Green, Solar & Wind Power

Green Generators States from Maine to California are trying to slow global warming, in many instances because they are frustrated by the Bush administration's inaction on the issue.

Stateline Wind Facility (Walla Walla County, WA; Umatilla County, OR) Summerview Wind Facility (Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada) Tillamook Animal Waste to Energy (Tillamook, OR) Washington State School for the Blind (Vancouver, WA) Hanford (White Bluffs, WA) The above facilities replace our energy consumption by supplying the power grid with our equivalent energy requirements of 100% green energy from wind and solar energy providers.

Solar Panel The latest action came Thursday when the top law enforcement officials from 12 states sued to force the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide. That's the most common gas linked to global warming. An EPA spokesman says the Clean Air Act doesn't give the agency the power to control global-warming gases.

If you're planning to build a new home, you can use some of the bigger aspects of building green. used or recycled building materials, you can lessen the impact that you have. You can also choose environmentally friendly insulation like recycled newspaper or cotton. Try using as many materials as you can that are refurbished and not new. Install heating systems that are powered by solar power and electrical circuits that require wind power, for example.

Epa Greenpower The lawsuit follows a flurry of actions by states during the past year to cut emissions of gases that trap heat in the atmosphere:

The gentle curves of the Spiral Solar Wind Chime will come alive with the power of the sun, chiming softly to help your day along.

Wind Energy * In June, Maine's governor signed a law to cut carbon dioxide to 1990 levels by 2010.

Energy provided by home solar panels is the cleanest method available today. No environmental pollution is created. The US federal agencies are strongly promoting solar panel use. There is a federal energy bill that includes a tax credit for up to thirty percent of the initial cost of home solar panels. The credit caps at two thousand dollars. Several states also offer incentive plans to promote home solar panel usage.

Solar * In July, 10 Northeastern states agreed to work together to trim carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants.

Intel president and chief executive officer Paul Otellini has said that his firm as a "commitment to the environment". Mr Otellini's comments come after Intel announced that it purchased 1.3 billion kilowatt hours a year of renewable energy certificates from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As a result, the firm now heads up the Fortune 500 Green Power Partners list and the EPA's Green Power Partners Top 25 ranking. The president also said that the purchase is...

Nuclear Power * In September, California, Oregon and Washington announced a plan to reduce car and truck emissions. State officials say they'll buy cars that emit low levels of carbon dioxide for the use of state employees.

Greenpower Inc The programs won't stop global warming, state officials acknowledge. But they hope to prove that progress is possible.

Solar Electricity ''It's unlikely that we'll see significant leadership on the federal level from the Bush administration,'' says Bradley Campbell, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. But state actions will show ''we can achieve meaningful reductions in (global-warming) gases without sacrificing our economy or our prosperity.''

Power Greene Others are skeptical. ''It's silly political posturing,'' says Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C., that promotes free enterprise. ''These arguments will have no measurable impact on global warming.''

Green Electric Most scientists tie global warming to the use of coal, gasoline and oil -- essentials that Americans won't easily give up. Burning these fuels creates carbon dioxide. It and other gases formed by human activity collect in the atmosphere and trap heat.

Am Greenpower Scientists forecast the Earth will warm by 2 to 10 degrees by 2100, in part because of the extra carbon dioxide. Researchers estimate the planet warmed about 1 degree from 1900 to 2000. Higher temperatures will cause the oceans to rise and flood coastal areas and will lead to drought.

Renewable Electricity An international treaty known as the Kyoto Protocol requires wealthy nations to cut their emissions of gases tied to global warming. More than 100 nations have approved the treaty.

Green Company But President Bush rejected it soon after taking office in 2001. He said the treaty would cost jobs and unfairly penalize wealthy nations. The Bush administration has focused on studying global warming, not fighting it.

Led Greenpower That hasn't stopped some states from taking action. In Oregon, utilities that build new power plants must pay for projects that address global warming.

Alternative Energy Other states are capitalizing on the ability of plants to soak up carbon dioxide. Minnesota is planting trees. Nebraska and other farming states are studying how to increase the capacity of farmland to absorb gases, possibly by planting certain crops during winter.

Green Products States ''have been able to do all kinds of things,'' says Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, which tracks state efforts on global warming.

Green Powers ''They may not be huge, but they haven't been done at the national level,'' she says.

Greenpower Conferences By Traci Watson
USA TODAY - 10/28/2003

Topic: Climate Change

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