What are You Going to do About it?

As many people have heard, the New York City Panel on Climate Change released the Climate Risk Information (CRI) report this past Tuesday. Formed as part of the Mayor’s PlaNYC initiative to address the effects of a warming planet on New York City, CISC Director, Bill Solecki, co-chairs this panel with Cynthia Rosenzweig of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

There is ample press on the report’s release. But the major points, as seen in the Mayor’s Press Release are:

• Approximately 2.5 to 4.5 times more days per year over 90 degrees than experienced on average from 1971-2000;
• Approximately 2.5 to 4 times more heat waves (as defined as three consecutive days over 90 degrees) a year than experienced on average from 1971-2000;
• More frequent, intense rainstorms;
• A current 1-in-10 year coastal flood about once every 1 to 3 years; and
• A current 1-in-100 year coastal flood about once every 15 to 35 years.

Next steps for New York? Findings here will be used to help the City’s Climate Change Adaptation Task Force negate their work. Next steps for you? Start thinking about how you can be part of the growing movement to SERIOUSLY confront the situation. A good start might be joining folks in DC for a march and sit in at a Coal Fired Power Plant. For more information about this event and why now is the time to up the ante and not only celebrate the good work of Obama thus far, visit Yale360.

Here we go New York…

And is CONSTANTLY Moving

There are people who plant roots in this city, build their homes, raise their children (or dogs), and remain in one space for generations. But as housing costs stretch people further and further into outer boroughs and young transients come and go, it seems that someone is always relocating in this place. And with that comes styrofoam peanuts, waste, and storage.

Our friends over at Green Brooklyn have profiled iStoreGreen, the first 100% renewable energy powered, bio-degradable peanut using, and affordable green storage space in New York City. Ranging from self storage to packing supplies to cold warehousing, iStoreGreen is a one stop shop for all your storage needs. According to GB’s profile, their costs are competitive. Storage is 50% less than it is in Manhattan. True, they are located in Brooklyn. But lots of people are moving in and out of that borough, as we all know. And even if you live elsewhere, their prices and green rankings might make it worth the trip. Finally, Green Brooklyn writes them up as service with a smile (but not a phony one). Good folks, with a good product. Support them during your next move.

Eco-Barrons on the Way

A new book set for release next month, Eco Barons, profiles and praises champions of the environment. According to the Times write up, it might be too far reaching in its scope, offering only the briefest profile of a few too many people. Regardless, the idea that people, as individuals, are change-makers is not to be lost. And I am certainly going to do some reading on environmental barrons when I can.

My one concern, beyond the brevity of profiles, is that cherry picking the best parts of certain stories is problematic. For example, writing about Roxanne Quimby, the entrepreneur behind the Burt’s Bees product line is a great idea. And talking about the money she amassed upon selling her share of the business ($360 million,) which is now going toward the creation of a 3.2 million acre reserve in the woods of Maine, is also book worthy. But I can’t help but recall that Clorox is now the major stakeholder in Burt’s Bees. You can draw your own conclusions. I will do no preaching. But I do think that this is also worth pointing out. We can’t just look at environmental protection as isolated. Creating reserves in the woods is great, of course. The culture of preservation and national forestry in the United States is, in my opinion one of the best parts of America. But there is something to be said for not only spatial preservation, but also looking at the entire life time of a product, a supply chain and what happens when we sell our shares of our small, organic, company.

Again, I am still planning on reading this book. We need more eco-inspiration. But we also need the whole story.

Power Meter to Help You Reduce Your Footprint

Google.org, the massive search engine’s do-good and feel-good branch of business is launching a new tool to help people understand their electricity use, and then reduce it. Part of an emerging family of “smart grid” appliances and tools, Power Meter will convey information about peak load usage. Electricity costs more and is a bigger strain on the grid during peak load times. Think August, mid-day. In the New York City area, it also happens to be when our dirtiest, oldest and most polluting power plants get turned on,as we are bound by law to produce 80% of our electricity within the five boroughs. So perhaps a tech-savy New Yorker can add a feature that lets you know when that filthy, diesel generator up the block is turned on.

The tool is still a prototype, but they hope to do a full launch within the next few months. In a time when people might be somewhat timid about entrepreneurship–especially energy related, since oil is cheap again, sigh–this tool requires other products, policies, and networks to be established in order to function. So let’s all thank google. Again. And Again. Watch the video at google.org.

Start with Roots, Go Anywhere

I recently caught up with an old friend (an alum of Hunter College’s esteemed media department) who put my eco-efforts to shame while telling me of his involvement with a sustainable, innovative, and downright awesome project. Justin Aguinaldo, is one in a team of engineers, scientists, designers and of course bike enthusiasts who are heading up the Bamboo Bike Project. Sponsored by the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the project seeks to construct messenger bicycles out of locally sourced bamboo, with theintention of exporting this knowledge, utility and industry to rural Africa, where bikes are the best option for transportation. One could argue that they are the best mode of transport in many places, so the project can have infinite applications. In their words, the end goal of the project is: 1) to build a better  bike for poor Africans in rural areas. 2) To stimulate a bicycle industry to satisfy local needs.

This project scores highly on any sustainability index. Bamboo is a seriously hardy plant and can be grown in most conditions. And it grows fast. The bamboo that these guys use in the bike lab in NYC is from New Jersey. In addition, training a work force to manufacture these bikes is good news in a place that more  often than not lacks economic opportunity.

You can follow the adventures of the Bamboo Bike Project on their blog. Ride with them as they spread their wheels around the world.