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27 February 2008
States and Communities Go Green
States, communities, and private-sector organizations across the United States are investing in renewable energy and reaping dividends as they strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global climate change. Federal, state and local governments partner with businesses and nongovernmental organizations to increase use of clean energy derived from the sun, wind, water and organic materials. Learn more about these environmentally friendly projects.
CALIFORNIA
A leader in environmental protection, California taps renewable energy resources and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by advancing the “new energy economy.” The strategy is to curb emissions dramatically while providing “green collar” jobs in the emerging industries -- jobs in research, development, manufacturing and installation of new technologies in homes and businesses.
The Home Builders Association of Northern California boosted the effort with a pledge to cut emissions to half the 1990 output by 2020. Education about climate change and training green energy technicians are program components. The California Solar Initiative, which offers incentives for solar installations, has created a demand for more energy auditors, building contractors and electricians certified to install solar panels.
See “California Sets Ambitious Renewable Energy Goals.”
ARIZONA
Organizers of the annual Super Bowl, American professional football’s championship game focus on community service through the National Football League (NFL) environmental program. The program mandates recycling office supplies and materials used once only for the annual event. Vehicles powered by alternative fuels are used for transportation. The league contributes to reforestation projects, another way to counter NFL-related carbon dioxide emissions.
The NFL sees the environmental program as a smart business investment that conserves resources in whatever city hosts the game. Phoenix was the 2008 venue. Prior to the February 3 game, the NFL planted about 40.5 hectares of trees in the White Mountain Apache Indian reservation in Arizona. The area is recovering from a catastrophic 2002 wildfire that destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares.
See “Green Joins Glitz at Super Bowl, Indianapolis Auto Race.”
MINNESOTA
The Midwestern state of Minnesota is stepping up efforts to develop and promote renewable energies, including wind and biofuels. This expansion could help rural communities by creating jobs where local economies historically have depended on agriculture.
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is among a number of governors across the United States who are pushing green energy programs to cut carbon dioxide emissions and develop new industries. The residents of the rural town of Medelia have started a biomass energy plant supported by locally grown crops. That plant is looked to as a model for other small towns.
See “Minnesota Steps Up Development of Renewable Energy Technologies.”
LOUISIANA
Hollywood, in the person of actor Brad Pitt, has come to the rescue of residents of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward who lost homes to Hurricane Katrina. Make It Right, the nonprofit organization Pitt founded, strives not only to rebuild the homes, but to make them energy efficient.
Green architecture firms involved in the project design durable buildings that work with the environment, using solar energy, natural light and rainwater collection, among other features. Major support has come from people in the entertainment industry and the corporate sector. Financial assistance from donations helps families cover the difference between the price of the house and what they can afford.
See “Hollywood Helping Rebuild New Orleans with 'Green' Architecture.”
INDIANA
The famous Indianapolis “Indy” 500 auto race has gone green. The 33 cars that qualify for the 805-kilometer (500-mile) event are powered completely by ethanol. 2008 was the second ethanol-fueled season of this premier racing event.
Ethanol is produced from organic materials with high carbohydrate content -- starches, sugars or cellulose -- and used as an additive to fossil fuel to cut down on pollution. The Indy 500 cars are running on 100 percent ethanol fuel, a first in world motor sports racing. Ethanol has a higher octane rating than the traditional gasoline that had been used in the Indy 500 and gets better mileage in the Indy cars that exceed 320 miles (512 kilometers) an hour.
See “Green Joins Glitz at Super Bowl, Indianapolis Auto Race.”
FLORIDA
Florida’s FPL Energy is a foremost provider of wind and solar power in the United States, operating in 25 states. Besides replacing ever-diminishing and polluting fossil fuels with constantly replenished, emissions-free and cost-effective renewable energy resources, FPL strives to minimize its own environmental impact.
FPL energy uses hydroelectric power in addition to solar and wind. It also uses natural gas and nuclear power to serve commercial and residential power needs. Electricity is sold wholesale to regional, municipal and cooperative power distributors.
See “Florida Firm Focuses on Clean Energy To Replace Fossil Fuels.”
VERMONT
Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) is accomplishing a remarkable transformation by turning cow manure into electric power -- and in the process helping to reduce pollution and give an economic boost to hard-pressed dairy farmers. The “Cow Power” program relies on the willingness of thousands of customers -- individuals and businesses -- to pay slightly more for their electricity to expand renewable power generation and support their farmer neighbors whose cows supply the raw material.
The methane gas produced from cow manure fuels an energy generator. Methane is a significant greenhouse gas, but it burns more cleanly than fossil fuels, which produce carbon dioxide.
See “'Cow Power' Program Converts Animal Waste into Electricity.”
MASSACHUSETTS
Wind power is nothing new for Hull, Massachusetts, which operates two state-of-the-art wind turbines that have become a model for local community engagement in the use of clean, renewable energy. The town, known as “Windmill Point” since the 1820s, lived up to tradition by winning the 2007 Wind Power Pioneer Award given by the U.S. Department of Energy. Hull was acknowledged for advancing the use of wind power on the coast.
The turbines, obtained from the Danish company Vesta, cut the town’s street lighting bill from $150,000 to zero. Wind power is one of the fastest-growing energy sources in America, expanding at a rate of 30 percent to 40 percent annually.
See "Massachusetts Town Reaps Rewards from the Wind."
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
