Publisher's Watch

This week I had the opportunity to moderate and co-produce a panel with Paul McGinniss, writer and green advocate and the SUNY New Paltz Environmental Task Force at SUNY New Paltz, "The Future of Gas Drilling in New York State," primarily focusing on the process of hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale formation, including parts that lay in the New York City watershed. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," uses massive amounts of water and chemicals to access oil and gas trapped in hard-to-reach shale formations. The EPA has urged state regulators to further study the environmental impact of such techniques primarily because the federal government has no oversight in this matter.

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Darden Restaurants, Inc., owner of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and LongHorn Steakhouse, is taking the first steps in going green. The Orlando-based food purveyor, with over 1400 company-owned restaurants, is implementing a sustainable design program for its facilities with eight slated to complete the transition in 2011. The company's headquarters has already applied for a USGBC LEED Gold certification, and all new restaurants will be built green.

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The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada have proven to be exciting and exhilarating save the one tragic death of the Georgian luger. The Olympic Village is a 1.4-million-square-foot eco-community with buildings achieving both LEED Gold and Platinum certifications. The structures have been fitted with solar panels and green roofs, in-slab hydronic systems used for heating and cooling, and other sustainable features. All in all, it's a prototype for future sports facilities as well as communities as a whole.

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In a play on words from an unfortunate anagram from years ago, Ford Motor Company has been at the forefront of green automobiles for nearly a decade. This is apparent not only from its advancements in automotive technology but from its return to black ink on its bottom line as well. While the other domestic car companies languished and failed on many levels, Ford is way out in front.

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If you haven't heard about it yet, the Oriental Co., of Japan, has created a paper shredder that converts used office paper into rolls of toilet tissue. Named "White Goat," the machine is said to weigh approximately 63,000 pounds and costs about $100,000. All it takes is electricity, water, and 40 sheets of paper, and in 30 minutes a roll pops out. Please excuse the pun.

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The Kaufman Astoria Studios (KAS) in Queens, NY, home of Sesame Street and a multitude of other television shows, movies, commercials, and recorded music, has produced much of our cinematic history, hosting such stars as Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson, Woody Allen, and Denzel Washington.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its quarterly rankings of the nation's top green power purchasers, with Intel Corporation leading the way for the third year, followed by Kohl's Department Stores and PepsiCo. The rest of the top ten, in order, are Whole Foods Market, the City of Houston, Dell Inc., The Pepsi Bottling Group Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Johnson & Johnson. These entities, along with twelve hundred others, are part of the Green Power Partnership, "a voluntary program that supports the organizational procurement of green power by offering expert advice, technical support, tools and resources." Green Power is defined as energy produced by renewable sources such as solar, bio-diesel, wind, geothermal, and biomass.

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China has been moving forward quickly in regards to sustainability, especially in terms of new building construction. There has been no shortage of reporting about the new office tower in Guangzhou, China, which may be the world's most energy-efficient when completed. The 71-story Pearl River tower, designed by the New York-based architecture firm, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, is intended to be a "zero-energy" skyscraper that generates all the energy it needs to operate on its own.

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In a report published by the energy and environment blog of The New York Times, Green Inc., two analysts from the financial services firm Raymond James indicate that hybrid cars won't curtail the world's oil consumption over the next two decades. The analysts, J. Marshall Adkins and Pavel Molchanov, state that even in the most aggressive modeling--projecting that one third of all automobiles purchased in 2020 will be hybrids--oil consumption will be reduced by only 200,000 barrels per day, or a total of 1%.

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As the New Year begins, it's a good idea to take a few steps back and review the year behind us. In 2009, we learned that the consumer isn't dead and is showing signs of regaining purchasing power.

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"Necessity is the mother of invention," as the saying goes. Apparently the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is taking this notion seriously in the realm of sustainability if their latest program is any indication. The USPTO issues patents to inventors and businesses as well as trademark registration for products and intellectual property. The recently launched pilot program fast-tracks the "examination of certain 'green' technology patent applications... to accelerate the development and deployment of green technology, create green jobs, and promote U.S. competitiveness in this vital sector."

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There should be a way to calculate how much a particular news story contributes to global warming through the amount of greenhouse gases utilized to cover it.

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"You can either light a candle or curse the darkness." That old saying is finding new relevance in our responses to climate change. There is still debate as to whether climate change is a natural occurrence or a man-made phenomenon. The real answer is, "Who cares?" It's happening and we have to deal with it if we want to live on a healthier planet.

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Golden State regulators have found a new toy. The California Energy Commission has just approved a measure to force television manufacturers to produce new models by 2013 that cut energy consumption by 50%. According to the commission, total household energy consumption from television sets has climbed to 10% up from 3-4% in the 1990s. There are a couple of reasons for this growth, including the new generation of flat screen sets as well as similar regulations for other household appliances, which has reduced their comparative energy use.

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Do I have your attention yet? These figures come from a joint study, by the industry association United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and consultant Booz Allen Hamilton, meant to predict where green building and construction are headed over the next three-to-four years. Currently, the study reports, green building supports 2 million jobs and contributes $100 billion dollars to the economy, while from 2000-2008 it created or saved 2.4 million "direct, indirect and 'induced' jobs," generating over $120 billion in wages. The study projects wage growth of nearly $400 billion in the next few years. Jobs included in these figures range from architecture, design, and construction to transportation and many other vocations that relate to green building.

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The Urban Land Institute (ULI), is an organization of community builders and members who develop and redevelop neighborhoods, business districts, and communities across the U.S. and around the world. Comprised of thousands of property owners, investors, architects, lawyers, planners, contractors, professors, and others allied to the industry, the ULI convenes each November for its annual fall meeting. This year, San Francisco was the host city. Over 6,000 people attended, in spite of difficult market conditions.

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It appears that addressing the airline industry's approach to green causes a lot of blowback. For example, I was asked to stop "getting high by sucking the tailpipe of your Prius" for having the temerity to be underwhelmed by Southwest Airlines' new green initiatives. I did say that any start is good, but SA needs to go further to really make an impact. In a nod to impartiality, here is an green airline story that is truly making an impact.

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As more companies enter the green era, it's a good idea to pay attention to their messages. Southwest Airlines just announced that it will present a "green plane" at its annual media day. What does "green plane" mean to the air carrier? The company is incorporating environmentally friendly products and materials into a Boeing 737-700, which will result in reduced weight and waste. The new products will subtract roughly five pounds from each of its 149 seats, amounting to 745 pounds per flight. Making the plane lighter will save on fuel use and thus cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Huh? Based on the plane's maximum takeoff weight of 154,500 pounds, this amounts to a .05 percent emissions reduction.

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One of the noblest things that any citizen can do is serve in our country's military. The only way to get in is to volunteer, and too often this debt is not repaid. The deplorable situation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, uncovered a few years ago, is just one of many examples.

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There is a new development in the burning of coal and the reduction of greenhouse emissions. Recently a pilot project conducted in Pleasant Prarie, Wisconsin tested an advanced chilled ammonia process to see how much carbon dioxide(CO2) could be captured from a coal-fueled plant. The test showed that more than 90 percent of CO2 was indeed captured according to published reports. The test was conducted by We Energies, Alstom, and The Electric Power Research Institute.

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