Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05

Taking Green To the Next Level

Story by Kathleen McFadden

In an April 15 New York Times article, foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman writes in “The Power of Green” that he wants to change the conventional associations with the concept of “green”—“liberal,” “tree-hugging,” “sissy,” “girlie-man,” “unpatriotic,” “vaguely French”—to “geostrategic, geoeconomic, capitalistic and patriotic.”

In his article, Friedman explains—with lots of examples—how going green makes sense politically, economically, environmentally, militarily and globally.

And even though climate change—call it global warming, climate chaos, whatever—is making the covers of mainstream magazines all over the country and lots of folks are hastening down to the hardware store to buy compact fluorescent bulbs, Friedman throws a bucket of cold water on our so-far-paltry efforts to change our habits: “But here’s the really inconvenient truth: We have not even begun to be serious about the costs, the effort and the scale of change that will be required to shift our country, and eventually the world, to a largely emissions-free energy infrastructure over the next 50 years.”

To illustrate Friedman’s challenge, as an experiment, go to any large parking lot and count the number of small, fuel-efficient vehicles. Then count the number of large, not-so-fuel efficient vehicles. And that’s just in Boone or Banner Elk.

As dispiriting as Friedman’s challenge and the car-counting experiment may be, people are beginning to pay attention and take action. Here are just a few recent examples.

Global

The U.N. Security Council has put climate change on its agenda for the first time and will hold a meeting this month to discuss potential threats to international security from global warming. Last month, an international panel of scientists presented the United Nations with a detailed plan to combat climate change, warning that failure would produce a turbulent 21st century of weather extremes, spreading drought and disease, expanding oceans and displaced coastal populations. The report was issued three weeks after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N. network of 2,000 scientists, reported that global warming is being caused largely by the accumulation of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, mostly from burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels.

National

On April 2, In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate heat-trapping gases in automobile emissions, contrary to the administration’s claim that the government did not have regulatory authority. The court further ruled that the agency could not sidestep its authority to regulate the greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change unless it could provide a scientific basis for its refusal. Court cases around the country had been held up to await the decision in this case. Among them is a challenge to the environmental agency’s refusal to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, now pending in the federal appeals court.

On March 29, the House, by a vote of 216-210, approved a $3 trillion budget resolution (H.Con.Res. 99) that would set spending caps for fiscal year 2008. Representatives defeated three different alternative budgets that were offered as substitute amendments, including a proposal from Democrats that would have directed an additional $28 billion to renewable energy and climate change programs. The final budget, sponsored by Rep. Spratt (D-SC), Budget Committee chair, would provide $32.8 billion in the account that provides funding for most of the federal environmental and natural resource programs. The House resolution headed to conference with the Senate that approved its budget resolution a week earlier. The Senate version would provide about $31 billion for environmental projects, an increase over both last year's levels and the

president's request.

On March 29, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously approved a bill (S. 992) to outfit the 8,500 federal government buildings with energy-saving technology. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Sen. Boxer (D-CA) and Sen. Alexander (R-TN), would direct the General Services Administration to retrofit all federal buildings with advanced lighting systems, energy-saving furnaces and other cost-cutting devices over the next five years. The bill also would help state and local governments do the same by providing them with grants of up to $1 million. According to the National Resource Defense Council, the U.S. federal government is the largest energy consumer in the world, with a total energy bill of about $14.5 billion each year.

On March 26, the House approved, by a vote of 359-48, a bill that would reduce pollution from sea vessels. The Maritime Pollution Prevention Act (H.R. 802), sponsored by Rep. Oberstar (D-MN), would help protect the marine environment by limiting emissions of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone-depleting chemicals from ships. The president is expected to sign the bill into law.

State

Representative Cullie Tarleton reports that the state’s Environmental Review Commission recommends that North Carolina spend as much as $25 million over the next 10 years to find better ways to produce fuel from plants. The report also suggests that by 2017, 10 percent of the state's liquid fuel should come from crops grown in the state. Currently, the state uses 5 billion to 6 billion gallons of petroleum-based fuel in a year. The report also recommends the creation of a biofuels commission to work on policy, guide research and coordinate efforts in the public and private sectors to make and market biofuels.

What Next?

Local environmental activists are pushing changes, both large and small, that will contribute to the greening of the High Country. From composting to home energy audits to local food purchases to water monitoring to sustainable energy, local residents can make personal choices that will help preserve, conserve, protect and enhance the region.

And despite Friedman’s challenge, lots of small individual efforts can begin to make a big difference.

sidebar:

Local Green Organizations

The High Country boasts an impressive list of active, eco-aware organizations focused on everything from renewable energy to land preservation to zero waste to organic agriculture. For info on any of these organizations and to get involved in their programs, click to their websites or call the contact numbers. Another good intro is to participate in some of the activities planned to celebrate Earth Day.

Organizations

Appalachian Voices

www.appvoices.org—828-262-1500

MountainKeepers

www.mountainkeepers.org—828-268-0637

Partnership for Watauga’s Future

partnershipforwataugasfuture.org

Appalachian Coalition for Just and Sustainable Communities

www.appcoalition.org

Watauga River Conservation Partners

828-963-8682

Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League

www.bredl.org—336-982-2691

Zero Waste Initiative

828-297-4677

Watauga County Cooperative Extension

watauga.ces.ncsu.edu—828-264-3061

Blue Ridge Resource Conservation & Development

www.main.nc.us/brrcd/—828-297-5805

Southface Energy Institute

southface.org—828-265-4888

Land Trusts

National Committee for the New River

www.ncnr.org—336-246-4871

High Country Conservancy

www.highcountryconservancy.org—828-264-2511

Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust

www.brrlt.org—336-359-2909

The Nature Conservancy

www.nature.org—919-403-8558

ASU

Appalachian Regional Initiative for Sustainable Energy

www.ariseboone.net—828-262-7333

Western North Carolina Renewable Energy Initiative

www.wind.appstate.edu—828-262-7333

ASU Energy Center

www.energy.appstate.edu—828-262-6355

ASU Sustainable Energy Society

www.asuses.appstate.edu—828 262 6361

Appstate Collaborative Biodiesel Project

biodiesel.appstate.edu—appstatebiofuels@gmail.com

Agriculture

New River Organic Growers

nrog.blogspot.com

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture

www.brwia.org—828-773-8118

Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project

www.asapconnections.org—828-236-1282

Watauga County Farmers’ Market

wataugacountyfarmersmarket.org—828-297-1914

Leola Street Community Garden

leolastreetgarden.org—828-773-5893

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association