DO SOMETHING: attend Fox River meeting

DO SOMETHING!

Please stand up one more time for the future of the Fox River and our communites and attend the upcoming EPA hearing about the Fox River cleanup.

The EPA is holding a public meeting about its proposed changes to the Fox River Cleanup plan. Please plan to attend this meeting and let them know there is no excuse to back down from the original, well-researched clean-up plan. We need to:

· Uphold the original “Record Of Decision”!
· Oppose capping of the river sediments.
· Clean-up; don’t cover up the PCBs in the Fox River. We need a permanent solution, so that our children will not have to deal with this polluted mess.
· Make sure the liable polluters take full responsibility and pay for the clean-up.


Meeting details:
Tuesday, December 5th, 2006
7 – 9 p.m. at the Brown County Library, 515 Pine Street, Green Bay.


Background:

The Fox River is polluted with more than 700,000 pounds of PCBs – cancer-causing chemicals highly toxic to both people and wildlife. PCBs were dumped by the paper mills and have accumulated at the bottom of the river. The toxins are taken up by smaller organisms and accumulate as they are eaten by fish and move up the food chain; exposing animals like the bald eagle and humans if they consume the fish. PCBs have also been linked to immune deficiencies, IQ loss, and learning difficulties.

Fox Valley environmentalists fought for a clean up plan that protects human health and the environment. After years of research, public hearings and extensive evaluations, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, determined the best remedy was to remove the PCBs by dredging. Science shows the way to return the Fox River to a system that fully protects human health and the environment is to REMOVE the toxic PCBs from the river. A Record of Decision (ROD) and plan to carry out the clean up was agreed to and signed.

BACKPEDALING-Clean Up is Re-Opened for Debate: Despite the evidence and agreement; DNR is reopening the ROD solely for financial reasons. Clean up costs exceeded estimates by 50% allowing the responsible parties to reopen the agreement. Now polluters want to backpedal and are proposing a cheaper dangerous alternative. In stead of removing the PCBs they intend to cover them up by capping. Capping means leaving toxins at the bottom of a dynamic river system for future generations to deal with; covering-up rather than cleaning up the mess they made. To learn more visit http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/wm/foxriver/index.html

Local Groups Send Candidates One Message: "Our Land, Our Water, Our Future--Be Our Voice"

Green Bay—Today and tomorrow, in 6 locations across the state, representatives of over 50 groups from across the state, ranging from businesses, sporting clubs, and non-profit organizations, will join together to remind candidates running for office not to forget their hometown conservation priorities if they successfully make it to the Capitol after Tuesday’s elections. The groups are united around three pressing conservation issues, but have one single message for candidates to remember in Madison: Be Our Voice.

Over the last two months, groups have been mobilizing their members and supporters around three issues that impact their health, livelihoods, and hobbies, including improving the rules that manage manure on large, factory-style farms; finding solutions to reduce out-of-state waste; and creating protections for the Great Lakes waters.

This undertaking not only aims to educate the public, it also aims to educate candidates running for office. Already, the groups have delivered hundreds of public comments to candidates; today, they want to remind candidates one last time to remember their priorities, and to remind other Wisconsinites to take their conservation values to the voting booth.

“We are here today to ask candidates to Be Our Voice in Madison,” said Larry Freitag of the Sheboygan Area Great Lakes Sports Fishermen. “For so many of us, living in Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties means being able to enjoy the lakes, rivers, and land all around us. We can’t afford to sit by while they are threatened by manure runoff, diversions, and landfill toxins. Our candidates need to be strong advocates for protecting these natural resources so we can continue to enjoy the quality of life they provide.”

Kent Mayfield, a member of Grassroots Wisconsin out of Dodgeville, said, “Too often during elections, candidates tell you what you want to hear but forget what they said when they get into office. Today, our message to them is loud and clear: Protect our land, our water, and our future. Be our voice.”

Hunters and anglers, hikers and bikers, and others who value Wisconsin’s natural resources have seen attacks on natural resource protections in the last several years, like the Dirty Air Bill. The groups are calling on candidates from all political parties to protect natural resources.

According to Marc Schultz, Mississippi River conservationist, “Clean water, clean air, and open spaces are concerns that cross all party lines. All of us drink the water and breathe the air, and we all worry about pollution making our children sick. A well-managed landscape is important, and we need all of our decision-makers to make this a priority.”

“It’s clear to me that spending time enjoying the outdoors is no longer enough,” said Don Camplin, President of the Waukesha County Conservation Alliance. “I need to make sure my legislators take my love of Wisconsin’s natural resources to Madison. I plan to vote my conservation values on Tuesday, and I expect whoever wins to represent those values in the state legislature.”

For More Information: Jessica Garrels, Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters Institute, 920-429-9008

energy independence film festival at uwgb

From Gerard McMullen:

Energy Independence Film Festival

Did paying over $3.00 for a gallon of gas this summer make you wonder about the future of our oil supply and dependence upon other countries? Have you heard the buzzwords "biodiesel" and "wind power" and want to learn more as they begin to appear in Green Bay? Or are you a skeptic of climate change and want to know the other viewpoints? Governor Doyle has declared UWGB as one of three campuses to move toward energy independence, and its students have an opportunity to be a part of and learn from the process. Would you like to know more? Join us for three nights of award-winning films that span the topics of biodiesel, environmental justice, resource extraction, alternative energy, and climate change.

On October 30th from 6 to 9pm the films will include "Oil on Ice", a portrayal of Gwich'in culture and the need to protect the fragile Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), "French Fries to Go" about the "Granola Ayatollah of Canola" and his homegrown biodiesel project, "Homeland" featuring five Native Americans and their fight against environmental injustices, and several enlightening and entertaining shorts. Films will be shown in Mary Ann Cofrin Hall, room 111.

Additional films will be shown on November 6th in MAC 111 and November 20th in the Christie Theater from 6 to 9pm. The film festival is sponsored by the Sierra Student Coalition in conjunction with the Environmental Science and Policy Graduate Program Capstone course and Campus Energy Independence Project. For more information contact Marci Johnson (johnsoma@uwgb.edu) or check http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/classroom/calendar.htm for updates.

300,000,000

The Press-Gazette carried an excellent AP article (with contributions from Paul Brinkman) about the U.S. Population reaching 300,000,000.

300 millionth birth renews energy-use, sprawl worries

Population growth is an issue in the Green Bay area, but the real problems come from the patterns of growth and how we deal with it, said Mark Walter, executive director of the Bay Lake Regional Planning Commission.

"The Green Bay metropolitan area is growing out into southern Oconto (County) and other areas," Walter said. "If you travel Highway 41 during rush hour, there are traffic jams going north and south. That's something new — it's only gotten that way in the last few years."

Dealing with that growth requires coordinated, regional answers from all the players involved, including village governments, county officials, planners and developers.

One answer is to encourage smart development, like building where streets and sewers already exist. Another solution is redeveloping urban areas — like the new condominiums in downtown Green Bay.

"Condominiums in rural areas for seasonal use can create additional costs," Walter said. "But condo development in downtown Green Bay can really be a good thing. It pulls people back into the urban core, where they already have services."

In other words, new condos in downtown Green Bay don't require new fire stations or libraries — they already exist.

Some experts argue that population growth only partly explains America's growing consumption. Just as important, they say, is where people live, what they drive and how far they travel to work.

Join Us For "Green Drinks" - Oct 19

Green Bay, WI Green Drinks

Green Bay Green Drinks is a monthly 'social space' born about one year ago. Its 16th meeting is Thursday Oct 19, 2006 at Kavarna, in Green Bay's near westside downtown. [FYI-- We meet there on the third Thursday of every month.]

It happens that the same evening this month the author of a new book on Fox Valley environmentalism will be speaking at the nearby Brown County Central Library! Greg Summers, UWSP environmental historian, speaks at 7-8:15pm there. Come to Green Drinks before or after his talk.

==Also, for everyone--Pick up a book about the environment; books and magazines are freecycled by other GD members every month

If some people suggest that "green" is your middle name, you'll probably find value in Green Drinks Green Bay. At this monthly event, people who have a passion for anything "environmental" meet for friendly conversation. Since we started in April 2005, we've been visited by folks with a wide variety of interests: science, art, politics, music, film, health, psychology, nutrition to name a few. Many work in an environmental field as professionals, educators, entrepreneurs or neighborhood activists.

If you look elsewhere on the website www.greendrinks.org , you'll see that "Green Drinks" is an international movement. We start to gather shortly after 6pm, but don't worry if you can't show up until much later. Peak attendance has been 7:30-8:30pm so far. The hours you attend will influence who you may meet, however. People come and go all evening until Kavarna closes at 10pm. Kavarna is a smokefree vegetarian coffeehouse/restaurant that sells bottled beers and wine. All ages welcome. Feel free to bring your kids.

See www.kavarna.com for directions to 112 S. Broadway, located on downtown Green Bay's near west side. Soups, salads, chai and juices are among the many offerings.

rooftop gardens

One of the ideas that the Sustainable Green Bay Task Force is kicking around is the establishment of some rooftop gardens.

Here is a treehugger post about what is happening in a New York City neighborhood (-Soon to be seen in Green Bay?):

Green Roofs on Apartment Buildings

-Another treehugger post on the benefits of rooftop gardens with links to a few articles:

How Green is Your Roof?

Jessica's latest column

If you did not see our own Jessica Garrels' latest column in today's Press-Gazette, here it is. Nice job, Jessica!

It's time to invest in renewable energy

Greg Summers at the library

This is part of the library's Local History Series

Central Library Auditorium
515 Pine Street, Downtown Green Bay
Thursday, October 19
7:00-8:15 P.M.

A River of Paper? Early Environmentalism in the Fox River Valley: 1850-1950

Presenters: Greg Summers

Economic growth vs. environmental quality.

An interesting an unexpected connection exists between the efficient use of natural resources and the desire to protect them.

This program will reveal the history of this decades-long debate over the industrial pollution of the Fox River and the struggle to clean it up including a 1945 courtroom battle between the Izaak Walton League and the paper industry.

Presenter: Gregory Summers is Asst. Prof. of History at UW-Stevens Point. He received his Ph.D. from UW-Madison where he specialized in American environmental history, the history of Wisconsin, and the history of technology. He is currently at work on a second book, entitled “The Comforts of Nature: A Natural History of the American Home.”

Come to "Green Drinks" afterwards!!!!

green bay's toxic trio

The Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters recently released their legislative scorecard for the 2005-06 session. Three of our legislators who are up for reelection received pathetically low scores:

Judy Krawczyk (920-469-4364) = 6%
Phil Montgomery (920-496-5953) = 6%
Karl Van Roy (920-662-0804) = 6%

Yes, that is correct. 6%. You almost have to try to be that bad. Who are these people listening to anyway? Can you say "corporate lobbyists"?

You know what to do! Please call Judy, Phil or Karl and tell them how upset you are about their dismal conservation voting records. If you are not sure which one represents you click HERE.

Then, donate to or volunteer your time for one of their opponents. These people need your help! Their contact info:

Jim Soletski 920-468-5921 (running against Krawczyk)
Rich Langan 920-490-1086 (running against Montgomery)
Gary Froseth http://www.garyfroseth.com/ (running against Van Roy)

On the other hand, Assemblyman Tom Nelson has a very good environmental voting record. He was scored at 82%. Go to Tom’s website and donate or sign up to volunteer to help his campaign. He deserves to be reelected and needs your help.

To see the the complete WLCV Scorecard and for a detailed analysis of legislative voting records click HERE.

a UWGB that's fossil-fuel-free

An exciting article from today's Press-Gazette:

UW-GB envisions a fossil-fuel-free campus

Congrats to "Green Drinks" regular Crystal Osman for being mentioned!!

-And can you believe ANYONE could belittle this plan? Mark notGreen just keeps digging a deeper and deeper hole for himself.

Perhaps the governor should spend more time worrying about how to make our UW schools more affordable for Wisconsin families who have watched tuition skyrocket by 50 percent in the last four years.

-Mark notGreen spokesman Luke Punzenberger

Great Lakes put on back burner again

I know that our NEXT Congress will be willing to deal with this issue!!!

"Great Lakes: Recovery efforts left high and dry"

Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' Free Showing!

In a similar thread to what Rich said, if you want to learn more about global warming and what you can do to reduce your own contributions, there is a free showing of Al Gore's movie 'An Inconvenient Truth' next Tuesday, October 3rd at 7pm at St. Norbert College. Come to the Killeen Room in the Norbertine Center. RSVP at 920.337.4315.

Green Bay's best air in 20 years

In today’s Press Gazette there was a front page headline that read “Pollution problem still hovers over Green Bay.” Anyone who lives downtown, like I do, realizes this is true. It is definitely an issue that has to be dealt with.

These headlines are bad for business and bad for Green Bay’s image. I am worried that some of our leaders may want to solve the problem by eliminating the headlines and not by eliminating the pollution. At times, they seem to be more worried about image than about our quality of life.

In a very positive step for Green Bay, Mayor Schmitt recently formed a Sustainable Green Bay Task Force. One of the working subcommittees is going to be dealing with air and water issues. Hopefully, as difficult a challenge as it may be, they will be dealing with this issue. If Green Bay is truly to be a sustainable community that cares about the environment and has people living and working in an exciting downtown, our air quality has to be a major concern.

If you read between the lines of the article, the major source of the problem is still coming from the burning of coal for energy at several factories. Energy use is at the heart of our air problems. We have to start producing clean and renewable energy. Still, there is no excuse for the non-energy toxic load being dumped into our air, and there is definitely no excuse for the problems described at Western Lime Corporation.

The article also mentions that the city struggles to comply with state standards for particulate and ozone production caused by cars and trucks. From what I see as I walk around town, pollution from vehicles is a MAJOR problem.

The city and state should not wait for the federal government to solve our air problems. That would take forever, especially with our current federal government. We can address our air quality with locally produced solutions.

So how DO we solve our air pollution problem? The article seemed to leave this out. I have some ideas.

Conserve energy.
Use clean and renewable energy supplies.
Make sure all local factories are not breaking any current air pollution laws and continue to make examples of the ones who are.
Make our sate and local laws the toughest in the country.
Work with local companies to find and attract the engineers they need to solve their waste problems.
Make every effort to attract sustainable and non-polluting businesses to our downtown.
Continue the effort to revitalize downtown to make it a place where people want to live and work so that they can walk to work and walk for services.
Make Green Bay more walkable and bikeable so that people don’t have to drive every day.

Austin, TX, cleaned up its air by forming a municipal energy utility and focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Seattle slashed its particulate pollution by focusing on reducing pollution from its own fleet of heavy-duty diesel vehicles and creating “urban villages” that cluster offices, stores, and homes in walkable villages. Green Bay could do the same thing.

The news is not all bad. The article did point out that our air is much cleaner than it was twenty years ago. Maybe that should have been the headline. However, we can’t stop focusing on this issue. Our quality of life, health, and economy depend on it.

eddy out,
rich

Be Our Voice - 9/21 7pm

Are candidates talking about the conservation values that you care about? Would you like to develop better relationships with your elected officials?

With 15,000 lakes, 1000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, and beautiful national forests, it's no wonder that we, in Wisconsin, feel a deep connection to our natural resources.

Unfortunately, we have seen many of our conservation values rolled back in recent years, as with the passage of the Dirty Air Bill and the threats to the Stewardship Fund.

Why? Because we've lost a critical connection: the one between a voter and his or her representative.

Over the next few months, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters Institute will be working with citizens across Wisconsin to educate candidates running for office about key conservation issues in Wisconsin. Wisconsin is Our Land, Our Water, and Our Future , so we need to ask all candidates to Be Our Voice and represent our values in the halls of the Capitol .

Come to the Be Our Voice community meeting to find out more information about key issues, like protecting the Great Lakes, keeping manure out of drinking water, and keeping Illinois' trash out of Wisconsin, and find out how you can get involved in these critical months while candidates are campaigning!

Thursday, September 21st at 7pm

Central Library 515 Pine St , Green Bay

Contact: Laura Westwood

920.429.9008 - laura@conservationvoters.org

Volunteer for Conservation

Do you want your candidates to care about conservation?

Join with the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters Institute
to make sure your voice is heard this fall.

Come to an informal information session this Thursday at 5pm at Kavarna Cafe on Broadway.

Kickoff meeting, Wednesday, Sept 20th, 6:30pm, De Pere public library (Kress family library).

All are welcome!

For more information, contact Laura at 920,429.9008 or email laura@conservationvoters.org

Schaber: "Destroy the PCBs"

What to do with the toxic sediments that are dredged from the Fox River as a part of the clean-up has become a controversial issue lately. In today's Press Gazette, Dale Schaber, conservation chairman of the Fox Valley Sierra Group, had this guest commentary about the issue.

Permanently destroy as many PCBs as possible
By Dale Schaber

There are no easy answers to the question of how to deal with toxic or hazardous waste, other than to avoid creating the waste in the first place.

When it comes to dealing with the Fox River sediments, the Sierra Club supports the use of safe treatment technologies that permanently destroy the toxic chemicals in contaminated sediments, especially when sediments are contaminated with persistent, bioaccumulative toxics such as
PCBs. Permanent destruction offers a better alternative than disposal options such as landfilling that do not permanently destroy contaminants.

In particular, we believe that the glass aggregate process called vitrification has significant potential and ought to be seriously considered as a viable treatment option, particularly for the most contaminated Fox River sediments. We believe that its few negatives — minimal air emissions, high consumption of natural gas, somewhat uncertain cost — are far outweighed by its ability to permanently destroy the contaminants.

Vitrification destroys virtually all the polychlorinated biphenyls in contaminated sediments while encapsulating heavy metals in the
finished product, and wet scrubbers can significantly minimize air emissions. Given the available options, we feel that a vitrification process with the use of wet scrubbers offers the safest method of disposing of Fox River sediments.

Vitrification uses a glass furnace to treat contaminated sediments. The furnace is designed to destroy PCBs and all other organic chemicals at 2900 degrees and has air pollution control equipment to trap any vaporized metals. The sediment melts into a smooth, molten lava, is immediately doused in water and becomes a black, glass-like product that traps metals and other non-combustible pollutants. The material can be used to make a variety of useful products including shingles and roads.

Vitrification costs are estimated to be comparable to those of landfilling, and it is less expensive than shipping Fox River sediments to the toxic waste landfill in Michigan. While we are not opposed to the landfilling of Fox River sediments, since the costs are comparable and vitrification offers a permanent solution, we ask that as much Fox River sediment be vitrified as possible.

We recognize that it may not be possible to treat all of the dredged material, particularly materials with relatively low concentrations of PCBs. Any contaminated dredged material that cannot be treated at the time of cleanup should be placed in a segregated cell in a TSCA approved landfill.

As stated in a recent Green Bay Press-Gazette editorial (July 19, 2006) "it's time to get on with the river cleanup." Let's build an on-site vitrification plant near the high level PCB contaminated sediments and get this stuff permanently removed and out of every NIMBY's ("Not In My Back Yard") backyard. This would permanently clean up the PCB contamination in the Fox River and provide for the economic and environmental health of the region.

free backpack!!

The Fox Valley Sierra Club is having a summer membership drive. Click on the logo below to join today and get a free backpack!!

DO SOMETHING: Wal-Mart

DO SOMETHING!

Attend a public hearing to voice concerns about the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter on Green Bay's east side. The meeting will be THIS Tuesday, June 20, at 7:00 PM in room 203 at City Hall, 100 S. Jefferson St.

BACKGROUND

The Clean Water Action Council, Midwest Environmental Advocates, and The Fox Valley Sierra Club have taken a stand AGAINST this proposal. This type of development causes many environmental problems that include: increased run-off and pollution, local flooding, airpollution, lights, noise, traffic congestion, loss of habitat farmland and woodlots, and because WalMart outsources it jobs and production, it contributes to environmental deregulation and degradation in other countries.

Other problems with WalMart include: outsourcing of American jobs, slave labor in other countries, extremely low below poverty level wages that force their workers to use taxpayer funded services such as housing assistance and heath care, and negative tax revenue due to high infrastructure costs. Also, studies have conclusively shown that WalMart destroys locally owned and unique small business that already exist in host towns. If this retail space really is necessary, and that is doubtful, it should be developed locally by locally owned and unique businesses.

For more info go to:

http://www.midwestadvocates.org/advocacy/Sustaining%20Communities/index.htm

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/

Air Quality Health Advisory Again!

Air Quality Health Advisory issued for Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Brown Counties

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is issuing an air quality health advisory for Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Brown Counties in eastern Wisconsin effective from 1:00 p.m., today Thursday, March 30, 2006 until 12:00 p.m., Friday, March 31, 2006. The advisory is being issued because of persistent elevated levels of fine particles in the air. These fine particles come primarily from combustion sources, such as power plants, factories and other industrial sources, vehicle exhaust, and outdoor fires. Current weather conditions leading to this advisory are the presence of low level clouds and light winds trapping pollutants near the ground. Air quality is expected to gradually improve for the affected area beginning Friday morning.

The Air Quality Index is currently in the orange level, which is considered unhealthy for people in sensitive groups and others, including people who are not in sensitive groups but who are engaged in strenuous activities or exposed for prolonged periods of time. People in those sensitive groups include those with heart or lung disease, asthma, older adults and children. When an air quality health advisory is issued, people in those groups are advised to reschedule or cut back on strenuous activities.

People with lung diseases such as asthma and bronchitis and heart disease should pay attention to cardiac symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath or respiratory symptoms like coughing, wheezing and discomfort when taking a breath, and consult with their physician if they have concerns or are experiencing symptoms. To receive air quality health advisories by e-mail, visit http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/health/listserv.html.

There are several actions the public can take to reduce their contributions to this regional air quality problem.

-Reduce driving when possible and don’t leave vehicle engines idling.

-Postpone activities that use small gasoline and diesel engines.

-Avoid burning leaves, brush, grass or wood. Composting is preferred, but if you must burn and your community allows it, do not burn on an air quality health advisory day.

-Never burn household garbage, plastic, rubber, painted wood or other materials that must be recycled or landfilled and cannot be legally burned.

-Practice electrical energy conservation.

For more information:

-Federal interagency air quality web site, for information on the Air Quality Index and nationwide air quality forecasts and air quality conditions, http://airnow.gov
-DNR’s statewide air quality monitoring web page, http://maps.dnr.state.wi.us/wisards
-For local DNR air management program contacts, http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/staff/regions.htm

DNR Air Quality Health Advisory

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is issuing an air quality health advisory for Milwaukee, Waukesha, Manitowoc and Brown Counties in eastern Wisconsin effective from 11:00 a.m., today Wednesday, March 29, 2006 until 9:00 a.m., Thursday, March 30, 2006. The advisory is being issued because of persistent elevated levels of fine particles in the air. These fine particles come primarily from combustion sources, such as power plants, factories and other industrial sources, vehicle exhaust, and outdoor fires. Current weather conditions leading to this advisory are the presence of low level clouds and light winds trapping pollutants near the ground. Air quality is expected to gradually improve for the affected area beginning Thursday morning.

The Air Quality Index is currently in the orange level, which is considered unhealthy for people in sensitive groups and others, including people who are not in sensitive groups but who are engaged in strenuous activities or exposed for prolonged periods of time. People in those sensitive groups include those with heart or lung disease, asthma, older adults and children. When an air quality health advisory is issued, people in those groups are advised to reschedule or cut back on strenuous activities.

People with lung diseases such as asthma and bronchitis and heart disease should pay attention to cardiac symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath or respiratory symptoms like coughing, wheezing and discomfort when taking a breath, and consult with their physician if they have concerns or are experiencing symptoms. To receive air quality health advisories by e-mail, visit http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/health/listserv.html.

There are several actions the public can take to reduce their contributions to this regional air quality problem.

-Reduce driving when possible and don’t leave vehicle engines idling.

-Postpone activities that use small gasoline and diesel engines.

-Avoid burning leaves, brush, grass or wood. Composting is preferred, but if you must burn and your community allows it, do not burn on an air quality health advisory day.

-Never burn household garbage, plastic, rubber, painted wood or other materials that must be recycled or landfilled and cannot be legally burned.

-Practice electrical energy conservation.

For more information:

-Federal interagency air quality web site, for information on the Air
Quality Index and nationwide air quality forecasts and air quality conditions, http://airnow.gov
-DNR’s statewide air quality monitoring web page, http://maps.dnr.state.wi.us/wisards
-For local DNR air management program contacts, http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/air/staff/regions.htm

2005 lcv scorecard

Last week, the League of Conservation Voters released their 2005 National Environmental Scorecard. Events were held in key states across the U.S. with LCV supporters and the media on hand.

Here is how our illustrious Congressmen scored.

Senator Feingold: 90% (Thanks, Russ!)
Senator Kohl: 75% (Hey Herb, that is a D in my gradebook!)
Representative Mark not-Green: 22% (This is a big fat F in anyone's gradebook!!!)

If you click the above names, you can see what votes they were "graded" on and email them a message about how you feel about their scores.

signs of a greener green bay

With all of the recent efforts to re-develop the city of Green Bay and to get people to live downtown, there has not been much public talk about "green cities" or environmentally correct and energy efficient development. In yesterday's Press-Gazette, there was some very hopeful reporting in the article "Mayor forecasts 'brighter future for Green Bay".

At the neighborhood level, new efforts will include a Greener Green Bay Initiative that will consider environmental factors from more efficient lighting to a policy for how long city vehicles should idle. Schmitt said he was intrigued by a similar initiative in Chicago and even discussed the possibility of a rooftop garden atop City Hall.

If they are serious about this it is very exciting news. As we move away from a fossil fuel economy, it is incredibly important that we revitalize our cities in a way that gets people to live near where they work. Chicago has made great strides in this area.

Right now, the Sierra Club has a very interesting COOL CITIES campaign that helps urban areas deal with these issues. One of their newsletters had a recent article, Cities Get Cool, about this effort. Green Bay should sign on!

eddy out,
rich

UWGB embraces renewable energy

NatureWise program to provide 10% of power
Green Bay Press-Gazette
February 18, 2006
By Terry Anderson

no "green drinks" tonight

Kavarna is closing at 4:00 PM today due to the weather (wimps!) and so there will not be a Kavarna "Green Drinks" tonight.

Orange and blue and then grey
The frosty twilight comes down
Through the thin trees. The fresh snow
Holds the light longer than the sky.

-Kenneth Rexroth, poet

ooo-oh that smell

Last Tuesday afternoon, there was a horribly obnoxious smell throughout Green Bay. I thought that there was a natural gas leak somewhere and my neighbor thought that someone was burning garbage in their fireplace. When Wednesday morning's paper came out, the mystery was solved. Apparently, the Kaukauna paper mill smells were reaching Green Bay for only the second time in 29 years! Green Bay residents can be grateful that they do not live in Kaukauna.

According to Patrick Schillinger, president of the Wisconsin Paper Council, an industry trade association, "there's nothing dangerous about" the smell. Sorry Pat, but I am not so sure we should take your word for it.

Here is the Press-Gazette article:

Paper mill odor wafts north, confuses some

Can an odor "waft"? I know that people can waft, in order to detect an odor, but can the odor itself waft? I don't think so. It can be wafted, but it can't waft.

I was one of the confused. That is not saying much though as I am perpetually confused.

eddy out,
rich

Local DNR hearing deceived the public

This is a guest column sent to us by Steve Abitz.

A People's Forum letter commending Sen. (Alan) Lasee's DNR public hearing is laughable. The hearing was a setup. The results are intended to deceive the public.

The setup: The hearing occurred on a weekday, during the day, so most people could not attend. There was no speaker time limit. Those with an anecdotal DNR ax to grind could talk forever, and some did for 25 minutes. Speaker order was manipulated by letting those in favor of Lasee's agenda speak first. No one in opposition spoke the first hour, after which the TV media (shame on them) left and only one side of the story was aired.

The deception: Lasee's hearing was about personnel and communication problems in the DNR. Budget and personnel cuts, favored by Lasee, are the sources of these problems. He's using the hearing as a ploy to re-weaken Wisconsin's already weakened wetland regulations. It's a total disconnect.

Like ex-U.S. Speaker Tom DeLay, Lasee despises all governmental regulations.

Like DeLay, Lasee is a slave to the corporate and business agenda.

Like DeLay, Lasee has deceived the public and betrayed their interests.

Like DeLay, Lasee deserves the same fate.

Steve Abitz

Walks with Charlie - Dec/Jan

This is a guest column from Charlie Frisk.

This is the first of what is hoped to be monthly phenology reports from Baird Creek. I hike the trails at Baird Creek two to three times a week and I am always fascinated with the seasonal changes. If any of you have contributions that you would like to make to this column e-mail them to kathyf44@netzero.net

Late December, early January reports

On Dec. 23 I observed a pileated woodpecker in the park for only the second time. The pileated was observed on the high ground just above the hemlock grove, the same location it was seen two years ago. Two years ago I was watching one pileated and heard another one in the distance so hopefully the park has a breeding pair. I have observed pileated excavations in many locations in the park. The pileated work can be easily identified because the holes are roughly rectangular and much deeper and larger than those of other woodpeckers.

This year was a bumper acorn crop. Oaks typically have three lean years followed by a bumper year. The lean years depress the squirrel and chipmunk populations so that in the bumper year many of the acorns go uneaten and have a chance to become great oaks. When there was still snow on the ground it was easy to see where deer had dug down through the snow and leaves to get to the acorns on the forest floor. During the lean years almost every acorn is eaten or stored away by squirrels or chipmunks as soon as they hit the ground. This year there are still acorns lying around on the forest floor in January.

On January 1st I observed skunk cabbage and marsh marigolds poking through the ground in the seeps at Christa McAuliffe Park. Gary Fewless, (botany professor from UWGB), said that when very cold weather such as we had in early December is followed by a period of above freezing temps like we had in late December that these plants are tricked into thinking spring has come. He said the skunk cabbage are well adapted to sub-freezing temps and will not be hurt, but the marsh marigolds will not survive their early adventures. Only a couple of marsh marigolds pushed through but Gary said that in years where large numbers of plants are fooled into sprouting early the population can be greatly depressed the following spring due to the die off.

conservation lobby day 2006

Last Wednesday, I took the opportunity to participate in Conservation Lobby Day, organized by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters (WLCV). It was definitely a worthwhile trip.

There were about 270 participants, more than twice as many as last year. From what I could tell, about 10 people from the Green Bay area were there to lobby their legislators about environmental issues. The day was extremely well organized, had a relaxed pace, and offered several other events to participate in. Each group of citizen lobbyists was assigned a lead professional lobbyist to help guide them through the process and to help with talking points. No bribes were exchanged!!

Many kudos to Green Bay’s own WLCV staffer Jessica Garrels for helping to organize a day that went off without a hitch!! (-and for making EXCELLENT announcements!)

I had the chance to meet with two aides from Senator Rob Cowles’ office, and then met with Assemblyman Phil Montgomery. It did raise the eyebrows of Cowles’ staff members when seven constituents sat down in his office. I don’t think they expected to see that many. In both of my meetings, we discussed the importance of improving the current state energy bill, protecting children from mercury pollution, raising state tipping fees, and a variety of other conservation issues.

Perhaps the most exciting part about the day was meeting and spending the day with all the other people there who share the same concerns about environmental issues. Events like this are always energizing.

In Green Bay, environmentalists have a lot of lobbying to do!! We really have only one state legislator who consistently votes for the environment: Senator Dave Hansen. He deserves our support and thanks. Other than that, we are represented by some of the worst, including Alan Lasee. My own Assemblyman, Montgomery, had a dismal WLCV score of 27% during the last legislative session and has only voted pro-environment ONCE during the current session, out of fifteen chances to do so.

In both of my meetings, I asked for my representatives’ thoughts as to why they think environmental politics in this state has become so partisan. In general, Democrats are pro-environment while Republicans vote against it. At least that is the perception. Sometimes, perception IS reality. Both offices blamed the situation on the efforts of the special interest groups, such as the Sierra Club and WLCV. That argument is a crock. If I didn’t want to keep the meetings “positive” I would have responded by screaming, “You’ve got to be kidding!”

First of all, judging by all the “anti-environment” legislation that has been put forward in recent years, I would have to say that the conservation “special interest” groups don’t have all that much influence (yet). Secondly, the environmental groups in this state make every effort to be nonpartisan. If the WLCV gives you a low score, you deserve it. They listen to a huge variety of conservation groups in order to decide what legislative votes “count”. They include long-time Republicans on their board and look at MANY votes that impact the environment. In the past, a few Republicans have received very high scores. The fault for the partisanship on these issues lies with the Republicans. It is their recent legislative attacks on the environment that have energized the citizen based conservation special interest groups. The leaders of the Assembly and Senate are two viciously anti-conservation attack dogs: John Gard and Alan Lasee, both Republicans.

The WLCV does a remarkable job of making it very easy to find out how your state legislator has been voting on environmental issues. Go to their website and click on “SCORECARD” and “VOTE TRACKER”.

I look forward to attending “Lobby Day” next year. What is my advice for the rest of you who make the trip to Madison? Don’t skip the “After Lobby Day Social”. That is when the REAL lobbying begins. Next year, according to WLCV’s Anne Sayers, we are going to have 500 participants! (I THINK she was the one who said that.)

eddy out,
rich

(from the Green Bay Press Gazette, 1/27/06)
Guest column: Strong state energy bill needed

Energy is one of the most important issues facing our state and our nation.

Local governments and businesses, just like families, have seen energy costs skyrocket in recent years. Prices for heating bills are expected to increase by 40 percent this winter.

Those additional costs will encourage more cuts to government programs and services, will diminish the competitiveness and profitability of area businesses, and will weigh heavily on many families in our community. All in all, energy costs are taking a bigger bite than they should.

Our current energy choices have consequences for our quality of life as well. In Green Bay, we know the negative impacts of traditional sources of power on our property, recreation and natural resources like the bay and local lakes and streams. Locally, coal dust has created problems for homeowners and boat owners, not to mention folks who like to spend time outdoors.

Additionally, burning the coal produces mercury as a byproduct, resulting in mercury advisories for all in-state waters in Wisconsin, raising health concerns among anglers who catch fish for consumption.

Wisconsin needs a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. Energy efficiency and renewable energy not only reduce the impact on the environment and public health, but have economic advantages as well.

Fiscal audits of our state's energy efficiency program, called the Public Benefits Fund and Focus on Energy, have found that for every dollar invested in these programs, you save at least $3 on energy bills. The cheapest and cleanest energy is that which you never have to generate. From a business perspective, these efforts save money and make "cents."

One source of renewable energy is wind. Wind power is not only pollution free, but is cost competitive with fossil fuels.

Once the initial investment is made, there are no fuel costs. Rather than exporting over $6 billion a year in fuel purchases because Wisconsin has no coal, natural gas or uranium deposits, we could be investing in wind-energy projects that can generate revenue for farmers and local communities.

The good news is that after several years of study, the state is now considering legislation, Senate Bill 459, that would establish a statewide goal of obtaining 10 percent of our energy from renewables by 2015. Not only is this goal attainable, but it is consistent with states around the U.S., including Minnesota, Texas, Colorado and Hawaii. The bill would also protect the money in the Public Benefits Fund from future government raids. Earlier this year, the village of Ashwaubenon and the Brown County Board passed resolutions supporting these goals.

While the intention of the bill is a good first step, the current version would close the door on future energy efficiency and renewables by letting the state off the hook for having to do anything more on these issues for the next decade. Rather than making this effort a floor, it could create a ceiling. Not only is that shortsighted, but it puts Wisconsin at an economic disadvantage if we want to remain competitive and sell ourselves as leaders on cutting edge energy policy and technology. Also, the legislation currently caps the amount of money for the Public Benefits Fund at levels that are less than half of its potential — this funding is not only effective, but in high demand and should be allowed to grow.

There is still time to change all this. Our local senator, Robert Cowles, is chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, and is working to offer a substitute bill that would clean up the current draft; the committee was expected to hold a public hearing at the Capitol this month. We applaud Sen. Cowles for his efforts on this bill and encourage him to continue working with members of the committee to ensure that this bill is as strong as it should be.

If we do not make this bill live up to its potential, we will have missed an important opportunity to move Wisconsin towards a cleaner energy future.

A-A Exteriors, Jeffrey Knutson, Winneconne; Bay Towel Linen and Uniform Rental, Paul Linzmeyer, Green Bay; C & F Repairs, Chris Fritsch, Hilbert; Highland Building Consultants LLC, Douglas Meek, Green Bay; and Sagrillo Power & Light, Mick Sagrillo, Forestville.

Public must beware of Lasee's agenda

This is a guest column from Kim McCarthy.

I was in attendance at Sen. Alan Lasee's DNR hearing on Jan. 10, and completely share the view of several recent writers: The whole sad affair was staged and the outcome predetermined. Unfortunately, the event received a fair amount of publicity, as Lasee intended.

As troublesome as the hearing was, the next step in Lasee's process will be worse. You can bet that Lasee will now take his phony "results" and use them as an excuse to introduce legislation to limit DNR regulatory authority, or transfer that authority to the Legislature.

If that type of bill passes, we will bid goodbye to science-based, impartial resource management and replace it with management by special interest campaign contributions.

Also troubling is Lasee's questionable use of taxpayer dollars. He clearly is on a crusade to do away with much of the environmental protection we currently enjoy.

To accomplish that end, he used his position of power to discredit and undermine the DNR with a staged hearing.

Taxpayers deserve a much more honest use of scarce dollars and need to be very wary of the senator's agenda.

Kim McCarthy

Time to Check Sen. Lasee's Hearing

Over the past several years, the Department of Natural Resources has withstood many attacks from the Wisconsin Legislature and polluters. Extreme personnel cuts during the budget process, attempts to split the agency, ad campaigns attacking the Department, and other tactics have combined in an attempt to weaken the DNR. These attacks, typically spearheaded by polluters hoping to avoid responsibility for the negative impacts they have on our water and air, only hurt the citizens of Wisconsin.

Everything I’ve heard since this committee was announced leads me to believe that this has little to do with the DNR, and much to do with polluters wanting to gut the laws that protect my drinking water, my air, and the places I bike and camp.

I attended the hearing in Green Bay on Tuesday, and I was lucky enough to be able to speak within the first 2 hours. Over the course of the hearing, I noted the following:

1. Kerry Schumann of the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters submitted her speaking registration slip ahead of mine. I was approximately the 7^th person to speak; at 2:45pm, more than 3 hours into the hearing, Kerry had still not been called to testify.
   
   
2. Two individuals with complaints about the DNR testified at both the Arbor Vitae hearing and the Green Bay hearing. At least one of those individuals arrived at the library auditorium after I had submitted my speaking registration, but was called to testify before I was.
   
   
3. After hearing several complaints, the common theme among them seemed to be a ‘lack of clear communication’ between county and DNR staff; within the DNR staff; and between staff, both county and DNR, and citizens. This theme was articulated by some of the Senators as well.
   
   
4. As one citizen was testifying, there was a dialogue between this citizen and Sen. Lasee, which may have been about permitting or property rights. During this dialogue, a citizen from the audience was inspired to yell, “It’s my river, too!” Sen. Lasee, who had been in the process of getting up from his chair, threw his pencil down and, as he left the stage in an agitated manner, said, “No, it’s not.”

I left the hearing around 2:45pm. At that time, the number of speakers with positive and negative stories was fairly equal. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t have known that from reading the newspaper. I guess that’s why it pays to have your people tell a complaint story for the first 2 hours—before the other side ever gets told, the press will have already left.

One tangible piece of constructive criticism, in my opinion, that came out of the hearings dealt with communication. In any organization, work situation, or, for that matter, personal relationship that I have been in or witnessed, communication has always been an obstacle that can cause tension. Better communication is not, however, something that can be legislated, and it will certainly not be solved by reducing funding or cutting staff. It could be made a staff priority, and I think it should be.

Laws are created to protect the public. In this case, laws that are implemented and enforced by the Department of Natural Resources are intended to make sure that the air we breathe doesn’t trigger asthma attacks in our children or cause cancer. They are intended to ensure that there will be edible fish in our rivers and animals in our forests for future hunters and anglers. They are intended to ensure that we have save drinking water and that we aren’t exposed to toxic chemicals that can cause our babies to be born with physical and mental disabilities. I appreciate the work the DNR does, and I am not willing to see these safeguards compromised.

green bay air quality screening

In Sunday's paper, UW-GB Professors Troy Abel and Michael Kraft had an analysis of the recent news that Green Bay's air quality figures were among the worst in the nation. You can read their "Guest column" in the Press Gazette for a few more days before it it gone from their website.

Guest column: Air quality screening tool gives good starting point

"Bushspeak": global warming

Will Ferrell as President Bush, speaking on global warming

It's funny.