 899999 to join the call.
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2nd Thursday Monthly Climate Change Webinar Series: “The Carbon Cycle and Global Change: Bananas, Coal and You!”

May 13, 2010


Explore how vast amounts of carbon from the “old-slow” part of the carbon cycle are being put into the young-fast” part of the carbon cycle. We know this is happening because we can observe human activities: burning ancient fossil fuels and burning old forests. Why does it matter? That’s what this presentation will address, as CO2 in the atmosphere “closes the window” that allows heat to escape from planet Earth. Dr. Griffith will guide us through the implications of this warming on our national parks.


https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/328151033
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EPA Recycling Webinar Series

February 18, 2010 "Recycling Markets 2010"
April 15, 2010 "Rural Recycling: Bridging the Gaps"
May 20, 2010 "Social Marketing - Building a Toolkit to Motivate Environmental Action"
June 17, 2010 "Multi-Unit Residential Recycling Programs"
August 19, 2010 "Food Waste/Organics Reduction and Recycling"
September 16, 2010 "Greening University Campuses"

November 18, 2010   Food Waste & Recycling"

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ENERGY STAR Takes Your Questions on New Product Certification Changes
Thursday, May 6, 2010, 3:00 PM PST


Please join the Responsible Purchasing Network (RPN) to discuss these new requirements, which impact tax credits and other incentives by the federal government and various states to encourage the use of ENERGY STAR products. Specifically, approximately $300 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be used for state rebate programs on energy-efficient products


https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/176202722
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Climate Change and Land/Fire Management 

Part 1
http://www.myfirevideos.net/Default.aspx?VideoID=359

Part 2
http://www.myfirevideos.net/Default.aspxcategoryID=1&SubCategoryID=0&WFLCategoryID=30
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Role of Recycling in an Era of Extended Producer Responsibility: (Nat. Recycling Coalition)
Presenter: Sarah Hartwell (EPA)
Thursday April 15, 2010 10:00am PST


Looking at current trends in Europe and Canada, state and local governments across the nation are considering policy-based approaches as a way to deal with the full environmental and waste costs of manufacturing decisions. Following the wildly successful launch of our free webinar series with a session on LCA, the NRC has once again secured a national expert to discuss an emerging issue affecting the recycling world: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Join NRC in a rare opportunity to learn more about EPR from one of the top leaders in the field. What is it? How does it differ from Product Stewardship? How does it relate to your recycling program? What are its challenges and successes?


Speaking on the subject will be Sara Hartwell, a Senior Policy Advisor to the US EPA, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. Sara is a highly respected analytical chemist focused on materials management issues. She manages EPA’s Waste Reduction Model (WARM), a life-cycle perspective tool for estimating the energy conservation and greenhouse gas emissions reduction benefits of five alternative materials management scenarios. She developed a derivative tool, the individual Waste Reduction Model (iWARM), a consumer-aimed life-cycle perspective tool for estimating the energy conservation benefits of recycling over landfilling for individual products. Sara is on the Executive Committee of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, and the Steering Committee for Wal-Mart’s Packaging Sustainable Value network. Currently, much of her work is focused on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) discussions with State governments and producers of consumer packaged goods.

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/847911424
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Pacific Northwest Hydrologic and Climate Change Scenarios for the 21st Century
(Climate Impacts Group)
Wednesday March 24, 2010 1-2pm

This webinar will provide an overview of the CIG’s new Pacific Northwest hydrologic climate change products and the role of statistical downscaling and dynamical regional climate modeling in scenario development at the CIG. Pacific Northwest (PNW) hydrology and water resources are projected to be considerably affected by a changing climate. These changes will have widespread impacts across a range of resource areas and planning horizons. Incorporating information about these changes into resource planning is an important component of adapting to climate change. This, in turn, requires access to climate impacts information produced at scales relevant to decision making.

The webinar is open to the public. Those involved in water resources, terrestrial, and aquatic ecosystems planning and research may be particularly interested. It is limitied to 100 perticipants.

To RSVP, please email Lara Whitely Binder (lwb123@u.washington.edu) stating which webinar you intend to participate in. An RSVP is not required but is recommended.

To participate in the webinar, you will need a web browser with Adobe Flash. If you can view YouTube videos, you will be able to access the webinar. The webinar program is Adobe Connect. Webinar resentations and additional logistical information will also be available at:

http://cses.washington.edu/cig/outreach/webinars/scenarios0310.shtml

Webinar URL: http://confer.uw.edu/climate
Call‐in number: 1‐800‐379‐6841
Participant code: 923626
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Using Habitat Vulnerability Assessment Results to Inform Agency Decisions (USFWS)
Speaker: John A. O’Leary
Wednesday March 17, 2010

With a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Manonment Center for Conservation Sciences, we identified the relative vulnerability of twenty habitat types identified in the Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan using an Expert Panel approach. We identify the Species in Greatest Conservation Need linked to these habitats which are most likely to be affected by climate change conditions. We provide confidence values for the relative vulnerability rankings and identify the various factors which make them vulnerabile under climate change conditions for each habitat type. Results from this assesment are being used to inform wildlife habitat management and acquisition implementation processes.

http://training.fws.gov/EC/Resources/climate_change_webinars/safeguarding_wildlife_cc_archives.html
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FEDERAL GREEN CHALLAENGE WEBINAR SERIES:

Public Sector Protocols for GHG Emissions Inventories
Thursday, October 7, 2010 
http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/ECOCOMM.NSF/Federal+Green+Challenge/FedGreenWebinar10_7_10/


Under Executive Order 13514, federal agencies have set target GHG emissions reduction goals and are approaching the next deadline for inventory reporting.

This webinar will:

• Provide an overview of agencies’ inventory and reporting requirements under EO 13514;
• Provide an update on the status of standards and guidance documents being created to assist agencies in the upcoming reporting process;
• Focus on protocols for tracking Scope 3 emissions, including a presentation on using employee surveys to gather data on the GHG emissions of employee commuting.

Greening Your Staff
Wednesday April 14, 2010
http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/ECOCOMM.NSF/Federal+Green+Challenge/FedGreenWebinar4_14_10/

In this webinar, you will learn about effective environment and sustainability education programs along with challenges faced when engaging staff in sustainability-related initiatives. You will also hear about programs that have successfully engaged staff at work and at home. Specifically, speakers will present and discuss:

Measuring Your Climate Footprint
Speakers: Kathleen Judd & John Sottong
Wednesday March 10, 2010 10am-11:30am PST
http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/ECOCOMM.NSF/Federal+Green+Challenge/FedGreenWebinar3_10_10/

The new Executive Order 13514 has changed the landscape for federal partners, requiring them to measure their environmental performance in terms of greenhouse gases. There are a number of tools available to help assess facility climate footprints. In this webinar, you will learn about several such tools.

Electrifying Federal Fleets

Wednesday July14, 2010
http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/ECOCOMM.NSF/Federal+Green+Challenge/FedGreenAcademy/

You can access videos, transcripts and presentations from past webinars in the series at:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/ECOCOMM.NSF/Federal+Green
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Climate Change in America's National Parks: The Role of Parks in Educating the Public about Solutions
Speaker: Dr. Paul Bunje
Thursday March 11, 2010 2pm-3:30pm EST

National parks play a leading role in not only preserving natural systems for society, but also in educating the public in why and how to protect nature. I will discuss the critical role that national parks can play in educating the public about the solutions to climate change -- both how to mitigate the extent of climate change through reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and in adapting to a changing environment.

Power Point Presentation will be available in the weeks following this webinar
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Federal Energy Management Program: First Thursday Webinar Series

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/services/training.html


February 4th, 2010 "Introduction to Executive Order 13514 Training"
March 4, 2010 “Energy 101”
April 1, 2010 “Water Efficiency Planning and Implementation”
May 6, 2010 “Federal Greenhouse Gas accounting and Reporting”
June 3, 2010 “Advanced Metering Requirements and Best Practices”

July 1, 2010 “Operations, Maintenance and Commisioning”
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GovEnergy (Webinar Series)
http://www.govenergy.com/presentations.php
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Food Waste Reduction and Management Webinar (Series)

Food waste is the third largest stream of waste in the U.S. after paper and yard waste. The social, economic, and environmental impacts of food waste are enormous, including increased generation of greenhouse gas, negative impacts on sanitation and health, and the loss of potential improvements in soil health and food production.

To help address these impacts, EPA Region 2 is partnering with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group at Rutgers University to offer a series of webinars designed to provide education on the best avenues and methods of food waste management. Generators of food waste, government representatives, and public stakeholders are encouraged to participate.

These Webinars will be able to be viewed after the series in concluded - more info TBA...


February 23, 2010 “Overview of Food Waste, Climate Change Connection and Waste Audits”
March 10, 2010 “Separation and Collection of Food Waste”
March 17, 2010 “Food Waste Reduction through Reuse”
March 31, 2010 “Composting and End of Life Management”
April 7, 2010 “Putting the Pieces Together and EPA Tools”

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USFS Climate Change Webinar Series (2009)
http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/carbon/webcasts/
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USFWS Climate Change Webinar Series (Windows Media Player needed)
http://training.fws.gov/EC/Resources/climate_change_webinars/safeguarding_wildlife_cc_archives.html
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EPA Climate Change Webinar Series
http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/ECOCOMM.NSF/Federal+Green+Challenge/FedGreenAcademy/#schedule
• Measuring Environmental Results (September 2009)
• Transportation Alternatives (August 2009)
• Waste Prevention (July 2009)
• Green Building (June 2009)
• Energy Conservation (May 2009)
• Green Meetings (April 2009)
• Water Conservation (March 2009)
• Waste Prevention (February 2009)
• Many More Topics Archived

2010 Sustainability & Climate Change Related Webinars

Federal Green Challenge Web Academy: Public Sector Protocols for GHG Emissions Inventories Thursday, October 7, 2010 from 10:00am PST

Register now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/650245385

Under Executive Order 13514, federal agencies have set target GHG emissions reduction goals and are approaching the next deadline for inventory reporting.

This webinar will:

• Provide an overview of agencies’ inventory and reporting requirements under EO 13514;
• Provide an update on the status of standards and guidance documents being created to assist agencies in the upcoming reporting process;
• Focus on protocols for tracking Scope 3 emissions, including a presentation on using employee surveys to gather data on the GHG emissions of employee commuting.

Whether you are experienced with emissions inventories or just getting started, this webinar will provide accessible, useful information about the latest protocol standards, guidance and tools.


Presentations:

10:10am: Leslie Gillespie-Marthaler, Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, Council on Environmental Quality Senior OFEE Program Manager


10:30am: Chris Tremper, Federal Environmental Management Program (FEMP), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Department of Energy Program Analyst for Reporting, Guidance, and Interagency Coordination

10:50am: Holly Lahd, Climate and Energy Program, World Resources Institute GHG Protocol Product and Supply Chain Initiative Research Assistant


11:10am: Kathy Leotta, WSDOT Public Transportation Division Demand Management Data and Evaluation Manager
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Federal Green Challenge:  Highlights from Year Two: Success Stories
Wednesday, February 9, 2011 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. (PST)


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EPA Recyling Webinars


**Click The Webinar Title to Register BEFORE the webinar!
**Click the date to access the webinar

October 21, 2010   "Sustainable Materials Management"


How to Participate:

• You must register for each webinar separately.
• You will need to be able to view presentations via your computer and listen to the audio portion by telephone or through your PC speakers.

Registered participants will be able to connect to the web link provided in the reminder e-mail that will be sent out 2 days in advance of the call date.


Set your screen resolution to 1024 X 768.
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Food Waste Reduction and Management Webinar (Series)


Food waste is the third largest stream of waste in the U.S. after paper and yard waste. The social, economic, and environmental impacts of food waste are enormous, including increased generation of greenhouse gas, negative impacts on sanitation and health, and the loss of potential improvements in soil health and food production.


To help address these impacts, EPA Region 2 is partnering with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group at Rutgers University to offer a series of webinars designed to provide education on the best avenues and methods of food waste management. Generators of food waste, government representatives, and public stakeholders are encouraged to participate.


Registration and more information
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Greetings from North Cascades

Good afternoon folks!  You've been brought, perhaps out of your own volition, to the official Blog for the North Cascades National Park (NOCA) Climate Friendly Parks and Do Your Part Programs.  Take this time to learn your way around this page, as it will quickly fill up. 

Here, you will find updates to the the program, what the park is doing to reduce emissions and meet the goal to become carbon neutral, related news, anything green and everything in between!

Cheers!