Wind Energy

By: Terry Shannon

http://www.window.state.tx.us/

Roscoe Wind Farm, west of Abilene

Wind energy is among the world’s fastest-growing sources of energy. During the last decade, wind energy growth rates worldwide averaged about 30 percent annually.  In the last three years, the U.S. and Texas wind energy markets also have experienced a rapid expansion of capacity. In 2007, for example, U.S. wind power capacity grew by 43 percent, while Texas’ rose by 57 percent.

This growth has been driven by a variety of factors including government subsidies and tax incentives, improved technology, higher fossil fuel prices and investor concerns about potential federal action to reduce carbon emissions, which could make electricity from fossil fuels more expensive.

Wind power is an abundant, widely distributed energy resource that has zero fuel cost, zero emissions and zero water use. Wind’s challenges are largely related to its variable nature – wind speed and direction can change by the season, day, hour and minute. For electricity grid operators the variability of wind – sometimes too much wind is blowing and at others too little – makes it difficult to integrate wind into a grid that was not designed for fluctuations. Moreover, surplus wind power cannot be stored, given current technology.

While wind power represents only a small portion of Texas’ overall electricity production (about three percent), the state’s wind capacity is growing rapidly. High wind speeds, improved wind technology, and government subsidies and tax incentives have contributed to the growth of wind power in the state. With new transmission lines planned by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) to serve parts of Texas with strong winds, wind’s share of overall state capacity is likely to continue to grow in the coming years.

Many Texas landowners have willingly leased their lands to wind developers, but others oppose the industry. The siting of wind turbines can be problematic, due to opposition to their appearance, noise and potential hazard to wildlife. Some landowners complain that without a permitting process for wind projects, they have no way to protect their property rights.

Transmission is another significant hurdle, since the best sites for wind energy development often are far away from urban centers and the wire networks that provide them with power. Some landowners object to transmission lines traversing their ranches and farms, claiming they will lower their property values. Other critics say that wind energy, like other forms of alternative energy, is not really economically viable without substantial government subsidies and incentives.

Still, wind power can provide economic value to some property owners. Property owners leasing land for wind turbine development receive a steady income (although landowners with transmission towers and lines passing through their land receive only a one-time payment). And wind projects, like other energy projects, create construction and operation jobs and expand the local property tax base.

10 EASY WAYS TO GO GREEN

By: Diane Garza

Living in today’s environment as a  parent  with children, families are always trying to find ways to improve a home environment for healthy living.   According to safetyathome.com there are tips that may enhance healthy “GO GREEN” Living for your family.

CLEAN GREEN – Make your own non – toxic, affordable cleaning supplies out everyday items such as vinegar and baking soda.

KNOW YOUR CO - Carbon Monoxide alarms should be installed near all sleeping areas, on each level of the house and 15-20 feet from the furnace.

PAINT LEAD-FREE - Use only lead-free, non toxic paint throughout your home, especially in children’s rooms.

TEST YOUR TAP - Your local health department can provide information about the purity and safety of your drinking water. If your tap water fails a lead test, invest in a filter or use bottled water for drinking and cooking.

BE STINGY WITH WATER - Turn off the water when you’re not using it and put a low-flow cap on your sink faucet.

BREATH WELL INDOORS - Prevent mold growth with good ventilation and use low-VOC paints and furnishings. Check that appliances and any fireplace or woodstove is properly vented to the outside of your home.

LIGHT UP WITH LED’S – Light – emitting diodes (LEDs) use less energy, generate less heat and last longer than other bulbs.

WASTE NOT – Find creative new ways to reuse old glass jars, bottles, and grocery bags. Check the bottom of all plastics before throwing them away and recycle as much as possible.

SWITCH OFF -  Save electricity and reduce environmental impact by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need.

CONTROL YOUR MERCURY INTAKE - For pregnant moms and children, Mercury ingested through fish can pose a significant health risk. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends these groups do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.

Pamper Your Body Organically!

By: Sylvia Hay

I just heard about this small, Brooklyn-based company called Sprout Wellness through Gwenyth Paltrows website called GOOP. Sprout Wellness is only 1 year old and offers organic skincare products. Everything owner and founder Adina makes is completely natural and is made up of ingredients that you can find at the supermarket (or rather, the organic green market). It’s the way it should be, made once a week in small batches, using glass jars and supporting local, sustainable farms.

Just to prove how home-made these products are, here’s a recipe Sprout uses for their Sugar Body Scrub that you can make at home:

• 1 cup organic demerara sugar (or any other coarse sugar will work)
• 1-2 tsp organic unrefined coconut oil
• 2 tsp organic shredded coconut

Mix shredded coconut and sugar in a small bowl, stir until blended. Heat coconut oil in a small pot just until melted. Pour coconut oil over sugar and shredded coconut, you'll notice it liquefies some of the sugar. With a fork or spoon, stir oil into the sugar mixture. It will start to spread. Continue until the sugar is all one consistency.

To use: Apply a small amount to areas you want to exfoliate and moisturize.  

Make some Green New Years resolutions in 2012

By: Rene Hernandez

As we look upon another year ahead and come up with resolutions let's try to come up with some green resolutions to help our planet, community, and home.

Here are some ideas to consider that would make an impact, and know---you can make a difference.

Educate yourself about the environmental concerns important to you. Pick one environmental topic you want to know more about (climate change, renewable energy, organic food, etc.), and make a commitment to educate yourself about that topic. Start reading books on the subject that you find at your local library, or go to your local bookseller for books. Search for nonprofit organizations and green news sites that provide information on your topic. Use your knowledge to get involved. Contact your elected officials when an environmental issue will affect you or your community. Join the local chapter of a nonprofit organization that works on your area of concern and help them be successful.

Eat healthy, with less meat and sugar, and more fruits and vegetables. I’m not just talking about the usual January resolutions to lose weight. I’m talking about developing new healthy habits and eating more vegetarian. Have you tried meatless days, using beans and rice for your protein? How can you add more fruits and veggies to your meals? Reducing your meat consumption has a positive effect on the environment, and for the animals too. Livestock production accounts for nearly 20 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, and about 25 percent of all global water used in agriculture. Websites such as Meatless Monday and Eating Well offer numerous vegetarian recipes that are healthy for you and the environment.

Go on a low-carbon diet and cut your energy use. We each have to take personal responsibility for the energy we use each day—and the estimated 20 tons per year of carbon dioxide we generate daily. Replacing your light bulbs is a start. Rethink the use of your car(s), make public transportation more of a daily feature in your life, and walk whenever possible. Insulate and caulk your home to cut heating and cooling bills, and turn out the lights around your home and business. Adjust your thermostat to save energy and money—or do it automatically with a programmable thermostat. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that consumers can save up to 15 percent on heating and cooling bills just by adjusting their thermostats. Turning down the heat by 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours can result in savings of 5-15 percent on your home heating bill.

Cut your consumption, and recycle everything you can. Before buying anything, think about the environmental impact of that purchase—from the use of raw materials and water and energy to make the product, to the transportation and packaging—and whether you really need it. Make it easy to collect and take your paper, cardboard, and containers to your nearest recycling bins, which are often located in grocery store parking lots. Give used clothing, furniture, and toys to Goodwill or another charitable group. Rethink your need to own a car if you live in a city with a car share service. Already more than half a million people in the U.S. are sharing instead of owning.

Strive to eliminate plastic from your life. It’s estimated that 10 percent of all the plastic created each year eventually ends up in an ocean, where it harms marine life that accidently eats it. Set a goal today of not accepting a single store bag with a purchase. Then avoid bags for a week, a month, and the rest of the year. Take your own reusable containers to a restaurant for your leftovers. No more bottled water! Americans use an estimated 2.5 million plastic bottles an hour! The bottled water industry made nearly $11 billion in profits in 2010—money that could stay in your wallet if you used tap or filtered water and your own containers. Only about a fourth of plastic bottles are ever recycled. Recent studies have found that bottled water often contains more pollutants than city tap water. Fill up your glasses and reusable water bottles with filtered water from your kitchen.

Get involved with like-minded people in your community. As one of our 1776 patriots noted, “We must all hang together, for surely we shall all hang separately.” Margaret Mead long ago noted that we should “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” Many people like you are looking for ways to connect with others to solve local, regional, and global environmental problems. Each geographic community has numerous eco-oriented groups, and myriad ways of finding out where they are. So what are you waiting for? Join your local Sierra Club, Green Drinks group, or another nature-loving group.

OYSTERS…MORE THAN JUST GOOD EATS

By: Leigh Anne Geiter

Clearly, Gulf Coast Oysters are a highly demanded culinary delicacy not just in U.S. Coastal areas, but land-locked areas also create a high demand on the delicious little shellfish.  Oysters are big business along the Gulf Coast!  And, if you’re seated at an oyster bar, we watch in amazement as these little morsels are dug out of hard clumps of shells to delight our taste buds.  So, after our tongues are delighted and our bellies are satisfied, what becomes of all of that oyster shell refuse? 

Well, smart environmentalists know that oyster beds take many years to form, and that it’s not just about the culinary delight!  Oysters, being a filtering organism, are a sign of estuary health.  Thus, Oyster Reef Restoration projects are vital to preserving healthy bays and estuaries.  In the near future, the Texas State Aquarium will conduct an Oyster Restoration program in our area.  Oyster Reef Restoration projects involve the placement of more than millions of pounds of cultch – which is typically made up of fossilized shell, coral or other similar materials produced by living organisms designed to provide points of attachment for oysters.  The purpose of the cultch is to provide habitat for oyster colonization.

Oyster habitat is vital to the health of an estuary, effectively filtering nutrients, fine sediments and toxins from the water column. They support critical fisheries and protected resources, improve water quality and protect shorelines. Oysters are an indicator species, meaning that their presence in the water can be used to gather information on the overall health of the estuary.

Please check back on this website for more information on Oyster Restoration efforts in our area, spear headed by the Texas State Aquarium.