EPA Honors Corporations for Cutting Greenhouse Gases

The EPA recently honored fifteen different organizations for their leadership in protecting the climate at the 2014 Climate Leadership Conference in San Diego.

Nineteen awards were given out for Organizational Leadership, Individual Leadership, Supply Chain Leadership, Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management for Goal Achievement and for Goal Setting. To see the full list of winners, click here.

It's interesting to see the diversity between award recipients. Most are companies, one is a city and one a university.

Other Resouces

U.S. EPA Honors Corporations for Cutting Greenhouse Gases

Google Launches Global Forest Watch

Google has perhaps answered the age-old question: if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
Okay maybe not, but you can at least watch it now thanks to Global Forest Watch. From the website's "About" section, GFW is "a dynamic online forest monitoring and alert system that empowers people everywhere to better managa forests." The website allows you to monitor logging and burning of the world's forests using satellite images, open data, and crowdsourcing. It's like a near real-time security camera for tree murders!
The site just launched on February 20th and is in a beta version. It's not a solo effort by Google but in fact was convened by the World Resources Institute.

Update on the Drought Emergency in California

In an effort to relieve the drought emergency in California, state officials announced yesterday new legislation that would "provide $687.4 million to help communities deal with the devastating dry conditions and fund increases to local water supplies" (ENS). Where exactly would this money be coming from?

• The accelerated expenditure of voter-approved grants for local and regional projects that are already planned or partly completed (that have to do withstormwater, recycled water, groundwater storage and water conservation)
• Transferred out of the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
• The General Fund

I'm sure if the Pacific Northwest could, we'd send some rain clouds over to California right now. Or maybe we wouldn't cause we seem really friendly in Seattle but actually we're kind of cold and constantly guarded. (If you don't know what I'm referring to, you can read about it here.)

Resources

California Lawmakers Offer $687 Million Drought Relief Bill - Environmental News Service

US and France Cooperate on Global Climate Change Pact

President Obama and French President Francois Hollande agreed to expand on their work to curb global climate change, ahead of the upcoming United Nations climate summit next year in Paris. The UN is expected to create a global binding agreement to take effect in 2020. 

Why are these two leaders urging other nations to get on board before the summit? 
It would appear that both leaders mean serious business, so they want to make sure everyone else means serious business when the summit arrives. 

In all seriousness, during his State Visit to the US, Hollande said, “How not to mention climate change when France next year will convene and host a conference? It’s not just about hosting a conference and having our hotels full. No, it’s about reaching a global goal, because there is a danger.”

Resources 
Hollande and Obama Push For Global Climate Change Pact - TIME World

Obama, Hollande Cooperate on 2015 Global Climate Change Pact - Environment News Service

Obama Signs 2014 Farm Bill

On February 7th, President Obama signed into law H.R. 2642, the Agricultural Act of 2014, which "extends, expands, or modifies federal agriculture and nutrition programs, including farm income support, crop insurance, conservation, credit assistance, trade, research, international food assistance, rural development, and other programs through the fiscal year 2018 crop year" (ENS). 

It's the most significant reform of American agriculture policy in decades, and its not without controversy.
Perhaps the most controversial part about the bill is its $8 billion cut to the Food Stamp program. (By the way this is a $956 billion bill or as some would call it, "$1 trillion".) But President Obama has downplayed this cut saying that the bill would overall be helping families, and $8 billion is far less than the $40 billion Republicans called for earlier in September.

I must admit that I'm not huge on politics, but this should be interesting to watch as it develops.


Resources
Obama Signs $1 Trillion Farm Bill Into Law - Environmental News Service

In Signing Farm Bill, Obama Extols Rural Growth - The New York Times

Super Bowl 48: How Green Was It?

Nowadays it's expected for major sporting events to take 'green' initiatives seriously. When the NFL first started their environmental program, it focused on recycling as much as possible, what you'd expect. Then about 10 years ago, the NFL voluntarily decided to address the issue of climate change/global warming by examining the Super Bowl's carbon footprint and devising ways to reduce it. For example:
-Tree-planting program
-Purchase of renewable energy credits to compensate for the additional carbon emissions Super Bowl activities cause in the host city

While these actions are definitely a good thing, some argue that the Super Bowl would be a lot greener without the ads. Why? Because those major ads promote consumption and overconsumption is what has led to many of our environmental problems. It's easier to imagine the Super Bowl held in a compostable stadium than it is to imagine the Super Bowl without ads.

I'm sure that in a couple of days we'll hear full details about the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Resources:
Seahawks, Broncos gear up for super 'green' bowl - NBC News

Ecological Footprint: Week 5 Update

Time for another update:

1. Shop at my local co-op market at least once a week

This...hasn't happened. Turns out I don't go through groceries that quickly (probably because I bought in bulk at the beginning of the quarter). I've only accompanied my roommate when she does a Fred Meyer lately, but I did  buy some organic apples while I was there which never used to happen before.

2. Get my roommate to do laundry together

I found out that my roommate does one load of laundry every week. I usually do one load every month. Whoah there. I asked my roommate how she felt about doing loads together from now on and while she didn't say no outright, she did seem hesitant. Our plans might be foiled by the recent failure of our apartment complex's washing machine however. That sort of foils any laundry plans.

3. I will walk to campus 3/5 days, and walk home 3/5 days

This has been successful!

So that's how things currently look. Perhaps it's time to develop another new goal?

4. Don't buy as many things that I don't need

In my case, this applies mostly to food but can apply to all products. We, Americans especially, over-consume and a lot of the things we buy end up as waste. It can be hard to tell ourselves that no, we don't actually need that thing. It's not just the number of things we buy either, it's the size too. For example, it took me awhile to get out of the habit of buying the bigger carton of milk for a better deal when all I really needed was the half liter.

Why Are Monarch Butterflies Vanishing?

The 2013 monarch butterfly migration recorded an all-time low in Mexico, where the butterflies come from Canada and the United States every year to hibernate for the winter. There are driving factors in all three countries. First, the primary food source for monarch butterflies is the milkweed plant and its being wiped out by herbicides used on genetically modified crops in North America. Next, the monarch habitat has shrunk due to deforestation and forest degradation in sanctuaries along the border between the states of Michoacan and the State of Mexico. Last, extreme climate conditions in Canada, the United States and Mexico are making the entire life cycle more difficult for these butterflies.

We've all heard this story before unfortunately: Human behavior is inducing climate change, which is damaging the natural habitat of a species, who are now on the brink of extinction. From the bees to the polar bears, humankind's current lifestyle is detrimental to other species on the planet. But are we doing enough to prevent this from happening?

A little sidenote, my friend works at the Pacific Science Center's Tropical Butterfly House and while he loves his job, he says that sometimes it can be a little depressing to sweep dead butterflies off the floor. Especially if he gets caught by innocent children who don't understand what he's hiding behind his back.

Resources:

Monarch Butterfly 2013 Migration Smallest on Record

Monarch Watch