Makers of Things

Woody Guthrie would surely have been pleased with this line from President Obama’s inaugural speech yesterday:

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given.  It must be earned.  Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less.  It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.  Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

 

How true, though that common sense history has been largely ignored in the economic policies that have existed throughout most of my adult life, a reality articulated well by the union boss in season two of The Wire:

 

You know what the trouble is…? We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now we just put our hand in the next guy’s pocket.

 

Indeed. Remind me again how that’s worked out.

 

So let’s invest in making things in America, green things, and restore a measure of prosperity to the many, rather than the pick-pocketing few.

 

Sedum America Style

I for one would welcome a green roof-a-thon here in the States, and it seems like Cincinnati may be throwing down the gauntlet:

 

Officials want to see more green roofs on building tops in Cincinnati.

 

The City Council on Wednesday became the first in Ohio with a plan to channel grants and loans to residents and businesses to replace tar and shingles with vegetation.

 

Supporters of the idea want to see Cincinnati become a leader in green roofs, a European-born movement that has spread to only a few U.S. cities, including Chicago, Milwaukee and Seattle. […]

 

A report by the Green Roof Research Program at Michigan State University estimates that 12 percent of all flat-roofed buildings in Germany are covered with vegetation. It noted several barriers to widespread acceptance in the United States, including lack of government incentives or tax breaks.

 

”What the city of Cincinnati is doing is the largest effort I have heard of,” Monsarrat said. ”It will be interesting to watch that and see how it works.”

 

Hey Portland, are you going to let Cincy get away with that? How about you Chicago? Mayor Mike? Let’s up the ante here…

 

A Constructive Example?

China seems an awfully problematic place to turn when looking for inspiration to jumpstart the still shameful rebuilding efforts in New Orleans.

 

However one feels about its other policies, the Chinese government is clearly not afraid to invest in the future of its cities…

 

Meanwhile, three full years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, much of the city remains a wasteland…

 

…

 

Yet the kind of visionary urban plan that could address these issues in a bold and thoughtful way has yet to materialize. Instead, some of the country’s greatest architectural minds are inventing the future in cities like Beijing, Shenzhen and Dubai, where their talents are more appreciated

 

You’d think forced evictions, inadequate compensation, repression of dissent and official corruption would be enough to disqualify China as an model example of anything, much less the monumental physical, economic and social task of rebuilding a predominantly poor and black American city.

 

One might even infer the ability of the Chinese to “invest” in their cities in such an impressive way may be inextricable from their “other policies”. Policies so problematic that even some of those “greatest architectural minds” often stop to consider what it means to sell their talents to an “appreciative” client like China.

 

Funding Transit through Energy

It’s a bit of a pittance in the grand scheme of transportation funding, but the political tide really does seem to be shifting:

 

On Monday, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said a measure that would provide as much as $2 billion in grants and other funding for public transportation appears likely to be included in energy legislation that could be voted on next week…

 

The legislative push comes as high gas prices are spurring Americans to drive less and use public transportation more…

 

The increased demand is straining many transit agencies, which are already coping with higher prices for fuel, steel and other commodities.

 

An encouraging sign, to be sure, that public transportation is finally gaining a greater appreciation from both commuters and lawmakers. Another decade or so of sustained interest (i.e. panic over high gas prices) and we might just be on our way to some first class travel options in this country.

 

Wind is the New Solar

There’s a piece in yesterday’s Times on the growing interest in small wind turbines; these are wind powered devices that can be used by individual homes or businesses to generate a portion of their own energy.

 

That’s an exciting idea in principal, though in practice it seems roofs may not be the best place for this type of device:

 

But many experts caution that rooftops, while abundant, are usually poor places to harness the breeze. Not only are cities less windy than the countryside, but the air is choppier because of trees and the variation in heights in buildings. Turbulence can wear down a turbine and make it operate less efficiently…

 

“In an urban environment, more times than not you’re better off with a solar panel,” said Mr. Stimmel, of the wind industry association.

 

Another problem is that microturbines are not really cost-effective:

 

These tiny turbines generate so little electricity that some energy experts are not sure the economics will ever make sense.

…

“Rooftop wind economics are abysmal, since the resource just isn’t there,”…

 

OK, they kinda-sorta work and they’re unlikely to pay for themselves…so, what explains their popularity?

 

The spread of the big turbines and a general fascination with all things green are helping to spur interest in rooftop microturbines, creating a movement somewhere on the border between a hobby and an environmental fashion statement.

 

Ahhh, they’re cool and fashionable.

 

Sticking a designer wind turbine on your roof (if you an afford it) certainly makes a statement with your friends and neighbors (and it may actually generate a small amount of electricity), but it risks framing the very real need for personal environmental action in the language of fashion, which is a slippery slope to fad. The climate problem is way too huge and serious to be solved by a revolving door of “green” accessories.

 

Grassroots campaigns empowering people to make better personal choices are extremely important, but empowering government and industry to make those choices on a gargantuan scale is the only real hope for managing the climate crisis in the long term. This starts with people and communities certainly, and it’s fine if it starts on your roof…so long as you climb up there next to your sexy microturbine and demand better policies.

 

VP Environmental Cage Match

 

As I become more familiar with Joe Biden’s policy positions, he seems increasingly to be an eminently reasonable and credible fellow. Evidence his environmental stance:

 

I’m… in the best position to make it clear to the United States Congress that this is not merely an environmental issue, it is a security issue. I held hearings this year pointing out that if we do not do something of consequence about global warming, drastically and soon, we literally are going to find ourselves reconfiguring our entire military to deal with occasions for new wars, which are going to be about territory and arable land.

…

To deal with global warming, you have to change the attitude of the world, particularly China and India, the two largest developing nations. But in order to do that, to have any credibility, you have to begin here in the United States by capping emissions, increasing renewable fuels, establishing a national renewable portfolio standard, requiring better fuel economy for automobiles.

…

These measures would put us in a position to be able to actually attempt to lead the world. But we have no credibility right now.

 

OK, that’s fairly solid, pragmatic reasoning – certainly headed in the right direction given the gravity of the problem. As Daily Kos frontpager Plutonium Page puts it:

 

His ideas are not perfect, but they are more than a good start, and will be a sound way to kick off the next four years.

 

Enter moose hunting Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

 

“I beg to disagree with any candidate who would say we can’t drill our way out of our problem or that more supply won’t ultimately affect prices. Of course it will affect prices.”

…

“Alternative-energy solutions are far from imminent and would require more than 10 years to develop.”

…

“When I look every day, the big oil company’s building is right out there next to me, and it’s quite a reminder that we should have mutually beneficial relationships with the oil industry.”

…

“A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location,”… But, she added, “I’m not one, though, who would attribute it to being man-made.”

 

Ok then.

 

Game, set, match.

 

Glass Houses

From the once esteemed Wall Street Journal, we learn that many homeowners are simply shocked to find that their newly minted, west facing, high rise apartments, with full walls of glass, actually require window shades.

 

The air conditioning could barely keep the temperature tolerable as sun baked the $1.5 million apartment on summer afternoons. And the sun bleached her pair of brightly colored European sectional sofas, which cost $20,000.

 

In June, Ms. Antani gave in, spending $12,000 on motorized shades that she keeps lowered during the day. “I love being able to see everything,” says Ms. Antani, a 23-year-old graduate student. But “the sun’s just in your eyes; you can’t focus. Everything is so bright.” [Emphasis mine].

 

She “gave in”? Spending .8% of the condo cost on an essential furnishing is a sacrifice? C’mon folks, better journalism please.

 

And setting aside the socio-economic implications of a 23 year old grad student affording a $1.5 million condo, glazing technology is simply much better than is being described here. It sounds like our heroine (and her prized “European sectional sofas”) might have bought into an over-priced and cheaply made building.

 

The problem, which the article barely acknowledges, is that glass residential towers are de rigueur in urban real estate these days, yet only a small fraction are built with the budgets and design integrity required to responsibly integrate all that glass. The annoyances expressed by miss sun-in-her-eyes and others in the article suggest cheaply made glass towers are surely energy hogs of the highest order.

 

Buildings account for roughly 40% of all energy use in the U.S.(residential buildings account for 54% of that). We need better policies at all levels of government to raise the quality of our built environment and reduce energy use by buildings, especially as it relates to irresponsible developers out to make a quick buck on a high-end fad. I’d like to see stories focusing on that rather than the banal hardships of un-savvy luxury condo buyers.

 

And by the way, the issue of dead birds is very real.

 

Summer Snow and Ice

Who knew we even had a National Snow and Ice Data Center? Well, it’s a good thing we do, because they have some bad news about the state of arctic sea ice:

 

The National Snow and Ice Data Center has reported that sea ice in the Arctic now covers about 2.03 million square miles. The lowest point since satellite measurements began in 1979 was 1.65 million square miles, last September.

 

With about three weeks left in the Arctic summer, this year could wind up breaking that record, scientists said.

 

A record, how exciting!  Well, not exactly:

 

Arctic ice always melts in summer and refreezes in winter. But over the years, more of the ice is lost to the sea with less of it recovered in winter. While ice reflects the sun’s heat, the open ocean absorbs more heat, and the melting accelerates warming in other parts of the world.

 

What about the locals, what do they think about all this?

 

Sea ice also serves as primary habitat for threatened polar bears.

…

Federal observers flying for a whale survey on Aug. 16 spotted nine polar bears swimming in open ocean in the Chukchi. The bears were 15 to 65 miles off the Alaska shore. Some were swimming north, apparently trying to reach the polar ice edge, which on that day was 400 miles away.

 

Polar bears are powerful swimmers and have been recorded on swims of 100 miles, but the ordeal can leave them exhausted and susceptible to drowning.

 

Polar bears swimming in the open ocean looking for an ice flow that’s 400 miles away from where it should be? Jesus, can we please get serious about this stuff? I use canvas bags, recycle and walk a lot, but somehow I don’t think that’s going to be quite enough to help out our disoriented friends up north. And from the sounds of things, it’s getting awful far along:

 

Five climate scientists, four of them specialists on the Arctic, told The Associated Press that it was fair to call what was happening in the Arctic a “tipping point.”

 

Maybe this guy can get something done, if it’s not already too late.

 

Update: More on this from NPR, focusing on the very real tragedy of polar bears with little to no sea ice.

 

 

Let Them Ride Bikes

In an exciting, if relatively modest, move, the City of New York is increasing bike parking for municipal employees.

 

On Wednesday, city officials said they would expand secure bicycle parking for employees at five municipal buildings in Lower Manhattan in the fall. Three existing bike parking facilities will be enlarged, going to 110 spaces from 46, and two others will be added, creating 24 new parking spaces.

 

“Bike commuting in New York has grown more than 75 percent since 2000, but one of the most frequent complaints we hear is that there’s nowhere to put your bike once you get to work,” said the city’s transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan. “As our bike network expands and more New Yorkers make their commutes in this sustainable way, we need to do more to provide City employees a safe, secure place to lock their bikes.”

 

Big Sky Energy

 

 

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer is quite the entertaining speaker, and his speech last night at the Democratic National Convention was pretty great. He made some potent points regarding the state of America’s energy system and did it with a good bit of humor.

 

Some gems:

 

“We need a new energy system that is clean, green, and American made.”

…

“Barack Obama understands that the most important barrel of oil is the one that you don’t use.”

…

“We simply can’t drill our way to energy independence, even if you drilled in all of John McCain’s backyards, including the ones he can’t even remember.”

 

Update: Nice ad-lib apparently. And here’s a bonus quote:  

“The petro-dictators will never own American wind and sunshine.”

It’s the Infrastructure, Stupid

 

 

Wind and solar power sure sound great – too bad we can’t use any of it, because our transmission lines suck:

 

The dirty secret of clean energy is that while generating it is getting easier, moving it to market is not.

 

The grid today, according to experts, is a system conceived 100 years ago to let utilities prop each other up, reducing blackouts and sharing power in small regions. It resembles a network of streets, avenues and country roads. [Emphasis mine]

Are we at all serious about this stuff? I mean jeesh.

 

Politicians in Washington have long known about the grid’s limitations but have made scant headway in solving them. They are reluctant to trample the prerogatives of state governments, which have traditionally exercised authority over the grid and have little incentive to push improvements that would benefit neighboring states.

 

…

 

Energy Department leaders say that, however understandable the local concerns, they are getting in the way. “Modernizing the electric infrastructure is an urgent national problem, and one we all share,” said Kevin M. Kolevar, assistant secretary for electricity delivery and energy reliability, in a speech last year.

 

…

 

Without a clear way of recovering the costs and earning a profit, and with little leadership on the issue from the federal government, no company or organization has offered to fight the political battles necessary to get such a transmission backbone built. [Emphasis mine]

 

OK, c’mon folks, how about some of that leadership at the federal level? You know, some guidelines, some incentives, some serious investment? Anyone out there even trying?:

 

A handful of states like California that have set aggressive goals for renewable energy are being forced to deal with the issue, since the goals cannot be met without additional power lines.

 

But Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico and a former energy secretary under President Bill Clinton, contends that these piecemeal efforts are not enough to tap the nation’s potential for renewable energy.

…

 

“We still have a third-world grid,” Mr. Richardson said, repeating a comment he has made several times. “With the federal government not investing, not setting good regulatory mechanisms, and basically taking a back seat on everything except drilling and fossil fuels, the grid has not been modernized, especially for wind energy.” [Emphasis mine]

 

Oh mon dieu.

 

People Power

Literally:

 

Boesel recently showed off the Human Dynamo prototype, an exercise machine consisting of four spin bikes attached to a small generator. As he pedaled one of the human-powered bikes, a digital readout showed the amount of watts, a measure of power, that he was producing by pedaling and turning an arm crank that strengthens the upper body, he said. As many as four riders can propel the prototype system, which can produce 200 watts to 600 watts of energy an hour.

 

…

 

Most gyms are energy hogs, with sweeping floor space, high heating costs and hot showers always steaming in the locker rooms. Boesel doesn’t know how much energy the solar arrays and human-powered equipment will produce, but he expects his fitness center to use about half the energy of most gyms its size by providing as much as 40% of its energy needs. His goal is to have the gym run solely on the energy it generates.

 

There’s something undeniably poetic about using the pedestrian bits of our lives to keep the lights on. But these kinds of things remain on the fringe, more in the realm of novel, high-end gadgetry than viable technology. And they have yet to be transferred to a larger scale where they could actually have some impact and influence. This is where government comes in, or should. As Matt Yglesias says:

 

… But the trouble is that at the moment the incentives exist primarily as a means of doing marketing to a niche market of upscale consumers. That’s nice, and it’s produced some clever notions, but what’s really needed is smart policies that drive incentives in a bigger and broader manner. [Emphasis mine]

 

Second that.

 

Spend More on Infrastructure

 

 

Pulling one nugget from yesterday’s Times Magazine story on “Obamanomics”:

 

From there, Obama moved the conversation toward a discussion of how the government could improve the nation’s infrastructure — its backbone of bridges, roads, tunnels, airports and the like, much of which has seen better days. Since the dawn of the Age of Reagan, the idea that government spending can be a good thing for the economy has been out of favor, even among Democrats. But it’s now making something of a comeback, particularly within Obama’s camp. His agenda calls for about $50 billion in new annual spending on various investments, including infrastructure, alternative energy and scientific research…

 

These investments might pay off in all sorts of ways. They are a classic form of stimulus that could help the economy emerge from the housing hangover. They would provide jobs for former factory workers and others without college degrees, many of whom have struggled over the past generation, and for whom the current home-building slump has been yet another blow. Above all, the investments would have the potential to pay big long-term dividends, in the form of a national economy that operated more smoothly. [Emphasis mine]

 

Now, economics is far from my area of expertise, but it’s hard to see why investment in our national infrastructure would be anything but a win-win-win situation, especially as it concerns renewable energy. Of the figure sited above, Obama proposes to spend $15 billion annually on alternative & renewable energies. That strikes me as both quite a bit and not all that much. (It amounts to about one month in Iraq, just saying).

 

But, government need not and cannot be the sole investor in the effort. Equally important, government should be in the business of inspiring private industry with a clear and ambitious vision; (memo to government: off-shore drilling – not ambitious). This vision will also help build a broad, popular narrative that will (and must) inspire and invest ordinary citizens in the cause. In other words, government should lead on the issue.

 

To this end, I’d like to hear a bit more from Obama, as he obviously supports infrastructure investment as an economic engine and his renewable energy policy points have substance. But we still haven’t heard a truly inspiring call to action the likes of which is really required. Even so, there are already remarkable grass-roots efforts underway to create this new economy around renewable energy, with all its attendant benefits. All we need now is a government and a president truly willing to lead the way. Stay tuned…

 

Street Bacchanal

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow is this summer’s final installment of the inaugural and very cool NYC Summer Streets program.

 

This event takes a valuable public space – our City’s streets – and opens them up to people to play, walk, bike, and breathe. Summer Streets provides more space for healthy recreation and is a part of NYC’s greening initiative by encouraging New Yorkers to use more sustainable forms of transportation.

 

Get out there and take back the streets, as it were. Here’s some video for inspiration.

 

Update: Image above replaced with documentary evidence of car-less streets.

 

Not So Green Grass

 

 

 

Further to the post below, Elizabeth Kolbert’s piece in The New Yorker last month examines American’s long and entrenched addiction to lawns. Did you know lawns aren’t actually “natural”?:

 

…the lawn today is nearly ubiquitous. Its spread has given rise to an entire industry, or, really, complex of industries—Americans spend an estimated forty billion dollars each year on grass—and to the academic discipline of turf management…. The lawn has become so much a part of the suburban landscape that it is difficult to see it as something that had to be invented.

  

And this:

 

Mowing turfgrass quite literally cuts off the option of sexual reproduction. From the gardener’s perspective, the result is a denser, thicker mat of green. From the grasses’ point of view, the result is a perpetual state of vegetable adolescence. With every successive trim, the plants are forcibly rejuvenated. In his anti-lawn essay “Why Mow?,” Michael Pollan puts it this way: “Lawns are nature purged of sex and death. No wonder Americans like them so much.”  [Emphasis mine.]

 

Snap.

 

Crabgrass Modern

 

 

Imagine that, environmentally conscious landscape design.

 

…a number of (landscape) designers have begun to champion an approach to landscaping that marries traditional environmental concerns — sustainability, biodiversity, restoration, conservation — with a sensitivity to aesthetics and a flexibility that they said was missing from green-gardening crusades of the past.

 

This is obviously a wonderful thing, and some of the work in the Times piece is outstanding, but articles like this tend to read a bit like trend-spotting, rather than journalism (I do realize it’s the Home & Garden section).

 

Another point: conventions are extremely powerful and once set, quite difficult to alter. Getting clients, much less entire industries, to shift from broken, destructive conventions is no small task:

 

Still, he and other designers said, the message of conservation and environmental responsibility cannot be couched in punitive terms if it is to succeed. “People shouldn’t have to make a choice between beauty and sustainability,” Ms. Cochran said. “Our work is designed so that I am able to say to our clients during a presentation, ‘Oh, and by the way, its also sustainable.’ ”

 

If articles like this help the cause as part of broader popular narrative that’s great, but let’s try to avoid giving “sustainability” the whiff of second-home-exceptionalism.