Sustainable Living Tips by Lee Leffler

Reducing the energy consumption of personal transportation has long been a consideration of the responsible consumer. In these days of ever higher fuel prices it has become a serious economic concern too. Here are some of my favorite energy-saving tips.

Stop driving. Well, not completely, of course. But consider car-pooling if you and a friend have the same destination and close schedules. Ensure when you go, say, grocery shopping, you pick up everything you need for the week, and stop at all the shops in one trip. And when the weather’s right and your destination is not too far — get out your bicycle!

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Homeowners in the province of Ontario, Canada, are being given the opportunity to join the microFIT program of the Ontario Power Authority.

Under microFIT, owners of small (10 KW or less)  renewable-source electrical generators will be paid for the electricity they produce and deliver to the province’s electricity grid.

While many other electric utility companies offer similar plans, microFIT is the first we’ve heard of where the utility writes a contract guaranteeing a price over a 20-year term (40 years for waterpower projects), with the price being designed to cover the costs of the project and provide a reasonable rate of return on the homeowner’s investment over the term of the contract. Other utilities offer “net metering” plans, which may or may not adequately recover the costs of the generator project.

The microFIT program covers generators powered solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, water and bio-energy.

Read more at the Ontario Power Authority web site.

Bees and their beekeepers atop the Waldorf Astoria in NYC (photo: AP)

A quarter of a million bees are being cultivated on top of the swanky Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City as a away of making the city more sustainable.

Bee populations have been on the decline. The bees are needed to pollinate flowering trees within a 3-mile radius of the hotel.

These hives are part of New York City’s green initiative, PlaNYC, which is hoping to plant 1,000,000 trees in the next 10 years.

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Phillipe Cousteau, grandson of legendary global environmental activist Jacques Cousteau, is teaching a new generation about current environmental issues as host of CNN’s Going Green series.

“As a special correspondent reporting on environmental and humanitarian issues around the world, I work on compelling stories that meld advocacy, amazing adventure television and new media to engage people across the globe in positive change.” Cousteau travels to the Arctic Circle to explore climate change. He explores the island of Sumatra in Indonesia to showcase “30 Hills,” which is subject to wanton deforestation.

As the co-founder and president EarthEcho International, Phillipe Cousteau engages and empowers young people  to take action for a brighter future. He uses education, balanced advocacy and a commitment to action.

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Maharishi University of Management will soon open its new Sustainable Living Center on its campus in Fairfield, IA.

According to David Fisher, head of MUM’s sustainable living department,  this will be “the most ambitious environmental building ever undertaken . . . the only one I know of to combine extensive use of daylighting, whole-tree beams, several different certifications, and planned off-the-grid features.”

The center will be built using a combination of sustainable features and certified standards such as LEED, and will be constructed according to Maharishi Vedic(SM) architecture.

With solar panels, wind turbine, geothermal installation, and passive energy features, the expectation is that this will be a net-zero energy building. And the plan for the future is to take the building off the grid completely, for electricity, heating/cooling, water, and waste.

The new center is expected to be open by April 18, 2012.

The annual EcoFair sustainability conference in Fairfield, Iowa has been renamed “EcoFairfield” in order to include all citizens of Fairfield and beyond. Out-of-town guest speakers, guest presenters and attendees will continue to be welcomed April 20-22 — Earth Day Weekend — and the slogan is to “serve, inspire and connect.”

The event is being organized now by students in the Sustainability program at Maharishi University of Management and is sponsored by the City of Fairfield, Fairfield Volunteer Center, Fairfield Public Library, Maharishi University of Management, myLocal Cooperative, and  Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

This year’s event focuses on sharing the knowledge of local experts, the excellence of local vendors and businesses, and local projects that anyone can participate in throughout the year.

The conference includes:

• community service
• education about sustainability issues
• celebrations
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The practice of “fracking” – hydraulically fracturing rock to extract natural gas – has come under fire in New York State. Environmental and health groups swarmed the state Capitol in Albany requesting a legislative ban on fracking. They are concerned that regulation cannot adequately prevent the contamination of water from fracking.

NY State Senator Tony Avella has sponsored a bill to ban hydraulic fracturing. “Fracking is the most important environmental issue this state has faced in the past 100 years,” he said.

Click to read the article in the Wall Street Journal.

During a single weekend, you can hear from two world-renowned visionary authors, learn to grow organic food, “hydro-fracking” or how to implement wind and solar power into your home and business., either on the standard power grid or at remote sites.

All this and more is being offered at the second annual Local Living Festival, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 24 and 25 2011 at the Cooperative Extension Learning Farm, 2043 Route 68 in Canton, NY.

Click for more information.

Have you ever heard the joke about the absurdity of putting a recreation area right next to a waste management plant?

This blog post on the New York Times website talks about a plan to open a ski park in a waste management plant. The article says, “If you’re itching to visit the new advanced waste management plant that will open in 2016 in Copenhagen, be sure to bring your skis. An urban ski park will cover the plant, which will incinerate the waste from five municipalities to generate heat and electricity for 140,000 homes.”

Imagine taking an elevator to the top of a building, then skiing down one of 3 slopes while your trash – and all the trash from the surrounding region – burns merrily inside.

Read this article to find out what these “geniuses” are thinking.

Hmm. Go skiing to take you mind off pollution.

The Obama administration today proposed guidelines for solar development on public lands in the West, to accelerate projects in six western states – Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

The detailed study, known as a Draft Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, names 24 “solar energy zones” that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said are “best suited for large-scale solar development.”

Click to read the article on the Environmental News Service website.