Linking to the Web: More Online Resources on Sustainability

A few weeks ago, I created a post discussing ten exceptional websites pertaining to the sustainability movement. Further research of the web has led me to return with ten additional websites, which were analyzed using the IMSA and Webby Awards Criteria and have conveniently been added to my ever expanding linkroll on the left hand side of this page. I have attempted to find a balance between well written blogging sites as well as reputable organizational websites and will discuss each one briefly. However, I encourage each person to take the time to visit these websites; there is a repository of unique information available for every source listed here. One of the organizational websites discovered in my search was GreenerCars.org. Living in the car obsessed city of Los Angeles prompted me to find this website that provides consumers with information about how environmentally friendly every car on the market is. Well designed, easily navigable, and with a wealth of useful knowledge, GreenerCars.org makes an excellent resource. Similar in quality is The Alternative Energy Store. Although it is more directed toward those do-it-yourself types who enjoy building and working on things at home, The Alternative Energy Store is an online retail store that provides green materials to anyone interested and also has information to help those less adept in their mechanical skills. Keeping my last post on hydrogen power in mind, I came across the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program page, and granted, it contains some bias as to the effectiveness of government hydrogen programs, it is nonetheless a good source of information about hydrogen energy in our country. Earth 911 is a mass notification platform that aims at relaying messages on a large scale regarding sustainability. At first glance, the site appears to be overly broad and unfocused in its purpose, but further investigation reveals a highly developed networking webpage that is extremely user friendly. Lastly is a rather unusual source for green information. The Sundance Channel, an institution for small independent films, contains a branch of their website called Eco-mmunity where visitors can read up on the latest environmental news as well as get involved in various environmental causes. Eco-mmunity understandably does not delve as deeply into the subject as some of the previous websites listed do, but I love and appreciate the fact that this significant entity in Hollywood is exercising some social responsibility and finding a way to incorporate sustainability into the movie industry.

Coincidentally enough, where my discussion on green organizational websites ends is where my discussion on green blogging sites begins. The Sundance Channel also has three blogs on their Eco-mmunity section. The Green is an up to date blog discussing a myriad of environmental issues all across the globe. Despite the fact that there is no information about who is writing the posts, the blog appears to present legitimate information and is maintained daily. The second blog, Environmental News, focuses on just that. Rather than broadly discussing issues as The Green does, Environmental News focuses on the politics of sustainability around the world. However, the same criticisms about The Green also apply to this blog as well. Moving away from the Sundance Channel, I came upon Green Option, a blog site that covers every topic, from money and business to food and health. The upside of this site is there numerous bloggers who keep Green Option updated daily, often with more than one post per day. The negative is that not all seem to be experts in the field. Gristmill is another environmental journal meant to inject humor in a field that is too often characterized as dull and overly serious. They attempt to keep things interesting by covering the unconventional but still pertinent sustainability news. The problem with Gristmill is that seemingly anyone can post an entry, regardless of their qualifications or lack thereof. Lastly is MTV Switch blog, a branch of MTV that covers green news of relevance to the younger generation. Not one of my most favorite sites, I still believe it is important and admirable for MTV to have this online resource that continues to inject important issues to our youths in a manner that is relatable to them.

Turbulent Turbines: Mayor's Plan Stirs up More Than Just the Water

The possibility of turbines being placed in the San Francisco Bay (pictured on the left) has been in discussion since 2003 when the city's Department of the Environment director, Jared Blumenfeld, and Mayor Gavin Newsom proposed the idea, and it is not an entirely new subject by any means. What is new are the findings of the United Research Services (URS) study that were just recently released. The study was paid for by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and indicates several major problems with this plan. What initially began as a genuinely positive step toward finding an alternative source of energy has quickly spun into a mess of stubborn politics, financial improbability, and inadequate amounts of research. Although hydraulic technology provides the cleanest and most efficient form of electricity, the Mayor's proposal to place turbines in the bay severely lacks sufficient research to be implemented safely and intelligently. As the leader of San Francisco, it is his responsibility to act in a sensible and conscientious manner while maintaining the best interest of his citizens as a central priority. However, his actions following the release of the URS Study only seem to implicate an unwillingness by Mayor Gavin Newsom to act in this mature capacity.

Tidal energy is a largely unexplored source of energy in the U.S., where the majority of our states and cities have no access to large natural bodies of water. However the history of this technology goes back all the way to around 900 A.D. when waterwheels were used to activate grinders for grains. The first commercial tidal energy power plant was constructed in Brittany, France during the 1960s, and the waterwheel gave way to the much more technologically advanced hydraulic turbine and generator. Today France's La Rance Tidal Power Plant still remains the only large scale commercial power plant in the world and has been functioning for the last forty years without any major malfunction. Throughout the years, a number of other tidal plants have emerged in various locations all across the globe, including Canada, Switzerland, Wales, and China. Although found to be reliably effective over time, history has also shown that they are not without their fair share of problems. From 1974 through 1987 a myriad of studies were conducted to determine whether a proposal to dam the Severn Estuary that spanned the distance between Wales and England would be feasible. The Severn Tidal Barrage proposal (STB) was ultimately put aside in 1987 as a result of "economic problems". In addition, there were found to be several environmental obstacles such as fish migration impediment and disruption of delicate intertidal zones that would have most likely prevented the creation of the barrage.

Fast forward to 2008 and we are finding many of these same obstacles reemerging in the San Francisco Bay proposition. Originally, it was believed that the water around the Golden Gate Bridge was a large source of untapped energy for the city and was even projected to be capable of producing 38 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 38,000 homes. Jared Blumenfeld proudly touted that "Within 10 years, San Francisco could build enough clean energy tidal power to meet its daily energy needs, as well as generate surplus energy to sell--all with a price tag of about one-third the cost per megawatt of solar power." In reality, the URS study has found that only one to two megawatts would be produced at a cost of millions of dollars in maintenance fees, thus raising the estimated price of electricity from anywhere between 80 cents and $1.40 per kilowatt hour. In comparison, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company currently has a commercial rate of 12 cents per kilowatt hour. On top of these financial complications lies the fact that much of the environmental impact on marine life has gone largely unstudied. "Just imagine a giant tube being placed at the base of the San Francisco Bay underneath the Golden Gate Bridge," Mayor Newsom stated in regards to his plan. Yes, let us imagine this "giant tube" which will likely be over fifteen feet tall sitting on the bay floor and purportedly have no effect on the underwater ecosystem. It is hard to believe that a foreign object of that magnitude would be unnoticed by the fish and other creatures in the bay, especially if Mayor Newsom has his way and establishes an entire underwater power grid of turbines. There have been many issues with trapped fish and seals, and a 100% guarantee of safety to the surrounding wildlife can never be fully provided. The truth is that there is no real way of predicting the effects that the plan could have on the environment. Tidal flows could be altered, migratory patterns interrupted. It is very likely that placing these hydraulic devices in the bay could introduce an entirely new set of problems in place of the energy problem it is meant to resolve.

The politics of Mayor Newsom (pictured on the right discussing the turbines) have also raised more than a few questions from critics of his plan. When faced with the results of the PUC funded study, the mayor's response was, "I am going to find a way to make it happen... I don't care about the arguments against it. I care about the arguments for it." This is precisely the kind of deterministic attitude that will get bad policies enforced and give a bad name to the whole alternative energy movement. Instead of taking the negative critiques personally, Mayor Newsom should be using them to reevaluate the plan. By ignoring "the arguments against it" he is choosing to ignore the faults that may potentially arise should his efforts come to fruition. Another controversy arose when the General Manager of PUC, Susan Leal, was fired from her position late last February despite having two more years in her contract. Consequently, her severance package amounted to over $400,000, a fee that will have to be paid by the citizens of San Francisco. Many have speculated that Leal was let go partly as a result of her decision to back away from the mayor's initiative to create a tidal power plant after she received the results of the URC study. Leal also gained the reputation as being too independent and not a team player during her three and a half years as general manager. I find it to be a troubling sign when powerful officials use their authority to manipulate other influential minds into sharing their ideologies as it appears Mayor Newsom has done. A third study to be conducted by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company is now underway, which Newsom is hoping will yield more favorable results. As the political leader of San Francisco, it is his duty to act responsibly for the well being of his city and all its inhabitants. However, his actions and statements have only shown his narrow minded approach to the energy crisis situation.

It is no secret that California has been suffering from a deficient amount of energy for a number of years. As a result, the state has become a pioneer in exploring alternative energy sources; the interest in harnessing hydraulic power and converting it into electricity very much exemplifies this fact. Tides are arguably the best source of energy as they are reliable, consistent, completely reusable, and emit zero waste. Nonetheless, that does not mean that plans for a tidal power plant can be enacted without thorough research beforehand. It is important that changes toward sustainability occur in a smart and thoughtful manner in order for them to remain effective permanently. Mayor Newsom's continued determination to create turbines in the bay of San Francisco despite research that indicates their financial impracticality is suggestive of a deeper political agenda. If Newsom is truly looking to improve his city and relieve California's dependence on environmentally damaging sources of power, he should take the criticisms to his plan seriously to see if any adjustments could be made to address the problems rather than ignoring them with reckless abandon.

Links Galore: Some of the Best Online Resources For Everything Green

My intention in writing this blog was to create an online forum that others could look to as a reference for legitimate and accurate data. Therefore I felt it necessary on my part to search the web and provide a number of sources that readers of this blog could turn to for further insight on the green movement. During my research, I kept in mind both the Webby Awards Criteria and the IMSA Criteria to evaluate websites as well as blogs. The sites I discovered offer a multitude of information, not just limited to California, and cover all different aspects of sustainability. One such resource that I often visit, and can frequently be found on my feed items, is TreeHugger, a comprehensive, interactive website dedicated to all things green. The creators' main goal in launching TreeHugger was to push sustainability into the mainstream, and with over a million different viewers, one could easily make the argument that they are well on their way to succeeding in their endeavor. I find TreeHugger to be one of the best places for information; not only do they have a thirty post per day blog, but they also provide a daily and weekly newsletter for quick and easy access to current information. My only criticism would be that with such a vast amount of material in one location, it is easy for viewers to become overwhelmed. Thankfully the "About" section of the site provides helpful suggestions on how to best navigate TreeHugger depending on each individual's specific needs. Got2BeGreen is another similar website. Like TreeHugger, Got2BeGreen supplies readers with a variety of green knowledge through articles and blogs. It lacks the same amount of popularity as TreeHugger but as it is only recently launched, Got2BeGreen has garnered a significant amount of attention and only continues to grow. Another resource I have previously utilized is Green Tech Gazette, a weblog that presents information on new green technology. Despite the fact that the exact credentials of the author are unknown and posts are not always updated on a daily basis, the topics are consistently relevant, of the utmost interest, and seem to be drawn from reliable primary sources. Many times green products have the connotation of being inferior or technologically behind non-green products, but this blog continually proves that is not the case, promoting cutting edge sustainable inventions. Stepping away from the blogging community, I chanced upon Smart Growth America, a coalition of numerous organizations on a national, state, and local level. This group's website is dedicated to improvements in building for cities and towns all across the country. I found this website to not be quite as informative as some others I have come across but was nonetheless a good source of information and simple to navigate. A better example can be found in the U.S. Green Building Council page. This non-profit organization is devoted to promoting the expansion of sustainable building practices throughout the United States. USGBC is a much heftier coalition uniting over 13,500 building industry organizations under this cause, and their members include engineers, architects, designers, and government agencies. This website is highly authoritative but at the same time seems to be directed more toward knowledgeable professionals in the field rather than the average citizen. The Green Home Guide is much more suited for the everyday layman who may not be quite as well versed in the world of sustainability. This San Francisco based website was created with the intention of providing simple and trusted advice to the masses. Green Home Guide allows their visitors to engage with professionals in the field who will answer any and all questions they may have when it comes to building a greener home. An easily navigable page, simple and pleasing design aesthetic, and wealth of reliable information make this website one of my favorites. Building Green is yet another resource for sustainable architecture and design. This independent company's mission is to transform the building industry using a whole-system perspective, improving environmental conditions for the outdoors, indoors, employees, owners, and associates. Unlike Green Home Guide, this website serves a much more commercial purpose for those in the industry. Narrowing my search to California centered web pages, one of the first to come up was the U.S. Department of Energy site for California. It provides the latest government news regarding anything that has to do with California energy and also provides a list of upcoming events in the state. The benefit of this website is its authority since it is a government organization, but the negative would have to be the relatively small amount of information that can actually be translated into something useful by its readers. For all that the U.S. Department of Energy lacks, the California Energy Commission's Consumer Energy Center provides. It is in fact the very premise of this website to supply the public with knowledge on how to effectively utilize energy in our homes, work, and vehicles. Simple and straightforward, the Consumer Energy Center is the ideal resource for everyone, regardless of how informed or uninformed they may be. Lastly is Environment California, a citizen-based advocacy group that fights for the protection of the state environment. They cover all environmental issues from clean water and air to state legislature. I found this site to be a particularly strong source for California specific information. To visit any of these website simply click on the corresponding link provided in my linkrolls.