Four the Future - January 27

In this issue: Wind power, Valley street work, dark skies, and greenhouse lawns?

• Wind Power Grows 39% for the Year
  Source: New York Times; January 26, 2010
  Summary: Due in part to the federal economic stimulus package, wind power generation is up by 9,900 megawatts last year, about 40% of all new generation capacity. Almost 2% of the U.S.'s power comes from wind now; that's behind Europe which is at 5%. Denmark has already reached the European Commission's goal of 20% by 2020, and occasionally produces more wind power than it can consume. About half of the components necessary are produced in the United States, creating 85,000 jobs. Lack of long distance transmission lines hampers development, as the wind is generated mainly in the Midwest and Texas while most energy is consumed on the coasts. Wind could generate five times more energy by 2020. Washington is the fourth-largest producer of wind energy in the United States.
  Opinion: Generating wind power creates electricity from a renewable resource. It creates thousands of jobs, potentially hundreds of thousands. It does not take away food to turn into fuel. It does not release carbon into the atmosphere. The cost is mostly in the construction and installation of the towers and turbines; maintenance is minimal, so it produces exceptionally cheap energy after the initial investment. The disadvantage? It's unpredictable, so some kind of energy storage mechanism must be devised. Creating fuel from electricity anyone?



• Spring will bring more street work to Valley
  Source: The Spokesman-Review; January 25, 2010
  Summary: Three construction projects will hamper auto traffic in the eastern end of the City of Spokane Valley. The intersections of Sprague and Sullivan and Sullivan and Broadway, and the widening of Broadway from Lowe's to Flora will be staged throughout the spring and summer. The intersections will be paved with concrete and partially funded by Spokane Transit Authority. The intersection of Broadway and Flora will be upgraded to a roundabout. There have been complaints about roundabouts, but traffic engineers say they are safer. (The article goes on to say, in a different section, that Bike to Work Week is May 16-22. Organizers are hoping for 1700 participants. It goes on to a third section which says that season weight restrictions are in place due to thawing, and this is earlier than normal.)
  Opinion: Welcome to the era of unending road construction. The reason why Spokane Transit is paying helping pay for the concrete intersections is due to a dubious claim that they are responsible in part for the degradation of the roads they turn on. It was a bribe, coordinated by the members of the Spokane Regional Transportation Council and Spokane Transit board to shift federal transit-only dollars into roads. Jurisdictions are permitted to "flex" monies from highways and transit. Spokane is the only jurisdiction in the United States which was bizarre enough to shift transit dollars to highways. The federal government has looked down on Spokane ever since. This replacement "program," called Cooperative Transit Funding, has shifted literally millions of dollars out of STA into city and county coffers. Then Attorney General Christine Gregoire issued an opinion on whether STA could use the money in this way. She concluded that as long as it was "providing tangible and accountable public transit benefits" it was legal. Let me ask you: what tangible benefit does transit get for the materials in the roadway? (I'll address the other issues another time in more detail, but I did want to say two quick things. 1: get over it people, roundabouts are safe; and 2: yay! bike to work!)


• California Town Receives Rare Award for Fighting Light Pollution
  Source: TriplePundit; December 25, 2010
  Hat-tip: CJ Tyler-Watson
  Summary: The City of Borrego Springs, California, has received a very unusual title: that of International Dark Sky Community. It was granted that distinction by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). A group of volunteers convinced local government, residents, and businesses change their lighting or simply turn them off to help reduce light pollution. Some cities can be seen from 200 miles away because of the glow they cast in the night sky. Borrego Springs is only the second city to receive this honor.
  Opinion: I remember as a child in Odessa, Washington, that just a mile out of town was a spot where no lights could be seen. It was only then that I understood that the Milky Way was very well named. It was stunning! Now, very few children in America know what it looks like. There are other reasons to adopt stronger lighting standards. The American Medical Association has come out in favor of dark skies for medical and public safety reasons. The IDA has a page with a number of lighting standards which can be adopted by local jurisdictions here. The City of Liberty Lake adopted stricter light trespass regulations. Others should consider the same for the safety and health of their residents, even if they couldn't care less about why the Milky Way is named as it is.


• Lawns may contribute to global warming
  Source: The Christian Science Monitor; January 22, 2010
  Summary: While grass is capable of capturing CO₂, four times more carbon is released into the atmosphere due to the production of fertilizers, mowing, leaf blowing, and irrigation. Parks were studied for this particular effort, but it applies equally to home lawns. Results for athletic fields were worse due to the harder use and the need for replanting. Currently, 2% of the continental US is planted in grass.
  Opinion: Yet another reason to cut down on our grass habit. I support highly shared grassy spaces, such as parks. But underutilized personal grassy spaces are expensive to maintain and irrigation has been reducing water quantities in the Spokane River. You can help reduce your water footprint by reducing your grassy area. If you can't do that because of the social pressure, make sure you do not water your grass during the heat of the day during which up to 50% of the water you use evaporates, and don't use more water than is absolutely necessary. Auto-turn-off sensors can be installed in your yard which allows you to eliminate irrigation cycles when it's not necessary. And one last thing: if you go to Seattle during the summer, the grass is brown. Water, water everywhere...but not a drop to waste.