Peter Gretener wrote most of the book in the 70s. He was a geologist and geophysicist. Since his death, his son Nicholas edited and published the book. Many chapters are undeveloped, but the themes are worth noting.

I was amazed at the observations that Professor Gretener made in the 70s that proved prophetic. He died before the recent financial breakdown, but it is foreseen in his book. He knew years ago that a only a few of us cannot own and use all the resources in the world.

Professor Gretener has three commandments for us. His third one is Thou Shalt Not Be a Wastemaker, which is the theme of this blog.

The book has other themes besides the abuse of our world by man. One theme is that we are not unique, nor were we created for the world. We are just another evolutionary species. He argues, as I believe, that the planet will survive. Will homo sapiens?

Today, one woman (me) with one bag (in photo) cleaned up the area that is above Beech Creek. The trash eventually washes down into the creek which flows into the Harpeth River, where I get my drinking water.

Most of what I picked up is  not recyclable. I picked up a faux leather cell phone holder, a pair of socks (one was on each side of the road), lots of plastic grocery bags, styrofoam cups from fast food outlets, lots of paper and food containers, etc. The most common item I found today was one-serving salad dressing cups. I bet I found 20 of them. Some were empty; some were full. I also found a full bottle of beer.

Russell, I found several illegals signs. Most were for lost dogs, found cats or garage sales. All of which had disintegrated. Only the roofing sign (in photo) survived intact, but mostly buried in the ground.

A German group has a goal to contribute their part in reducing the carbon footprint by raising awareness of the severe environmental damage caused by carbon emissions. One of their activities is to raise awareness of the carbon emissions resulting from the use of the internet – specifically of blogs. A blog with 15,000 visits a month has a yearly carbon dioxide emissions of 8lb. To neutralise these emissions they have created “My blog is carbon neutral” buttons so bloggers can demonstrate that they care about the environment and the
carbon footprint of their blogs. They present them as a small but nontheless worthy solution to contribute to environmental issues. Their idea is to show possibilities to make a contribution to protect the environment.

To find out how you can participate please visit
http://www.kaufda.de/umwelt/carbon-neutral/how-you-can-join

And how do they actually neutralize your blog’s carbon footprint? They are planting trees in cooperation with the Arbor Day Foundation in Plumas National Forest in Northern California for our project to neutralize the carbon footprint of blogs. Thousands of wildfires burned down many national forests over the past ten years and 88.000 acres of Plumas’
were destroyed by two fires in 2007. To help replanting we need the support of bloggers all over the world! For every participating blog they plant a tree. One blog – one tree.

They are a German based company called kaufDA, which
provides advertisement brochures of local stores online to help
consumers search for specific products and find good deals in their neighborhood. This reduces the amount of brochures printed and so the project helps the environment by reducing unnecessary paper in mailboxes. An American on average receives 41 pounds of junk mail per year. This has the same carbon footprint as burning six gallons of gasoline.

They’ll be glad to plant your tree! Help us and show that you care! Every tree counts!

For Immediate Release:
March 12, 2010
Contact: Christopher James
212.998.6876
christopher.james@nyu.edu

NYU Releases Climate Action Plan to Reduce Carbon Footprint

Aiming for Climate Neutrality by 2040 through Comprehensive Emissions Reduction Strategies

New York University today released its Climate Action Plan (CAP), a comprehensive approach to reducing the University’s carbon footprint and enhancing its overall sustainability. NYU’s CAP details the University’s current greenhouse gas inventory, lays out specific and effective projects to mitigate these emissions using current fiscally sound technologies while maintaining NYU’s vital teaching, learning, and research missions.

The full report can be found at: http://www.nyu.edu/sustainability/pdf/capreport10.pdf

The development of NYU’s Climate Action Plan was spurred on by the signing of two separate commitments to mitigate climate change: Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC Climate Challenge, and the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).

* PlaNYC Climate Challenge: NYU will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions per square foot by 30 percent from FY 2006 levels by FY 2017. This commitment offers a framework to reduce emissions in an immediate, ambitious and tangible way.

* ACUPCC: NYU commits to a goal of achieving “climate neutrality” (i.e. net zero emissions) by FY 2040. This will be accomplished by upgrading University buildings through efficiency and conservation, generating cleaner on-site and renewable energy, fostering behavioral shifts and culture change, planning for green building, and offsetting remaining emissions.

“Across the University – from academics to financial and space
planning to sustainability – we are striving to plan for the
long-term,” said Michael Alfano, NYU’s Executive Vice President. “This Climate Action Plan fits within that template, relying on a rigorous analysis to point the way toward a 30-year goal of attaining carbon neutrality.”

“Through energy saving initiatives, NYU has already made significant progress in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, cutting them by 20% in just the past three years”, said Cecil Scheib, Director of Energy and Sustainability. “NYU total emissions have dropped from a fiscal year (FY06) peak of 171,000 MTCE to 136,000 MTCE in FY 2009. This decrease in global warming pollution is a measurable component of New
York City’s total emissions, and represents a major step toward
confronting the challenge of global warming,” said Scheib.

NYU’s CAP is structured around four major emissions reduction strategies:

1. Reduce Energy Intensity-50 percent of NYU’s climate neutrality goal: NYU will reduce the amount of energy used in buildings through conservation, “green” construction and renovation, retrofits and upgrades, and operational innovations to run buildings more effectively. In the coming years, NYU will set Energy Use Index (EUI) targets, which will help prioritize buildings to retrofit in order to maximize emissions reductions. This strategy will encompass the
largest share of NYU’s emissions reductions, while also accounting for the University’s physical growth. Initial efforts have already resulted in 20% emissions cuts.

2. Generate and Use Cleaner Energy-30 percent of NYU’s climate neutrality goal: NYU will generate cleaner energy on-site with an upgraded and expanded cogeneration power plant. Starting this year, the new plant will annually mitigate 23 percent of NYU’s baseline FY 2006 emissions. NYU will also minimize the use of fuel oil to heat buildings, replacing it where possible with cleaner, more efficient energy sources.

3. Generate Renewable Energy-10 percent of NYU’s climate neutrality goal: NYU is exploring options to develop on-site distributed renewable energy generation projects on its buildings, including wind and solar technologies. NYU sees immediate potential for viable projects offering a positive return on investment using current technologies and through support by state and federal incentives.

4. Reduce / Offset Remaining Emissions-10 percent of NYU’s climate neutrality goal: Given the constraints of a dense urban environment, it is likely that NYU will purchase high-quality, credible offsets to accomplish long-term climate goals. The University will seek out transparent, local-based offsetting programs that offer added social, environmental, and educational value.

Jeremy Friedman, NYU’s Manager of Sustainability Initiatives, said, “NYU’s CAP fuses the short-term climate change mitigation strategies of the Mayoral Challenge commitment with the broader goals of the ACUPCC; each complements the other and anchors NYU’s overarching commitment to sustainability.”

In addition to these efforts to reduce climate change, NYU is
committed to fostering a University-wide culture of sustainability
through expanded environment-related course work at both NYU and the affiliated Polytechnic Institute of NYU, as well as through deepened engagement efforts that directly involve the university community.

“The Sustainability Task Force wishes to thank the dozens of students, faculty, staff and others who contributed to the development of this Climate Action Plan,” added Friedman. “To meet the challenge posed by the climate crisis, we’ll need help from every member of the NYU community. The size and scope of this problem are equaled only by our collective capacity to confront it together – by reducing greenhouse
gas emissions as individuals, and by educating the next generation of leaders in the struggle to create a more sustainable and just world.”

About NYU’s Sustainability Task Force: NYU’s Sustainability Task Force is an advisory body composed of students, faculty, administrators, and staff, who develop recommendations for new policies and practices that advance NYU’s long-term future as a sustainable university. For more information on the Sustainability Task Force, please see the NYU Sustainability website.

About New York University: New York University is located in the heart of Greenwich Village. Founded in 1831, it is one of America’s foremost research universities and a member of the selective Association of American Universities. It is one of the largest private universities, it is a leader in attracting international students and scholars in the U.S, and it sends more students to study abroad than any other U.S. college or university. Through its 14 schools and colleges, NYU
conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, business, dentistry, education, nursing, the cinematic and performing arts, music and studio arts, public administration, social work, and continuing and professional studies, among other areas.

Unfortunately when I returned on my trip on Poplar Creek Road, someone had thrown out a case of sodas. Why?

Madam, – If I were a tourist I would feel extremely uncomfortable eating out in a country which is populated by a people so lacking in (environmental) hygiene that they leave their cities, towns and highways strewn with litter on a scale that is nothing short of astonishing.

The extent of this problem is massive and seems to suggest, that as a race we are largely litter-blind. Half-hearted poster campaigns by local authorities are so inadequate as to be virtually useless. Surely a small percentage of the combined financial resources of the nation’s city and county councils could be harnessed to create an imaginative TV advertising campaign? This, combined with support from primary school teachers, would very likely have an immediate, beneficial effect on the problem.

Is it not time the people charged with the responsibility of dealing with this issue, and who are being handsomely paid to address it, apply themselves to the task? If we can’t solve the “small stuff” how are we to overcome the much more difficult issues that confront us? – Yours, etc,

JOE MURPHY,

Kettle’s Lane.

Kinsealy, Co Dublin.

I filled one garbage bag and accomplished this in less than 30 minutes. The bag weighed over 20 pounds.

Let me know if you would like to join me in the pick ups. I’ll probably do an hour a week — maybe more hours if I get some help. I can supply garbage bags and gloves.

For more information on the Great American Clean Up, contact Keep America Beautiful.

What would our world look like if we ran out of oil? The lifeblood of our high-tech, highly mobile world won’t last forever. Watch one scenario of what happens when one day oil does run out. How might our world change and how would we adapt? Aftermath follows the chaotic days and months after this catastrophic event through dramatic re-creations and CGI animation. Find out how we might cope as food disappears, electrical power fails and winter turns the big cities into isolated pockets of concrete and glass. What will be more important to our survival — the technology to develop new sources of energy, or a change to a more sustainable way of life?

Video “Are You Prepared for the End of Oil?” – Imagine a world in which all of the oil has completely disappeared. Or let us do it for you.

Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/aftermath/4462/Videos/07862_00