Does the Gulf Oil Spill Call for a Bit of Introspection?

At this writing, oil continues spewing into the Gulf of Mexico at a rate unlike anything ever seen on our continental shores. Without question, it is the worst man-made ecological disaster in our history. While the spill’s final consequences are uncertain, they are sure to be both long term and far reaching. It is highly likely that most of the northern Gulf region’s economy will takes years, if not decades, to recover. And this does not even begin to speak about the peril facing wildlife. It appears that several already endangered species may be pushed to the very edge of extinction.

There are many lessons to be learned from this on-going disaster. First and foremost, we must recognize the cozy relationship that has too long existed between our regulatory agencies and the oil industry. It has become increasingly and frightfully obvious that government officials from multiple administrations have utterly failed in their responsibility to represent the public’s – that is, our – best interests. Risk assessment seems to be a foreign concept when it comes to oil companies. How can such a perilous undertaking -- one which poses such possibly catastrophic consequences -- take place without benefit of either careful risk assessment or mitigation planning? Finally, we must understand that technology cannot and will not always save us from our unwise decisions. Sometimes, even the most powerful and up-to-date technologies will abandon us when we make poor choices.

Rather than point fingers at the oil industry or the federal government, perhaps it is time to do a bit of introspection. We Americans have come to believe that we can live as we choose, consume as much as we choose, drive whatever size vehicle we choose, and live in any size house we choose, and never have to face the consequence of those choices. The oil slick covering the marshes of Louisiana and now threatening the entire Gulf Coast is exactly the result of the way we have chosen to live our lives. We build and inhabit over-sized, often poorly insulated homes. We choose to drive gas-guzzling SUVs rather than more fuel-efficient vehicles. Public transportation gets a back seat to building more and more roads. Urban sprawl – along with its inherent transportation problems -- is the result of an absence of intelligent regional planning. Our water usage affects the environment with higher energy consumption and more frequent water shortages. Importantly, our energy dependence not only threatens our sovereignty; it constrains our foreign policy.

There is a critical role we can play in beginning to turn this perilous situation around. It is time for us to take a hard look at the first step toward solving our unsustainable living habits. That first step is increased conservation, a step that is immediate, costs little, and points the way toward energy independence. Because of advances in “green” technology, the impact on our lifestyles or wallets will be minimal. We can demand legislation mandating greater fuel-efficiency, make sure that our homes, appliances, and commercial buildings meet new energy efficiency standards, become more sensitive to the recycling of our solid waste, support clean air standards, and use our clean water more carefully and sparingly.

Finally, we should all support the overall goal of sustainable living, which embraces a healthy lifestyle for all of us that can be bequeathed to our children and grandchildren. This goal, contrary to the claims of some, will provide a robust path to economic growth far into the future for all of us. Then, perhaps our grandchildren will have clean beaches to walk on during their lifetime, and we can say that we have done our part in being stewards of the good earth that Providence entrusted to us at the very dawn of time.

Ernest Stokely
President, Board of the Alabama Environmental Council

No One Wants Coal Ash

Another illustration of the toxic nature of Coal Ash and the negative impacts that go along with it are playing out in multiple locations around Alabama. It's currently about the leachate from the landfill, which is the resulting liquid after rainwater and surface water has percolated through a landfill and is collected at the bottom by the liners. When the landfill was originally permitted, it apparently was planning to take this leachate, which all modern landfills collect, treat, and dispose of, to the Marion Waste Water Treatment Plant. However, that plant has been out of compliance with its permits for sometime. Did the state or federal agencies, ADEM or EPA, think that this massive influx of new material was going to take care of itself? Was this not looked at when they granted these permits and had the chance to make sure to protect public health at all cost?

Then, after complaints of citizens and environmental groups about that problem, the landfill operators started scrambling to get rid of the leachate somewhere else. There are numerous allegations that it was illegally dumped in ditches for a time until a new place was found. Demopolis came to the rescue...until it was found to have problems with its permits. So, the most recent solution was to ship it to a facility near Mobile, Liquid Environmental Solutions, that would process it before sending it to the Mobile Waste Water Treatment Plant. However, again due to citizen pressure and environmental groups, the company has decided to quit accepting the waste because it wants to continue to be a "good corporate citizen." That's one of the best statements about this situation in some time.

However, that statement also illustrates one of the problems with this whole situation. When people can stand up and say what's right, they don't want this toxic mess to deal with. When their financial livelihood is on the line, they say that they don't mind being the ash-hole of the Southeast. As a US Congressman and I discussed, this is the problem of how we have created rural economies in such a way that they are dependent on processes that more affluent, educated communities will not stand for.

Alabama, do what's right: Tell TVA that Alabama is not it's dumping ground. Bring it to corporate headquarters if it's safe. Put it in your backyard. Make a playground for your grandchildren out of this "safe" material.

I didn't think so.

And, while your at it, let's make sure to recognize that Coal Ash is another aspect of coal use for energy production that proves that our current energy dependence on fossil fuels is not sustainable. We must take the full life-cycle of coal into account, mountaintop mining to air and water pollution to by-product disposal, when we say this is the method of energy production we want to continue to depend on.

Avatar: Un-sustainability Run Ammuck!

I saw Avatar last night. AEC's Board President and a friend saw it on Wednesday night and told me it was amazing, and packed with every kind of story-line you could imagine: cowboys & indians, Pocahontas, environmentalism, over-run capitalism. I would have to agree with that, and multiply it. Wow, what a story line and it's hard to think of a meaning that James Cameron didn't include.

Also, let me get it out of the way that the effects and wow-factor were off the charts. Seeing it in 3-D helped, but I think it would have jumped off the screen in any theater. With larger-than-life creatures and futuristic depictions, it was truly amazing. One of those have-to-see-at-the-theater kind of movies. I tend to evaluate a movie's worth at the theater based on whether it would lose anything being seen on DVD at home. This is one of those worth going to see.

However, that encourages more consumerism which is one of the issues that I was struck by in this film. The main story of the movie is how humans have come to this distant planet to mine it's resources, assumed to be sent back to Earth. Unfortunately, a native people's "Tree of Life" is standing on the largest deposit of this precious resource. Therefore, corporate interests and the military plot to infiltrate the natives, win their trust, and convince them to move. Sound familiar...?

They seek the precious resource "Unobtanium." How great is that! Maybe that should be a signal that we shouldn't be trying to obtain it. But, you learn through the native discussion that "they have killed their mother," referring, I imagine, to Earth being ravaged and left for waste. It's also interesting to observe the representation of Unobtanium in the movie. Looks familiar to me.

What are we doing? Why are we not able to see the signs? Why are we so intent on living beyond our means that we are willing to destroy the giver of all life? Any element that is here, has come from Earth and can never be replaced. Once its gone, that's it. We will have to go looking for more Unobtanium. Is that science-fiction?

Again, I would encourage you to see this movie. I felt more appreciative of what I so often take for granted. Walking, breathing, visiting our natural wonders, respecting what others hold as sacred...they go on and on. Truly, it was amazing on so many levels.

PS. Let's all pledge to take care of this planet Earth, our island home!

5% Donations at Whole Foods Benefit AEC on January 13th

This coming Wednesday, January 13th, 5% of all sales at Whole Foods Market in Birmingham will be donated to the Alabama Environmental Council. This is their quarterly fundraiser for local charities and the first time it is being donated to the AEC. Whole Foods does this benefit for non-profits as a part of its commitment to helping communities grow stronger and healthier.

Michael Churchman, executive director of the AEC, said he is thrilled with this partnership. "This opportunity provided by Whole Foods Market will allow us to educate the public about our new Regional Recycling Initiative and Downtown Birmingham Community Recycling Center, and raise some much needed funding," said Churchman. "On behalf of our organization, we are grateful to Whole Foods Market for their generosity, enabling us to further our efforts and mission.

Technical KnockOut, one of the AEC's recycling partners, will be onsite from 10AM-3PM to accept electronics recycling. If you have E-waste that needs to be recycled, this is a great opportunity. A complete list of accepted items can be found on the website www.aeconline.org.

AEC Staff and volunteers will be on hand to distribute materials, brand-new stickers, and sell T-shirts. If you have questions or comments for the organization, you can contact Michael at michael@aeconline.org.

350.org Climate Action Day in Alabama

Please remember tomorrow’s day of Climate Action by joining one of more than 4,000 events worldwide, in more than 170 countries.Although, the current atmospheric concentration is nearing 390 parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide, 350 parts per million is the upper limit on the concentration of CO2 which can sustain our global climate conditions, according to NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen's report entitled "Target atmospheric CO2: Where should humanity aim?”

This Saturday, October 24^th, people all over the world will be gathering as part of a global day of action to urge world leaders to take bold and immediate steps to address climate change and reduce carbon emissions. From capitol cities to the slopes of Mount Everest, and even underwater on dying coral reefs—people will come together to hold rallies aimed at focusing attention on the number 350. Visitwww.350.org to learn more or join AEC in supporting one of these iconic events in Alabama:

Birmingham Event: Birmingham Southern College, 11AM-1PM with iconic photo at 11:30, climate presentations, green-fair, and food. Visit http://tinyurl.com/bham-350 for more information.

Tuscaloosa Event: University of Alabama, 11:00AM-2:30PM 350 awareness tailgate at the Alabama vs. Tennessee football game, on the quad just to the right of Denny Chimes. Fun will be provided for free, but if you would like to bring your own tailgating consumables please make a conscious effort to minimize waste by taking steps such as bringing home made dishes, reusable vessels (we'll have a dish-washing station). Visit http://tinyurl.com/tusc-350 for more information.

For additional information on Energy issues, visit www.aeconline.org/energy, including a recent presentation by Michael Churchman on environmental impacts of energy from the recent Energy Forum 2009, which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/mc-energy-forum.

Will Alabama Face the Challenge?

It is very appropriate that Blog Action Day's 2009 focus is Climate Change. After all, that is one of the hottest topics around the globe and sure to become even more important as we move closer to December of 2009, when world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to work on a new treaty to address Climate change. I'm glad to be adding my voice from Alabama with close to 10,000 bloggers in 150 countries.

It is also very appropriate that the Interfaith Environmental Initiative of Alabama just hosted Energy Forum 2009 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on October 13-14. After introductory reflections, we jumped right into the topic at hand: Energy Challenges and Possibilities in Alabama. As Director of the Alabama Environmental Council, I was asked to share environmental perspectives of energy in Alabama, which can be found at http://tinyurl.com/yfan9gu. This Forum aimed to engage people in how we can be more efficient with the energy we use. The nearly 100 participants had many ideas of how to pursue this and it is encouraging to think of what action will happen.

However, this Forum was not the place to address the bigger issue of impending Climate Change and Alabama's lack of action concerning it. It is very frustrating to hear so many voices in Alabama denying that Global Warming is occurring or that humans are not having an impact. (It was encouraging to hear Dr. Stan Meiburg, EPA Region IV acting Director, state that the science is in and there is no longer a debate about it's cause. Now we must start doing something.) No matter how many doubters try to distract Alabamians, the scientific community is still in consensus that warming is occurring and that humans are having an impact.

It is up to us to demand that our government leaders address this impending global crisis. It may be uncomfortable, and some costs may increase. But, a lack of action will be much worse and costs to address it later will skyrocket. It is not about our lifetimes, but those of our children. The time for business as usual has passed and the window of opportunity is closing.

We must change our overly-consumptive lifestyles and reduce our waste. (With 4% of global population, the US cannot continue to use 23% of it's resources, nor should we be the example of how developing countries want to live.) We must stop subsidizing fossil fuels and begin to equally invest in Clean Energy.

We must move away from conventional dinosaur energy systems of the past, find ways to utilize clean energies today, and get busy with research and development of technologies that hold the most promise for our Clean Energy future.

Sustainable Living

It's a simple concept: live in such a way that your impact is not so huge that it threatens living into the future. It's the golden rule applied to the environment around us. And, it's not a new concept. Farmers understand this and have been practicing this way of living throughout time. They new that their actions today were related to what had happened in the past, and had an impact on the future.

Yet, somewhere along the way, we as Americans have begun to believe that our actions don't have consequences. Actually, I'm not saying we've made a choice to destroy our future. It has been a gradual shift in thinking and living. I would say that it is through not thinking that has gotten us to where we are. Thinking takes effort. Thinking about every little detail takes a lot of effort! Yet, every action we take, whether it is thought out or not, has a ripple effect on everything going forward.

This morning, I've been reading about No Impact Man, which is a book & film being made about a guy and his family in NY that chose to live a year with absolutely no impact on the environment. Yes, this is a little extreme...or actually A LOT extreme and not practical for most people. Yet, there are choices that we make every single day that we could do differently. Actually, those choices occur every single hour, minute, and maybe even every second.

Recycling is something big that AEC works on. It's very hands-on, deliberate, and quantifiable. But without the first 2 R's, we've missed something. Reducing comes first and is all about the choice. Reduce our consumption by choosing bulk over individual servings, choosing to carpool or bike instead of drive alone, choosing to give up beef for one day or meal a week, can save over 1,000 pounds green house gas in a year. Reusing is as simple as not throwing away the shoebox but using it to hold something else after shoes, shopping at thrift stores for clothing that is perfectly good, picking up that perfectly good 2X4 from your neighbors project that can be used in your project. (guilty too many times!) Then comes recycling.

I'm attempting to make different choices and hope you will commit with me.