Outrages & Insights

Green People - Julie Barrett O'Neill

Maybe I should call this installment "Blue People." Julie Barrett O'Neill, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, is a champion of the region's waterways. She regards them as not only of immense value from an environmental point of view, but a potential economic powerhouse.

Involvement: I started at the University at Buffalo as an undergrad working on greening the campus -- projects such as the Natural Regeneration Areas and a campus environmental audit.
At the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, I lead the board, staff and more than 1,000 volunteers in cleanups, remediation, habitat protection and restoration, political activism, research and study, watching and monitoring the Niagara watershed, collaborating with like organizations around the Great Lakes, communicating a message of environmental stewardship in the media, and defending WNY's greatest asset, the Niagara River watershed.

Suggested green strategy for the region: Preserve and protect our region's greatest asset. We are on the edge of an inland sea with one-fifth the Earth's and 90 percent of North America's surface fresh water, an asset of diminishing supply and increasing value. We can offer its use to the nation as a whole but ONLY if the water stays here. It is not replenishable -- 99 percent of it is melt water from the Ice Age. The rest of the nation MUST understand it cannot leave here or it disappears forever. There are plenty of sustainable economic uses and these can be the foundation of the region's future economy.

Nifty idea: Chicago and Toronto are competing to be the greenest city on the Great Lakes; let's market this region as the "bluest" on the Great Lakes. People once came to this place because of the water; someday in the future they will again.

Regional assets to build on: Besides the water? We have the potential to be energy self-sufficient and we have vast tracts of vacant land within the city limits which can be considered a blank canvas for state-of-the-art sustainable development.

Obstacles to overcome: Widespread misunderstanding -- that there's a conflict between economic development and environment. Smart people know that's a false choice, that the best solutions align the two. Also, threats to our water from diversion to climate change to habitat loss to pollution. In 2010, the new census will reduce our representation in the federal government and time is running out to build some protections and funding in the national policy.

Tip for living green: Consume as little water as possible and get out and enjoy the watershed -- fish, swim, and boat in it if you can, or just walk down to the water's edge and appreciate its beauty.

Recommended book: "The Riverkeepers," by John Cronin and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Touchstone, 1999

Favorite green site: www.bnriverkeeper.org

Green People - David Kowalski

Next up in our profiles of Green People is David Kowalski, a local blogger and activist.

Involvement: Hosts a local green blog, Re-ENERGIZE BUFFALO. A member of the Wind Action Group and WNY Climate Action Coalition. Organizer for Nov. 3, 2007, rally at City Hall to draw attention to the need to stop global warming pollution for the sake of the environment, economy and energy independence. We called on political leaders to support a shift to clean, renewable energy sources to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, cut carbon dioxide emissions and grow green jobs. The event was inspired by the national climate action movements, Step It Up 2007 and 1Sky.org.

Suggested green strategy: Buffalo is the second-poorest U.S. city of its size and we need to create new jobs. Use low-cost hydropower to attract green industries, promote on- and off-shore wind power, and attract a wind turbine manufacturer.

Nifty idea: Create a green jobs corps to weatherize existing buildings, recycle and reuse materials, and help lift people out of poverty.

Regional assets to build on: Wind, land, sun, Great Lakes and great people.

Obstacles to overcome: Lack of political will to change from a fossil fuel economy. The misconception that coal power can be clean and cheap. Lack of concern for the environment and well-being of future generations.

Tip for living green: Conserve electricity and fuel: insulate and weatherize; install compact fluorescent lights and energy-efficient heating; buy local; and commute by using mass transit, a fuel-efficient vehicle, a bike, or by walking.

Recommended green book: "Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future," by Bill McKibben.

Recommended Web sites: Clean Energy NOW!  and Re-ENERGIZE BUFFALO

Green People - Walter Simpson

The second installment of Green People features Walter Simpson. He's credited with helping to make the University at Buffalo perhaps the region's greenest institution. Simpson is about to retire to devote himself to environmental activism. He's one of the prime movers and shakers in the local green community who has trained directly under Al Gore.

Involvement: Energy Officer at the University at Buffalo for 26 years - directing, coordinating, catalyzing UB's energy conservation and green campus program.  Director of UB Green Office and chair of UB Environmental Task Force.  Also, active in the community: co-founder of the WNY Sustainable Energy Association, WNY Climate Action Coalition and the Animal Right Advocates of WNY.  Active in Sierra Club and leader of Clean Energy for Jamestown Campaign, a coalition of 14 environmental groups opposed to the construction of a new coal-fired power plant in Jamestown.  Long- time vegetarian and, with my wife Nan, vegetarian educator.

Suggested green strategy for the region: Climate change is the most critical and urgent problem we face as a species. To address it, scientists tell us that we need a massive effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel burning by 80% by 2050.   That needs to happen everywhere in the United States including right here in Buffalo.  It means high performance retrofitting of all existing buildings (including low income residences whose owners and occupants cannot afford to do it on their own), refraining from constructing new buildings unless they are LEED Gold and Platinum with maximum energy efficiency (i.e. much better than required by code), and transitioning to green power and renewable energy resources like solar, wind, sustainable biomass, geothermal and maybe even more run-of-the-river hydro. Funding this effort will be a challenge but the green jobs/full employment potential is huge. This green strategy entails the construction of no coal plants and no new central power plants at all.  If even a fraction of the money squandered on the oil war in Iraq was spent on this desperately needed energy revolution, we would be well on our way.

Nifty idea: Throw out of office every politician who doesn't "get it" and is not actively and aggressively working to clean up the environment, address climate change, and create green jobs.

Regional assets to build on: Wind and water. Good will. Good people.

Obstacles to overcome: Cheap energy. Only when energy prices rise further (as they surely will given pending peak oil, growing conflict over global energy supplies, and the need to put a price on carbon) will our behavior change.  And the mistaken belief that we have a lot of time.  Leading Climatologist Jim Hansen says we have just ten years to get on a new (non-fossil fuel) energy path. This is the blink of an eye.   

Tip for living green: Pledge to achieve a climate neutral lifestyle in five years and become politically active right now -- insisting on new policies and leaders to address climate change. 

Recommend green book: "The Green Campus: Meeting the Challenge of Environmental Sustainability," editor Walter Simpson (2008), APPA.

Recommended green Web sites: Al Gore's new site and David Suzuki.   

Green People - Bill Nowak

About once a week I intend to publish a quick profile of people involved in the local green movement. I ask greenies to answer questions and post the answers, more or less in their words.

If you have a suggestion for someone to profile, please send me an e-mail, with contact information.

Our inaugural "Green People" is Bill Nowak, one of the most active and knowledgeable folks in the local movement.

Here goes.

Involvement: Executive Director of Buffalo's Green Gold Development Corporation - a 501(c)3 set up to support businesses whose products and services solve environmental problems.  Also Communication Committee Chair of the Wind Action Group.

Suggested green strategy for the region: Green Gold is organizing green businesses, but we need the folks with the resources - local governments, development agencies and educational institutions - to strongly and formally embrace the Green Economy as WNY's key to the future and to devote major energy to supporting this sector.  We also need to create a green ladder to allow folks to climb out of poverty through green collar jobs.

Nifty idea: Starting May 15th, Green Gold is starting a series the third Thursday of the month called "Green Business Communicates." Each session will include short introductions of all businesses in attendance, and short presentations by two businesses, a public official and a local environemtnal organization

Regional assets to build on:  We have an exceptional set of assets for attracting a wind turbine manuafacturer and pulling local businesses and industries into the supply chain for renewable manufacturing.  The assets can be easily remembered using the acronym WET SOIL - the perfect medium for planting a seed.

Winds build up over flat surfaces, and none are flatter than large water bodies such as Lake Erie.  The local wind resource is commercial scale in many locations as documented in NYSERDA’s shoreline wind study.  Local wind resources can be found here. 

Example - Steelwinds is North America’s largest urban wind farm.Obstacles to overcome:  Fear of change.

Transportation could be key to attracting a turbine or tower manufacturer– Rail, Ship, Highway.  WNY is a prime location on the Great Lakes and is within 500 miles 41 peercent of the US population and 62 percent of Canada’s.

Soil - Large tracts of open land exist where the wind blows hardest.

Offshore wind holds enormous potential.  Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes.

Incentives – 24 percent of New York state's electricity will be from renewables by 2013.  The Northeast Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative will provide further incentives to produce green energy.

Labor – WNY has an underutilized skilled, labor force.

Tip for living green: Bicycling to work is fast, cheap and invigorating.  Yoga rocks! 

Recommended green book: Plan B - Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble by Lester Brown.

Recommended Web sites: Climate Crisis Coalition and Van Jones on the Colbert Report.