All Aboard The Trash Train!

One of the best things about Mayor Bloomberg in my view was his PlaNYC initiatives. It was a bold program and although not as much of it has been implemented, the overreaching goal is sound. One part of the PlaNYC is to make our garbage more eco-friendly. While much of that is done by citizens not wasting as much, the way we haul the refuse must also be taken into consideration. Using trains instead of trucks to dump garbage is a smart idea, especially when your destination is in Virginia.

From NY1:

With the sound of a bell, dozens of tractor trailers are off the city's streets. From now on, 950 tons of garbage created by North Brooklyn residents will be taken daily by trains, not trucks, to a landfill in Virginia.

It's a move, Mayor Michael Bloomberg estimates, will eliminate 40 tractor trailer trips each day, a total of 13,000 each year.

"It's not only going to help reduce congestion on the borough's streets and highways, it's going to improve the air in neighborhoods that have been unjustly saddled with the responsibility of handling people's waste," said Bloomberg.

Making neighborhoods responsible for their own trash is the cornerstone of the mayor's solid waste management plan.

That means his own borough, my borough and everyone else in Manhattan has to have their trash taken care of. Not that we have to literally take our trash bags to a barge, but the county government has to set up transfer stations like that in North Brooklyn. Getting those tractor-trailers off the highways is essential for the environment. Whether or not each borough should take care of their own is the best way is up for debate, but somehow it has to get done.

It's Easy.....And Beneficial Being Green

Do you wish for unimaginable things like swimming in the Hudson River without contracting some sort of disease? It sounds far-fetched but placing parks strategically around the city can help make that possible. Not only will more of those "green streets" make avenues look nicer, they'll be helping the environment in a big way.

From Streetsblog:

One of the more unsung PlaNYC initiatives aims to drastically reduce CSO, in part by managing streets more wisely. Certain traffic calming measures, it turns out, can not only make streets more ped-friendly, but also help make the city's rivers clean enough to swim in. To accomplish this, PlaNYC calls for retooling the Parks Department's Greenstreets program, and we are starting to see the results.

At their best, Greenstreets -- the pint-sized green spaces that Parks began planting in 1996 -- have served as modest traffic-calming measures, displacing asphalt with patches of greenery that send cues to slow down. The new breed goes a few steps further: They combine advanced stormwater capture techniques with more overt traffic-calming devices, like neckdowns and bulb-outs.[...]

Stormwater is captured by a drainage pipe on the north side of the blockbuster (right), where it is channeled under the sidewalk and into the soil of the planting bed. Any excess is stored in a chamber beneath the soil, where the plants can soak it up in times of drought.

"That's less water that our sewer system has to deal with," says Bram Gunther, the head of Forestry and Horticulture at Parks, who has been instrumental in implementing the new Greenstreets. He points out that by storing the water for later use, this Greenstreet won't require Parks to send a water truck out on the street to keep it maintained. "Anytime you get to recycle water, that's a good thing."

That is definitely a good thing, and despite some neighborhoods complaints, we need to build more of them. Treating our rivers like/with crap is wrong. Wrong for the wildlife that lives in the river and the overall ecology of the Hudson. Something so simple as a park can help solve that, and to me, that is a no brainer. See how easy it is to be green?

NYC City Council Follows Up On Bloomberg's PlaNYC

Bloomberg's PlaNYC earlier this year drew wide acclaim across the country as a model for cities to clean up and reduce energy usage. Now the City Council is getting in the act, making the goal of a 30% reduction in energy consumption by 2030. Not only are they dedicated to it, they're going to make it a law.

From The Daily News:

The City Council Wednesday will likely approve the Climate Protection Act, which forces the city to figure out a way to cut everyone's carbon dioxide emissions by 30% by 2030.

Mayor Bloomberg set a similar goal in his ambitious PlaNYC blueprint for the city's future, but the law would make it a lot harder for any future mayor to backtrack on the target.

"We've been wanting to do this for a long time," said Councilman James Gennaro (D-Queens), chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee.

Now this is a law that is far from frivolous (like many of their other pieces of legislation) and in fact a necessary component to maintain the preeminent city in the country (or any city) in the 21st century.

NYC Wants You To Throw Away Bottled Water For Good

New York City is on a tear to be as green as possible. Hybrid taxis, energy efficient building codes, congestion pricing and the entire PlaNYC platform has New Yorkers talking. The latest campaign is to get rid of bottled water. Although they are 'convenient,' those bottles are made of plastic which comes from oil. Fifty million barrels of oil are used to make the nation's plastic water bottles every year and it takes many, many more to ship them to their destination.

Meanwhile, using tap water is ridiculously more efficient and the quality is just as good. Especially in the city, our water quality is one of the best in the country. The campaign to get people to switch the way they drink water is under way and progress is already starting to show.

From AM New York:

With a series of ads in subways and businesses, the city is promoting its own "delicious," "fat-free," and "refreshing" tap water as a better alternative to plastic bottles that are used once and thrown away.

In doing so, New York joins a growing movement away from bottled water. Some restaurants in California have stopped offering it, and in September, Mario Batali's Del Posto on 10th Avenue will become among the first to do so here.

"We don't look at it as losing money, we look at is as investing in the world," said Del Posto co-owner Joe Bastianich, who said the restaurant will make and sell its own mineral water on site using tap water.

That is damn good investment. It is great to see businesses realize that by not profiting on bottled water, they are doing so much to save our planet. One restaurant changing its practices won't solve the problem of climate change, but collective action will. This is one step of many that we need to take in order to help reduce our carbon impact.

PlaNYC Into Action

Despite Bloomberg's faults (which are considerable) his environmental policies set forth in April were outstanding. If only the President would institute such projects nation-wide. One of the things the President is known for is talking tough and doing little when it comes to actually helping the American people. Here in New York, plans are being put into action rather quickly.

From WNYC:

NEW YORK, NY June 12, 2007 —Mayor Bloomberg wants to use solar power and cleaner-burning heating oil in municipal buildings.

He said the city will issue a request for proposals for a pilot program to install solar panels on city-owned buildings in hopes of generating 2 megawatts of solar capacity - about the same as taking more than 50 cars a year off the streets. New York won't pay for the installation, but will buy electricity from the provider.

By next summer, city buildings will be using a bio-diesel blend for heating oil. The renewable fuel emits far less soot than standard heating oil.

Replacing 50 cars doesn't seem like much but if the pilot program works like it is supposed to, we could see major change in a short time. The fact that NYC taxpayers won't have to pay for installation costs is a bonus as well. Replacing standard heating oil is also a nice touch. The city uses gobs of it in the winter and using a bio-diesel blend makes good sense. I am glad to see good proposals being implemented.

While Bush Fails The Environment, Cities Try To Pick Up The Slack

The environment is something we all need to take heed of. Unfortunately the Bush Administration has done nothing but hurt us while helping the energy industry to become even more flush with cash. Well Americans aren't taking it laying down. In fact many localities are doing what they can to make a positive impact in their regions despite negative perceptions worldwide and an uphill battle against the White House.

From The Washington Post:

A nationwide poll released in April showed a third of Americans now call global warming the world's single largest environmental problem -- double the number a year ago, according a Washington Post-ABC News-Stanford University survey. Though the administration agreed this week to "seriously consider" a European proposal to slash emissions 50 percent by 2050, the United States rebuffed efforts to make the cuts mandatory.

"Because of what many see as a policy failure on this issue in Washington, you see state and city governments stepping up and taking the lead on global warming," said Daniel C. Esty, director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy. "You've got people in Europe saying that America is doing nothing on global warming, but that's not true. You are seeing real action. But it's happening in a local way."

What started in 2005 with the frustrations of one mayor -- Seattle's Greg Nickels -- over the Bush administration's resistance to the Kyoto Protocol has since grown to become a major nationwide movement. Nickel's "U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement" now includes 522 mayors representing 65 million Americans who have pledged to meet the Kyoto Protocol's standard of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.

Officials are still attempting to assess the overall impact of the combined effort of local governments. But they say those measures -- along with mild weather and other factors -- significantly contributed to the 1.3 percent drop in U.S. fossil-fuel related emissions to 5.88 billion metric tons last year.

America is trying to do its best on a local level despite the fight from the Feds. Many cities across the nation have instituted policies and procedures that are making a difference. Portland, N.H. generates hydroelectricity from its drinking water, New York has PlaNYC in place to cut emissions by 30 percent by 2030 and even in Boulder, CO there is the nation's first carbon tax to fund clean energy alternatives.

We still have a long way to go, and a new environmentally friendly administration in 2009 will make things go a lot faster. Yet these little things are crucial to combat climate change, ultimately teaching people to look at energy in a different way in these changing times.

City Universities Plan To One-Up The Mayor

Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC will be quite an undertaking, reducing carbon output by 30 percent by 2030. However the Universities of New York are planning to reach the Mayor's goals in only ten years. They are confident that institutions like CUNY, Columbia and NYU can work to reduce their carbon footprints on the city by 2017.

From WNYC:

NEW YORK, NY June 06, 2007 —Nine universities around the city, including NYU, Columbia and CUNY, have accepted the city's challenge of reducing carbon emissions by 30 percent in ten years, instead of the 23 years outlined in the Mayor's 2030 sustainability plans.

REPORTER: The mayor has already committed the city to meeting the accelerated timeline, and has urged other institutions to join in. Fordham University president, Reverend Joseph McShane, says schools can become more energy efficient even as they educate their students about climate change.

MCSHANE: In philosophy classes, in policy classes, in political science classes, we can engage them in conversations about the responsibility that we have as citizens and as sharers of the Earth, to make sure that the Earth is cherished and nurtured and passed on.

The centers of higher learning get that the problem of climate change is not only important, but needs to be dealt with urgently. There is no time like the present, so we need to get going and help do whatever we can to save the planet. One person cannot solve the problem alone, but if we all make a difference where we live, there might just be some hope.

NYC Taxis Are Going Green!

After the PlaNYC was introduced by the Mayor a month ago, there were a lot of great programs being reviewed. However one was missing, the taxis that hurtle down the streets and avenues of the city. Well Bloomberg made sure they were included today, promising that the entire fleet will consist of hybrids by 2012.

From WCBS-TV:

According to the mayor, it will be 25 miles per gallon or bust. That's the fuel efficiency that the mayor is pushing for the city's taxi fleet by the year 2012.

"There's an awful lot of taxicabs on the streets of New York City obviously, so it makes a real big difference," Bloomberg said. "These cars just sit there in traffic sometimes, belching fumes; this does a lot less. It's a lot better for all of us."

Currently, roughly 90 percent of the city's 13,000 yellow cabs are Crown Victorias. And while they may be roomy inside for passenger comfort, they get a paltry 10 to 15 miles per gallon for city driving.

Hybrids can do a lot better than 25 miles an hour, but considering how taxi drivers handle their cars it is pretty good. I've heard some drivers complain about the hybrids lack of power, but frankly I tell them "tough." The air of New York is much more important than enabling their (mostly) reckless driving.

Eliminating Pollution And Cars In NYC

Bloomberg's plan to implement congestion pricing for Manhattan has sparked much debate since he unveiled the idea. Studies have shown that the areas with the most vehicle-trips into the city come from expected areas, such as eastern Queens, lower Staten Island and southern Brooklyn. The odd one out though, is the Upper East Side. The richest and also highly dense section of Manhattan has over 7,000 residents who drive to work daily.

Those cars add considerably to the traffic, the congestion and the carbon monoxide output on the island. Eight dollars a day might not do much to their pocketbooks while residents of the outer burroughs are going to be hit harder. Some UES'ers might switch to mass transit, but we'll see if it comes to be if and when congestion pricing is implemented. Commuters that take the heavily traveled Lex line worry that crowding on the train will get even worse, especially since it is the only line on the Eastside. The Second Avenue subway would help, but who knows if that will ever be built.

As an almost daily rider of the Lex local, my opinion is let them come on down. If it helps the environment in and around the city, then I won't mind the extra riders. Manhattan is a unique city in the United States where cars are really unnecessary. I was glad to give my car up to come to New York, so the natives that do sit in traffic shouldn't mind it too much to do their part.